“Resilience is commonly thought of as ‘bouncing back,’ like a spring, to our pre-crisis shape or norm. A more apt metaphor for resilience might be ‘bouncing forward,’ rebounding and reorganizing adaptively to fit new challenges or changed conditions. For instance, with a major loss – a job, a home, or a life partner – we must forge a new pathway. When events of great magnitude occur, such as a natural disaster like a hurricane, we may not be able to return to ‘normal’ life as we knew it. In rebuilding our lives, we must construct new patterns and recalibrate ‘normal’ settings to meet unanticipated challenges. With major catastrophic events, we may have to question old assumptions and grapple with a fundamentally altered conception of ourselves in relation to others in our shared world.” – Froma Walsh, Strengthening Family Resilience.

• Philosophy