When I think of the people closest to me – the ones I care the most about – I find myself wanting to gather them all into a small circle, as you do before speaking about something that matters. I would begin by telling them that I have come to understand that life does not shape us through easy chapters. It molds us through moments that unsettle us, or breaks the patterns we cling to. We could then discuss how life’s skirmishes have a way of stripping away the noise, allowing the deeper parts of ourselves to finally speak.
What I have learned from my writing is that the soul grows through friction, not comfort. Difficulty within “life struggles” has a way of widening our inner landscape. It teaches humility, compassion, resilience – qualities that cannot be cultivated in a life of uninterrupted ease. From a soul development position, challenges are not punishment; they are invitations. They push us toward capabilities we would never have discovered if everything were staged, smooth and predictable.
On the other hand, our ego prefers predictability. It wants to move in a straight line – stable, manageable, familiar. Ego interprets “struggling” as a failure or threat because it disrupts the identity it has carefully constructed. Comfort reinforces the illusion that we are in control, and our ego clings to that. But relief, while pleasant, rarely deepens us. It keeps us circling the same emotional terrain, mistaking shelter for growth.
From a soul vantage point, “struggling” is part of the curriculum of life. When our worldly adventures are ultimately understood, they are the difficult chapters that carry the most weight. They show how we responded, what we learned, and how we expanded. A “life” solely based around ease may satisfy our ego, but it offers little nourishment to our soul. A “life” that includes “struggling” becomes a life that leaves a deeper imprint on the journey taken.
Ultimately, If I had the chance to speak privately to my close group of friends, I would try to leave each of them with this simple truth: Our ego seeks to avoid what the soul came here to learn. When we understand that notion, the “struggles” that surround all of us become less of an interruption. “Life struggles” become more like a teacher – one that shapes us in ways comfort never could.
Bud Megargee is a former senior behavioral healthcare executive; a Washington, DC., healthcare lobbyist; and an independently published, best-selling and award-winning author. He began writing after exploring Eastern philosophy and alternative medicine techniques in the professional treatment of emotional challenges at a Taiwanese Buddhist monastery.