Been sitting with this one. Strength isn't not hurting. It's still working while you do.
The version of strong that means "never struggles" is mostly just a guy who arranged his life so he never gets tested. Looks calm. Hasn't been near anything hard in years. A man who's perfectly happy all the time might just be well numbed.
The real thing is quieter and less fun. You feel the loneliness, you carry whatever you're carrying, and you still ship, still show up, still think straight. The point was never to feel good. It's to keep working when you don't.
— Simon