The Powerful Precept of Anti-Fragility

The world is unfair and hurtful. Life may hit us on the head sometimes. But ultimately, the choice of our response to whatever befalls us, always lies within our hands.

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Back in Nov. 2012, Nassim Taleeb had introduced us in a book he released, to the concept of Anti-fragility. It is effectively resilience 2.0.

Usually, when pressure is applied to a system, it grows back to where it was when the pressure gets lifted; in other words, it returns to its original state. This is resilience.

However anti-fragility is when pressure is applied on a system, then, when the pressure is lifted, the system gets stronger, better and bigger . It grows from hardship.

It is possible, in fact, already done and proven, that we can become anti-fragile. Out muscles are anti-fragile, they grow when we apply pressure on them, through, for instance, doing push-ups (gosh I hate that), or lifting weights (fine by me).

Post traumatic growth is a psychological example of antifragility. Instead of breaking down and getting Post Traumatic Stress, we choose to grow from it. It’s all about the realization that its all in our minds; in our perspective.

As John Milton said “The mind is its own place; it can make a heaven out of hell, or a hell out of heaven.”

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It is highly important to recognise, however, that, even though these aforementioned stones can often get pelted at us, the choice of what we do with those stones, always lies within us. We can choose to wallow in the hurt and pain of those stones, or we can choose to take those stones and build a palace with them. The power of choice is ours.

After all, life is 10% what happens, and 90% how we respond to it. We can choose to complain because roses have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses. It's all about our minds, and perspective.

And this is how we all can become anti-fragile. To transcend beyond mere resilience, and grow from hardship, grow from challenges and from difficulties. Turn weaknesses into strengths.

And, at least as I choose to see it, we are all energy. And energy cannot be offended, damaged, hurt, or destroyed. When others pelt stones at us, we can choose to turn those stones -that matter- into energy; and thus grow from it, assimilate and subsume that energy into ourselves and become stronger, better and more

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Whether it is praise we’re receiving, or criticism, or even hurtful words intended at putting us down or hurting us, we can always choose to assimilate the energy from those 'stones', that get thrown at us, and increase our energy, and become stronger in the end.

Because, after all, as Wayne Dyer said “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”

We may occasionally have a cactus thrown at us, but the choice of whether or not we sit on it, is always up to us.

And that, is the power of emotional and mental anti-fragility.

Original Entry Date: 5/30/2023