Sweet are the Uses of Adversity

English Essay on "Sweet are the Uses of Adversity"

A man brought up in the lap of luxury is unable to face the storms and stresses of life. Rich men’s offspring never made heroes. The Quaid may be an exception but he too had to und ergo the historical freedom struggle wages by the Muslims of the subcontinent.

The last. Wand War, which took a toll of million of lives, proved blessing in disguise the war made heroes of men of insignificance. It gave a fillip to war industries. Many new factories were started and production increased to magnificent heights. There were more jobs than the job seekers and thus the unemployment problem was completely loved. Young men were given commissioned ranks, they were able to secure quick promotions which was more than what they had dreamt. There was a great boom in business and it earned phenomenal war profits. Pakistan was also born out of that war.

During the war food supplies to England from America were disrupted and as a result, people had to live on as semi-starvation diet. This proved a blessing too. Overeating had undermined the health of the British nation; food scarcity and austerity have resulted in the English nation enjoying the best possible health in the century.

In affluent circumstances it is very easy for any one to do his best. It is only under circumstances of adversity that the solidity of a person is known. A man of character, of noble intentions, of strong and sturdy physique and virtues, of selfless service to others proves his worth even in times of adversity. Such a man makes the events turn with his strong will, perseverance, ambition and determination. If he has a will to do a thing, nothing can stand in his way. He can overcome all obstacles to achieve his mission, since h has a noble and worth objective. Peace and prosperity make us soft and unfit to fight the grim battle of life. We become lotus-eaters. But eternal life lies in struggle. We must be heroes in the strife and no dumb-driven cattle. Men can achieve great heights by struggling against the buffets of fortune. Wordsworth talks of:

Soothing thoughts that spring, Our of human suffering

Suffering is the best teacher. Out of evil comes good. The lessons learnt from bitter experiences are4nvaluable. Oscar Wide turned over a new leaf in his life while in prison. Earlier this great author was proud and immoral; in the prison he learnt humility and nobility. The world has produced the best heroes during their trials of adversity. Robert Bruce, Tipu Sultan, Rani of Jhansi, Abraham Lineoln, Allama Iqbal and Jinnah are examples of those who fought their best under circumstances of strong stress and opposition. Some of them had to go even without food for days together. They had also to go through worst trials and tribulations. But they stood steadfast to their principles and stood like a rock behind their mission.

In the days of prosperity and pleasure we sleep and enjoy and know not what we are. But in adversity the inner man wakes up and we came to know our real strength and weakness. History tells us that all great men re hardy and brave people who worked their way up through difficulties and obstacles. They achieved what they wanted by struggling hard day and night. Such persons never stooped low in their principles and always stuck to their guns under all circumstances. Harder the circumstances, stiffer the opposition better they shone and brought out their virtues to the forefront. Adversity also gives us a chance to try our friends and foes and know who is what. False friendships based on motives of temporary benefits are exposed whereas true friends even though they may be in the background previously come to the forefront and prove their worth. Adverse circumstances are, therefore, the best yardsticks to select friends. Adversity is a great human teacher, It inspires understanding of the problems of the poor and the underdog. It teaches us to feel for others and be grieved at a suffering. For, unless a person has gone through adversity, he cannot know the real feelings of the sufferer. Refugees front India passed through blood and tears. Millionaires were turned into paupers. Yet this unprecedented misery made heroes of them. They had to start life afresh and some of them did roaring business. This ability to be masters of circumstances and architects of their fate has filled them with self-confidence. Although worst had happened, with their strong hearts arid iron nerves, they moved mountains.

Without a fight no man can become a hero. Darwin in his Theory of Evolution maintained that there was struggle for existence, the weaker went to the wall; the fittest survived. Christ was crucified; Zia was assassinated; Abraham Lincoln was shot dead. The sacrifices of these martyrs have added to the goodness arid happiness on earth — out of their ashes violets and roses have grown. They are the immortal heroes of this earth. Our sweetest songs are those, that tell of the saddest thought Adversity raises a mortal to the skies and makes a star of him. Tragedy is always more popular than comedy. Human life is mixture of joy arid sorrow. It has its comedies and tragedies. After bright days, dark days come. For the strong man darkness vanishes quickly and happiness returns because he has the ability to live gloriously and bravely even in the dark days. He loses neither the character nor the virtues which make a man.