Compared to the synergy of nature, we are all terribly imperfect, afflicted with the contradictions of being creative and destructive. Our beautiful dreams are only matched by our hellish nightmares.
While disciplined order can produce a harmony of organization - such as a formed Soul - it is only the spontaneity of chaos that creates the necessary energy for this to happen. Heaven and Hell need to unite. We cannot do it alone. We need help.
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God." Luke 18:18-19 KJV Bible
Asking for help, by definition, necessitates an acknowledgment that I am lacking something - this is the most difficult thing for any well preserved Ego to do. That lack is the lack of a Soul, and I need to acknowledge it again and again - not through the intellect but through the ache of experience.
Only those who have experienced very real and very deep seated 'afflictions' can possibly understand the value of equally real and deep help. 'Help', then, becomes a substance, an energy, a food, that nourishes the formation of a Soul because it comes from a place rarely touched, and so is pure.
Depression, addictions, mental illness, injury, disease and the infirmities of old age should be a catalyst and support in pursuing the struggle for Soul creation. Instead, we often try to subdue it, disguise it or hide it away - anesthetizing our lives until we can no longer feel anything - becoming numb and hollow - the true death.
While never wishing for affliction, if it comes, I need the courage to embrace the opportunity - the courage that comes from a help that is beyond me.