[Points: Generally regarded as a curse—good points: (a) developes faculties and strengthens character—examples—(b) helps us to know true friends—(c) teaches charity conclusion.]
Adversity is commonly regarded as a curse-and no wonder. Worldly happiness depends to a very great extent upon wealth. Poverty breaks down even a strong health, and prevents a man from getting. the benefit of education and culture. Indeed, many a promising career has been ruined by adversity. Sang the poet-d
"Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark, unfathom'd caves of oceans bear
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness in the desert air."
Even family harmony-love and affection among the members of the family is affected by adversity. When want pinches us on all sides, it tends to drive away the finer sentiments of the heart and to make us peevish and selfish. This is why the abodes of the poor are sometimes so unhappy and miserable. But adversity has its good uses also. If everything goes on well with us, we may take matters easy, and fall into a life of comfort and idleness. Prosperity thus tends to make us good-for-nothing fellows weak in mind and weak of character. But adversity prompts us to exert ourselves. This develops our faculties and strengthens the mind and character.
History abounds with examples of famous men whose greatness was rather helped by the adversity with which they had to struggle in their early lives. Thus, Samuel Johnson, Edison, Faraday, Iswar Chandra had all to struggle with extreme poverty, but they became giants afterwards, the struggle only helping them to rise all the greater and nobler.
"Prosperity makes friends, but adversity tries them" so runs the proverb. Indeed adversity enables us to know true friends from false ones, because when we are in trouble the latter desert us and only those who are true stick to us.
Again,.a man in adversity knows well how keen is the need for real sympathy, kindness and charity in the world. So when he finds others in distress, he cannot but feel for them sincerely and help them to the best of his power. This explains why men like Carnegie, Rocke feller, Iswar Chandra, Mahesh Bhattacharjee and others who became. rich through adversity, spent so generously on objects of charity. On the other hand, a man who has never tasted the bitters of adversity himself does not know where the shoe pinches, and consequently, cannot really feel for the distressed.
Adversity is not, therefore, as much an evil as it is considered. It is rather like a piece of sugarcane which gives sweet juice only when crushed.
