Adversity-Healthy Responses

The Ark of the Covenant

Adversity is all around us. The current rise in commodity prices is just one of many problems we face in getting through daily life. I wrote recently that my European friends were chiding us Americans because we were, in their words, "Whining when we are paying about 1/3 as much for petrol as they."

I am receiving comments and calls because of my statements.

I have written and taught on the topic of "Power Thinking versus Stinking Thinking" many times. It is that issue to which I am returning now. When we fill our minds with Stinking Thinking we place ourselves at risk of losing our emotional and spiritual energy. It causes us to be anxious and anxiety brings bad decisions and bad relationships. In times of crises or stress we need all the energy we can muster and we must be able to think clearly about ways to cope and overcome the Adversities that face us.

Several years ago my mother gave me a book about the history of Whittington, a community just south of our village of Ina, Illinois. The book contains several real life stories about the challenges faced by the pioneers who settled our region and forced a living out of the hard, rocky soil. They overcame the Civil War, insects, wild animals and a lack of transportation.

One couple was able to get a small plot of land where they planted crops, built a house and struggled to get by. One day when the missus was washing clothes in an iron kettle full of lye soap and hot water she was confronted by a snarling big cat. She screamed for help from her husband who hoeing in a nearby field and he came running to rescue her.

He had no firearm but used the weapons at hand, the soapy water. He quickly sized up the situation and hurled two hand fulls of boiling lye soap water into the cat's eyes. The big feline screamed and began to claw at his eyes for relief. Before he could see again the farmer took his corn hoe and clubbed the lion to death.

Our nation was settled by men and women who expected great challenges. They set out for the frontier know they had to do their best to overcome hostile forces by wit and wisdom as well as mutual assistance. The forces arrayed against us today pale in comparison to those in previous centuries and I am sure we can face them and overcome them by grit, courage and wisdom as well as mutual assistance to one another.

Self Defeating Beliefs

I. Adversity

II. Pessimism that arises out of a belief that we cannot prevail against the pain.

A. The Problem is huge:

B. The Problem is Pervasive and all encompassing: I am flawed, we are flawed, our nation is flawed

C. The Problem is Permanent and cannot be solved, healed or overcome

D. Perfection should be possible and we should be Perfect

I think whining adds to Pessimism and only Optimism can supply the energy and wisdom we need to meet these problems.

It will take courage, resiliency, energy, optimism and cooperation to take the nation to the next stage of development. Do we have what it takes or will we simply give up because of a lack of nerve?