FF X STILL THE FIELD WHEN BDY DROPS

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Seery and his colleagues wanted to explore this relationship further. They were interested in whether adverse experiences might not only make people tougher, but could also make them happier. To examine this, they again used their measure of cumulative lifetime adversity, incorporating thirtyseven life experiences including death, injury and abuse (as described above), and examined whether it might show a similar U-shaped relationship with well-being.12 The researchers reasoned that a moderate amount of lifetime adversity, as compared to no lifetime adversity or high levels of adversity, would be most likely to foster toughness and mastery of life, and this in turn would facilitate the highest levels of well-being. This reasoning is consistent with past research showing that overwhelming levels of adversity reduce one’s ability to manage stress in life. This means that stressful experiences do not foster a sense of mastery, and in turn resilience to these experiences is never developed. On the other hand, being sheltered from adverse experiences in life temporarily protects against distress, but also provides no opportunity to develop toughness and mastery. Those who have been sheltered from adversity, or who have been overwhelmed by it, are less able to cope with the inevitable stresses and challenges that life presents. This in turn means that these individuals would be less likely to experience high levels of well-being.

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zen 

Sensei José Shinzan Palma writes, “It’s not just about crossing our legs and sitting on a cushion or mat, it’s about the quality of our state of mind—a quality of being connected with life. I define this practice in terms of aligning our body, our mind, our breath, and this moment. When we have aligned these four points—when we are present, here and now, meeting life as it is—this is zazen practice.”

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