'The optimism of the action is better than the pessimism of the thought.' (Greenpeace) Resilience is a common buzz word today, partly in response to the complex mental health challenges that individuals and communities face in a brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible (BANI) world. Who would have imagined 3 years ago, for instance, that Covid19 would strike or that Russia would invade Ukraine, with all the ramifications this has precipitated in our personal and collective lives? It can feel like too much time spent on the back foot, reacting to pressures that may appear from anywhere, without warning, from left field – rather than creating the positive future we hope for. A psychological, social and political risk is that people and societies develop a ‘Whatever’ attitude, an apathetic ‘What’s the point?’ mentality. After all, what is the point of investing our time, effort and other resources into something that could all get blown away again in a brief moment? A good friend worked in Liberia with a community that was trying to recover from the effects of a bloody civil war. They started to build schools, hospitals and other infrastructure and, just as things were beginning to look hopeful, a violent, armed militia swept through the area and burned everything to the ground. This can feel like an apocalyptic game of snakes and ladders. Take one step forward and, all of a sudden, back to square one again. A close friend in the Philippines befriended people in a very poor makeshift community, surviving at the side of a busy road in boxes and under tarpaulins. She worked hard to improve the quality of their lives, to ensure that they felt and experienced authentic love, care and support, and it started to have a dramatic human impact. Faces brightened and hopes were lifted. Then, out of nowhere, government trucks appeared and bulldozed that whole place to the ground. It could be tempting to give up. One coping mechanism is to focus on living just one moment, one day, at a time because, after all, 'Who can know what tomorrow will bring?' This may engender an element of peaceful acceptance, akin to that through mindfulness. It can also morph into a form of passive, deterministic fatalism: ‘We can’t change anything, so why try?’ Martin Luther King's response stands in stark contrast who, in the face of setbacks, advocated, ‘We’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would more tragic than to stop at this point. We’ve got to see it through.’ Psychologically, both approaches could be regarded as survival strategies, as personal and social defences against anxiety. In a way, they are adaptive responses: ways of thinking, being and behaving that seek to create a greater sense of agency and control in the face of painful powerlessness. In the former case, a level of control is gained, paradoxically, through choosing to relinquish control. It's a letting-go rather than a clinging-on. In the latter, a fight-response (albeit a faith-fuelled, non-violent fight in the case of MLK), control is sought by changing the conditions that deprive of control. Each constitutes it's own way of responding to an external reality – and it’s out there as well as in here that the real and tangible challenges of resilience and transformation persist. The social, political and economic needs of the poorest, most vulnerable and oppressed people in the world don’t exist or disappear, depending simply on how we or they may perceive or feel about them. MLK’s call to action was radical: ‘We need to develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. It’s no longer a question of what will happen to us if we get involved. It’s what will happen to them (and us) if we don’t?’ [See also: Resilient; When disaster strikes; Clash of realities]
28 Comments
Ti Ne
26/11/2022 03:45:21 pm
As always very welll said.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 03:46:23 pm
Thank you, Ti Ne, for your encouragement - as always - too!
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Lilin Lim
26/11/2022 04:57:11 pm
Agree in principle but end of the day it’s a case of do you give them the fish or teach them how to fish. Each case is very individual of course and there is no solution that will cure all disasters (man made or natural). Humans are resilient and some needs more help than others. Recognising own role in society is important of course.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 05:44:03 pm
Thank you, Lilin. On the fish question, you may find Bill Crook's intro comment in this short related piece interesting? https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/context
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Alan Evans
26/11/2022 05:46:46 pm
Hi Nick. The Russian war in Ukraine has definitely exposed how un-resilient the world is when it comes to energy and food security.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 05:49:23 pm
Hi Alan. Yes, indeed. On that theme, you may find this short related piece interesting? https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/new
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Tanja Hassan
26/11/2022 05:53:06 pm
Hello Nick. I work as a therapist. You seem to be saying there are links between resilience at intrapersonal levels and resilience at broader international levels. Is that correct?
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 05:55:26 pm
Hi Tanja. That's an interesting question. I attempted to answer similar questions in this reflective piece that I wrote following the Haiti earthquake disaster in 2010: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/when-disaster-strikes
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Tanja Hassan
26/11/2022 06:24:15 pm
Thank you Nick. I have never read such a comprehensive article on different and related dimensions of resilience! Thank you.
Nick Wright
26/11/2022 06:24:51 pm
Thank you, Tanja, for your affirming feedback. Much appreciated.
Patricia Wellman
26/11/2022 06:16:59 pm
Hi Nick! Personally, I have to be resilient to cope with the many difficult situations in the world and in my private life. I'm sometimes more and sometimes not so good at it. I think it also depends on whether I can change something about the situation myself or not.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 06:29:35 pm
Hi Patricia and thank you for such an honest and personal response. I can identify with your comment 'sometimes'. Resilience isn't a fixed thing and different situations at different times can have different impacts on us, and on our ability to recover from them. I agree that choice and control can be critical human factors in developing and sustaining resilience.
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Sam Turner
26/11/2022 06:30:42 pm
Thanks for the BANI link Nick. I'd never heard of that one.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 06:32:40 pm
Hi Sam. You're welcome. I like BANI because it focuses on very human dimensions and experiences in the midst of change.
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Lydia RodrÃguez
26/11/2022 06:44:32 pm
Oh Nick. Those examples from Liberia and Philippines are so sad and depressing. How can people continue in life after such experiences?
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 06:48:30 pm
Hi Lydia. Yes, it's difficult for me to imagine too. On how people cope and, at times, even thrive in such situations, you may find clinical psychologist Shona Adams' insights in this short related piece interesting: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/new
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Mia Barclay
26/11/2022 06:51:25 pm
I wish I was more resilient, Nick. I had a bereavement many years ago. It still hurts. Is there hope?
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 06:55:35 pm
I'm sorry to hear of your enduring pain, Mia. Some experiences can cut so deep that it can take a lifetime to recover. I share some of my own trauma experiences in this short piece: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/scars
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Liam Heston
26/11/2022 06:58:28 pm
I like the way you contrast acceptance and activism as 2 different ways to handle tough situations and build resilience.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 07:01:46 pm
Thank you, Liam. I think we can also contrast individual and collective approach to resilience. Some people view resilience as an intrapersonal phenomenon - something that resides within us as individuals. Some people view resilience as a social phenomenon - something that resides in and between people as they support each other through difficulties. Perhaps its a both-and more than an and-or question.
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John Drake
26/11/2022 09:50:37 pm
Love that quotation from Greenpeace, Nick. It appeals to the activist in me.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 09:53:18 pm
Me too, John. Did you ever see the Greenpeace film, 'How to Change the World'? Incredibly inspiring!
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Phil Jackson
26/11/2022 09:57:19 pm
Great blog, Nick. I get the apathy. Whatever political party we vote for, things don't improve. Things are too complicated. They're all out of their depth.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 10:01:26 pm
Thank you, Phil. I can understand that feeling. It's one of the potential consequences of the BANI phenomenon. The degree of dynamic complexity can feel overwhelming. I made an attempt at offering a geopolitical perspective in this short piece: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/dare-to-question Let me know what you think?
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Jessica Wilson
26/11/2022 10:04:23 pm
Hey Nick. I didn't know much about Martin Luther King until I followed the link in your post. So inspiring! I want to read more. What can you recommend?
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 10:12:07 pm
Thank you, Jessica. Yes, MLK and the woman in the Philippines are two of the greatest and most inspiring influences in my own life. I find their example in following Jesus so closely and courageously incredible.
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Mark Rhodes
26/11/2022 10:17:47 pm
Hey Nick. I'm a new Christian. Thanks for writing these articles to help us learn from you. God is the source of our resilience, right? We can trust him to hold us. That makes us feel more confident to take risks.
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Nick Wright
26/11/2022 10:25:11 pm
Hi Mark. You expressed that beautifully. :) We can trust him, absolutely. You may find this short piece interesting? https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/guiding-principles3583549
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Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
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