"When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity."—Robert F. Kennedy.
When crisis strikes my heart, my writing voice magnifies. Pain and frustration squirts my innards all over the page. Without afflictions it’s too easy to write what everyone thinks and feels, but is afraid to say. The danger of life’s disasters or dilemmas?
The temptation to not write.
Don’t Waste a Crisis—Write
These quotes by writers reveal why hard times strips away the veneer of our façade to reveal moments of great truth in response to catastrophe, change or impasse.
"It is the depth of the crisis that empowers hope. The power of turning, that radically changes the situation never reveals itself outside of crisis."—Martin Buber
"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging." —Joseph Campbell
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life." —Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
"We only think when we are confronted with a problem." —John Dewey
"When a man is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed." —William James
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." —M. Scott Peck
"In time of crisis, we summon up our strength. Then, if we are lucky, we are able to call every resource, every forgotten image that can leap to our quickening, every memory that can make us know our power." —Muriel Rukeyser
"Don't fret when your equilibrium is upset; it may be just the motivation you need to grow."—Dr. Mardy Grothe
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 12:1–5 (NASB)
2 comments:
What great encouragement and a refreshing perspective on crisis. Thanks for sharing this, and setting forth a challenge to view these times in our lives with hope!
Does crisis enrich my writing? Maybe not at the time . . . but I hope that it does after-the-fact. If I'm willing to learn from my experience.
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