We Have Resilience All Wrong

I will ruffle feathers with that title. My intention is not to pick a fight. Today my writing is personal. I want you to know the reasons why I’m no fan of resilience. I’ll take a step further and write why I want us to stop encouraging each other to have more of it.
We want to be strong. We think patience is a good thing. We encourage each other in our dreams and hopes. When we lack any or all these sentiments—when things

The Cruel Dilemma

I spent ten years working in northeastern Japan after the March 11, 2011 mega-earthquake, massive tsunami, and nuclear meltdown. I worked in a city largely flattened by the tsunami. Everyone in town knew at least one person who died. Included in the dead was a woman who went back to her home after she had evacuated. She hadn’t brought her dog.