Over the years I have read many many books about those who survived World War Two in Europe during the 1940s. It’s been a favorite reading theme of mine. Images brought to life of people with ration cards standing in line trying to find food during shortages, society girls now in rubber boots with pitchforks turning the soil as they transformed their formal lawns into victory vegetable gardens, and tired women measuring 5 inches of water into the bathtub to do their part for the war effort. So many people giving up their personal freedom for a cause that for most of them involved an enemy that they would never actually see themselves. Then, of course, there are the darker images of those on the frontlines dealing with the trauma, death, and pain of losing so many lives before their time. As I read these books I would wonder what it was like to be trapped in a situation for years that had no specific end date, and I would wonder how they coped, living like that with the "not knowing". Those years were dark and challenging, and as the war ended there were shortages everywhere and the world's economies were a mess. Yet within a few years the world stepped into an unprecedented time of prosperity and growth such as had not been seen before. As I have pondered that feat I have realized that there were three gifts that the challenges of the war gave to that generation, which served them well moving forward. The challenges they faced made them as resilient as people. As they went without, as they stood in line, as they dug potatoes, their character was stretched, and their selfishness banished for the greater good. They were stronger at the end than they were when they started. The challenges they faced made them decisive. They had gone through a time of loss. They had to face their own mortality and they were awoken to the fact that life is fragile. They chose to translate that into a decision to live fully and intentionally as they rebuilt their lives. The challenges they faced made them grateful. They never forgot what it was to go without, and to to be hungry, and the joy of small things like hot water and the big things like personal freedom. They were changed for the good, by their engagement with the bad... Resilience Decisiveness Gratitude May we receive the same gifts from this "The Great Pause" that is taking place around the world.
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Wendy Peter is the North American Director of Events for the Women on the Frontlines Organization.
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