Nicholas Roerich was fond of saying, “Blessed be the obstacles—through them we grow.” He was well qualified to know, for obstacles were a constant in his life. A superficial glance at his life would reveal only creativity and adventure, far more than is generally allotted to any one person in a lifetime. But beneath that surface lay ever-present difficulty.
It is hard to know why certain people are given greater portions of trouble than others. Roerich came from privileged people, and his life could have been easy. But he never chose the smooth path and seemed even to seek out life’s obstacles as if he found nourishment in them.
He was an indefatigable climber: he climbed mountains, and he also climbed life. Another saying that he liked to repeat, also related to obstacles, was, “It is easier to climb a rocky slope than a smooth one. The rocks provide steps on...