Can’t Keep Me Down: Symbols of Resilience
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Resilience is the ability to bounce back. History has many accounts of people suffering adversity and coming out stronger. Myths and religions, including the story of Jesus Christ, honor resilience. The phoenix rises from the ashes even stronger. Bamboo trees bend but do not break. Lotus flowers symbolize purity even though they grow in muddy waters. Helixes, including our DNA, twist and turn, only to be stronger. Bend, don’t snap!
What Is Resilience?
Resilience is the ability to get back up and try again after a setback. It is a fancy word that means “to bounce back.” You will come out stronger in the end:
Resilience is the psychological quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before.
Resilience is a fancy way of fulfilling the maxim, “Success comes out of adversity.”
A Life Lesson
We learn the ability to bounce back from adversity early in our lives. Childhood is filled with horrors, both real and imagined. Bad things happen to good people. How will we deal with it?
Teachers have a vital role to play here. Students struggle, mess up, and feel discouraged. They might think it is not worth even trying. Mentors can help them understand resilience.
History is filled with stories of people and nations bouncing back. Immigrants who come to our shores poor and thrive in their new countries. Defeated nations who rise to success.
We love mythical tales about heroes and heroines who have to fight through obstacles to win in the end. Victory appears even sweeter when it is hard-fought.
Animals
The mythical phoenix is a prime symbol of resilience. The phoenix is a bird that lives for hundreds of years. Then, it dives down and bursts into fire. Do not be sad. Out of the ashes, a new and more wondrous bird arises. Death only made the phoenix more majestic.
Many other animals, if not quite as magical, symbolize bouncing back stronger than before. Snakes shed their skins. They are not just evil. Snakes represent rebirth and reinvigoration.
Horses are known for their energy, stamina, and resilience.
The Japanese honor koi fish for their ability to swim upstream, no matter what obstacle is in their paths. Legend says the gods honored koi fish and changed some into dragons.
Trees
The Hugging Tree tells the story of a little tree growing all alone on a cliff by a vast and mighty sea. The tree resists all the obstacles nature throws, including floods, storms, and the frigid cold of winter. With the help of a compassionate young boy, the Hugging Tree grows strong and provides shelter for others. It now helps others fight through adversity.
Ginkgo trees have special meaning to the Japanese. A few ginkgo trees were the only survivors in the blast area of the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Ginkgo trees are symbols of survival, resilience, and hope.
The hardy nature of pine trees makes them good symbols for survival and resilience. Bambo trees look flimsy. Nonetheless, they might bend, but they do not break. It is a lesson for us all.
Lotus Flowers are sacred in Buddhism and Hinduism. They symbolize friendship, beauty, and grace. Lotus flowers grow in muddy waters. All the same, these flowers symbolize the purification of the mind and body. We rise from the muck, cleaner and more pure.
Other Symbols of Resilience
The Ailm symbol (which looks like a watch battery) symbolizes strength and endurance. The Ailm symbol honors inner strength. The symbol arises from the alphabet of the Celtic Ogham people. The original Ogham were ancient trees that dispensed wisdom.
The Christian cross is a fundamental symbol of resilience. Christians believe that the horrible suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross was a necessary part of his dying to save humanity. Believers wear a cross to honor his sacrifice. The cross is also a sign that hardship is not the end of the story. We will survive all the crosses we bear and ultimately enjoy happiness.
Vikings were warriors during the Middle Ages. They were the first Europeans who settled in the New World. Viking warriors appeared relentless. Like a horror movie monster, no adversity stood in their way. Viking symbols, or runes, were magical guides in their journeys.
The Ying and Yang symbol represents the proper balance of the opposite forces present in the world. It is a core concept in Taoism. We will suffer in life. Nonetheless, this Eastern philosophy teaches us that things will balance out. Adversity is merely a moment in time.
All of Us?
The helix shape is also a symbol of resilience. Their twists and turns only make the whole structure stronger. Helixes are present in nature. Our DNA, the basic foundation of our genetic code, is a double helix. Are we all symbols of resilience?
I think so. All these symbols of resilience are very impressive. Nonetheless, humans are a unique case. In the core of our being, humans symbolize how barriers and hardships will not stop us from coming out even stronger in the end.
At least, that is the glass half-full way of looking at things!