Break down : Build up
I said something odd the other day. We were talking about this guy my friend was dating, whom I thought was a bit green for someone with a repertoire as thorough as hers.
“Let him age a little and mature. Maybe get his heart broken first.”
To me, this comment warranted further thought. Luckily, I have a tumblr account to talk about whatever I want. But why would I say that? Do I really believe experiencing heartbreak is a requisite for maturing?
Further thought says yes. When you get your heart broken, you are denied something that you want dearly. That person might have lied, cheated, and betrayed your trust. And you TRUSTED them, you were vulnerable and they made you pay for it. The anguish of something like that is universal.
But its not the suffering or the emotional turmoil that matures us, its the recovery. When we bounce back from the loss, we gain insight into ourselves. We develop our character and our personality more deeply. We fill in the vacuum left with pieces of ourselves. Like it or not, what we do afterwards and what we become is a cognitive effort on our own. The damage to your mental state is forcing your mind to go into recovery. It might not be what was envisioned, but your mind is definitely stronger than it was before. You are at least more experienced, and have experienced deep pain. It will never hurt as much as it did the first time.
Like how a tree that is pruned is healthier and will yield more leaves, our mind works in a similar fashion. It needs to be damaged, allowed to recover, and it will become stronger than it was before.
