Unfortunate circumstances can happen to everyone in life: it may be a health problem, being unemployed or needing money. There are two common strategies of dealing with this sort of situations: some people suggest that we should try to improve them, others believe that we should simply accept them. In this essay, I will discuss both of these opinions and give my personal perspective.

On the one hand, some hold that it is best to make some efforts and try to change bad situations in good ones. One of the reasons for supporting this view is that every situation can have an upside or a positive feature. For example, realising that the job one has always had is unsatisfactory might become a source of motivation for developing new hobbies and passions and, hopefully, turning them into a new job. Secondarily, those who advocate this view believe that giving up in life can do more harm than good.

On the other hand, others argue that we should accept unfortunate circumstances. One of the arguments in support of this view is that we should learn to be happy with what we have, because, as they say, “life is not all roses”. Furthermore, they hold that one should have a realistic take on the world and realise that, in bad situations, there might be nothing to do. Trying to improve bad situations at all costs might be just frustrating.

In conclusion, I believe that both of these opinions have their own merits. Personally, I somewhat agree with the statement that we should try and improve even bad circumstances: for sure, life is full of ups and downs, but we should try to make our best to turn the “downs” into “ups”.