Blessings of Adversity

When calamities come our way, we are resentful or even crushed. Yet calamities and adversities are blessings. Life's obstacles and disasters are unforeseen opportunities. For example, if Jesus Christ had not been crucified, he may have died as an old prophet and would have been long forgotten. Because of his crucifixion the western world worshsips him as God, the saviour of the world .

Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist, would not have achieved such popular prominence for his work in the field of cosmology if it had not been for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, his affliction. In an autobiographical note on the internet Hawking wrote,: "Before my condition had been diagnosed, I had been very bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of the hospital...I suddenly realised that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do. I found to my surprise that I was enjoying life in the present more than before...it shows that one need not lose hope."

Adversities helped Othello, the black Moor, to captivate the beautiful Desdemona. She sat at his feet and urged him to tell her his adventures and heroic deeds. What were these adventure stories and heroic deeds? They were nothing but adversities, tribulations, and catastrophes during which he cheated death many times. At the time of those adversities, Othello did not think that those events were of any use. But having gone through them, he was proud to tell his hair-raising stories.

There are two ways we can reduce the adverse influence of the catastrophes we face. One is to recognize them as challenges and opportunities to display our metal and the second is to build a conviction that we are always challenged to the maximum of our capacity but never beyond. That means that we will overcome the situation. Success is assured provided we play our part. This is not only true with human beings, it is true with plants and animals. Those who have seen paddy transplantation, as I have done, will know that the seedling is uprooted, taken off the water bed, and left on dry soil for two or three days. If the plant has any sensitivity, and Cleve Backster, America's foremost investigator of plant sentience says that it has, it will feel a sense of threat to life when the roots start to dry. Later when it is replanted into the soil, it sends roots deep down into the soil with double vigour. The plant grows and yields eight to ten times as much rice as a plant that was not transplanted.

As a bacteriologist, I had the opportunity to check similar capabilities of bacteria. I have found them respond to danger to their life with increased activity. Whenever I increased alkalinity of the medium in which they grew, they produced more acid to counteract the adverse effect of alkali. The more alkali I added, the more acid they produced.

Newton never would have become the scientist he became had it not been for the bully seated next to him in the last row in grammar school. It was the custom in the school to be seated according to the students' standing in the class, the bright ones in the first row and the dull ones in the last row. This bully was one place above Newton and much stronger physically. Unable to stand his persistent bullying, Newton, with a much smaller stature, but with greater courage and determination, accepted the physical challenge and one day banged the bully's head against the wall of the church. Having defeated him physically, Newton decided to beat him intellectually which he did. In a few days, Newton was at the top of the class.

Had it not been for his imprisonment, St. Paul would not have written the fourteen epistles. Had it not been for the imprisonment of John Bunyan, he would not have authored "Pilgrim's Progress". Had it not been for his fall from a horse we would not have had Tolstoy's "War and Peace". Had it not been for the early blindness that seized Helen Keller, she would not have been able to contribute so much to improve the plight of the blind. Had it not been for the early blindness of Louise Braille, Braille would never have been invented. The life stories of all successful men are studded with challenges and adversities. Therefore, what matters is to have confidence that every problem has a solution, accepting the situation and finding ways to overcome it.

My own encounters with adversity are not many but the few were critical. One was my miraculous escape from being killed in the conflict between the Tamils and Singhalese in Sri Lanka. Not only did I escape with my life but it resulted in my migrating to Canada which was one of the greatest blessings of my life. Another incident was when my house burned down. I could not understand the reason but after three years, when I had to replace it with a new house, I realized what a blessing it was that the house burned down. If it was not for the fire I would still be living in the old house which was built in 1903. Instead, I had to construct a new house and during the process it so happened that I found out I could construct a three story apartment with a beautiful view of the ocean, the thousands of sea birds, the sailing vessels, the Alaska cruisers and an income to meet all my needs.

I find an easy way out of adverse situations. I build a simple consciousness. It is the same as Jesus said, "I do, not what I will but that of my Father who sent me". Similarly, I take all my business as a partnership betwee
God and me. I do my part and leave the rest for Him to do. If He does not do, I don't get worried because I know for certain that He has a very good reason though I do not understand the reason. So, I share my burden with Him. It makes it much easier. Our consciousness that we are an instrument of the creator gives us peace of mind.

If we look for the advantage that is coming out of the calamity we will forget the pain.. This will turn the vicissitudes of life to our own advantage. Anandabai Joshee, an Indian physician, wrote "Had there been no difficulties and no thorns in the way, then man would have been in his primitive state and no progress made in civilisation and mental culture."

For further reference see the book "The Missing Piece to Paradise" by Dr. P.C. Simon published by Empyrean Quest Publishers nnn