I once saw a presentation by eminent motivational speaker, Sharu Rangnekar in which he beautifully described a situation when a person is under pressure. He said that from time immemorial, it has been in the human psyche that when faced with an adverse conditions, one has only two options : Fight or Flight!
Thus, an adverse condition honestly speaking is a necessity that shows the true character of a person.
There have been examples galore that showcase the greatness of people from all spheres of society because of their resilience and strength of character that helped them in withstanding the brutal onslaught of adversity.
Presenting a top 5 of great characters from a bouquet of spheres:
1) Mythological- The Hindu mythology is very vivid and colorful and is dotted with many characters who faced adverse situations admirably. Lord Ram, the prince of Ayodhya for one, did not bat an eyelid and went about doing what was required of him, even if it meant that he had to leave aside his royal luxurious lifestyle and lead a life of a forest wanderer. Another great example is the eldest living son of the Kuru King Shantanu, Devabrat, popularly known as Bhishma or 'the one who has taken a terrible oath". The most righteous, able and rightful heir of the throne of Kuru, Bhishma abdicated in the favor of this half brothers and vowed never to ascend the throne of the kingdom of Hastinapur. He even put his duty before preferences during the battle of Kurukshtera as per Mahabharata, the Hindu epic and sided with the Kauravas though he personally felt that the Pandavas represented the righteous path. He fought heroically and killed many of the Pandava soldiers but never killed any of the Pandavas themselves. He could have broken his promises made or he could have even retired but he put his duty before anything else.
2) Historical- The princely kingdom of Mewar has had many rulers but none as famous and revered as the might Maharana Pratap. Pratap become the king when most of the Rajputana was ravaged by the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar and most of the other Rajput kings had become vassals of the Mughal emperor. Maharana Pratap could have chosen the easier way out and accept the suzerainty of the Mughals and retained his kingdom but he chose a far difficult path. He fought tooth and nail against the vastly superior Mughal army despite suffering numerous debacles. His fierce desire to free his beloved motherland from the marauding Mughals, saw him gradually inflict crushing defeats on them and virtually freeing his whole kingdom by the time of his untimely death.
3) Contemporary- Kisan Baburao Hazare is diminutive old man who galvanized the entire country on a single plank, that of better governance and anti-corruption. The social activist from rural Maharashtra in India popularly known as Anna Hazare nearly brought the policymakers and the political power of the country, to virtually its knees after his call and subsequent fast to enact a stringent anti-corruption law, the Jan Lokpal bill. The resultant fast tracked enactment of an anti corruption law (though a much diluted from the one envisaged in the Jan Lokpal bill) was a semblance of victory for Anna Hazare, who like most in the country could have accepted corruption as a way of life but decided otherwise.
4) Political- One of the great characters from the political sphere from round the world has to be Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America. Though born in a poor family in Kentucky, the self educated Lincoln guided his country through great turmoils, though none more than the American Civil War. His life was a constant struggle but he never backed down from his beliefs and was instrumental in preserving the continuance of the United States as an union and also led to the abolishing slavery in the USA.
5) Sports- Though there are many from the sporting arena who have inspired millions around the world including Indian boxing sensation Mary Kom popularly known as Magnificent Mary and cancer surviving cricket star Yuvraj Singh, the story of Arunima Sinha is truly awe inspiring. A national level Indian volleyball player, Arunima was mugged on a running train in 2011 (when she was just 23 years old) and thrown from it. It resulted in one of her legs being amputated below the knee. This devastating incident would have sucked the "life" from any person but not Arunima. She started her life anew and with tremendous will power and nerves of steel she embarked upon a new journey. While recuperating in the hospital, Arunima wished to conquer Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world. This gave a new definition to her life and she diverted all her energies in achieving this seemingly impossible goal that too for an amputee. She fought on and on 21st May 2013, just 2 years after her life shattering accident, Arunima became the first woman amputee in the world to have scaled the highest peak in the world.
There are many stories of resilience that pop up everyday in each one of our lives, stories that motivate us to fight on with a vengeance at the unfavorable surroundings and situations, but more often than none we tend to find the easier way out and "flight" rather than "fight" but we need to always remember that
"Life isn't meant to be easy but meant to be lived. Somtimes happy, other times rough.With every up & down we learn lessons that make us strong".
Thus, an adverse condition honestly speaking is a necessity that shows the true character of a person.
There have been examples galore that showcase the greatness of people from all spheres of society because of their resilience and strength of character that helped them in withstanding the brutal onslaught of adversity.
Presenting a top 5 of great characters from a bouquet of spheres:
1) Mythological- The Hindu mythology is very vivid and colorful and is dotted with many characters who faced adverse situations admirably. Lord Ram, the prince of Ayodhya for one, did not bat an eyelid and went about doing what was required of him, even if it meant that he had to leave aside his royal luxurious lifestyle and lead a life of a forest wanderer. Another great example is the eldest living son of the Kuru King Shantanu, Devabrat, popularly known as Bhishma or 'the one who has taken a terrible oath". The most righteous, able and rightful heir of the throne of Kuru, Bhishma abdicated in the favor of this half brothers and vowed never to ascend the throne of the kingdom of Hastinapur. He even put his duty before preferences during the battle of Kurukshtera as per Mahabharata, the Hindu epic and sided with the Kauravas though he personally felt that the Pandavas represented the righteous path. He fought heroically and killed many of the Pandava soldiers but never killed any of the Pandavas themselves. He could have broken his promises made or he could have even retired but he put his duty before anything else.
2) Historical- The princely kingdom of Mewar has had many rulers but none as famous and revered as the might Maharana Pratap. Pratap become the king when most of the Rajputana was ravaged by the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar and most of the other Rajput kings had become vassals of the Mughal emperor. Maharana Pratap could have chosen the easier way out and accept the suzerainty of the Mughals and retained his kingdom but he chose a far difficult path. He fought tooth and nail against the vastly superior Mughal army despite suffering numerous debacles. His fierce desire to free his beloved motherland from the marauding Mughals, saw him gradually inflict crushing defeats on them and virtually freeing his whole kingdom by the time of his untimely death.
3) Contemporary- Kisan Baburao Hazare is diminutive old man who galvanized the entire country on a single plank, that of better governance and anti-corruption. The social activist from rural Maharashtra in India popularly known as Anna Hazare nearly brought the policymakers and the political power of the country, to virtually its knees after his call and subsequent fast to enact a stringent anti-corruption law, the Jan Lokpal bill. The resultant fast tracked enactment of an anti corruption law (though a much diluted from the one envisaged in the Jan Lokpal bill) was a semblance of victory for Anna Hazare, who like most in the country could have accepted corruption as a way of life but decided otherwise.
4) Political- One of the great characters from the political sphere from round the world has to be Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America. Though born in a poor family in Kentucky, the self educated Lincoln guided his country through great turmoils, though none more than the American Civil War. His life was a constant struggle but he never backed down from his beliefs and was instrumental in preserving the continuance of the United States as an union and also led to the abolishing slavery in the USA.
5) Sports- Though there are many from the sporting arena who have inspired millions around the world including Indian boxing sensation Mary Kom popularly known as Magnificent Mary and cancer surviving cricket star Yuvraj Singh, the story of Arunima Sinha is truly awe inspiring. A national level Indian volleyball player, Arunima was mugged on a running train in 2011 (when she was just 23 years old) and thrown from it. It resulted in one of her legs being amputated below the knee. This devastating incident would have sucked the "life" from any person but not Arunima. She started her life anew and with tremendous will power and nerves of steel she embarked upon a new journey. While recuperating in the hospital, Arunima wished to conquer Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world. This gave a new definition to her life and she diverted all her energies in achieving this seemingly impossible goal that too for an amputee. She fought on and on 21st May 2013, just 2 years after her life shattering accident, Arunima became the first woman amputee in the world to have scaled the highest peak in the world.
There are many stories of resilience that pop up everyday in each one of our lives, stories that motivate us to fight on with a vengeance at the unfavorable surroundings and situations, but more often than none we tend to find the easier way out and "flight" rather than "fight" but we need to always remember that
"Life isn't meant to be easy but meant to be lived. Somtimes happy, other times rough.With every up & down we learn lessons that make us strong".
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