Life is hard.

The stories of hardship, vulnerably told by others, are gifts to encourage perseverance through suffering.

The Second Sudanese Civil War (1983) presents such a harrowing picture.

A conflict between the north, muslim dominated government, and south, non muslim coalition, resulted in death, destruction, famine, heart ache, the separation of families, cruelty, and a daily fight for survival.

It makes the life of anyone in a first world country look like a garden’s paradise.

This is not to discount the suffering of anyone, but rather to present perspective and walk today with fresh eyes, filled with gratitude.

As Salva Dut, Founder and President of Water for South Sudan, who lived through those events says “Stay calm when things are hard or not going right with you. You will get through it when you persevere instead of quitting. Quitting leads to much less happiness in life than perseverance and hope.”

Life is hard, but quitting is never the answer.

Photo by Alain Bonnardeaux on Unsplash.