Resilience

Recently I presented brief comments on “Resilience” for a group of students and their parents in the Bay Area, CA. USA, organized by a NGO: Crack the Wellness Code.
The illustrations and description below combine my background in Engineering Education as well as my learnings from Vedic Philosophy, since the term “Resilience” can be studied from both these points of view.

The stress-strain behavior of materials is well known to most Engineering students. As we increase the stress, the strain increases. When the stress is removed, the strain also decreases, as long as the material is under “Elastic” deformation. As the material goes past the elastic stage, it endures a permanent change in its shape, called “Plastic Deformation”.
The residual effect in the material is the deformation left behind in the material after the stress is completely removed. Thus we have Steel with higher resilience and less residual change compared to ductile materials like Aluminum when loaded to the same stress level.

It would appear that one can conceive of a “stress-strain” behavior for human beings as well!
Stress in our life may be defined as “Expectations / Acceptance” according to Dr Navneet Singh, MD, Pediatrician with expertise in Youth Welfare in the Bay Area, CA. ** He points out several factors for “Expectations” for youth, such as Academic, Financial, Sports, Peers, ……….. He also points out several factors for “Acceptance” for youth such as Exercise, Sleep, Nutrition, Mindfulness, ………….

Strain for human living may be thought of as illness or suffering. It can be Physical illness, mental or emotional factors, due to thoughts and ideas (intellectual), and/or a need for a Spiritual outlook!

In the figure above, we see how the stress-strain behavior can be modelled at different ages: child, youth, middle age, and old age. The residual effect is nearly non-existent (Zero) for a child, but increases progressively as we grow older. The residual effect, which increases as we grow older, can be reduced through Physical fitness, good lifestyle practices, medicine, better management of our emotions and thoughts.

“Resilience” as a property applies to human body as a
— Material Object (Anna Maya) as well as a
— Living being (Prana Maya)
Managing our emotions and thoughts as
— Emotional being (Manon Maya) and our
— Analytical, Reasoning centered engagement (Vignana Maya) in life.

Physical Resilience is the ability to bounce back without much residual effects. Emotional/cognitive resilience (to live a life of calm during or after the storm) is a matter of cultivated habit, self-reflection, or Yoga!

But, all of the above are the “enabled”. They are on one side of the coin, in our analogy of a coin with two sides! The other side of the coin is the “nature” and the way it exists. Everything as the “Enabled” has nature as the source or the “enabler”. See our short videos in the Playlist for details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B62t1_qT5hk&list=PLwk3-BGQQsfVg8wkZdUarazGgs0RlYhO3&pp=gAQB

This understanding, reflection and analysis and reliance on the “nature” as the substratum, foundation of all that exists is the spiritual mind. The joy and the stability that comes from such an understanding and hence the resulting harmony and peace is declared as the state of bliss (Ananda Maya).

Thus we have three levels of resilience:
— Spiritual Resilience (State of mind that is rooted in the view that Everyhting is part of or reflection of Nature (Sarvam Brahma Mayam).
— Cognitive Resilience (Understanding and observing the role of “Connectors” or Guna.
— Deliberate effort to reduce Turbulence and Inertial state of mind and action, which promotes Tranquility as a result!

Our life viewed as above is a constant balancing act at many levels. We display reslience in many ways!

As an example, mothers caring for their children and supporting the family as part of this mission, in them we see their balancing act, the resilience, in its full spectrum. There is a genuine and unconditional love of mother, which can only be experienced and can not be adequately described. It is the “Spiritual Motherly lolve”? Then there is a life long commitment for compassion and care from the childhood to old age – as long as a mother lives and is able to support. This subjective love with attachment to her child is the visible. Cognitive Love? In this arena, she is constantly challenged between her Tranquil affection for the real needs of the child Vs. love as an experience of bondage (Turbulence) vs. blind folded love and care that is unwilling to let the child be independent and fly away (Ignorance). Each is part of the constant balancing act, display of resilience, like surfing the waves on the surface of the ocean!

To all mothers and their struggles and success and display of resilience in their voyage of love and affection, Happy Mother’s Day!