Life is like a rollercoaster ride, full of ups and downs. At times scary, but that’s where the fun lies. When a rollercoaster ride goes down, people get very scared and start to scream. Similarly, when there are problems in life, we get stressed.

However, just as the rollercoaster inevitably rises again, in its own time, life also brings better days after difficult times. So stressing over problems doesn’t change their course, much like a rollercoaster doesn’t ascend faster because of passengers’ fear.

Being stressed never solves problems, it just affects our mental health and our ability to think and understand things.

Everything happens for a reason. Difficult times play a crucial role in shaping us. They teach us resilience, enhance our problem-solving skills, and uncover our hidden strengths. Hardships force us out of our comfort zone, allowing personal growth.

This is why people in villages are stronger than those living in urban areas. Rural life often requires dealing with challenges like lack of electricity and water supply, leading to the need to gather wood to cook food and keep warm, fetch water from long distances, poor infrastructure, and very basic living conditions. These struggles foster resilience and adaptability, making villagers more prepared for life’s unpredictability than many urban dwellers. Hardships strengthen and enable us to tackle new challenges and face future problems and failures.

In academic life, we have exams, which are scheduled with a proper timetable, syllabus to learn and some time before that is for preparation. But life is unpredictable, it takes our test in the form of challenges, which arrive without notice and we never know what is coming next.

Events like the devastating 2005 earthquake in Balakot remind us of life’s uncertainty and the importance of preparing for the unexpected while hoping for the best.

There is not a single person who has never experienced any sorrow or hard time. Just as night follows day, tough times are an inevitable part of life.

Denying or running from problems is futile; instead, we must learn to accept and grow from them. Wise individuals find lessons and silver linings even in dark moments, like stars shining in the night sky.

But tough times also leave us with something positive to learn from it — it helps us recognise the people who are sincere with us. When we are having a good time, everyone is nice to us, but insincere people often disappear when things get tough. And those who stand by us in the tough times and give us moral support, they are our true friends. A hand on our shoulder when we are struggling is a hundred times better than a hand applauding our success.

Bad days, like seasons, don’t last forever. After intense heat comes the cooling relief of rain; after a storm, a rainbow often appears. Likewise, after struggles, life brings moments of ease and joy. History is full of examples of individuals who turned adversity into triumph.

Take Arshad Nadeem for instance, who was so poor that he didn’t even have a proper javelin or other equipment to practice with initially. But he eventually experienced success and glory when he not just won Pakistan’s first athletic gold, but also broke the Olympic record.

Then we all know J.K. Rowling, the renowned author of Harry Potter series, she faced extreme poverty and numerous rejections before achieving worldwide fame. Muniba Mazari, Pakistan’s “Iron Lady,” rebuilt her life after a life-altering accident and became a UN ambassador and model. These stories illustrate that everyone faces problems, but while some succumb, others rise above and shine.

There are many more such examples and the purpose of sharing these is that if you think of yourself as unlucky because of problems in life, then you are wrong, because problems are there in everyone’s life — the only difference is that some shatter under the stress, while others shine.

Difficult times are like quicksand: struggling in panic only worsens the situation. Instead, staying calm and patient is the key to overcoming adversity. Patience is a powerful weapon, enabling individuals to face and conquer even the toughest challenges.

As the saying goes, “The fruit of patience is sweet.” The stories of those who remained steadfast and achieved greatness underscore the truth of this wisdom.

Life truly is a rollercoaster. It may have terrifying drops, but every descent is followed by an ascent. Embrace the ride, endure the challenges with patience, and never lose hope. Remember, no matter how steep the fall, the rollercoaster always goes up again.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 7th, 2024