Live, Endure, Fight & Conquer

When I watched Legends of the Fall recently, I found myself struck by the way each character deals with the immense tragedy and loss that shapes their lives. It reminded me of how past generations faced their own struggles—stoically, without much discussion, simply moving forward. The characters are burdened by grief and hardship, yet there’s an undeniable resilience in how they keep going. It’s a reflection of an era where survival was paramount, and emotional struggles weren’t often voiced. The world around them was turbulent—war, loss, broken families—but they faced it with a quiet determination, continuing on despite the heavy weight of their suffering.

In contrast, our generation approaches emotional turmoil in a much different way. We’re more open about our feelings and more knowledgeable about our mental health. Depression and anxiety are no longer issues we hide behind closed doors. We’ve become adept at identifying and discussing these challenges, which is a good thing—it means we’re more self-aware. We understand the importance of mental health in a way that our ancestors perhaps couldn’t. But at the same time, it feels like we’ve allowed these issues to take up more space in our lives. It’s as if we’ve come to accept them as an unavoidable part of our existence, something to coexist with rather than fight against.

Back in the day, people didn’t have the language or the resources to fully understand what was happening to them internally. They didn’t talk about anxiety or depression because they had no framework for it. Life was about survival—making it through wars, famines, and societal upheavals. The hardships were often external, and the solutions, while not easy, were clear-cut: endure, persevere, and move forward. But now, our struggles are more internal. Our battles are often invisible to those around us, and that makes them harder to fight.

Here’s the thing: while we’ve made significant progress in understanding our mental health, it also feels like we’ve bought into the idea that these issues are inevitable. Yes, anxiety and depression are real, and they deserve to be treated with seriousness and care. But there’s a point where we need to push back against them. We have to live—really live—and that means not letting these challenges dominate our lives. In Legends of the Fall, the characters don’t let their grief define them, even though it’s always present. They keep moving forward, despite everything, because what choice do they have? That’s the lesson I take from their story: we can acknowledge our pain, but we can’t let it consume us.

Maybe that’s where we, as a generation, get stuck. We’re constantly told to “live our best lives” in a world that’s more connected than ever, yet so many of us feel isolated, lost, or overwhelmed by the weight of expectations. Social media, with its endless comparisons, amplifies these feelings. Everyone else seems to be thriving, so why aren’t we? It’s hard not to internalize that pressure, and it can feed into our mental health struggles. But we have to remember that life isn’t about constant happiness or perfection—it’s about finding a balance between the light and the dark, between joy and pain. It’s about learning to live with the shadow, just as previous generations did.

That’s another key difference between then and now: the loss of community, of faith, of the collective support systems that once helped people get through tough times. Back then, you didn’t face your battles alone. Whether it was your church, your family, or your neighbours, there was a shared responsibility in overcoming hardship. Today, individualism reigns. We’re told to rely on ourselves, to be independent. And while that gives us freedom, it also leaves us feeling more isolated than ever. We’ve traded the security of the collective for the autonomy of the individual, and in doing so, we’ve lost something important.

In the past, identity was tied to the roles you played within your community. Your purpose was often defined by your family, your work, or your faith. Today, we’re tasked with finding our own identities and creating our own sense of purpose. That can be liberating, but it can also be overwhelming. When you don’t have a clear path laid out for you, it’s easy to feel lost. And in that search for meaning, depression and anxiety can easily take hold. It’s no wonder so many people feel like they’re fighting an uphill battle with their mental health.

But perhaps, as Legends of the Fall suggests, there’s a way to coexist with these struggles without letting them define us. The characters in the film don’t run from their pain—they carry it with them, but they keep living. Maybe that’s the key: acknowledging that darkness is a part of life, and recognizing that it doesn’t have to control us. It’s not about eliminating anxiety or depression altogether—that’s unrealistic—but it’s about finding a way to live with them, to push forward despite them, just as those before us did.

Ultimately, the differences between the past and the present are stark, but the core challenge remains the same: how do we keep living when life feels overwhelming? I think the answer lies in finding balance—between knowledge and action, independence and community, survival and thriving. And maybe that’s something we can learn from the generations before us. To fight back, not to give in so easily, but to push back and endure. Ultimately, conquering is the ultimate goal. And while this isn’t always about empires or reputation, sometimes the greatest conquest is the battle within. To conquer oneself—our reactions, our internal struggles—is the victory that truly matters. After all, if we can’t master what’s within us, how can we expect to face the world outside?

We live, endure, fight—and in time, we conquer.