Citation

Bath H. J. Emotion. Behav. Probl. 2014; 23(2): 50-53.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Compassion Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Vida Bath was the only girl of six children born into a chronically poor family. Her birth certificate lists her father as a "general labourer." Her family travelled around New South Wales and southern Queensland, going wherever there might be work. She remembered being scared when her father had been drinking, especially on Friday nights, and running to hide when they heard him coming home from the pub. Her Christmas recollections were not the joys of relaxing with family, feasting, and opening presents, but living in fear with her brothers. When Vida was around six years old, she witnessed some truly horrific events that were devastating for her and the family. She was confined in an adult psychiatric hospital for a while and recalled being as scared there as at home; these are not the sort of places any child should be. Her mother was also institutionalized; what happened to the rest of the family is unknown. Vida was later moved to a children's home on Sydney's north side. Vida's mother was eventually restored to health and so the young girl returned home, wherever that might have been at the time. One could write the script of what was in store for Vida after those events: Alcoholism? Self-destructiveness? Abusive relationships? Chronic disease? The research is clear about the potential adverse consequences of such traumatic childhoods. But that is not Vida's story, as her life took an altogether different course. Vida Bath's life was not at all easy, but it was a life of committed service, wonderful achievement, loving relationships, incredible adventures, national and international leadership, and an enduring impact on the lives of many people all around the world. The psychologists like to refer to this defiance of the odds as "resilience"; the spiritual tradition is rich with stories like this where it is often referred to as "redemption" or "salvation." One marker for resilience is to find a purpose in living. Herein, Howard Bath presents the inspiring story of how his mother overcame early adversity by giving herself in service to others. He describes her journey from rural Australia to Calcutta and how she discovered that her vulnerability was in fact her greatest strength.

Language: en