That's not merely annoying

It's not the major problems in life which hurt us the most, it's the little things. Wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions... all of these things and more we tremble at and fear end up giving us hope and opportunity. We bury the dead, tend to the injured, and rebuild... often bigger and better and stronger. That movie cliche from Conan "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" comes to mind (though I have my own issues with that one). Think about it. Hurricane Katrina? End result is the city of New Orleans will be better protected against the next big hurricane to come its way. Earthquakes in California? Buildings, bridges, and other structures get studied as to why they fell or were severely damaged and rebuilt to withstand the next one (and there will always be a "next one"). Wars devastate, no doubt about it. Terrible destruction and loss of life, no question. But societies are restructured, huge advances in medicine are made, nations come together to find ways to forestall wars or make them less likely, and people rebuild a better (hopefully) world.

But what about the stubbed toe? The hangnail? The heartbreak of a busted romance? The flat tire on the lonely highway in the rainy night? The Charley horse (why is it called that?) at the wrong moment while making love? The gnat that flies into my ear as I stroke the crucial putt? The pimple on the end of your nose on prom night? How do these things make us stronger? They don't, do they? They just make us miserable.

And it is these things which lead to terrible things that affect us all later. You think I exaggerate a tad there? Perhaps. But some say that Hitler's art being ignored in Vienna led to his megalo-maniacal attempt to conquer the world. He became disillusioned with the way things were and set about re-making the world to his liking. Think about that the next time you smirk at a child's drawing.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

It is the little things which destroy us... little by little... day by day.