Essay on Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity

Most of our friends are there with us, talking, laughing and giggling only when our purse is full. As soon as Lame turns her back on us, they take to their heels.

It is said,” Prosperity makes friends; adversity tries them.” At the time of adver­sity, all the fair-weather friends vanish into the air. The person concerned is left in the lurch. He is alone, lonely and deserted.

Most of our friends are there with us, talking, laughing and giggling only when our purse is full. As soon as Lame turns her back on us, they take to their heels. One may lose in business or get handicapped and be unable to work. Then poverty and scarcity stare us in the face. In such an eventuality, only a rare true friend may stay on our side. Even our relatives disown us and try to avoid us.

Adversity seems to be a source of great trouble. One has to lead a life of privation. One has no resources to do anything worth­while. Adversity may come in the shape of some accident, disease, poverty, theft, deco- it, death of some near and dear one, riot, loss of hearth and home etc.

Many people are prone to lose heart at the time of adversity. Such people have to retire in their own shell. They have no indi­vidual achievements and the society has closed their doors on them. The poor fellows may even have to suffer disrepute and igno­miny for no fault of theirs most often. They may feel depressed. Some of them may run away from home or commit suicide.

However, those who take heart at the time of adversity are the real gainers. Such people never give up, having a firm faith in God and in the goodness of things. They understand that dark clouds will get dies palled one day and the weather will again but fine. Such people muster up their real merit and mettle to the world. Most of the great people of the world have been great because one or other adversity has hit them. So­crates, Christ, Mohammed and Gandhi and many poets, scientists and social reformers had to suffer a lot. But they stuck to their ideology based on truth, equality and rea­son. They never gave up their efforts and always kept human welfare in mind. Most of the great books of the world were written when the authors were in jail or in adversity.

Persistent efforts despite all odds eventually change failure into success, and there is dawn: the smiling sun appears and there is light everywhere.