Anyone can be calm and pleasant when things are going their way. Adversity
is another matter. It is an opportunity to see how adaptable, flexible and
resilient you really are.
Bad weather is a good example:
Most people accept that they have responsibilities and just get on with
life, allowing a little more time and taking much more care.
Other people use bad weather as an excuse to neglect their commitments and
whine about their own personal hardship. They crumple and their weakness is
shown.
Two years back we drove from Durham to Newcastle (10 miles) at rush hour every
Monday throughout the Winter and it took about 90 minutes. Many students
who lived within 5 miles of the class failed to attend on the grounds of bad
weather.
Adversity affects us all. No one is spared. It is not the adversity that
matters, but how we cope with it.
