In Chile, Southern America, 33 miners were trapped 2000 feet in the bowels of the earth for about 60 days. Through bored tubes, food and oxygen was supplied. In the poorly-lit dark bowels of the earth, the miners faced untold hardship, hunger and fear which kept them in the jaws of death. But they did not lose hope and looked for divine help.
The entire nation prayed for them, so also the entire humanity. Every moment was a moment of trial and test for the near and dear ones. The human ingenuity worked overtime. The wonders of science and technology were brought to best use. A capsule was designed at jet speed, a separate bore was drilled and the capsule to enclose one single individual was slowly and steadily lowered to the spot where the miners were trapped. One by one, the trapped miners were steadily lifted to face the light of the day. The whole nation erupted in joy and thanksgiving to the Lord. This rescue operation and the miners’ prayers and struggle for survival was possible by sheer grit and determination. This grit and determination to overcome the toughest trials and ordeals is ingrained not only in humans, but in all the living world. Nature places toughest tests to living beings for survival and the living being overcomes the same with grit and determination.
When fish and birds migrate from the coldest arctic regions during the toughest winter seasons to more warmer regions, they swim and fly continuously over a range of thousands of miles without food and water. It is their grit and determination to survive that makes their migration possible.
Human beings from antiquity have been migrating from place to place on the face of the earth in search of pastures, food and to make better homes.
Farmers survive the toughest weather conditions and face nature’s wrath now and then, but they do not lose hope and build again their lives on lost edifice. Natural calamities like floods, tsunami, drought and earthquakes bring untold hardship and suffering to humanity, but they are ingrained with the capacity to survive and fight all the odds of nature and man-made calamities. Extremes of poverty make man live in sub-human conditions. Workers of various hues spend hours and hours to carry out the chores of life. They face enormous heat before burning furnaces, melting ovens, iron and other metals, facing risks in their daily lives. Even a humble coolie lifts heavy weights for hours together for a morsel of food.
Several semi-skilled and skilled workers likewise dedicate their lives to help humanity to survive and the wheels of economy keep moving further and further. Astronauts go on space odyssey all alone for days and months fearlessly. Climbers reach the peak of mountains. Divers go to the depth of oceans. It is all in all the will of man not only for adventure, but to seek knowledge and increase the vistas of learning. Scholars burn the midnight oil to master their subjects. So also, engineers, doctors and men of learning in umpteen fields.
Growth is the order of nature and so also to overcome its ordeals, tests and trials. For all these to conquer, grit, determination, hope, strong will power, abundance of patience and a spirit of camaraderie is required. One can be sure of victory when everlasting goodness is the goal of man. Nature has created all the situations for man and also gives the strength to overcome the same and achieve success in all and any of their endeavours.