We are living in very challenging times. Pressured in the

The words of Les Brown — “We are living in very challenging times. Pressured in the workplace and stressed out at home, people are trying to make sense of their lives.” — ring like a bell across the noise of the modern world. They are not merely a reflection of hardship, but a call to awaken — to recognize that the human soul is strained beneath the weight of speed, expectation, and confusion. In this statement, Brown, the great orator of hope and resilience, speaks not only to a generation but to an era — to all who have found themselves lost in the storm of progress, seeking meaning in the midst of chaos. His words pierce through the glitter of modern success to reveal a deeper truth: that though our machines have grown faster and our cities brighter, the heart of man has grown weary, and the spirit longs for peace.

Les Brown, born in 1945, rose from poverty and rejection to become one of the world’s most influential motivational speakers. His message was born not from comfort, but from struggle. He understood, through his own experience, the crushing weight of expectation and the hunger for purpose that defines human life. In these words, he describes the modern condition — a world where people are pressed on all sides, their worth measured by output, their time devoured by demands. The home, once a sanctuary, has become an extension of the workplace; the mind, once a place of reflection, has become a battlefield of anxiety. Yet Brown’s insight is not despair — it is an invitation to rediscover the stillness at the center of the storm.

To be “pressured in the workplace” is to live under the tyranny of endless striving. In ancient times, men toiled for survival; now, they toil for status, recognition, and fleeting comfort. The tools have changed, but the struggle remains — and perhaps has grown heavier, for the hunger now is not only of the body but of the soul. To be “stressed out at home” is to realize that even the sacred space of rest has been invaded by distraction. The glow of screens replaces the warmth of conversation; the noise of the world seeps into the quiet of the heart. Brown saw clearly what many ignore — that our age is not short of progress, but short of presence.

History, too, speaks of such weariness. Consider the tale of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher. Though he ruled the greatest empire of his time, his writings in Meditations reveal the same exhaustion that Les Brown describes — a man surrounded by duty, yet searching for meaning beyond power. “Nowhere,” Marcus wrote, “can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.” In this, he gives voice to the same truth: that though the world presses upon us, peace must be found within, not without. Both Marcus Aurelius and Les Brown — separated by millennia — point to the same refuge: the cultivated strength of the inner life.

Yet Brown’s message carries something more — a call to resilience. He does not speak these words as a lament but as a challenge. For to live in “challenging times” is not a curse, but an opportunity. The fire of difficulty reveals what we are made of. When life feels senseless, we are invited to make sense through purpose — to transform pain into growth, and exhaustion into clarity. In this way, Brown echoes the wisdom of the ancients: that adversity, rightly faced, becomes a teacher. For the mountain that burdens the traveler also shapes his strength.

So, what then must one do in such a time? Brown would say: pause. Step back from the noise and listen — not to the world, but to yourself. Reclaim the moments of quiet that the age has stolen. Seek meaning not in things, but in connection — with family, with nature, with the deeper self. Know that your worth is not in your productivity, but in your presence, your love, your humanity. When the world demands that you move faster, dare to move slower. When it insists that you do more, remember that sometimes the bravest act is to simply be.

So, my children, take these words as a guide: do not be consumed by the times in which you live. Every age has its burdens, but within each person burns a timeless flame of clarity. Let Les Brown’s wisdom remind you that while the world may press upon you, it cannot define you. In the noise of the present age, choose the ancient path of stillness. When you feel lost, return to yourself — for meaning is not found in the rush of life, but in the depth of living. And when the pressures of the day weigh heavy upon you, lift your gaze and remember this truth: though the times are challenging, the spirit that endures them grows stronger — and in the struggle to make sense of life, we may yet find its most profound beauty.