In my previous post, I discussed Martin’s words to Barbara in the Argentinian movie “El Cuento de la Comadreja”: “You like easy shots, and nothing good is easy.”
The scene continues with Barbara asking, “What do you mean?” Martin explains: “Of course—when you saw the easy shot, you took it. I helped you see it […] Then I pointed out this one, it looked easy, so you went for it. Then I cleared the little obstacle, it seemed easy, and you struck again… You should have set up the last shot, but you looked where I wanted you to. And all that time, I was watching you […] The lesson? Do not just watch the game—watch your opponent. The opponent can be more dangerous than he seems. He may appear easy but attack when you least expect it.”
That is the problem with always choosing what is easy and avoiding what is hard. We have a natural inclination toward pleasure, and because of this we can often have the temptation (which in this case would be the opponent or enemy) to take the easy way. Temptation shows us the effortless shot and distracts us from the difficult one that requires effort. It leads us from one fleeting pleasure to another, and because we do not watch our opponent, we do not realize how dangerous these temptations are—always choosing ease over effort.
The easy path does not seem dangerous, yet it strikes when least expected. What it really does is weaken our will without us noticing. Those who choose what is easy, what demands no effort, develop a tendency that little by little erodes their strength until they are completely enslaved and unable to resist.
Just as muscles grow through exercise and atrophy without use—to the point where people who do not use them at all lose the ability to move—the same happens to the will. If we do not exercise it through difficult, effort-filled choices, it weakens until we lack the strength to resist harmful, easy pleasures. That is why we must strengthen our will daily through good, but challenging, acts. Only then will we be able to resist the temptations of what is easy yet unwise. Otherwise, we will always follow the effortless path even though it is not the best for us—and end up losing the game of life. Particularly when we will face difficult challenges that matter, we will not have the willpower to overcome
