Each and every one of us here struggles to do the best we can to see that our most basic human needs are met, food, shelter, emotional support and all of those things that make our lives possible. Sometimes in this struggle we face disappointment and feel that life has slapped us in the face. Sometimes we feel afraid to move forward, because some of our efforts have been rewarded with pain. There are so many kinds of pain, and so many ways to experience the emotional and physical challenges that come to us in life. Yet, we are still here, seeking to find ways to meet those basic needs and to receive confirmation from our quest in life that our struggle has meaning.

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The key is that we are here. We carry on. We continue to struggle, plan for the future, cope, and make decisions. We continue to live and feel all that this world has for us to experience. If you think of your own struggle, your fight to survive through the history of your own life’s experience. If you really see yourself without judgement or derision, if you see the courage you displayed in doing the best you knew how, the best you had the resources physically and emotionally for at the time, you begin to see your real worth. You internal voice that tells you to keep trying, that success is irrelevant. The voice inside of you tells you that it is your efforts to continue the struggle that is the source of your immense value. This is what has created that fountain of strength within you that through all of the ups and downs, has brought you to this moment. The voice tells you that your struggle and life have meaning, and the testimony to that is your presence.

The source of our personal value lies in this, that in spite of our weakness and imperfections, we did the best we knew how. And the fact that we are still here is evidence that we found meaning in this survival. Above all else, we can honor ourselves for participating in and not giving up in the struggle of our life. For this we recognize and esteem ourselves as survivors.

I wanted to start this string, dedicated to surviving and preserving our self-esteem, and to sharing our thoughts on what has given us the strength to go on.

-Ariel

Whatever you can do,
Or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic, in it.
-Goethe