Adversity In Stephen King's Stand, By Stephen King

Throughout one’s life, it is impossible to avoid hardship. The one thing that brings us together as people is that however easy or difficult someone’s life may be, they will all experience some level of difficulty or discomfort throughout their lives. It does not matter the magnitude of how someone will experience adversity, the important thing is everyone goes through it. While this knowledge can unite us, it may also separate us in the exact same manner. What separates us from adversity is exactly how we choose to respond to it. If life had no significant hardship, we would easily become bored, though more significantly, we would make no progress as a species. Hardship does not only build character, but it may also drive people to advance …show more content…
When faced with a challenge, it is vital to learn how to not only overcome it, but to use it to your advantage. Henry Kissinger famously said “A diamond is simply coal that does well under pressure.” This statement has proven true over and over again throughout history. When under extreme and irregular stress, the human body (and mind) can do amazing things. Through adversity, many discover certain talents that may have previously gone unnoticed. An example of this phenomenon is in Stephen King’s book, The Stand. In this novel, America is the victim of a fast-mutating super flu that manages to wipe out all but 10% of the population. Stu Redman, one of the few survivors, becomes the unofficial leader of the remaining people, much against his will. Initially, he was an anxious and insecure leader, who frankly did not know what he was doing. Though, he knows that without a leader, society will die out. With this knowledge he learns to overcome his apprehension, and is able to become someone the people are able to find their own confidence in. Through this, he and many others were able to triumph over evil and rebuild …show more content…
Similarly to polio, humanity has experienced both large and small obstacles throughout our short existence. Every time, the situation may have felt utterly hopeless or unsalvageable, but every time, we have found a way to overcome it. No obstacle humanity has experienced has truly set us back, even though it may feel so, because each hardship has opened new opportunities and has brought hope for adversity to come. By overcoming each issue, while it may be tedious and sometimes unrewarding, we bring a new level of confidence and security for generations to come. We are able to learn from our past mistakes, which means that they are not technically mistakes at all. With this quality, certain adversity has the opportunity to bring hope and security to a whole population, possibly even the world. Though, it does not need to be on such a large scale. This still applies to one’s own life. Each obstacle you overcome is another reason to not give up when you encounter the next. Adversity is one of the best teachers, as you are able to learn how to help yourself. In these ways, hardship can change