Back in college, when everyone’s goal was “self-actualization,” we used to joke that the curse of actually becoming self-actualized would be having to live in a world where no one else was.

Strength doesn’t mean not needing anyone else.  It means not being a slave to internal or external forces.

“Who is mighty?”  asks the Talmud.  “The one who masters his impulses and inclinations.”

But we still need other people, and the downside of being strong is the presumption by others that everything is always okay.

So don’t forget to ask the people close to you how they’re doing, even when they seem to be on top of the world.  Sometimes strength is a burden that we can’t carry alone.