Train for resilience

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To capture a reader's mind, it is best to tell a story. On June 3, 2017, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts delivered an electrifying commencement speech at his son's ninth-grade graduation from Cardigan Mountain School, which is insightful, striking, and believed to be necessary and applicable not only to aspiring adolescents but also to adults. The following is a paraphrase of his words, intended to encourage the young audience; you can watch the recording on YouTube.

In essence, Chief Justice Roberts said that he hoped that they would be mistreated from time to time so that they would come to understand the value of justice. He mentioned that he hoped they would experience betrayal, as that would teach them the importance of loyalty. Apologetically, he hoped they would occasionally feel alone and isolated, so they would not take friends for granted. The justice spoke of wishing them bad luck from time to time so that they would appreciate and be aware of the role of chance and probability in their lives, and that success and failure in life are essentially a common thread in humanity. He advised them to embrace losing and experience the glory of an opponent, so that they would learn the value of humility in sportsmanship. He emphasized the importance of listening to others, noting that it is best understood when ignored. Finally, he told them that to learn compassion, he hoped they would feel discomfort. The justice wrapped it up by saying that these are all inevitable human experiences, and that learning from them will greatly depend on the type of character one has or needs to develop.

Resilience

The commencement address by the chief justice highlights the importance of resilience in our lives and is a refreshing message that is modern and relevant. The ancient stoic philosopher Epictetus tells of the accomplishements of Hercules and explains to us in his discourses on providence that the only reason why Hurcules was able to live up to the name is precisely becuase he was given opportunity and situations to demonstrate his hurculean strength and vitality against such opponents and threats like a lion or bear or deadly basilisk and men who sought his life (Adler, 1952, p. 111). The myths and tales of the ancient Stoics, along with the sharp words of encouragement from a Supreme Court judge to his sons' graduating class, offer valuable insights worth recalling.

Challenge the common denominator

Scholars tell us that if children are exposed to opportunities early in childhood where they must forgo rewards and expectations, or, as Averill et al. (2018) describe, moments where gratification of a want is held off, they promote resilience, self-control, and regulation of their behaviors. Although no one would expect kids to have to grapple with a hungry lion or an angry bear, as the mythical hero Hercules did, the speech the justice gave to the young graduates was an essential element in preparing them for life's challenges and stressors.

Stick around or bail?

The author's father was a pipe fitter and welder for a major oil-producing company, British Petroleum, in Texas. Stories about safety and danger at the "plant" were part of his vocabulary. One time, it is recalled that the author's dad had a new crew coming onboard in his section, and he would tell the new crew, since he was the supervisor, that if anyone saw him running towards the gate, they would be too late. He was referring to his innate abilities and years of experience, and his ability to sense danger, which had occurred a few times during his career. He knew the inherent risks involved in the volatile process of refining crude oil and making plastics and fuel. If the reader is astute, one may remember the Gulf of Mexico disaster a few years ago, which was subsequently made into a movie starring Mark Wahlberg, called Deepwater Horizon. These were some of the types of environments that the authors' father worked in.

Additionally, scholars inform us of the biological hormonal response to stressors in our world. One can imagine that a thousand years ago, the primary stress response was survival. As humans, we woke up and searched for food, water, and shelter, and did our best not to be eaten by a hungry pride of lions. Today's stressors are particularly significant for youth, including the passing of exams, fitting in with their peer groups, and managing bullying. By contrast, adults face the life stressors of those who are gainfully employed, balancing their professional responsibilities with their personal lives (Averill et al., 2018). Either way, whether we are running away from something that is trying to eat us or trying to pay bills and perform well at work, the body reacts with the same hormones.

Briefly, the fight-or-flight system of the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for helping the body prepare for survival situations. It has many hormones involved to help us flee the scene for safety, primarily the hormone that causes the heart to race and helps the heart muscle contract more forcefully is epinephrine and its close twin, norepinephrine (Averill et al., 2018). These are normal responses to a perceived impending peril, and there are other biological processes to help bring the fight or flight response back to normal levels once the body has responded to the situation or if the threat to one's survival has dissolved. However, when these situations are elevated in the body from chronic response to perceived threats, such as chronic stress, the incessant stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system can cause unwanted symptoms of anxiety, fear, and in some situations, post-traumatic stress (Averill et al., 2018).

References:

Adler, Mortimer J. (1952). The Discourses of Epictetus. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 12). Encyclopedia Britannica.

Averill, L. A., Averill, C. L., Kelmendi, B., Abdallah, C. G., & Southwick, S. M. (2018). Stress response modulation underlying the psychobiology of resilience. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0887-x