Each Monday afternoon when the campus leadership team gathers for our weekly meeting, we start our time together with a reflection. This past Monday, it was Chaplain Peggy Roberts who shared a story on resilience.
She started by telling the story of a golf course in India. Apparently, once the English had colonized the country and established their businesses, they longed for recreation and decided to build a golf course. Golf in Calcutta presented a unique obstacle. Monkeys would drop out of the trees, scurry across the course and take the golf balls. They would play with the balls tossing them here and there. At first the golfers tried to control the monkeys. Their first strategy was to build high fences around the fairways and greens. Although this approach seemed to be a good idea, it was no problem for the monkeys. The golfers found that the fence is no challenge to an ambitious monkey. Next the golfers tried luring the monkeys away from the course, but the monkeys found nothing as amusing as watching humans go wild whenever their little white balls were disturbed. In desperation, the British began trapping the monkeys, but for every monkey they carted off, another would appear. Finally, the golfers gave in to reality and developed a new ground rule: Play the ball where the monkey drops it.
We found ourselves discussing this concept in the context of the sad events and turmoil that have happened recently in our nation. How do we learn to be resilient and play the ball where the monkey drops it? How do we refuse to lose heart and hold onto hope when terrible things are happening in society or…even in our own personal lives?
The good news is that we are wired with the ability to be resilient. Life entails so many stresses and changes, from loss and aging, to job changes and health challenges. Positive events can even place stresses on us. If we weren't able to manage the stresses of life, we wouldn't be able to make it through a day without giving up and losing all hope. We all have some resilience but we can learn to cultivate resilience so that when that monkey drops the ball again, we can hold on, survive and even thrive.
Cultivating resilience in communities is just as important as it is in individuals. Look at the cities of Orlando, Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, and Dallas. These cities are pulling together to support the families of the lost. Resiliency isn't about toughing it out on your own. Togetherness brings resiliency.
As Chaplain Peggy's reflection closed, she reminded us that resiliency at its core is about love. It is about cultivating what God has given us—that spirit of love, power and a sound mind. It is about how we can help each other grow and survive even the deepest wounds, the darkest griefs, and to love, even if our hearts have been broken. ★
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