Hard Times

Good times, bad times. If life was fair, they'd balance out in an at-least-vaguely predictable manner. But, if there's a third tine to the pitchfork of inevitable fate, it may just be the haunt of the valley - that at some point things will just be almost unbearably hard.

Sometimes those hard times will have external triggers or causes, maybe hitting suddenly and unexpectedly to completely derail our world. Other times hard times can be more insidious and indeterminate - things just don't ‘click’ into place and daily life can feel like being stuck on a whirling treadmill where no traction can be engaged.

Whatever the cause and whatever the external effect, in these times life can feel overwhelming, where circumstances, emotions and other people tower over us as we wallow in the valley between, seemingly unable to rise to any level that allows perspective, value or purpose.

Hard times are deeply personal, and can be distinguished from difficult times, which involve circumstances that require precise calculations, meticulous planning and focussed discipline to navigate, but in so navigating we maintain our sense of identity, confidence and a semblance of control.

Hard times place us in an extremely vulnerable position, needing support of others to function at what would be, at other times, a moderate level of daily living. One thing is almost a given - when we're in a life valley, we desperately want to be out.

The purpose of this meetup is not to wallow in negativity, outdo each other with personal war stories or seek and provide counsel, but rather to discuss, as objectively and sympathetically as possible, those times when life is. Just. Plain. Hard.

Some thoughts to explore:

• Are hard times inevitable?
• Do we as a society too often equate difficulty with hardship?
• Are hard times necessarily a symptom of deeper malaise?
• What strategies can we employ to reduce the impact and severity of hard times if/when they arrive?
• Can we hope to avoid hard times altogether?
• Is there a purpose to hard times?
• Should we embrace hard times? If so, is there a theoretical ideal balance between the proportion of life spent in hard times versus good times?
• Is the value of perseverance important? Is it underrated, overrated, misunderstood or generally respected?

CUSTOMS:
You must register and be on the “Attendees - Going” list to attend.
Minimum spend of $10 at the cafe on food and/or drink. This enables us to have free use of their private room.

We meet UPSTAIRS at the Little Turkish Cafe.

Please arrive early to order food and/or drink before you join us. Several people arrive early and eat downstairs before the Meetup. You are welcome to join us.

Bring $1 to cover Meetup costs.

RSVP POLICY:
RSVPs and cancellations will be accepted up until 6 hours before the start of the meetup so that people who feel unwell on the day have time to change their RSVP and allow someone else to attend.

Being registered to attend and not attending OR cancelling your attendance after 12:30pm on Tuesday will be considered a 'No Show'.
Members with two 'No Shows' will be banned from attending further D&M Meetups.

This RSVP policy has become necessary due to the high number of last minute withdrawals and non-attendance. This unfairly causes people on the Waiting List to miss out. Thanks for your cooperation.