RESILIENCE

In Delhi, in a colony called Vishnu Vihar, lived a woman named Kamla Devi Aggarwal with her son and grandson. She was 99 years old and mostly bedridden due to age.

On 15 December 1988, an incident occurred. Three thieves forced open the back door and broke into the house. The family woke up, and though the thieves did not succeed in stealing much, they stole valuables worth about ten thousand rupees from Kamla Devi’s room.

They did not touch or harm her. Yet, in the morning, she was found dead. According to The Times of India (16 December 1988):

“She took one look at the robbers and died of shock.”

In that house were Kamla Devi, her son, and her grandson. But only the old woman died on seeing the thieves. What made the difference? It was courage. The son and grandson had the strength to withstand the shock, so they survived. But the old woman, having lost her inner strength, died immediately on seeing them.

This world is full of accidents. Adverse circumstances are an inseparable part of life. In such a world, only a person with resilience can succeed—the one who can remain firm in distressing situations. One who lacks this inner strength will meet the same end as that old woman. Resilience turns the weak into the strong; without it, even the strong become weak and defeated.