Resilience #5–The Bounce-back Virtue: Act. Tenaciously.

3 June 2020

Tenacious Action—the ability to focus, direct, and sustain effort is the climax of the resilience story.  All other steps are for nothing unless the result is strategic and tenacious action.

That claim dredges up assumptions, some of which people have discussed in SMART recovery meetings.  The first is the idea of human paths as vectors.  If you studied physics, you recall the graphic representation of a vector as an arrow having only two attributes: direction and force.  If we accept the analogy between human lives and vectors, and we accept the notion that we have a degree of control over our own lives, then we have choices about both the force and direction of our own life stories.   

This issue has broken the surface practically and theoretically.  Practically, when people describe their weeks of attempted recovery, I ask whether their lives are heading upward or downward (direction) and with what kind of momentum (force).  The theoretical roots reside in Aristotle’s notion of human beings as end-driven agents, that is rational animals with choices about which goals and objectives they pursue (teleology; study of telos = end, purpose). 

If we have this capacity, for directed action, we have choices about how and when to best harness that action. This brings into question the force and direction of our own daily choices.  If resilience is key to getting us where we want to go (and it seems to be), then tenacious, i.e., consistent, stubborn, but strategic acts develop and strengthen the virtue of resilience.

As mentioned, these seven factors of resilience were culled from three lists.  Both Judith Rodin and Laurence Gonzales cited perseverance and action, respectively.  Gonzales added movement which brings us full circle.  Nothing changes if nothing changes.  Aristotle defined life itself as the capacity for self-directed growth or dynamic interaction with one’s environment (De Anima, II.1.15).  The choice is clear: If you want to own, polish, and deploy resilience, get your vector in gear with a healthy, sustainable direction and momentum.