Is ‘Resilience’ a Positive Descriptive or an Insidious Bias?

Let’s reimagine resilience as a collective force, a web of interconnectedness that supports and uplifts us all. Let’s cultivate resilience—however we may define it in our minds—within ourselves and in our communities, recognizing the power of vulnerability, compassion and self-care. Let’s embrace the complexity of resilience and celebrate the strength that lies in our ability to rise and thrive, even in the face of great adversity.

In the end, resilience is a shared experience: When we observe it, it reminds us of our capacity to overcome, to adapt and to find hope and justice in dark times. Resilience is not a distant commentary on someone else’s experience but a reflection of our own beliefs and assumptions about what should be preserved and strengthened. Resilience as a term is surprisingly resilient. It reflects our society’s values and holds a mirror to our own self-conception of our place in society. Perhaps that is why resilience continues to live in my mind, totally rent free.

Bharat Kumar, MD, MME, FACP, FAAAAI, RhMSUS, is the associate program director of the rheumatology fellowship training program at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and the physician editor of The Rheumatologist. Follow him on Twitter @BharatKumarMD.

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