We are going to have to learn to find resilience.
The British are well known for their fortitude and resilience and they are both words which summed up future generations interpretations of people who went through the second world war. Now its our turn.
But, we are a different generation/s than the ones who went through the war. We are spoilt, entitled and have everything at our fingertips.
We can go to a shop to buy most things from 6am to midnight and sometimes 24 hours.
Letters and packages we send get delivered in days.
We have access to loved ones through text, call and email at all time.
We have more tv chanels than we ever thought possible.
We can watch a sports match at any time.
We can watch a film at any time.
We can have clothes, food, alcohol, anything we pretty much require delivered to our front door at any time.
Everything is accessible and we are used to having everything we want.
Then a pandemic hit us. Not just once but over and over again we have had to deal with uncertainty and fear.
The never ending changes to the structure of our lives and our liberties keeps us glued to media coverage which by its very nature is written to make us read it/ watch it. Using as much sensationalism as possible, inciting fear with numbers that sound horrific, they are horrific, with each number there is a person, a family, a life. And we have to find a way to deal with this. We have to find resilience.
Man's search for meaning is a book written by Viktor E Frankl, He wrote his book whilst in concentration camps in WWII. According to Frankl how a prisoner imagined his future affected his longevity. How he survived was a direct impact on his thoughts. If he had a strong belief that there was a purpose to his life that he was there for a reason then he found a way to survive.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
The reason why it is one of my favourite books is that it puts things into perspective and makes me question how some people can go through hell and endure. How they have the resilience to cope. And how do we find that within ourselves.
I don't think it is a case of being stiff upper lipped and cold. Keeping our emotions in check and switching off from horror but nor is it being without boundaries, releasing all our fears and underbellies for anyone to view. We need to find our strength, our fortitude and our resilience,
We can do this, we are doing this and we are going to have to find a way to carry on doing this. It may also be the time to work out what is the meaning of your life. What is it that makes you want to keep striving. What is is about the life we led that you want back. What is your purpose.
Everyone is dealing with their own life altering changes at the moment. Whether they be still working, working from home, not working or having lost their jobs. Single. Happy with a partner. In a relationship on the rocks. Children. No children. Money worries. No money worries. Too much time. Not enough time. I haven't met any two people dealing with the same changes, there are too many variables. Too many little added bonuses and any of them can change at any time. Look at your situation and if you can't change it then you could always change yourself. Change your language. Change the way you do things. If they are not working find another way.
It is my belief at the moment that we have to accept our limitations, recoup, regroup and make lists of all the people we are going to see, all the things we are going to do, all the places, all the meals, pubs, clubs, shopping that is going to be there once this is all over. It will be over one day. We have to find the resilience that when that day comes that we are strong, fit and ready to enjoy every second just like the prisoners released from their hell and who went on to create and thrive in a world they had hung onto. If they could go through what they did then I'm pretty sure that we can find a way to endure this.
Find your resilience.