“Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.”
This quote is by Victor Hugo, a French politician and author who is best known for his novels Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Whenever I hear or read about someone or a group of people who have persevered, who have continued to strive despite difficulties and challenges, I find myself admiring them. When I think of persevering, I usually think of accomplishments such as a person overcoming an addiction, someone going through treatment for a serious illness, the people who sacrificed their energy and time in the Civil Rights movement, and people rebuilding their home after it was destroyed by a natural disaster. There are many other examples of people doing what is needed and not succumbing to the part of us that questions whether we can keep putting forth the effort.
It is important to recognize that perseverance is necessary in more day-to-day situations also. Doing our best as parents to care for, be patient with, and spend quality time with our children; consistently making an effort to do well at our jobs; caretaking elderly parents; trying to be persons of integrity; and endeavoring to become more conscious all require perseverance as well. Not giving up, not taking the easy way.
I think of my coworker who two years ago, when she was only 29 years old, was diagnosed with a type of cancer that is more difficult to treat than some other types. She has endured the discomfort and sometimes pain caused by the cancer and also by the various courses of treatment, and she has persevered. She attributes her ability to not give up to having loving and supportive people in her life and to the gift of faith she has been given. She often expresses gratitude to the Creator for both.
I think of young women and men starting their first full-time jobs, getting used to this new aspect of being adults, and learning the work requirements, including the difficulty of sometimes learning by making mistakes.
I think of parents raising their children, making it a priority to spend time with them even after a long day at work; trying to be a good example for them; making decisions about what is best for them; and so many other aspects of parenting that require perseverance.
Victor Hugo’s quote speaks of triumphs. Sometimes there are small triumphs along the way—my friend experiencing a reprieve when her cancer symptoms are easier to tolerate, a young adult feeling pleased about completing a project at work, parents seeing their love for their children reflected back to them by their children’s smiles and hugs–and seeing what a miracle their children are.
Doing what we need to do to persevere in various life situations is part of living a full and meaningful life.