We have become a very demanding and impatient society. Possibly, such advances as television and the computer play some role in this. On any given night we can turn on the TV and watch as someone's life falls completely apart, only to have all issues resolved and them back on track a short thirty minutes later. Computers and the Internet now provide us with immediate communication, products, services and information, further feeding our apparent desire for instant gratification.

This is fine for entertainment purposes, but when it comes to our personal lives and relationships, this expectation for immediate results is unrealistic. We have become so accustomed to having things our way — and right now, that when we experience difficulties in our personal lives and relationships, we often lack to ability to cope. Unfortunately, this often results in our giving up, rather than hanging in there and working to figure out solutions to the problems we encounter. We have to look no further than to the staggering divorce and bankruptcy rates in this country to recognize this fact.

Saddest of all, is that by our not having the courage and fortitude to stay the course — to weather the storm, so to speak, we miss the opportunity to grow. There's a lot of truth to the old saying, "Whatever doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger." Adversity in our lives and relationship shouldn't be avoided, but rather embraced. For it isn't the good times which build our character and bond us together in our relationships, but rather the bad.

Adversity, whether it be work related, financial difficulties, issues in a marriage or other personal relationship, is a simple fact of life, and a necessary ingredient in our development as human beings. To turn away from it — to not face our conflicts and work to resolve them, is to deny the opportunity to grow, to mature, and to succeed.

(Part two of this article will appear in next week's Passing Thoughts column.)