When confronted with difficulty, the key is to realize that there is no adversary.

So things not going the way you want, eh? Life kicking you in the nads and then stealing your wallet, you say? Well, fear not, for Joe is here to explain away everything in a confusing and obtuse metaphor.

Let's say you have something in your sights and just when it looks like it's coming together for you, the floor falls out. The first reaction of most people is to try and analyze what's gone wrong, who's at fault, what situation could have been changed to make things work out, etc. etc. This is folly.

Now, some well meaning chap in the back row is likely to stand up and cry "But if we don't analyze our actions, we'll keep making the same mistakes over and over again!" At which point the Mammy Security Police will swoop down, pepper spray him and haul him out of the auditorium. Analyzing is not incorrect, however it all depends on motive. When you analyze in those situations you analyze them in hopes of changing them. There is no changing. That which has occurred cannot be undone. There is no "righting" a situation, only an attempt to return it to a former state.

There is only that which is. Things can be changed but never restored. You can never step into the same river twice, only a surface appearance can be reinstated. When you struggle you seldom fight things that are, but fight things that were--a battle which can never be won. You should confront what is with what can be--when you attempt to make changes based on what you've wanted in the past you are only setting the stage to fail.

Now, this is no excuse to live recklessly. Act rightly and wisely, but work to move forward. Do not be content to retrace your steps or look after that which is lost--if you find it, it will verily be tarnished, broken, and probably a lot smaller than you remember.

A parable:
There was a chimp named Steve who desperately wished he had been born a man. He sat melancholy while the other chimps frolicked and did chimp things. Steve saw people going about their business and saw them all wearing pants. He suddenly realized that if he were going to be treated as a man, he must look and act like a man.

Steven discarded all his chimp ways. He would no longer eat bugs off the other chimps or throw his feces. He used a couple of twigs as silverware and ate in a most dignified manner. He would walk about on his legs upright and even learned to say things like "excuse me" and "could you pass the salt." The biggest coup occurred when he managed to obtain a very smart pair of pants. He wore them proudly and decided he was ready to venture into the local village.

He proudly strode in and the villagers didn't make mention that he was a chimp. He lived among them, went to PTA meetings and sold insurance just like a normal. Years later, Steve fell ill and it was determined that there was no cure for his ailment. At his deathbed his neighbors were all around him and Steven confessed. "Dear friends, I've been living a lie, for I am no man, I am but a simple chimp."

The villagers looked around confused for a moment before one spoke up, "Steve, we always knew you were a chimp. We figured a talking monkey was a great tourist attraction so we let you stay here. By the way, you owe me $20 for the pants..."

Thus sprach Joe Mammy...