1/11/21 21:12 What Life Lessons Has Adversity Taught You?

- The New York Times

What Life Lessons Has Adversity Taught You?

By Katherine Schulten
June 8, 2010 7:29 am

Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof recently underwent surgery because he had a tumor in his right kidney. In a
weekend column he reflects on the experience, ending with “it’s never too early — cancer or no cancer — to start
appreciating our wondrous world, instead of disparaging its imperfections.” What have you learned from the challenges in
your own life, even if they weren’t as dramatic as a cancer diagnosis? How often are you able to remember and act on those
lessons?

In “A Scare, a Scar, a Silver Lining,” Mr. Kristof writes:

This is trite but also so, so true: A brush with mortality turns out to be the best way to appreciate how blue the sky
is, how sensuous grass feels underfoot, how melodious kids’ voices are. Even teenagers’
voices. A friend and colleague,
David E. Sanger, who conquered cancer a decade ago, says, “No matter how bad a day you’re having, you say to
yourself: ‘I’ve had worse.’ ”

Floyd Norris, a friend in The Times’s business section, is now undergoing radiation treatment for cancer after
surgery on his face and neck. He wrote on his blog: “It is not fun, but it has been inspiring.
In a way, I am happier
about my life than at any time I can remember.”

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I don’t mean to wax lyrical about the joys of tumors. But maybe the most elusive possession is contentment with
what we have. There’s no better way to attain that than a glimpse of our mortality.

My surgeon, Douglas Scherr, said that his patients frequently derive additional satisfaction from life after a cancer
diagnosis, and at least for a time are more focused on what feels more important — like
families.

Students: Tell us about what challenges you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from them. If you were to write a short
column that, like Mr. Kristof’s, included advice for others
(“Stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. Slather on sunscreen
and avoid tanning salons. Avoid charred meats.”), what might you say?

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