Slings and Arrows

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them

William Shakespeare probably contributed more words and phrases to the English language than anyone else in history. His plays and poems recorded these new turns of speech so that we can see them now, hundreds of years later.

The quote I picked out today is from Hamlet. Here, Shakespeare introduces a little thought experiment for us.

On one hand, you can passively endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Life throws a lot of these at you: challenges, obstacles, drama, and all of the things that make life difficult. The phrase “outrageous fortune” lets you know right away that life isn’t fair. Terrible things can happen to good people.

This strategy can best be summarized as, “Suck it up, buttercup!”

On the other hand, to take Arms against a Sea of troubles conjures actively resisting these forces. This could be very ugly, and …