The Difficult and the Impossible

We often think that something is impossible to do when in reality it is simply difficult. Statements such as “I can't do—X” have been adopted by many, again, not because the act of “X” is impossible per se, but simply because it is or could potentially be, difficult, and has therefore been inaccurately perceived to be impossible.

When you say you can't do something, are you implying that it is literally impossible for you to do, or that you would simply rather not do it? Upon reflection, most people recognize that it isn't that they can't do something, but rather, if they did, it would (or could) prove to be difficult, and therefore they prefer to avoid doing it. The word difficult, in this case, may represent things such as fear, discomfort, lack of desire, genuine difficulty, or whatever. Naturally someone who is afraid to do something will exclaim “I can't do that!” without much thought. But as discussed in a previous post, such statements are largely inaccurate as they do not convey the whole truth of a given situation.

It is truly unfortunate that so many have come to believe they can do so little. But this has largely resulted from inaccurate perceptions, such as those described above where that which is difficult has become synonymous with that which is impossible. It seems that the use of the word impossible, or words which can be interpreted definitively as such (i.e., can't), should never be exercised with folly or negligence, but, on the contrary, with only the utmost caution and consideration in view.