The human spirit is a metaphor to some and a reality for others. The human spirit is a combination of hope, will, perseverance, and strength. The human spirit can be one of the most powerful things in the world if used correctly and by the right people. A human spirit can be put through trial after hurdle after trial and, although scathed, it will persevere.
The human spirit is very resilient, I can be broken but not easily. Here is an example of one such story. Ildefonce Mungemanganga had been attacked, murderously beaten and left for dead. His attackers had tried to decapitate him, and they had very nearly succeeded. Instead of a neck, there was a gaping abyss, his lungs visible through the opening and his trachea severed. He was still able to breathe because his trachea was exposed through the hole between his head and his chest, allowing oxygen to flow into his lungs. However, even that would not have been enough to keep him alive had the machete penetrated a millimeter deeper: as it was, it had missed his two vital carotid arteries. His face, too, was mutilated: the entire face smashed in. (White 1).
This is one of the experiences in this vignette about the resilience of the human spirit. This whole vignette is about the Rwandan Genocide of April 1994 in which 800,000 people died for not being the same tribe as the population. The Tutsi (slaughtered people) and the Hutu have had ethnic competition and control disputes for as long as they have been around and the Hutu gained power in the rebellions in the 60’s. Once the Hutu gained power, as is common in these cases, the Tutsi were the minority and were discriminated against. A group of Tutsi refugees attacked Northern Rwanda in an attempt to regain control of the territory...
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... plane crash ended up stranded at sea. “A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Louie thought: Let go” (Hillenbrand 29). That quote pretty much summarizes, in a different way, what has been said repeatedly throughout this article. The fact that you can move on from things because they are temporary.
The human spirit is stronger than anything I have ever seen or felt. It can feel such a varied amount of pain, goodness, love, betrayal, hurt, and disappointment that it is hard to fathom. It can incite change and reform in many different situations as we have seen throughout the different examples. Throughout this report many trials have been reported such as a young rebel turned hero stranded in the middle of an ocean, all the way to unnecessary rape and murder. All of these things can be overcome with perseverance and hope. Hope is sometimes all that we need.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”
book remains a true testimony to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.
Imagine a camp where having the chance to see the ones that were significant in life was banned. Imagine a world where on a daily basis ,people got tortured in disturbing, immoral ways right in front of many viewing eyes from young to old. Image a camp where loved one’s life’s got stolen from them for all the wrong reasons. Strength and health was no longer an obstacle that had to be dealt with. The only thing left to do was to stride for something that could keep you going for the long run. What would happen then? Something new begins to grow. Something so powerful that it could possibly outshine strength and health. Hope. Hope is something that could get you farther than strength and health.
A human being is a complicated entity of a contradictory nature where creative and destructive, virtuous and vicious are interwoven. Each of us has gone through various kinds of struggle at least once in a lifetime ranging from everyday discrepancies to worldwide catastrophes. There are always different causes and reasons that trigger these struggles, however, there is common ground for them as well: people are different, even though it is a truism no one seems to able to realize this statement from beyond the bounds of one’s self and reach out to approach the Other.
This quote helped me feel better and concentrate for my better future. I just want the people that read this to know everyone goes through hardships, and there is an ending to the pain and sadness you feel now. I’ve come to realize sulking won’t get me anywhere and I need to move on and become who I want to be, and this quote helped me do
The physical and mental intent to destroy another being often unveils the darkest side of human nature. In the memoir, “An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography” dedicated to the Rwandan genocide, war hero Paul Rusesabagina states: “A sad truth of human nature is that it is hard to care for people when they are abstractions, hard to care when it is not you or somebody close to you. Unless the world community can stop finding ways to dither in the face of this monstrous threat to humanity those words never again will persist in being one of the most abused phrases in the English language and one of the greatest lies of our time.” The United Nations promised never again would they allow genocide to occur after the Second World War. Unfortunately, less
The theme of finding one’s voice and speaking out against violence and victimization is developed through the use of conflict, plot, and characterization in Speak, The Art of Resilience and If. Throughout the texts the theme is revealed through conflict, plot, and characterization. All in all, the three texts are about struggling in life and the only people you have turn against you. In addition, when life gets rough, you are strong enough and capable to overcome any conflict you
"Rwanda Genocide 20 Years On: 'We Live with Those Who Killed Our Families. We Are Told They're Sorry, but Are They?'" The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
In her book, Immaculée Ilibagiza shares the power of faith in God through her moving experience of the Rwandan genocide. God saved her life for a reason. “He left me to tell my story to others and show as many people as possible the leading power of his Love and Forgiveness” (208-09). Her book proves that “with God all things are possible”. Her objective is not to give a historical account of Rwanda and/or of the genocide. She gives her own story. She attests that through God’s help, forgiveness is possible – even to those who killed her parents. Her book is meant to help people to let go of the chains of hatred and anger, and be able to truly live in God who is love. Left to Tell is a breathtaking book that proves the fact that “the love of a single heart can make a world of difference” (210). The book is divided into three parts, and each part into eight chapters. The author recounts how God saved her from the shadows of death and helped her discover who He really Is.
Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali once said, "We were not realizing that with just a machete, you can do a genocide." To be candid, nobody anticipated the Rwandan Genocide that occurred in 1994. The genocide in Rwanda was an infamous blood-red blur in modern history where almost a million innocent people were murdered in cold blood. Members of the Tutsi tribe were systematically hacked or beaten to death by members of the Interahamwe, a militia made up of Hutu tribe members. In just 100 days, from April 6, 1994 to mid-July, 20% of Rwanda's population was killed; about 10,000 people a day. Bodies literally were strewn over city streets. Genocide obviously violates almost all articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; however, the article I find most important is Article 3 - the right to life, liberty, and personal security. In just 100 days, one million people were denied the most basic privilege granted to every human – the right to live, simply because they were born to the wrong tribe.
The Need for The Continued Resilience of the American People during the Later Days of The War as Exemplified in MGM’s “They Were Expendable”.
Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.
According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is the process of adjusting enough in the presence of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or major sources of stress such as financial and workplace problems, family/ relationship problems, and severe health problems or workplace and financial stressors (American Psychological Association, 2013).
So what is the human spirit and why is it significant? It is a somewhat indefinable concept. According to Faulkner the human spirit is the connection to the universal truths of the heart—“love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.” (PF) But more than that, he was concerned with the idea that man had become oblivious to the problems of the spirit; that he lost his awareness of the inner struggle of heart in conflict with itself. The human spirit can also be described in terms of survi...
... itself uniquely for each person in each situation, it is clear that the human spirit has an insatiable desire to survive in any and all conditions. Each person has the fundamental intent of ultimate survival. When that survival is tested, it is the human spirit that allows people to fight in all conditions. While the spirit is not always successful in garnering that survival, it always tries in some way. It is not always easy to know how one will react when put in a life-threatening situation. But in a period like this, where people everywhere were experience a threat on their lives in some way, it is possible to truly examine the depth at which the inclination to live is embedded. Though it manifests itself uniquely for each person in each situation, it is clear that the human spirit has an insatiable desire to survive in any and all conditions.