Desmond Tutu’s counsel begins at the very moment of impact: when hardship strikes. Instead of collapsing into bitterness or denial, he urges us to “meet hardship with a laugh and a steady hand.” This is not a call to make light of suffering, but to refuse it the power to define our inner core. By choosing our first response, we reclaim a measure of agency. In South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, Tutu himself embodied this stance, often appearing in public with a radiant smile even amid deep violence. His demeanor communicated that while injustice was real, it would not be allowed to crush human dignity. In this way, the opening line frames hardship not as an all-consuming force, but as a challenge to the integrity of our character. [...]
