Some may argue that adversity, defined as a difficult or unpleasant situation or event, is the catalyst to displaying and cultivating the virtuous self within people. In addition, it can also be said that adversity allows people to display growth in their character, allowing them to accomplish noble goals. However, I beg to differ as I believe that adversity exposes the unsightly side of people. In an adverse situation, people tend to be self-serving, only after they ensure that their interests and well being are protected, they may then attempt to help or save others. Secondly, when faced with an adversity, more often than not, people tend to generate negative thoughts and emotions as they are unable to withstand the shock they have experienced. As such, while people may learn to adapt to a difficult event in their life, adversity would most likely bring out the worst in human nature.
Indeed, adversity often influences people to commit many atrocities as they face emotional upheavals. Due to the shock they received from an unlucky event, people are unable to keep their emotions stable. As such, an accumulation of such gloomy feelings may lead to the display of atrocious behaviour. For instance, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 passed New Orleans, many unimaginable incidents occurred such as the white vigilante violence, which left many African-Americans riddled with gun-shot wounds and police killings. This is a result of the anger and contempt the whites felt against the African-Americans in the community. As stated by John Penny, a criminologist at the Southern University of New Orleans, when people have too many pent up emotions after a catastrophe, they do not hesitate to find outlets to express and release their stifled emotions on others. In order to relieve themselves from the various emotions that have been brought by the hurricane, people would disregard their social values and commit vulgar acts.
Additionally, humans also exhibit alienation in order to protect themselves from being involved in an unpleasant situation. In face of such a situation, people tend to protect their personal interests which lead to the display of indifference towards others. One example which highlights this behaviour would be the COVID-19 virus which started since December 2019. According to an article by the Straits Times, a cruise ship has spent 2 weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries, Japan, Guan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Thailand, due to fear of the coronavirus being spread to the population in their country. An American tourist aboard, Ms Jones, said that they had so many near moments which they thought they would be able to return home only to be turned away. As the countries had to ensure that the majority – its citizens – interests were protected, they were required to turn away the cruiseship passengers as they might contain the virus. Similarly, Singapore’s president, Madam Halimah, stated that she was disappointed and pained by the report where healthcare workers who cast aside their own fears and valiantly served the ill out of a sense of duty and compassion were given a wide berth when they were in uniform and that some private-hire drivers were reluctant to pick them up after their shifts. The lack of compassion shown to those in need patently underscores the hideous self of mankind. Healthcare workers were discriminated and avoided due to fears of the viral contraction Indeed, in a crisis, people do display distasteful conduct in public.
Furthermore, humans may be willing to sacrifice their moral principles to minimise any suffering and hardship. Due to their unwillingness to accept their predicament, they may yield to unscrupulous thoughts and behaviours. One example would be the case where police officer Iskandar Rahmat, was convicted of the murder in Kovan on July 10, 2013. In the months leading up to the double murder in Kovan, the senior staff sergeant from Bedok Police Division was neck-deep in debt. Iskandar had hatched the plan to rob the elder Tan’s money to avert a possible sacking over his “financial embarrassment”. He was declared bankrupt the day before the murder. As he was unwilling to accept the situation he was in, he sought for ways to salvage his financial situation without regard to upholding his moral principles. As humans seek to ensure that their concerns are fulfilled, they would not hesitate to abandon their moral values such as their sense of justice and righteousness.
Yet, critics argue that in the face of adversity, there are still those who display ethical behaviour and uphold their moral principles. To illustrate, ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was among the first to raise the public alarm about the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Dr Li warned his circle of medical classmates but was only reprimanded by the police for spreading ‘illegal and false’ information. Dr Li contracted then virus from one of his patients and had pneumonia. He told the Southern Metropolis daily that after he recovered, he was going back to work as he did not want to be a deserter when the epidemic was spreading. Dr Li showed his compassionate and noble self even when he contracted the virus. However, it is unlikely to be true that most people are able to display moral behaviour in face of an adversity. Undeniably, according to a report by New York Times and Xinhua, doctors and nurses in Wuhan were not seen to be taking note of symptoms, ensuring the wellbeing of patients and distributing medicine. Patients of the virus are allocated to various venues due to insufficient space in the hospitals. Certain treatment venues barred patients from receiving medication and not given adequate sanitisation due to prevailing fears of contracting the virus. This underlines the unsatisfactory behaviour that people display when adversity strikes. Ethical behaviour is neglected as one’s selfish interest takes precedence over others.
Moreover, it has also been argued that adversity is an important factor for growth in character where people strive to achieve their dream goals. With the inclusion of adverse events in their life, people are able to adapt and make the best out of what they can do. An example is Sandra Paovic, a Croatian paralympics table tennis player. She first competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the second round in the singles competition and also competed in a team competition. Unfortunately, she suffered critical injuries in a traffic accident on 30 January 2009. Still, she persevered and recovered from the event and went on to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics where she won the gold medal with sheer resilience and determination However, this may not always be true as some are unable to tackle the setback from the adversity faced. One instance would be Andrew Luck, who played football as a professional for 7 years and retired at the age of 29. However, being a generational prospect who started his career in the National Football League in 2002, he was only able to display his talent occasionally. This is also due to his placement in weak teams and frequent injuries. As a result, he retired due to the inability to cope with setbacks and that he was tired and worn down from the pain of frequent injuries. This highlights the fact that not everyone is able to overcome their misfortune and thrive.
In conclusion, adversity often gives rise to a poor state of mind which influences people to display their uncouth sides. Adversity alone may be incapable of developing one’s character for the better as instinctive fear and the natural pursuit of self-interests threatens to supplant our moral values.
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