Commentary: Ready for resilience

  • Published
  • By Capt. Matthew C. Simpson
  • 920th Rescue Wing Chaplain
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Greetings! I am your newest 920th Rescue Wing chaplain. I am thrilled to be a part of this wing. If all goes according to plan, I will be in place full-time for at least the next two years.

One of the themes I will be focusing on is resilience for the 920th RQW team members and their families.

You might ask, "What is resilience?"

Princeton's wordnetweb defines resilience as,

"The physical property of a material that
can return to its original shape or position
after deformation that does not exceed its
elastic limit."

To this definition, I would add the following effect: "The material that returns to its original shape can sometimes be more resistant to future stress or work load than it had been, as long as it was not stretched beyond its 'elastic limit.'"

You see, resilience is much better than coping. Although "coping is better than moping," coping can be just "getting through" a stressful event and its consequences; whereas resilience is rising to the challenge of a stressful event and then capitalizing on and developing the outcome into something good. In short, with resilience one can thrive, rather than just survive stressful events.

For the 920th RQW members and their families, resilience in each person is more important than ever. The high operations tempo of mobilizations and deployments, compounded with the intensity of the unique rescue mission of the 920th, implores that resilience be cultivated in the wing.

For central Florida, this winter has been one of the coldest and harshest on record. The effects of this winter are still quite apparent, especially for the trees. Even though it is now spring, we can still see the effects of the difficult winter. The trees that fared the best had deeper roots, the right balance of sustenance, were shielded from some harsh winds, or covered with protective material during the frigid frosts. In sum, the trees that were most resilient were the trees that were in better condition before the bad weather and/or had special intervention care. In general, this applies to us too.

We can be more resilient to stressful events, if we are intentional in taking care of our "total wellness" before a stressful event and when we receive specialized intervention, such as our wingman, helping agency, etc.

The space of this article does not allow for me to detail the specifics of how you and your loved ones can be more resilient. But in the near future, in different forums and venues, I hope you will give me and the chaplain team the privilege and opportunity to facilitate resilience in you and your families.