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While overcoming obstacles can build character, I do not believe that such struggles are more important than the accomplishment itself. Struggles can help us learn and discover simpler paths toward success, but struggle is defined more by the pain it causes than by the lessons it teaches. We can see this in examining historic wars and modern heroes.
Many films and novels praise the nobility of battle and the lessons learned in war. But the price paid by soldiers and innocent people significantly outweighs these lessons. In international disputes, success with- out conflict is far better than the triumph of war. By avoiding war, nations avoid the tragedy of lost lives as well as the economic hardships involved in rebuilding infrastructure and paying off debt.
Many suggest that heroes like Lance Armstrong demonstrate the value of overcoming adversity. In the past seven years, Armstrong has overcome a battle with cancer to win an unprecedented seven straight championships at the Tour de France. His story has provided cancer patients with one of their most inspiring narratives. But as wonderful as those effects have been, Armstrong’s story would have been better if he had not been forced to overcome cancer. Armstrong is an exceptional athlete, and accomplished an astonishing feat that his illness should not eclipse. In fact, he was stricken by a very treatable form of cancer. Are we truly helping cancer patients by making them believe that all cancer treatment can be easily scheduled between training runs? No. His story may help aspiring cyclists far more than it helps patients facing months of painful chemotherapy.
Another interesting example is Alice Sebold, a writer who has overcome a traumatic rape she suffered in college. It’s difficult to overstate the magnitude of her struggles in overcoming this violation to write two beautifully crafted works, The Lovely Bones and Lucky. Although her battles undeniably helped to craft her work, her status as a writer is unrelated to her status as a victim. Without such pain in her life, I believe that she would have created different, but equally powerful stories. Artists suffer enough by being able to see so deeply into the human condition; literature is not served any better when its greatest writers are subjected to torture. Stories of success despite adversity are well rep- resented in books, films, and even daily newscasts. They inspire us by showing triumphs of the human spirit. The danger here, however, is in using these struggles as a crutch, depersonalizing adversity in an effort to feel less afraid of our own difficulties. There is nothing wrong with feeling inspired by a story of overcome obstacles and suggesting that struggle builds character. But it is the accomplishments themselves that represent success, not the struggle. Success without wounds leaves room for greater happiness, fewer losses, and better health.