When we think very deeply, we particularly see that our encounters with others arise from a mysterious convergence of a variety of ongoing causes and conditions. In a standard dictionary, the Japanese word en, “connection” or “karmic connection,” is defined as “a mysterious force, transcending human agency, that binds people together,” so we can only conclude that whoever we have encountered, we were supposed to encounter them.

“When a glass is half full of water, how do you view it? The author Seikan Kobayashi says there are three ways to view it. First, with displeasure and dissatisfaction that it is only half full. Second, with joy, feeling glad that it is half full. And third, with gratitude, being thankful for the kindness of whoever left half for you. However you view or interpret a situation like this, you are the one assigning it some sort of meaning.

In which case, perhaps what matters most is that we demonstrate—through the very way we live our lives—our ability to accept any kind of hardship and to go on living with an awareness of gratitude for the life we are receiving in the present moment. As a result, when we hear people who are suffering with troubles give voice to what is on their minds, we will be able to offer them words of strength and encouragement.