Many virtues—like courage or compassion—can be displayed in a moment. If we see a fearful child stand up to a bully, we recognize it immediately as a clear example of courage. Resilience takes longer. To endure pain and then turn that pain into wisdom, or to endure hardship and grow through that hardship, takes time. The fruits of resilience grow slowly. Because of this, we learn best about resilience not when we focus on dramatic moments, but when we take in the arc of whole lives. Resilience is cultivated not so that we can perform well in a single instance, but so that we can live a full
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