Adversity builds character. The challenges we face teach us resourcefulness, self- reliance, courage, patience, perseverance, and self-discipline. Challenges have a way of bringing out talents and creativity in people that otherwise they might have never discovered. Horace once said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant. ” Beethoven, for example, suffered from difficulty with hearing. He also had a problem with his relations with women. These caused him to go in a state of depression.
After dealing with depression, he came up with a determination that helped him mark his re-entry in the world of music. It was during this time that he composed many of his famous symphonies. It is evident that his difficulties are reflected in his compositions. Another example is the life of the well-known Walt Disney. Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas. After that, Disney started numerous businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure.
He kept plugging along, however, and eventually discovered something that made him very successful. Beethoven, a respected musician, and Walt Disney, a popular entrepreneur, both had to deal with overcoming challenges. It was these challenges that have caused them to become very successful in what they do. In my essay, I have proven that adversity brings out the talents and creativity in people. A famous quote from Friedrich Nietzsche says, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger. ”