In her article, “The Profound Emptiness of ‘Resilience’,” Parul Sehgal argues that the world has failed to recognize the reframing of the meaning of the word “resilience” through over-usage and misusage. Instead, she believes that the true meaning of resilience is not just staying on the course through adversity, but questioning along the way. Sehgal constantly pushes the “thrive, not just survive” mantra throughout the article, referring to the recent wave of college protests against racism as a prime example of the true meaning of “resilience.” Sehgal focuses a lot of the article on the misusage of the term, and shows how everyone is adopting it to any situation that arises, from the UN’s “Resilience Agenda” to Justin Bieber’s comeback. She seems to lament the fact that a word that carries such power is being misshapen and almost turned into a robotic process devoid of feeling. Sehgal focuses on people’s perception of how college students react to racism and other sensitive topics on campuses. She examines both sides, one that has excoriated these students and the other that validates their reaction. Although Sehgal never really directly asserts her opinion, she subtly weaves it in at the end of the article, seeming to agree with the latter perception of the students, that them standing up to acts of racism is the way to define resilience.
I really loved this article. I thought it was so well-written and definitely enviable when trying to write an opinion piece. It was very different than most articles I encounter on the NY Times, which essentially bluntly state opinions without giving much regard to the other side. The way in which she weaves her opinion into the article is incredibly incisive. In terms of the content, I was actually really upset after reading this article. We’re so accustomed to a culture of “me,” and the fact that resilience is being adopted to any situation that an individual sees fit to apply it to is saddening. By calling attention to this, I think Sehgal is explaining an even deeper message about our society. And it ain’t a good one. I also really liked the Tumblr-esque last sentence, “Why rise from the ashes without asking why you had to burn?” I think it really summed up the purpose of the article and provides a lot of food for thought. Although I don’t agree that her definition of resilience necessarily applies to everything, this article has definitely stuck with me since I read it. Overall, a really well-written piece of writing. You go, Glen Coco-Sehgal!
Sehgal, Parul. "The Profound Emptiness of ‘Resilience’." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 5 Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
