We all face problems in our life that seem impossible to overcome and feel that we have no control over our existence. Going
through
adversity happens to the best of us, but you cannot dwell on the negative experiences or you’re just going to end up being more upset than you would’ve been if you stayed positive. The true tests of life are not what your problems are, but they are the ways you went about defeating them.
Adversity is defined as a state of hardship or affliction that can manifest itself in various forms and it usually involves a
difficulty in dealing with a particular situation or event. Why is adversity such a ubiquitous aspect of our lives? Can we control it? Is it a detrimental or positive force? Whatever it may be, adversity is and will always be an infinite feature of our lives. It has shaped the world we know today.
Adversity can come in a myriad of forms – such as a ground-breaking event involving a multitude of individuals world wide for instance a world war or a global famine. Or it can also be a miniscule personal occurrence like moving to another country. Saul Robinson’s account of migrating to Australia identifies a seemingly small adversity experienced by a single person. Isn’t it purely ‘human nature’ to associate adversity as a negative concept inflicting pain and anguish?
We need to realize that adversity can have a positive effect; a small light that emerges from the shadows of hardship, generating strength and unity. One current example was Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
. Grief and devastation is confirmed by the number of homes and lives destroyed by this catastrophe. A large share of the more than 200,000 homes in the city of New Orleans will have to be demolished and rebuilt. The damage is estimated to cost up to $300 billion US dollars. The official death toll stands at 1325. Over 6,644 unaccounted for, with 1,300 feared dead. Over a million people were displaced – a humanitarian crisis on a scale unseen since the Great Depression. Nevertheless, we cannot disregard the positive – we witnessed how people banded together, helping each other and proving that humanity remains strong. UK doctor Andrew Cavey; whilst working for the American Red Cross explains first-hand how the true picture he encountered was one of community spirit and solidarity. “You will have a plumber from Oregon who has got in a car and driven all the way down just to help. It’s a wonderful display of humanitarianism.”
The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and many other charitable organizations have provided housing, food and water to the victims of the disaster. These organizations constructed shelters throughout Louisiana and other states that held thousands of evacuees. Hurricane Katrina not only brought death and immoral human behaviour such as carjacking and looting shops – but it also fabricated community spirit and personal resilience in times of difficulty as evidenced above. This validates that adversity has two sides and hence we cannot maintain a tunnel perception in life. We must retain an open mindset to discern the ironies of adversity.
Adversity is a way we learn life’s important lessons. We will never learn how to react to certain situations unless we have actually experienced them and only through adversity, do we realize what our personal potential maybe. If adversity can be something good, then why are we so intent on getting rid of it? Ask yourself this question and contemplate. When will we actually see the irony in the notion of adversity?
Primarily, we need to understand the reasons as to why adversity occurs and we need to enlighten ourselves because different adversities affect people in different ways. It can have a so-called ‘ripple effect’. The script ‘Bits of Metal’ demonstrates how a war between two countries overseas affected the friendship of two young girls. Selena and Penny felt obliged by their families to treat one another as enemies just because their countries are at war. Concurrently, the outcome of an adverse incident can be relative to the manner in which people handle it. This concept is evidenced in the film ‘Apollo 13’, where the Astronauts decided to remain positive, make best of what they had and do whatever they could to overcome their misfortunes.
The 19th century success pioneer, Orison Swett Marden wrote, “The sculptor will chip off all unnecessary material to set free the angel”. Nature will strike us to bring out our possibilities. She will strip us of wealth, humble our pride, humiliate our ambitions, let us down from the ladder of fame, will discipline us in a thousand ways, if she can develop a little character. Adversity develops your character just as weight training develops your muscles.
On the whole, a man is not measured by how tall he stands but by how many times he stood up when life made him buckle to the ground. Life will make us break our pace and stumble some time or another. We can stay crumpled in the middle of the road, grieving. Or we can utilize the pause to reflect on the path, calibrate our compass, and build strength to avoid stumbling again.
It''s our choice. Adversities are inevitable. We can quit and lose -- or we can keep trying and win.