This statement occurs in Shakespeare’s well known play “As you like it”. The Duke, who at one time lived a life of pomp and show, full of luxury, was banished to the forest, where he tasted the thorns of adversity which had its own blessings. Adversity means unfavourable circumstances and difficulties. The statement signifies the fact that adverse conditions make one learn many things. They test one’s ability and courage. One’s virtues find full scope for development and expression under hostile circumstances. It is not the ease and comfort that brings out the best in a man but rather the roughness and suffering that ennobles him.
History is full of examples of such persons, who started with scratch and rose to eminence. Seemingly unsurmountable difficulties plagued them in the course of their career, but they faced them bravely and ultimately refused to be dominated by them. Misfortune is a blessing in disguise. It tests a man and brings out the best in him. Suffering is the best teacher. The bitter experiences of life teach us many lessons. They are our best guides. They unmask our eyes and we can distinguish between the real and the unreal. They make us mature. They inculcate in us the quality of adjust­ments and sense of proportion. They expand the store of our knowledge and experience and thrash out the corn from the chaff.
‘Fortitude is the virtue of adversity’, says Bacon. It means that man should fight bravely against all sorts of unfavourable circumstances which militate against him. He should not tamely accept the dictates of compulsion of the circumstances.
It looks as though Fate constantly conspires against men. Waves of misfortune keep us continuously engaged in the struggle against them. It is not that Nature is sadist, but in her own mysterious way she places obstacles in our way to test our courage, patience and character. Adversity is an opportunity to keep us awake, active, alert and ready to cope with any situation that arises. Such an opportunity should be welcomed because it tests one’s mettle and provides a chance to reap a rich harvest of experiences. It should be considered an occassion to impart a valuable training. Thui adversity is never a curse, but a blessing in disguise.
There is nothing like a vacuum in the order of Nature. The NtOfm, earthquake, flood or drought are always a mixed blessing. In thf tf »H of miseries they bring along with them new hopes, openings *nd ehwgil for the better as well. The fury of adverse and hostile-ctfOumMuncd does shake us but it also unfolds before us an oppor­tunity to face the stresses and strains and to emerge victorious with the help of courage of resourcefulness, ^For example, wars take a toll of mlllloni of lives and cause massive destruction, but they bring some good an well. They give fillip to industries ; they solve the problem of unemployment and they make the nation stand united as one man. It would be relevant to refer to the case of England. During the world war food supplies from the U.S.A could not reach Britain. But the brave people lived on half diet and thus they faced the adverse conditions with a deformination. The disguised benefits of wars can be availed of only by such nations as possess endurance and fortitude.
Man’s life course is never smooth. It is definitely punctuated with ups and downs. Hunger, disease, disappointment, frustration, poverty and misery, all these form an essential part of man’s life. These situations prove perilous in cases of those who do not have the courage and endurance. But those who cope them with fortitude, resourcefulness and heroic spirit, must equip themselves with extra­ordinary virtues which ensure them success after success in future life. Those brought up in luxury and ease become unfit to face stresses and storms in life, while those who are forced to live in poverty and sufferings develop very nobler qualities. Rich men easily surrender to hardships because they are denied the training to fight the battle of life as brave men. The heroes of strife are those who struggle against the spells of misfortune.
Adversities are the experiences which remove the veils of delu­sion from our eyes. They are acid tests of friendship because they unmask your friends and foes. These circumstances reveal to you the depth of love of your relations and family members. They make you understand in unmistakable terms how kith and kin and near and dear turn their faces in bad days. Thus realities of the world dawn on you and you would have tasted varied experience of worldly behaviour. A man without such experiences cannot claim to have gone through the mill.
There is another aspect of adversity. It prevents us from being mad of power. When our success is distorted by our failures, we try to think where we have erred or actually where the fault lies. It gives us a chance to mend the things for future. Misery develops a sense of sympathy for others. One who has never undergone the strains and stresses of misfortune, cannot understand and appreciate the feelings and emotions of those who may be placed unfavourably. It, thus, humanises our life. Sweet indeed are the uses of adversity 1 Suffering and adversity bring out the best human qualities and make a man courageous enough to fight against the storms in life and rise to great heights. The darkest and unfortunate days ennoble him. The varied rich experiences of poverty and deprivation equip a man with unshakable self-confidence which is the key to all great success in life. It must be remembered that only stout hearts and iron nerves are capable of coming out a straight path of success. Moments of trial are common to all of us. Most of us turn cowards as they appear and surrender to them. Few strong men refuse to be dominated and dictated to by them. These trials make men leari lessons of greatness.