![\"Mark](\"http:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark_Twain3-240x300.jpg\")
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Mark Twain held a pistol to his head.<\/p>\n
But he couldn\u2019t bring himself to pull the trigger.<\/p>\n
So, he put down the pistol and picked up a pen\u2026<\/p>\n
Many textbooks portray Mark Twain as poised, self-assured, and composed.<\/p>\n
However, the Twain described in writings from 1865 and 1866 is far from that man\u2026<\/p>\n
At this time, Twain was living in San Francisco and earning $100 a month writing 2,000-word columns, 6 days a week for a newspaper called the Territorial Enterprise.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old Twain was struggling immensely. He was drowning in debt. The local pawnshops owned nearly all his possessions.<\/p>\n
In a letter from 1865, he wrote to his brother:
\n\u201cIf I do not get out of debt in three months \u2013 pistols or poison for one \u2013 exit me,\u201d
\nAnd he nearly took the first option.<\/p>\n
There are many stories about what exactly made him change his mind:
\nOne story describes how his eyes met a bill for coal he had received. The wording on the bill was so peculiar for such a low sum of requested money that it made him do a double take. It supposedly brought about a chuckle and he reflected on the oddity of life, putting down his pistol.<\/p>\n
Some accounts claim that when he brought the pistol to his head, he couldn\u2019t bear to pull the trigger out of his thoughts of cowardice.<\/p>\n
Whatever the truth may be, we do know that the great literary figure had some very dark days in his lonely San Francisco apartment\u2026<\/p>\n
Shortly after this incident, Twain hit his first home run. He finally leaned into his inclinations of humor with The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.<\/p>\n
It was a humorous work and was published by the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865. It brought him his first taste of international fame.<\/p>\n
And the rest is history!<\/p>\n
USEFUL KNOWLEDGE:
\n– The Brightest days often come right after the darkest nights.<\/p>\n
Life is very strange. In many ways, it is like a video game, in the sense that it is full of tests. Things get extremely hard in life and as long as you hang on and keep pushing, you will make a breakthrough and get to the next level. It’s always hardest right before a significant breakthrough. Then things are great for a while but eventually, the pattern repeats itself. The tests vary in difficulty but they all push the individual to ascend to higher levels of consciousness and character.<\/p>\n
This story of Twain\u2019s dark days displays the idea perfectly. He was in just about the lowest place a person can be, yet he didn\u2019t let go of himself and as a result, very quickly got his first big win.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure you can relate to this story in some way – reflecting on your own difficult times. Hopefully, the video game analogy provides you with a greater awareness of the pattern.<\/p>\n
So, when things get dark, hold on, keep pushing and bright daylight will come soon enough.<\/p>\n
Written by The Knowledge Archivist on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mark Twain held a pistol to his head. But he couldn\u2019t bring himself to pull the trigger. So, he put down the pistol and picked up a pen\u2026 Many textbooks portray Mark Twain as poised, self-assured, and composed. However, the Twain described in writings from 1865 and 1866 is far from that man\u2026 At this … <\/p>\n