Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Times of India I 29th Jan. 2013 I Page 18

Resilience is a law of nature. It means the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune. It can be found everywhere -- in the physical world, the plant and animal worlds and the human world.

Resilience in Physics means the ability to return to the original form after being bent, compressed or stretched. The same is true of the plant world and the animal world. Every creature inherently possesses the power of resilience.

Human beings have the lion's share in this gift of nature. Bruce McEwen, head of the laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at the Rockefeller University has researched this subject and has concluded: "The human brain is very resilient. Give it a chance and it will make every effort to repair itself."

We are living in a world of challenge and competition. Due to this, every day we experience something unpleasant. Every day we suffer some kind of damage both intellectually and materially. This is a problem for every man and woman. Such problems are a part of nature. But nature has also provided the remedy for this problem, and that is, the power of resilience.

The only thing that is required is an eight-lettered mantra, that is, patience. When you suffer some kind of damage, either internally or externally, keep your patience. Be empty minded for a while. This is what Dr McEwen has called 'giving the mind a chance'. If you give this chance to your mind, it will soon release a strong energy and this energy will provide you the help required in any untoward situation. For example, in the case of anger, the mind will readily manage it; in the case of material loss, it will enlighten you as to how to do new planning; in the case of tension, it will provide you the formula to forget, and within minutes you will become tension-free.

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The formula of resilience is also applicable to the problems of nations. One such example is Japan. Japan was the first to suffer the dire effects of the nuclear bomb. During the Second World War, the Allied powers dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, and for all practical purposes, the country was ruined. But Japanese leaders and the people, consciously or unconsciously, followed the formula of resilience. They were able to re-plan their national targets and the result was miraculous: After just thirty years, Japan emerged as an economic superpower.

A recent example of the power of resilience is what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the US. During this catastrophe the US lost about 110 lives and suffered losses of $50 billion. But, within a month, the US was able to bring things back to almost normal.

Studies show that our mind has enormous potential, perhaps unlimited potential. And that potential is tapped by the power of resilience. In a normal situation, this potential remains dormant. When one has any kind of unusual experience, the brain becomes active and starts unfolding its hidden energy. And if it is given a chance, it will certainly recover all the losses. The only condition is that you should not disturb its natural process or stop it by some unnatural activity.

A simple demonstration of resilience is your remaining silent when you become angry. Remain silent, make your mind empty and the mind will pacify everything within a minute. Very soon you will feel normal. On the contrary, if you become provoked and react negatively, your anger will persist, and will very soon turn into malice and even violence.