Some thoughts on Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av is not a time to contemplate destruction and despair, it is, rather, a time for hope and building. Take a moment to think of all the times our Nation has been beaten down by others, Destructions and Exiles, Crusaders and Pogroms, Inquisitions and Holocausts. We have been written off by others as sinners, thieves and murderers, and at times our own Malthusian prophets of doom have written us off as well. But despite it all, we have remained, rebuilt, readapted and grown. We have not allowed the naysayers to have the upper hand and we have shown that neither their words nor their actions will define who we are or what we can accomplish. Those who have attacked us and prophesied our doom are part of the detritus of history, while the Jewish Nation goes marching on.
This is true not only a a national level, but on a personal one as well. Have you ever felt beaten down by the mistakes and failures of your life? Have you ever been told by someone else that you will never amount to anything, that you are a hopeless loser? That the mistakes you have made have permanently branded you and there is no redemption? Have you ever felt that way about yourself and contemplated just giving up? Tisha B'Av teaches you not to give up.
You may not be able to fully control what occurs in your life, you certainly cannot control how others perceive you. But you have complete control over how you choose to perceive and respond to adversity. Will you let it beat you down, or will you rise again and again, however many times necessary, to meet your destiny?!
Tisha B'Av is the birthday of Moshiach. Each and every one of us can find our own redemption, our own Moshiach, on this day!