LIFE'S ADVERSITIES

Malcolm X, the famous Black Power advocate and Nation of Islam convert spoke of dealing with Adversity in the following terms:

"There is no better than Adversity.
Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson;
On how to improve your performance the next time."

Adversities are a part of living, and how we choose to deal with each adversity determines the quality of our lives. Most of us are content to spend our lives avoiding them as much as we can, and when we cannot, we try to accommodate or adapt to them. We hide behind a multitude of excuses or explanations designed to conceal our inner fears or anxieties and in the process, lose more and more of ourselves.

The truth is that Adversity is an intergral part of life and like learning to walk and talk and laugh or cry, must be faced and dealt with correctly as part of our growth and development.
I would be the last to deny that adversities can be exceedingly difficult. Many times they will be senseless, unfair, painful, and beyond our control. But they come into our lives for a reason, and we can choose to learn valuable lessons from each adversity we encounter or not. To me as tough as life's lessons sometimes are, each holds the seed of an equal or greater blessing, a pathway to new growth as a human being. We owe it to ourselves to deal with our adversities and to learn from them. Equally important, we must use every opportunity to teach our children, by word and by example, the importance of coping with their adversities.

In dealing with adversity we must learn to bury our hurt and grief and insecurity deep inside our egos and focus on the benefits which can accrue. Each adversity we encounter can bring new insights into human nature, we become wiser to life's ways, our ways, and people's ways. The result is that we can gain in strength and confidence and will be better able to face the next one.

I am sure we can all recall a multitude of examples of adversity in our lives as well as in others. It is important that wherever possible, we take the time to analyse the outcome if only to learn future lessons. Of all my encounters, I recall one incident which occurred almost 50 years ago and remains indelibly imprinted in my memory as an outstanding example of the depth of adversity to which a young man was exposed and his brave and steadfast response.
Over a short period of time through no fault of his own, he lost his infant daughter in an auto accident, then his home in a fire and his fledgling business and yet, by dint of faith and personal strength he was able to overcome these tragedies and subsequently prosper.

This reminds me so much of the popular quotation by Lou Holtz, Notre Dame University's most successful football coach:

“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile,
And I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity.”

We should make use of every opportunity to deal with every adversity that presents itself, for there can be no better way to grow on this road of life.

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Adversity is like a strong wind.
It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn,
so that we see ourselves as we really are.
……. Arthur Golden

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it
the seed on an equal or greater benefit.
…… Napoleon Hill

He knows not his own strength that has not met adversity.
…….Ben Johnson

You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday.
You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.
……. Epicurus


In adversity, we acquire the strength we have overcome.
..…Ralph Waldo Emerson

He knows not his own strength that hath not met Adversity.
….Cesare Pavese

Fire is the test of gold; Adversity, of strong men.
Prosperity tries the fortunate, Adversity the great.
……..Lord Byron

Adversity is the trial of principle.
Without it, a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not.
……Henry Fielding

Little minds are tamed and subdued by Adversity,
But Great minds rise above them

.……Washington Irving