Just as the pure white lotus flower blooms unsoiled in muddy water, our lives, which are supremely noble, can continue to shine even amid life’s harshest realities. Rather than becoming discouraged, know that encountering a wall is proof of theprogress that you have made so far. Suffering only gets worse when we try to run from it rather than facing it. There will be times in life when youcannot succeed. Or times when hardship seems about to crush you.Such times are inevitable, yet we should not allow our spirits to be broken by them. Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change.What is important is not to be defeated, to forge ahead bravely. If we do this, a path will open before us. A person’s true nature is revealed at times of the greatest adversity. Anyone can hit a wall. The anguish felt then is proof of one’s desire to move forward. But all is for naught if you falter at that moment. Action—that is the key tobreaking through an impasse.