Finch

I downloaded the app, Finch. It is a bit of a self-care/virtual pet hybrid: by setting personal goals, meeting the goals, making small personal reflections, and other activities, a small bird grows and provides feedback and encouragement. It's a little hokey, but I like it. 

Each time the app is opened, a motivational quote is presented. Some of them are just fine, some are actually good, and one are two are... problematic. 

Like this one: "One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."

 No. No, they won't. 

There is a certain medieval root in the idea of suffering being virtuous: when life was brutal and wretched and so often cut short by poverty or disease or war, the idea of gaining the bounty of heaven through the patient endurance of misery in life must certainly have been very appealing. 

I think it's time we moved beyond that, though. 

We don't have to think of struggle and suffering as being something beautiful. We can acknowledge the lessons we learn during times of hardship, and perhaps even grow empathy for others who might endure similar difficulties. It doesn't mean we need to paint those times as wonderful, though. 

Sometimes, Life is just hard. It's OK to admit that. It doesn't mean we're wallowing, or throwing in the towel. It just means that we are speaking the truth about those moments, without feeling obligated to wear rose-colored glasses. 

Perhaps that honesty is beautiful in and of itself.