“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” is one of those quotes widely attributed to Einstein. However, the first record of this attribution is from an interview given by John Wheeler in a 1979 issue of Cosmic Search magazine. When asked if there are any tenets of Einstein that stand out in Wheeler’s mind, he noted that Einstein`s work was based on 3 rules, one of which is: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”.
Who was Einstein?
However, there is no confirmed record of Einstein ever saying these words himself. So is the case with the dozens of inspirational quotes attributable to Einstein all over the Internet, the accuracy of most of which is yet to be verified.
No other 20th-century scientist is as iconic as Albert Einstein. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest physicists of all time, Einstein’s contributions to science are as numerous as they are groundbreaking. Born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein was raised in a family of secular Ashkenazi Jews. His excellence in math and physics started showing at a young age, and when he was 12 years old, he studied algebra and Euclidean geometry by himself.
In 1895, he failed to qualify for admission to ETH Zürich, but his grades in the entrance examination contained exceptional marks in physics and mathematics. He consistently obtained top grades in physics and mathematics throughout his early education until his graduation from secondary school.
There are widespread inaccuracies regarding Einstein’s early education, namely, that he was a lousy student who often flunked his exams and that his teachers saw him as a failure for life. On the contrary, however, Einstein was an exceptional student from an early age. Einstein graduated at the top of his class in secondary school, and his grades in the Swiss Matura included a top grade of 6 (on a scale of 1-6) in physics and mathematics.
What is the meaning of the quote?
There can be at least two explanations to this quote. One could be that when you find yourself going through hard times, it is not in vain. Every difficult situation once overcome brings out some kind of positive change be it within yourself or the circumstances around you.
One such such example is happening right now with Covid-19. The unstoppable virus has brought a lot of chaos and pain to people all over the world. However as we have moved closer to conquering this tragedy, we have simultaneously pushed novel biotechnologies forward. As a result novel mRNA vaccines are helping us eradicate this pandemic are now being applied to fighting cancer some of which are already at phase 2 trials. Who knows how far this will go, can it be perhaps be another dent we make in this lifelong disease that has claimed innumerable lives for as long as we know.
Yet another opportunity which is fairly recent is the shift for some industries to a permanent or at least semi-permanent work from home schedule. The impact this can make on our lives as well as the environment is also as profound. Working from the comfort of your own home use to be considered a luxury for many and a one hour a day commute was considered to be average . That`s ten days per year spent on just commuting!
The second explanation to this quote and the one Wheeler probably had in mind is the that no good thing in life ever comes easy. While most people dismiss difficult tasks solely on account of their difficulty, the quote reminds us that there is plenty of opportunity beyond the difficulty.
Difficulty is a relative concept. What may be impossible for a freshman physics student may be trivial for a veteran physicist. However, regardless of the difficulty perceived, one should not shy away, because the best opportunities are found in the most insurmountable challenges.
The rewards of overcoming difficulty
History is replete with examples of figures choosing to stick to their decisions despite the difficulties that came along with them. For example, Stephen King was initially rejected by numerous publishers, causing him to abandon his novel. However, after encouragement from his wife, he decided to finish his novel despite the numerous rejections. To this day, Stephen King is widely regarded as the King of Horror.
Situations become difficult because of the element of uncertainty. People are uncertain if they can do the task at hand or do the task relatively well. However, only by jumping out of one’s comfort zone and doing the tasks that appear difficult can there be real growth. By progressively jumping from one level of difficulty to another, a person grows in maturity and capability until he or she looks back at his or her accomplishments and realizes just how much they have grown.
Princes become great when they overcome difficulties and opposition, and therefore fortune, raises up enemies and compels him to undertake wars against them, so that he may have cause to overcome them, and thus raise himself higher by means of that ladder which his enemies have brought him. CHAPTER 20 (XX), The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Those who avoid difficulty tend to stagnate throughout their lives. In fact, one of the most common regrets of people on their deathbed involves things they did not do as opposed to the ones they did.
The Dangers of wishing for an easy life
The inherent difficulty of life makes the prospect of living an easy life quite attractive to many. However, this path is fraught with many dangers.
- Get rich quick schemes
- Unhealthy and expensive diet pills
- Spiritual Gurus and Charlatans
There is nothing wrong with the desire to live a life of comfort and prosperity by accumulating material wealth. However, there is much to be learned in the journey towards obtaining wealth. Those who wish wealth would come faster and easier without putting the effort and time required might fall into a trap of the get rich quick schemes. The so-called money gurus will promise to reveal the “SECRET” of the passive and effortless income you can have within a year shortly after taking their expensive online course. Surely the year goes by and the victim of the scam never got what they desired. But of course, its their fault says the money guru, they did not apply all the lessons properly. Luckily for them there is a new “mentorship program“ which will help them do just that, but you better hurry, there are limited sits and don’t forget to bring your credit card, it takes “sacrifice” to become an “entrepreneur” they say!!
Physical fitness is a goal that much of the population seeks to achieve. However, just as weight gain takes place over months or years by consistently eating the wrong kind of food and lack of exercise, so too the weight loss should be accompanied by a consistent diet plan and a disciplined training routine. However, those who want to avoid this difficult journey tend to rely on diet pills that are not only unproven but also unsustainable, with some being downright dangerous.
Overcoming the loss of a loved one is a complicated process that involves plenty of time and grief. However, those who do not wish to undergo this process resort to spiritual gurus who claim to allow the mourner to connect with the afterlife. Unfortunately, the person grieving is left with a false sense of comfort without ever overcoming the loss.
Additionally, advertisers exploit the inherent human inclination towards ease. With promises of easy riches or quick results, people who are averse to difficulties often fall prey to these schemes. At the end of the day, these people are left no better than when they started.
Creating a healthy challenge for yourself
After seeing the dangers of easy life, one may come to the conclusion that they must always put themselves into difficult circumstances in order to better themselves and that is true to some degree. However some people may fall into the trap of undertaking more than they can handle. Hence, many will fail and get discouraged in the process.
To avoid this trap you should begin with an honest assessment of yourself, your strengths, weaknesses and limitations. After this assessment, you should begin challenging yourself incrementally with tasks that seem to be just slightly beyond your reach.
Once the tasks that were previously perceived as undoable are done, you should progress to the next challenge. This cycle should be repeated to sustain one’s growth. Staying only with tasks that are certainly within an individual’s level of competence does not ensure growth; on the contrary, it ensures stagnancy. Only by incremental progression through difficult tasks can a person gain the confidence to take on more significant challenges.
No matter the nature of the task, difficulty should be embraced, not avoided!