Resilience: "Not just to survive, but to thrive."

Parul Sehgal writes about the transformation of resilience in his article, “The Profound Emptiness of ‘Resilience’” in response to those that are ashamed of what resilience is today. Sehgal recognizes the overuse of resilience today, as it appears in parenting magazines, books, government policies, and college campuses. Many would argue that this overuse of resilience has caused America to be whiny and seemed spoiled. While real resilience would be the first African American student at a college surviving his first day, protests and actions at Yale against racism is an act of whining students, and can barely be classified as resilience. While Sehgal disagrees with this idea and explains that the transformation of resilience into its overuse today is extraordinary, as it teaches Americans not to just survive, but to push for what they want and feel is right. Sehgal explains that African American students should not just be happy they are allowed in a school, they should be able to feel equal to all other students and fight against racism on their campus.

I strongly agree with Parul Sehgal that resilience today means, and should mean, “not just to survive but to thrive”. Not only do I agree, because it is important for one to stand up for what he/she believes in, but because when one does not continuously thrive, they slowly reach the point to where they cannot survive. This past summer I saw what happens when resilience is only to survive, and not to thrive. After visiting old and destroyed Jewish communities, destroyed buildings and cemeteries that were once included in ghettos for Jews, Mass Graves for whole Jewish communities and orphaned Jewish children, and Nazi Concentration Camps in Poland, I went to Denmark, where I worked at a summer camp for non-affiliated German Jews. Throughout history, Jews have struggled with resilience, with the Greek and Roman empires, the Spanish Inquisition, and the most recent struggle, the Holocaust. When working with these children and teenagers in Denmark, I saw one contributing factor for our recurring struggles. My week in Denmark opened up my eyes to see that Jews around the world are not taking the word “resilience” to mean “to thrive”. When Kosher labels are not allowed in their home country, because citizens will not buy food that they assume supports Israel, kids have to be conscious where they wear their Yarmulkes and where they pray, and one friend who is pursuing a political career was asked in an interview, “Are you Jewish or are you German?”, it is clear that resilience needs to take the place of “thriving”. We are seeing signs worldwide that we saw before the Holocaust, and we need to thrive before we reach our struggle to survive. When my grandparents could no longer feel safe in school in Germany, my grandmother moved to America and my grandfather moved to Switzerland. When he no longer felt safe there, he came to America. We should not let it get to the point, where Jews are being pushed around the world to find safety. People are boycotting Jewish businesses, attacks in France have been recurring against Jews, and a one week camp in Denmark is the only place German children feel comfortable practicing their religion. If Judaism in these countries cannot thrive, it is likely that in the future, they will struggle to survive.

Sehgal, Parul. “The Profound Emptiness of ‘Resilience.’” The New York Times. Dec. 1, 2015. Web. Dec. 4, 2015.