That’s What Life Does

In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt faced the darkest day of his life. His wife and mother died within hours of each other, in the same house, on Valentine's Day. Just imagine. The grief was so consuming that he abandoned his life in New York, fleeing to the Badlands of Dakota Territory. In his diary that night, he drew a large X and wrote just seven words: "The light has gone out of my life."

It seemed like he was running away. As if he had given up on life. But actually, this was his path to transformation. He lived as a cattle rancher in near-total isolation, and underwent a profound metamorphosis. The man who emerged from this crucible would not only become president but would be remembered as one of history's most resilient leaders. A man known for his deep compassion and understanding of human suffering.

The Yogi Philosophy teaches that the end of all human endeavor and life is to allow the soul, the Real Self, to unfold. To develop. To grow. To learn and improve. And there's no better catalyst, no faster route, than pain. Yes, “all your struggle, and pain, and life, and effort,” wrote Yogi Ramacharaka, “really is directed toward the unfoldment of your soul that it may recognize its real self. This is what it all means."

Is it fun? Is pain fun? No, not in any conventional sense. But there's a strange alchemy that happens when you stop running from pain. When you turn to face it, when you let yourself feel its full weight, something shifts. The pain doesn't disappear. It transforms.

This is exactly what Roosevelt understood. While it may have looked like he was running away to the Badlands, he was actually doing something far braver. He was taking time to fully feel and process his grief. In that vast, empty landscape, he gave himself permission to experience the raw depths of his loss.

Pain becomes less of an enemy and more of a teacher. Less of a burden and more of a bridge to understanding. When you truly embrace pain, make it so intimately yours that you can trace its edges with your fingertips, it begins to lose its power over you. And then, almost imperceptibly, you find yourself moving forward again. Because that's what life does. It flows on. And it carries both our wounds and our wisdom.

Pain will find you, inevitably. Your darkest moment might be the very thing that transforms you into who you're meant to become. Don't just endure it. Embrace it. Because it is the chisel that sculpts your soul.