Difficulty Does Not Make It Reality

"Nothing in life is free," "No pain, no gain," "You get what you pay for"

All of these phrases and a number of others all seem to capture a similar meaning. Human beings seem to instinctively latch on to the idea that anything worthwhile requires work or sacrifice or both. There may be a grain of truth in this assumption and like many similar expressions it has both its uses and abuses.

Unfortunately, otherwise ridiculous ideas can be made to appear more credible simply by adding elements that require some effort. Long ago, religion learned how to make use of this simple but effective little trick. Heaven sound a little silly and maybe too good to be true? Try living a sinless life, especially when there are so many sins to commit. See, throw some difficulty in and it seems like you have earned something. After working hard there just has to be something in the way of rewards. The moment you attach demands to something it has an air of reality to it. It doesn't take long to create its own circular logic. It must be real if you have to earn it and if you work towards it it must be worth it.

This is not to say that there are not ideas, objects, or events that require effort but are worthwhile. There are. However, simply assuming that the level of difficulty automatically tells you something about the nature of whatever it is in question is absurd. It is an illusion that has been used routinely by virtually every religion.