Appalachian Wisdom: What cannot be cured must be endured

Craig 00:00 

Welcome to Live Well & Flourish. I'm your host, Craig Van Slyke.

Recently, I ran across what is supposedly an old Appalachian saying, “What cannot be cured, must be endured.” The saying struck me for several reasons. I love Appalachian culture, having briefly lived in Boone, NC. Appalachia is an interesting region, rich with its unique culture, history, and set of challenges. There’s a bit of a fatalistic mindset in Appalachia, I think. Folks in that area have had to get through a lot of bad stuff throughout their history. The mountains are a difficult environment; the area is beautiful, but harsh and often unforgiving. It’s a tough place to live in many ways, often characterized by pervasive poverty and a fight to survive. Over the decades the people of Appalachia have been subjected to some terrible oppression. Like I said, it can be a hard place to live.

Craig 01:02 

These harsh conditions have lead the people of Appalachia to develop that “fatalistic mindset” I mentioned earlier. "Fatalistic mindset" sounds kind of bad at first blush, but I think there’s a strong sense of practical wisdom and resilience within that mindset; those aspects are beautifully captured by “What cannot be cured, must be endured.” Let me break down my thoughts for you.

First, there’s an acknowledgement that not everything can be fixed. There are some things you just have to get through. This fits really well with the core belief of Stoicism that some things are in your control and some things aren't. Fate sometimes deals you a pretty lousy hand. Hard times happen to all of us and sometimes you can no more change the situation than you can stop the tide. Accepting that a bad situation simply IS can be powerfully liberating. Rather than seeking some cosmic reason for your difficulties, wailing and lamenting your fate, or trying to change what is beyond your control, acceptance frees you to turn your energy towards enduring the difficult situations so that you can get to better times. Appalachians and Stoics aren’t the only ones to acknowledge this reality. A similar theme of acceptance also runs through other philosophies and religions. For example, Buddhism, which has acceptance as one of its core beliefs, or practices rather.

Craig 02:36 

Second, I find a message of hope and resilience in the saying. “... must be endured” implies that the situation CAN be endured. The difficult situation is not hopeless and it is not forever. You just have to find ways to endure. That’s a big part of life and a major aspect of wisdom … finding ways to ride out the hard times until better times come. I’m going to switch regions here to give you an example. The people of the Gulf Coast are as resilient as they come. Hurricane after hurricane seems to hit the region almost every year (except fortunately this year). People down south ride out the storm (hopefully in safety), then, when the storm passes, they work together to rebuild their lives. How do they do this? By focusing on two things, what needs to be done, and working together. Gulf Coast folks know that they can’t stop the storm, but they can endure it. 

Craig 03:39 

Ok, great, but how can YOU endure? I find three practices especially helpful. First, focus on what needs to be done right now. Sure, you need to plan, but long-term planning can be overwhelming when going through especially difficult times, so just focus on what you can do right now. There’s almost always something you can do in the moment to help you endure. Pick up the small debris from the storm, check on those around you, start making a list for the insurance company … there’s almost always SOMETHING that will help. This takes me to my second practice.

Second, keep your focus on what you CAN do. Finding things to do in the moment will help you keep your focus on what you can control … what you CAN do to help you endure until the hard times fade away. Use your judgment and reason to find ways that you can get through the difficulties, but remember, many things are beyond your control, so don’t waste time or energy on those; focus on what you CAN control.

Craig 04:47 

Finally, take small pleasures where you can. After hurricane Charley came through Orlando, our neighborhood was without power. Fortunately, my brother’s area wasn’t hit as hard. When phone lines came back, I called to check on him and he asked if there was anything we needed. My reply was “ice and Gatorade.” He and his lovely wife Janet brought over a bunch of ice … more than we could use, so we shared it with neighbors. I saw Bob out cleaning debris. Bob lived across the street and called out to him, asking if he wanted some ice. Of course, he said yes … I think he actually said “Hell yes” … and came over to get a bag, thanking me profusely. He started back to his house, and stopped halfway across the street, turned to me and said, “Thank God, now I can have a scotch.” Bob knew how to find the small pleasures, which helped him endure until the power returned.

Craig 05:45  

I don’t know about you, but when the folks of Appalachia, the Stoics, and the Buddha all agree on something, I pay attention. So, the next time you’re going through hard times (and you will go through hard times), remember this little bit of Appalachian wisdom and put your focus on enduring until the good times come again.

Talk to you next week.