Overcoming is better than yielding

Yielding, whether to temptations, impulses or just plain indifferences, is about the most welcome and least troublesome way of handling life’s situations. Oscar Wilde said it well when he expressed, “the easiest way to get rid of a temptation is to yield.”

Yet, there is the flip side of many nasty outcomes to this yielding that we indulge in. For, when one simply yields to self-gratification of any kind, it makes him weak, reduces him to an addict, takes away all feelings of self-worth and eventually leaves him listless
and less alive.

Overcoming, on the other hand, breeds strength and paves the way for deeper joys in life. When temptation or a not-so-worthy impulse is fought vehemently and overcome, it elevates the person to a higher level of human experience. It results in more profound enjoyment of life. It makes the person keener and more excited about being true to life’s finer principles. It widens his range of delights and instils a clean mind.

The sense of satisfaction and delight that is derived in the end is of a far superior kind than those felt by the sensualist and the self-indulgent. In a world where temptation is all around, yielding to it is alluring and hence rampant. But when it is overcome the crown of life awaits the overcomer. The one who fights the urge to lie in bed for an
extended siesta and gets up to live his duties experiences the fulfilment behind hard work. He who turns his back to all unwanted social distractions to stay focused on his vocation unearths the satisfaction hidden in resilience. And to all who garner the determination and build the courage to say no to temptations realizes the joy that marks the overcoming of the fleeting pleasures of life.

He is made stronger in mind and driven with a sense of purpose in all that he does. Mother Angelica said it best as she affirmed, “every time I say; no; to a small temptation, I strengthen my will to no to a greater one.” The end result is that the overcomer’s resolve to fight all temptations becomes strong as Hercules, creating a truly vibrant person of fine character and integrity.