During my training in the Indian Police Service, we had to do a long route march in scorching sun, with a rifle and backpack. What was the point of that?
Similarly, if you go for any hardcore military training such as for commandos, they won’t give you a precision rifle on day one and start training you in sharpshooting. First, they will put you through a physical grind that will nearly kill you — the glamor of shooting comes much later.
Again, what’s the point?
Success in these professions requires not just skill but also a hardened mindset. You have to be willing to uncomplainingly accept extreme misery and physical pain, and still stay focused on the mission.
In other words, hardship is part of the training.
It is also true of life in general. Nobody loves hardship; that is why it is called ‘hardship’, and not ‘pleasure.’
But every hardship is also a ‘training’ — to put your mission before your pain.
– Rajan