Resilience

Resilience is key and can be unpacked almost indefinitely. What makes a person tough, resilient? Certainly experience - having a guiding ethos beyond "the pursuit of happiness/comfort" will take a person on a journey that leads down unforseen paths. Witnessing resilience in its deepest form can also foster it in oneself. Whether that be by watching a loved one (my father) lose his legs, his ability to use his arms, and endure excruciating pain all while managing to maintain a joyful soul and a loving countenance. Or by hearing and drinking in the deep suffering our grandparents went through in a genocide - while still managing to come through as loving, happy people who raised a large beautiful family. Wisdom also can be gained through an openness to learning from figures of the past, in my case the chapter “Ascent” from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago impacted me in a way that has been with me since. When suffering is encountered and come to terms with in a way that leaves the soul intact, a person can then face it in a manner that maintains a deep peace. This peace, far from the bliss of naivety, can hold space in a person’s soul for a deep joy that is necessary to move in a positive direction through the most difficult situations. A positive attitude nurtured from the deep. This allows for one to be alone with their thoughts for an extended time and not be ravaged by them.