Adversity Reveals Ability

As Lewis and Clark worked their way through the Dakotas in 1804, during the Fall of the expedition’s first year, they began finding themselves at the center of conflicts between various Native American tribes. Carrying weapons, medicine, tobacco and whiskey, the men of the expedition controlled valuable but very limited commodities. Goods acquired from these explorers gave the fortunate recipients a significant advantage over their opponents, leading to jealousy and indignation when there wasn’t enough to go around to neighboring tribes. The expedition’s trade with various groups, along with the political nature of some of the interactions, seemed to add fuel to the already smoldering discord existing between several of these tribes.

At times, the expedition was literally caught in the crossfire as warring factions exchanged blows.  Fearing for the safety of his men and the success of their mission, Captain Lewis began to lobby for peace between adversarial tribes. Peace was something these combative nations didn’t understand. There were not seasons of “peacetime” and “wartime” because war was always present. It was simply a part of their existence. At one point, when Captain Lewis was addressing a group of Arikara tribesmen and explaining his vision for peace and cooperation between tribes, a young warrior spoke up and questioned Lewis. He wondered how his tribe would identify suitable leaders if they didn’t go to war. He was concerned because the aging chiefs would need to be replaced in the not-too-distant future, and the selection process of combat, revealing courage and valor, would become endangered in times of peace.

Now, I am not suggesting that war is necessary to bring up and train leaders. Nor am I advocating for constant conflict and conquest with neighboring nations. However, I think it’s a very interesting point that Arikara warrior brought up: adversity and conflict (war being a preeminent source of both) would expose the true character and capacity of the aspiring leaders in his tribe.

Adversity illuminates ability. Just as silver is refined by the heat of the furnace as it melts away impurities and blemishes – revealing the precious metal remaining – trials in our own lives can reveal our true capabilities. And it’s not just exposing our hidden potential to others, sometimes the most important lesson adversity teaches is what we learn about ourselves. We see we are capable of much more than we had previously considered.

Henry Halsey said, “There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with.” The corollary to that must be, much like the clump of metal with streaks of silver, even within ordinary men exist flecks of the extraordinary, just waiting to be uncovered.