2021-02-25

I was talking about stubbornness in the Chinese language session. Actually both languages are solely independent. I never intend to interpret the Chinese messages into English and vice versa. Generally stubbornness is never a good character. However, there is a great character which seems almost like stubbornness but there are not the same. It is --- perseverance. 

Recently, this word is hot due to a machine which is called Perseverance has landed on Mars! For sure, no one would ever name the machine as Stubbornness. Frankly speaking, I did not and might do not understand deeply the meaning of these words. Just googled the main difference for these words and I got: Stubbornness keeps us stuck in an unwanted situation but perseverance makes us moving on although the current state is bad. In brief, stubbornness is bad but perseverance is good. 

Let me give you an example. If I want to put away the labeling 'bipolar disorder' and I go stop taking medication and assume that I'm OK, and I do it again and again and again. This is stubbornness for sure because I put myself in a dangerous situation which I would probably being triggered and breakdown, and this happens again and again. I was really stubborn for doing so because due to this stupidity I have numerous breakdowns. 

How about perseverance? Most of the people never experience a breakdown and they have no idea how difficult it is to recover from it. While I was in a psychiatric ward due to a breakdown, I couldn't have a clear mind at once. It was like in a great maze in my mind, and I was trying hard to walk out of the maze. Day by day, I got closer and closer to the exit. I knew I could never ever give up. When I escaped from the maze, I got back my sanity and I knew where I was. After that, I would be discharged from the ward. The character to keep searching for the exit is called perseverance. 

My friends especially those who have bipolar, we must have perseverance to go on. Life would be great, so please do not quit easily.