09/09/2025
I have something special for you this week.
buddi bench & I offer you much more than benches in parks to encourage connection & compassion between adult strangers.
We offer: "Creative responses to human distress" including:
Live Events; Newsletter/Blog; YouTube Channel/Podcasts/Animation; AI chat; 1-on-1 support for mental health and addiction recovery; Art, Fashion and Merch.
I'm particularly fond of animations so decided to write and direct my very own debut animation! The script is below and the animation can be watched by clicking the link at the bottom of this post which takes you to my YouTube Channel.
Hope you enjoy this WWOW! (Weekly Words Of Wisdom!) #02 of #52.
Here's the script I wrote:
From Adversity to Inspiration - Animation Script - by Seth Hunter for buddi bench
Do you ever struggle to live well? I do too. Life’s adversities are inescapable - as Shakespeare’s Hamlet put it, we all face “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Similarly, the Buddhists teach that “life is suffering” unless met with skilful guidance.
Paradoxically, accepting these truths can make us more content. We don’t have to like what we can’t control - only focus on what we can. It’s tempting to compare ourselves to others (compare and despair), but even the most outwardly successful people carry pain and shame. It's a cognitive distortion to compare others’ outsides with our insides. Many of us hide our vulnerabilities, denying what Carl Jung called the “shadow side” - the subconscious parts of ourselves we reject and often project onto others.
Unhappy childhoods are a common lament. As Philip Larkin wrote:
"They fu%k you up, your mum and dad.�
They may not mean to, but they do...�...
But they were fu%ked up in their turn..."
Parents, often struggling with their own wounds, pass on unresolved trauma. Pain that is not transcended is often transmitted. Hurt people hurt people.
For years, I resented my challenges - a suicidal father, trauma, addiction, and bipolar disorder. I sometimes pitied myself until a friend suggested that I, “turn sh*te into manure.” At first, I bristled, but she explained: pain is inevitable; misery is optional. I may not be responsible for my distress, but I am responsible for my healing and recovery. We can transform adversity into inspiration and beauty.
Therapy embraces this idea. It tells us: go to your wounds; therein lies your genius. Psychological pain signals the need for attention, just like physical pain. We instinctively recoil from a hot flame to avoid burning ourselves - our emotional distress serves a similar purpose. The pain is not the problem, it points to the solution. It invites us to uncover, discover, and discard what no longer serves us. By confronting our struggles, we grow into our true selves, gaining depth and grace.
Life is like driving a car. Focus on the road ahead (stay in the now), check the rear-view mirror (look back but don’t stare), and mind our blind spots (acknowledge the limits of our perception). If we dwell too much on the past (ruminate on old injuries and resentments), obsess about the future ("future-tripping"), or fixate on the unknowable and uncontrollable (lose focus on our own sphere of influence), we risk crashing. Balance is key. As Kierkegaard reminds us:
"Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forwards."
Let’s not suppress or resent our pain. Instead, let’s seek to understand it with compassion and let it guide us toward becoming our authentic selves. As Nietzsche said:
"One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star."
We are all made of stardust - let’s sparkle like the celestial beings we are!
Link to watch Seth’s Animation on his YouTube Channel: From Adversity to Inspiration
https://youtu.be/mAImJHz727U
Please share the above link on your socials - sharing is caring!
Subscribe easily to Seth’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/-bench?sub_confirmation=1
To see all that we offer at buddi bench be sure to check-out my newly redesigned website:
https://buddibench.org
Thanks buddies!
Seth x
