Cross purposes

Sometime opposites don't make sense, don't mix. Conventional wisdom says two things on the opposite side of the spectrum should never meet. Or can they? Here's a quote from Albert Murray's book "The Hero and the Blues" that I think should shatter that idea.

Nevertheless, the image of the sword being forged is inseparable from the dynamics of antagonistic cooperation, a concept which is indispensable to any fundamental definition of heroic action, in fiction or otherwise. The fire in the forging process, like the dragon which the hero must always encounter, is of its very nature antagonistic, but is also cooperative at the same time. For all its violence, it does not destroy the metal which becomes the sword. It functions precisely to strengthen and prepare it to hold its battle edge, even as the all but withering firedrake prepares for subsequent trials and adventures. The function of the hammer and the anvil is to beat the sword into shape even as the most vicious challengers no less than the most cooperatively rugged sparring mates jab, clinch, and punch potential prize-fighters into championship condition.

Heroism, which like the sword is nothing if not steadfast, is measured in terms of the stress and strain it can endure and the magnitude and complexity of the obstacles it overcomes. Thus difficulties and vicissitudes which beset the potential hero on all sides not only threaten his existence and jeopardize his prospects; they also by bringing out the best in him, serve his purpose. They make it possible for him to make something of himself. Such is the nature of every confrontation in the context of heroic action.

We never wish for the trials and tribulations that we all go through. Who would willingly walk through a fire if they didn't have to? But sometimes flash fires flare up, and we have no choice. But as Murray says, the fire prepares you for battles
yet to come. They test you, stretch your ability to handle turbulence. And as difficult as it seems to fathom, the fire is your friend. It's working for you, not against you. Seriously. It's hard to see how bad situations are helpful. But bad situations are ephemeral--they never last. And they make you stronger.