Defining Toughness

 When recently asked what toughness was. I gave it some thought, and what came to mind was an excerpt of Teddy Roosevelt's great speech "Citizenship In A Republic" and it's passage;

 "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." 

 Physical strength can be measured by lifting a weight, by running a race, or swimming a distance. Toughness has to be shown. It is shown when the underdog defeats a champion. It is shown, when, even if one fails, he pulls himself up to rally at it another time. Toughness is the tenacity one attacks a challenge with, not yielding a single drop of sweat until it's laid to rest. 

 Toughness isn't learned. It resides deep within us, and has to be coaxed from one's heart. When you see a man with a shovel and the hole he is charged to dig is large, will his strength determine the speed at which he digs, or will it be his persistence to get that task done? Sure, the strong will have an easier go at it, but it's the toughness of that man, when his strength is all but gone, to get that hole dug. Holding fast to your beliefs is toughness. Facing fears is toughness. Following through on a project is toughness. Adhering to a routine is toughness. Being uncomfortable without complaint is toughness. Effort is toughness.

 In this day of automation and instant gratification, is our toughness being washed away from us? Do we as humans have the guts to participate in the very things that defined the generations before us? Is the toughness that helped us flourish as a species dwindling from our very DNA to the point that future generations will crumble from the weight of world? One would hope not. Challenge yourself, make yourself tougher, the rest of humanity is watching.