63.1 Fortitude

 63.1 Fortitude

 

Question:

         What is the best way to overcome adversity?

Answer:

Laughing at adversity is the best way to overcome it.          (Couplet – 621)

இடுக்கண் வருங்கால் நகுக அதனை

அடுத்தூர்வது அஃதொப்ப தில்.                                              (குறள் – 621)

Explanation:

          According to Valluvar, laughing at adversity is the best way to overcome it. It is easy to say that laughter is the best way to overcome adversity. But for most people laughing at adversity is not possible. Although it is difficult and perhaps even unnatural to laugh at adversity, modern psychologists agree with Valluvar that laughter is indeed very therapeutic in adverse situations.

              Psychologists believe a sense of humor when facing adversity is the most useful tool. Maintaining a sense of humor in critical situations helps us stay on our feet. A sense of humor is an essential characteristic of a resilient person. Resilience keeps us away from focusing on the negative. Positive emotions during stressful situations can help us to cope with adversity.

              History has several examples of people who overcame adversity through their positive attitude. One such example is Thomas Alva Edison, the prolific American inventor. In 1914, when ten buildings in Edison’s plant exploded in a chemical-fueled fire, he did not panic. He just stood there and watched the flame. In fact, he seems to have rejoiced. He told his son, “Go get your mother and all her friends. They will never see a fire like this again.” The next day, Edison surveyed the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” He got a loan from his friend Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, rebuilt his laboratory in a matter of weeks and continued to be successful.

              Soichiro Honda, the Japanese entrepreneur and founder of the Honda Motor Company, had a similar situation that he faced with a courageous, positive attitude. An earthquake once destroyed his automobile factory. After he rebuilt his factory, it was again demolished by the American bombing during the second world war. He was least perturbed and took it in stride. Undeterred by the two catastrophic events, he built the Honda manufacturing plant again and was enormously successful.

              Examples of Thomas Alva Edison, Soichiro Honda, and others like them confirm Valluvar’s approach to overcoming adversity.