Do we need Adversity to Thrive? – Part 2
There should be a Science of Adversity – Dune
Let’s continue to explore how adversity forces us to be more adaptable because let’s face it, we don’t really like change: its scary and its the unknown. However, one of the many lessons from Mother Nature is that any species that does not adapt goes extinct. Let’s begin with some recent and local CDN news: the election won by the Liberals that is a tiny window into this theme. A caveat: I voted for neither party. What I find fascinating the difference that adversity made in this election. Read this news to see what I mean:
Exit polls conducted by Ipsos exclusively for Global News found Canadians aged 55 and older leaned toward the Liberals, who were seen as the party that would best handle U.S. President Donald Trump and his fraying of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Younger Canadians aged 18 to 34, meanwhile, picked the Conservatives, based on their perception of who would best address affordability and the rising cost of living. “What we’ve got are two groups of people: one who remembers a Canada that worked wonderfully (in the 1970s and 1980s) … that Canada is not the Canada of young people today, who don’t identify with that,” said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs. [1] and the BBC said this [2]: As Mark Carney settles into the role of Canada’s prime minister, he will not only have to take on US President Donald Trump, but also wider divisions within his own country. Among those is a generational divide, with young voters who are concerned about housing unaffordability, crime and the cost of living coalescing around the Conservatives. It’s a reversal from 2015, when youth voted in record numbers, helping sweep Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau to power. “We’re getting stuck in a system right now that doesn’t seem to be working,” he said. “It worked for our parents, but not for us.”
Let’s be clear, I am only interested in the above because it is very unusual in Canada for the “left” vote to be dominated by older folks and the “right” vote by the younger – this is the reverse of what is normal. I also see that adversity is striking the young more than the old, so, naturally, the old vote for the status quo and the young vote for change. Is it possible that the old are not choosing to adapt, because they don’t need to – they still live in a past which is gone, while the young choose to change, to adapt to a world which has totally changed, and adversity is what makes that difference?
Here’s another example from far away: China. China suffered terribly because it failed to adapt when it encountered the European powers in the 19th century. Their century of adversity has made them very, very keen to change, to adapt, to look forward, to try anything new and different. The result is amazing: in many ways they are the world leaders in adopting new technology and also facing the climate crisis. The world’s largest electric car company is BYD. Tongwei Solar is the largest solar panel manufacturer, in fact, 6 of the top 7 manufactures of panels are Chinese. Chinese leads the world in number of nuclear power stations under construction: 30. The next nearest country doing this is Russia with 7 stations. Although the US is, for now, still leading the world in AI, China’s Cost Revolution Challenges US Dominance and the Chinese models like Tencent’s Hunyuan-Large–a language model with 389 billion parameters now outperform Western rivals in key tests. How did they “suddenly” learn so much so fast? They adapted because of adversity. Suffering can do that. On the other hand, its also true suffering and adversity can break you – but that is the trade off of everything in Life. Those who choose safety also choose stagnation and eventual death.
There is more to this story of adversity. A second dimension to the role of adversity is the sense that you can DO SOMETHING about the rotten situation you are stuck in. For the longest time China did not think it could control its rotten situation and blamed other for it. Clearly, that does not work. However we risk falling into the same trap here in Canada because if there is no adversity felt by those in power they do not adapt and thus do not change to the new world as it is. It appears that this attitude, developed when young, also has a large role in life long voter turnout. Here is one bit of data that indirectly makes this case that any society must not let the establishment forces dominate, because they tend to resist change, because they have been successful in the old rule set. Once again I am returning to a Canadian example but I remind you once again that the message is really about adversity and adaption and not getting stuck – which means the young people must feel empowered to bring change about so their reality is heard. The scary part is that the habits you gain when young continue as you age. This if you are non voter when young, you tend to be a non voter when older. This Election Canada survey found that compared with older voters, Canadian youth;
• are less interested in Canadian politics
• feel less strongly that voting will make a difference
• believe that the government does not care what they think
• tend to see voting as a choice rather than a duty
[ 3]
I think you can see what I mean. In a democracy adversity that leads to adaptions/change can only happen if people feel empowered – that they will make a difference – and the data suggests that they do not feel that way. The forces of the status quo, of business as usual, are too strong. [in Appendix on 1 reason why]
Touching the Wounds of Mother Nature – the 6th Mass Extinction
I leave with one last example of a topic that I will explore in more detail next week: feeling compassion for the species going extinct because of us. In my news feed today I read this headline: Scientists issue urgent warning after alarming collapse of bird populations across the US: ‘We have a full-on emergency’
However, for today let’s highlight a little know plant species that grows in the US southeast – the Rhus michauxii miniature sumac.
It is one among thousands of species facing disappearance in what scientists call the sixth mass extinction—an epoch not caused by natural disaster, but by human activity. Habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and invasive species are driving an accelerated loss of biodiversity, one we are living through in real time. To sit with an endangered plant like Rhus michauxii is to confront the moral crisis of this age: that our choices are reshaping the web of creation. And yet, it is also to practice a kind of gritty, resurrection hope—one that touches the wounds of the world even as it longs for its restoration. I decided to visit Rhus michauxii because I want to spend time with creatures facing extinction. May 19 is Endangered Species Day—a time to remember, to bear witness, and to work for the protection of our creaturely kin who are dying, largely because of us. So, sitting with R. michauxii is my meditative practice. It feels strangely appropriate to hold vigil with a dying species in the season of Spring – the time of resurrection. [4]
Maybe I’m drawn to this paradox: that only adversity/suffering can bring us out of comfort with the status quo and then kick is screaming toward adapting to a changed world and then change you habits to live in a new and better world. Maybe I’m drawn to the hope that the resurrection of life that happens in the Spring will eventually extend to we humans feeling the adversity felt by other species, many of which are on the path to extinction because of us. Maybe I am just a hopeless romantic who sees that rainbows only appear after storms. Maybe, instead of seeing adversity as the enemy, we should see it is our best friend; the friend who tells us the brutal truth about ourselves because he/she loves us. Onlyu then can we let go of the old ways. Only then we can adapt. Only then can we change. Only the can we embrace LIFE as it truly is – full of uncertainties but also full of new, unborn hopes and dreams.
References
1. https://globalnews.ca/news/11153872/canada-election-results-demographics-exit-polls/
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6j9z3dqg8o
3. https://electionsanddemocracy.ca/canadas-elections/youth-voting-trends
Appendix: Canada’s electoral system keeps sabotaging climate progress We can no longer ignore the direct link between how we vote and our ability to address the climate crisis. Canada urgently needs electoral reform. Our future, and our planet, depends on it. https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/04/30/canadas-electoral-system-keeps-sabotaging-climate-progress/458420/
Joy and Woe are woven fine
A clothing for the soul divine.
And when this we rightly know
Safely through the world we go.
– William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
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