Lessons From People Who Lived Through Hard Times

Tough times are relative. The world today is a much more comfortable place to live than 50 or 100 years ago— no question about that. But each generation has its own share of struggles, and I’m not here to compare or minimize what anyone is going through.

I will say this, though. One way to lighten the load of a challenge you’re facing is to hear someone else’s story. This reminds you that you’re not alone in your struggles and that others have been through something similar.

In our day and age, it’s easy to get so caught up in what’s new, that we forget the wisdom of the past. There are lessons we can learn from those who went before us that are just as relevant today— maybe more.

Here are some lessons learned from those who lived through hard times. Many of them are people in my own life, or stories from those who came before. In a very real sense, these kinds of values shaped the kind of person I am trying to be.

Be thankful for what you have

In my house, growing up, wasting food was close to a punishable offense. My dad never sat me down and explained why it was wrong, because he lived it. He grew up in a developing country where not everyone knew where their next meal was coming from. And that memory stuck with him. When you’ve actually experienced scarcity, you don’t just read about it, you see the world with a different lens. That’s a gift that I hope isn’t lost as our modern world grows more comfortable.

Cling to each other

One summer in college I took a missions trip to a very poor country in Central America. The people I met there were some of the most warm, friendly, and generous people I had ever come across. Without the distractions of modern entertainment or a desire for material things, they simply wanted to spend time with each other. It’s a cliche to say that money can’t buy happiness, and there’s plenty of truth to that; what I saw with my own eyes made me believe in my heart. The only thing that really matters in life, and certainly in hard times, is the people around you. Don’t take them for granted, and don’t stop investing in those relationships.

Don’t waste anything

I mentioned already that my father grew up in a developing country, where scarcity was a reality that everyone felt. A value that rubbed off on me was his desire not to see anything go to waste— this applied to food, as I mentioned, but also to just about anything else. I have memories of him fixing things that would have clearly been cheaper and less time intensive to replace. He didn’t do it just to save money, but because it was important in the same way that being resourceful is always important when money is tight. As a Christian, this value has taken on a spiritual dimension for me, too. I see all things as a gift from God not to be taken for granted.

Find joy in the little things

One of my favorite all-time shows to watch with my wife has been Downton Abbey, which follows the fictional lives of an aristocratic family and their domestic workers in post-Edwardian England. Setting aside some of the drama, it’s a fun look at the kind of life people led back then. One of our favorite archetypes is the happy-go-lucky worker who is content in his job. The show portrays these simple folks as being able to find happiness in the small, often mundane moments of life. They weren’t chasing the next big thing, or wishing for the happiness of another person’s life— they just made the most of what they had. I think there’s a lot to be said for this approach, even today. You don’t need a lot of money, or a high-status job, or anything fancy to enjoy life. You just need the attitude to be content with what’s in front of you.

Don’t let yourself be idle

I’m convinced that one of the greatest inventions of modern-day entertainment is that it is so good. And by good, I mean entertaining. Years ago, there was some friction to enjoying a movie or listening to music, or watching a sporting event— you had to plan for it or at least go to some effort. Now, with a few taps on your phone, you can be entertained for hours anywhere you want. I’m not here to make a moral argument against this, but to merely point out that, for a certain personality type (like my own) it has made it much harder to be bored. And boredom is often the gateway to creativity, to learning new things, and to growing. Back in the day, people were rarely idle, and they filled their time with imaginative play, useful manual labor, or at the very least, conversation with other people.

Work hard at whatever you do

My wife is half-Mennonite, and many of the values we hold dear in our own family are common in Mennonite homes, too. Looking back at history at the kind of lives these folks lived, you’ll notice their hard-working attitude towards everything. They believed that all work had value, and that the value of a thing was not its monetary value, but its use. Thank goodness we have historians and authors who captured the spirit of these common folks and the lessons we can learn from them. Just because a culture begins to move in one direction, doesn’t mean that you, in your own home, can’t live out a different vision of how life ought to be. You start by valuing what is good, and then working hard towards that end.

Don’t be so quick to throw things out

One of my favorite pastimes is to visit small-town America and see what life looks like in the far corners of our country. I love seeing the small shops and businesses people have set up, and maybe exploring a used book store, if one exists. But there’s something sad that’s happened to many of these towns, and it is the closing of shop after shop. There’s so much history there, so many memories, and to see it all crumbling away to dust feels like a loss that can’t be replaced. In our modern throwaway culture, we have a tendency to do away with old and broken things, rather than seeking to fix them or restore them to their former glory. I think some of the old-timey values, and the old-timey aesthetics, still have a lot to offer us. We should cherish them in the same way we cherish our elders and the past they lived through.

There’s a bigger story at work

I’m a Christian and so I believe that the best story is the true story that God has been working since time began. But for the sake of this article, I think the idea of story has value for everyone, no matter your faith or background. When people go through hard times, it’s easy to feel sorry for yourself. But when you consider the idea that you are part of something bigger, and that each life is a story in itself, it begins to give meaning to your struggle. Stories, after all, always have a climax, and a twist, and a resolution that may or may not be satisfying. That’s what makes them good and important, and that’s what makes life interesting, if you choose to see it that way. It’s easy to think of today’s events as just a blip in time, but when you consider the tapestry of history, you’re just a small piece of your family’s story that will go on.

Your faith is your greatest treasure

I realize that many people reading this won’t share my faith, nor even a belief in God, but I would ask you to keep reading. My faith has been a huge part of my life and has given me a sense of meaning that I’m not sure I would have found elsewhere. It’s been a rock in the good times and a source of comfort in the hard times. That’s why I feel compelled to share. And I know many people who have found their faith in God to be a treasure as well— a guide for how to live well and a reminder of what matters most. In the past, many people looked to a Higher Power for purpose because they faced so many hardships and needed that hope to endure. I think that need is still with us, even if we don’t always recognize it.

Make the best of what you have

My favorite stories growing up were those penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her family’s life on the American frontier. It was a challenging life no doubt, and one that few of us today would have the grit to endure. They didn’t have the conveniences and comforts we’ve become accustomed to, and yet they made the best of what they had. I like this mindset, and find it useful even in an age when almost everything is at our fingertips. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have and make the best of it. There is a certain creativity that comes from having constraints, and a certain sense of wonder at being able to bring something to life.

Conclusion:

I hope you found these “old-fashioned” values to be as relevant to our current day as I have. I think there’s much to be learned from people in entirely different circumstances than our own. As a people, we have the ability to pick and choose the best from what life has to offer and apply it to our own lives— I hope you won’t forget the past as you do that.