Going through Hell

Always inspirational while concurrently a rough-and-tumble, hardened statesmen, Winston Churchill’s personality developed a unique combination of motivation and brusqueness. Despite this sort of terse political candor, Churchill left a lasting legacy as one of the best speakers in history. It is his unique personality that cemented his oratorical capabilities.

In an apt characterization of his indomitable spirit comes yet another Churchill-ism: “If you’re going through hell, keep going”.

 
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From the first clause of the quotation, “If you’re going through hell”, one would expect the succeeding clause to be a deep and insightful reflection on the tribulations of the human condition. One would anticipate an inspirational mantra to ring out next, inspiring the reader/listener to persevere.

Sorry to disappoint.

Yet again, Churchill fulfills not a stereotypical linguistic role, but rather he manufactures his own unique style. Instead of the aforementioned inspiration, he leaves the reader initially wanting with a terse “Keep going”. At first, one is absolutely dismayed by the seemingly lackluster nature of Churchill’s closing clause, but further inspection yields something truly deeper.

Churchill never was a man to mince words. He never was a speaker to aimlessly pontificate. His words were always crisp, clean, and concise. This quotation perfectly epitomizes his style.

While not the norm, Churchill’s advice to simply keep going is vastly more significant upon further analysis. How much can an absent orator’s commentary on the ceaseless struggles of mankind really impact a contemporary individuals actions? For me, hearing a quote of such a nature has little to no impact. To me, the unexpected nature of Churchill’s comment creates a much more effective quote.

The early part of the quote establishes a well-known situation. The observer simply knows what’s coming next: the standard inspiration that I’ve outlined ad nauseam thus far. It is this exact set up that allows Churchill to truly make an impact.

Keep going. What kind of shoddy advice is that? At first, I thought the same thing I’m sure you probably did. You were probably acutely worried that these 500 words would be useless, but oh well. Here we are.

Diving deeper into simple command, “Keep going” carries significant clout. Practically, there is no better advice. An idealist would spout beliefs about working through discomfort and overcoming obstacles, but a realist and pragmatist like Churchill understands the futility of such a point.

A natural leader and hard-working politician, Churchill has the experience to know what works best in a strained situation.

Keep going is all we can really do sometimes. In life, there are no perfect situations. In theory, the idealism is fantastic, but in practice, theory fails.

In my own life, I’ve witnessed firsthand the human tendency to be poetic when it comes to giving advice. Going through my own tribulations, too many times people give standardized, trite bits of wisdom. For me, it doesn’t do the trick. It’s simply when I put my head down, dig in, and get things done that the troubles dissipate.

In my world, idealism is not the answer. Hard work solves problems. Pushing through difficulties extinguishes the issues. Running straight through a wall is infinitely more effective than being coaxed around it by poetic pieces of advice. Churchill’s realism is refreshing and serves as a reminder, to me at least, of how to go about overcoming obstacles.