Be As The Resilient Tardigrade
Do you wish to learn resilience? then let the tardigrade be your mentor.
No creature on Earth or perhaps in the universe has been through as much as the tardigrade. The animal has been known to survive radiation, dehydration, starvation, air deprivation, extreme pressure, and temperature and yet lived through it to tell the tale.
We are all “crisis-surfing” these days—whether it is dealing with shortages of items at the store, inflation driving up the price of gasoline or just the news of rage in the streets or another potential international crisis. Relating with people has shown that there have been increases of anxiety, depression, and other emotional stress points. We are in for a prolonged period of crisis. We are being forced to cope. We must learn to manage our way forward.
We would all benefit from a study of the virtue of resilience. Resilience is what helps us move through hardship and suffering to become better. Resilience is what helps us bounce back from criticism, mistakes, and attacks meant to discourage and even destroy our lives. Resilience is what helps us determine to rehabilitate ourselves after a painful injury. Resilience is what helps us defeat an addiction, every single day. None of us escape pain, suffering, or difficult periods. All of us can overcome our fear, endure loss and cope with pain. We can develop the strength to manage whatever life throws at us if we learn to develop the virtue of resilience.
Not a lot is written about resilience. You can find it scattered throughout philosophy, poetry, and spiritual writings. You can read the examples of those who have come back from failure—rebuilding a life and moving forward. We must assemble a picture of resilience from many sources.
Reflecting on the exploits of the tardigrade will afford you a clear description of what resilience is. It has experienced the turbulence of the ocean, tasted the harshness of the tundras of Antarctica, and also the consuming fire of a volcano, the tardigrade has been there and done.
We are in a period of turbulence in world affairs. We need a positive outlook to develop resilience.
