Outside forces (other people, circumstances, events, etc) can affect what happens to us, but our attitudes are within our control. Someone around here once said "it's not about having the things you want, it's about wanting the things you have." Some folks (or all of us at one time or another) get tunnel visiion - they're so focused on a set of things involving failure that they can't see the successes. Maybe those successes aren't important to them, but if you desperately keep wanting to succeed at something that hasn't worked in the past, maybe it's time to find something it's within your power to succeed at, and go do it. Or at least (a la "It's a Wonderful Life") look at the good stuff that happened while you were paying attention to the bad stuff.

I know people who have had all kinds of crap happen to them and they're happy. I've known others who have a few bad things happen in a mostly (from my point of view) happy life, and start thinking about bridges. I think the difference between attitudes has a lot to do with whether the person focuses on what they have the power to change, or what fate has wrought. Please note, I am not talking about clinical depression.

No one or no thing can make a person want to live - only that person can do it, and that person has to want to make the effort to find something to make him/her happy and go for it.

Khandu, my personal philosophy (your mileage may vary) is that "the good fight" is making ones self happy. Sometimes holding your ground is a success, since it's the nature of things to fall apart. Look at the little successes - sometimes we can't see the trees for the forest. And "keep on keepin' on," because sometimes that's what gets us to a place where the path ahead will be a bit clearer.