"The human capacity to rebuild is a profound testament to resilience. While physical and emotional hardships can break us down, the psychological and social drive to recover, adapt, and start over remains one of our most enduring traits."
The Big Wave by Pearl S Buck articulates it beautifully
The capacity of human beings to rebuild is indestructible
Yes, we should believe, we are indestructible
Sheeba Prasanth, Professor, English, MarThoma College, Tiruvalla and Prasanth Alexander, Film Actor, had built their dream home at Mallappally. They planned their house warming for November2018. But the floods that devastated Kerala in August 2018, had beaten them to it, flooding their newly built house. It would be apt to say the floods conducted the housewarming.
After that fearsome exposure to the havoc caused by floods sans invitation, the saga had no eclipse. . The house was under limelight again in August2026. In fact the luxury had burst upon them, a third time after the initial onslaught of 2018.
The English Professor has now learned to take it stoically.
She quotes Pearl S Buck's 'The Big Wave'
"Resilence isn't about ignoring tragedy or pretending danger doesn't exist. It's about accepting that while nature can destroy physical things, our capacity to love, rebuild and find joy in being alive is indestructible."
She concludes,"Yes, we should believe that we are indestructible," and drives home the punch line, "The capacity of human beings to rebuild and find joy in being alive is indestructible."
Mallappally has .been inundated in the August 2026 floods that struck Central Kerala unexpectedly. It was not heavy rains. It was something beyond that. Perhaps Noah's times are returning. That human beings are selfish is beyond doubt. But the cruelty they happily indulge in recent times is incomprehensible.
Three or four people stop their car on the road, probably far away from their home. They release a dog into the road from the car. They drive away fast. But the dog runs after the car. They stop the car. Puts it on reverse gear. Drives fast and runs over the dog. They don't stop there. They repeat it a few times
A boy questions someone elder to him when he relieved himself, urinating at the compound wall of a temple. Anger drives the elder. He waits in his car on the road patiently. When the boy rides his bicycle ahead the car is driven fast straight. It hits the cycle. The boy falls on the road. The driver happily rides the car over the boy who has fallen on the road. The boy dies.⁰
These are just two samples of cruelty that is prevalent today. It seems 'good' has been eclipsed by 'bad' in our times.
No wonder, heavens open and rains charge at human beings with a vehemence that had been invisible earlier