ADAPTATION; A UNIQUE QUALITY OF HUMAN SURVIVAL: A GUIDE ON HOW TO SURVIVE HARD TIMES
(A RESPONSE TO SURVIVAL STRATEGIES IN HARD TIMES)
Charles Darwin once said; ” it is not the strongest of the species that survives, neither is the most intelligent, it is the one that is most adaptable to change “. There is an overarching need for humanity to wear a garment of change and adaptation to the nefarious and dilemmatic situations of the present time. Society today looks sad, and it is actually sad. Life seems meaningless to many because so many people are feted with situation that ” gêner ” Situation that hurts. People are sad and angry. The situation of life for many is the one which could be described thus ” Comme la nuit sans étoiles, sans lumiere d’une obscurité et d’une épaisseur d’encre. ”
The question becomes, how do we live in this present situation which seems to be hopeless and meaningless? What are ways forward? Do we still have hope? To all these questions, I would simply suggest that one of the ways towards surviving this ugly moment is adaptation. Adapting to the present situation. Accept the difficult situations and live by them. Make up your mind for the worst. And pray to God for intervention. There are situations that are above human control, and when such situations arise, we adapt and resort to faith even as we put in our best effort to ameliorate the situation. The situation where we do not know the truth of what is happening, a situation where we have lost hope on our media, a situation where one thing is said and another is heard, is a terrible situation. A situation where people move around perceiving the air of unrest is a terrible situation. A situation where people have continuously lost their loved ones to the cold hands of death in a most gruesome way is a terrible situation. A situation where all we see shows effects of extreme violence and cruelty is a terrible situation.
A situation were the churches and mosques and other places of prayers are locked down in many parts of the world due to the so called virus, is a terrible situation. Amidst all these ugly situations, what are we to do. We are, therefore, called to see the need to adapt and accept things as they unfold. Do not die before your time. Do not be a coward. William Shakespeare in responding to an act of cowardice have this to say “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear;Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.”
We must be strong, and have an unwavering faith on our maker. God knows our destiny, and he has his unique way of solving problems. But we must try to be alive as we wait patiently for God’s time.
Be brave and strong and adapt to the hard situations of the time. But instead of crying and weeping and getting frustrated, we can adapt and decide to be happy. One of the ways to be happy is knowing and understanding where true joy and happiness lies. Knowing that true joy and happiness is within and not outside of us. Material things can give us only flashes of pleasure, but in essence they are meaningless. But true joy is within. It is in the interior and not the exterior.
When we experience problems which give us lots of concerns, we should not lose hope and get depressed, but we should stand up and move into action.
Pythagoras of Samos who was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the founder of Pythagoreanism admonishes that, “Concerns should drive us to action and not into depression. No man is free who cannot control himself “. The difficult situations of the time should lead us to action. The most basic action to take is adaptation. We must adapt and face the situation in a more readily manner, in a way that nothing will be a surprise to us.
There are many ways and methods of adaptation. Once you see and discover any aspect that is good for you, live and operate by it. But make sure that any method you choose must be in itself sound both morally and developmentally.
In a time like this we should be able to learn how to be friendly and how to relate with people in a very friendly way. This will help to give hope to those who are at the borders of their lives. You relationship with those around you may be the only source of hope, which will help them live and adjust to the situation of the time.
In this kind situation, a lot of people will be asking God a lot of questions and many will be accusing God of “Monstro “. That means God not having pity anymore; God that does not see the cries of the people. But I believe that ” True Faith begins when God do not respond “. The silence of God is always an answer. God knows how to solve our problems. He is a Master Planner who knows how to handle our situations, and He handles them in the right and at the appropriate time. But we must co-operate with God. May be God is using the situation to teach and instruct humanity. May be God wants us to re-order our ways and live right.
This is no longer the time we read about virtues, but this is the time we must start practicing virtues, for it is the only way forward at this time of societal unrest.
For us to adapt quickly to the situation of time, we should be able to cultivate our character in such a way that it seeks what is very much important to our lives.
This is actually a time you show yourself real love. And real love deals with the fact that you should refuse to accept and accommodate all those things that bring you unnecessary pain, sadness and confusion. Refuse to be disturbed and focus on the possibility around you. Stop putting pressure in your life. Just live according to your possibilities and accept your situation of life.
Moreover ,we should bear in mind that as we try to adjust to the situation of the hard times that nothing is permanent. There is nothing as constant as change as Heraclitus would say. Change, positive change, is on the way. Change is natural and a necessity. If you are crying today, there is no doubt that you will laugh someday. Hence, knowing that there is hope and a very great one, why should we not have patience waiting for that precious time to turn around positively?
To adapt quickly, one must learn the virtue of contentment. Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. It is not an excited kind of happiness, but it is more like a peaceful ease of mind. St Paul explains this thus in Phil. 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want”.
I can do all through him who gives me strength. Contentment is a gift from God, and we must all pray for it. When we are humble and unpretentious over little things that life provides eschewing high-handedness we are sure of adapting in any situation. But whenever the opposite is the case, the danger is that, even when things gets better we must definitely have reasons not to adapt because we are already in the habit of not appreciating little things. However, in all these, we must not fail to be positive about the good things that are to come. Remember that the worst darkness is felt in the tunnel at the point of exit, and after the rain comes sunshine.
Finally, as we make effort to adapt, I must warn that you must adapt having in mind of those things that give us enduring joy and happiness, and not things that give flashes of pleasure but lack enduring qualities. I pray that God may increase those virtues that will aid us make a good choices of actions that will help us live happy and fulfilled lives amidst troubles and difficulties facing us in life.
0 Comments