Galileo Galilei faced the wrath of the clergy to follow through his scientific beliefs. Deaf and blind Helen Keller rose to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians. Despite virulent opposition and discrimination Martin Luther King fought against racial discrimination in America. Nelson Mandela devoted his life to fighting against Apartheid, earning even a 20-year life sentence in the process. Using only non-violence and non-cooperation Mahatma Gandhi became the face of the Indian freedom struggle. A gunshot to the head did not deter Malala Yousafzai, a young school girl, from standing up for girls’ right to education.
History is peppered with examples of people who have overcome exceptionally challenging situations.
Armed only with grit and fortitude they changed the world not only for themselves but millions of others. Last year, UCMAS dedicated its 21st International and 13th National Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Competition 2016 to this mental hardiness and fierce spirit of conquering fears and ‘Discover Fortitude’ became the theme of the mega-competition.
WHAT IS FORTITUDE?
Fortitude can be defined as courage in pain or adversity. It is explained as having strength of character and morals and toughness of mind. While there are many definitions and explanations for the word ‘fortitude’, we believe words can hardly capture or explain the spirit of fortitude.
Take for instance the contingent of 18 specially-abled athletes who represented the UAE at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. These tenacious athletes did not see their physical limitations as a setback but used them to launch themselves on the trajectory to success. They set for themselves and achieved goals they had not even thought of prior to the circumstances that left them physically impaired.
The UAE team came back with seven gold, silver and bronze medals in total, beating the previous record of four medals at Athens. Female shotputters Noura Al Ketbi and Sara Al Senaani became the first Emirati women to win medals. Their achievements won them recognition from the highest echelons of the nation with HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai comparing the athletes’ willpower to that of the UAE: “The UAE leadership, government and people believe in the culture of willpower, determination and in making the impossible possible.” He added that they all shared “the determination to succeed in every field”. “Willpower conquers the impossible and no success is without resolve and determination,” Sheikh Mohammed told the athletes at that time.
Amongst these mighty achievements, it is worth remembering that fortitude is required and reflected not only in great acts of valour, but is an important part of everyday life. Take for instance the thousands of children from around the world who spent hours practicing on the abacus to achieve the goal of the UCMAS International Competition – 200 sums in eight minutes. For a mere eight-minute competition, these kids have put in hours of practice for over 6 months. They sacrificed precious play time to be able to ace the competition, wanting to give it their best.
Why does UCMAS demand this of its students? Why are we such hard task masters?
The answer is simple - UCMAS aims not only at academic brilliance but also cultivating a culture of resilience, grit and responsibility amongst children. We want them to work hard to achieve their goals. We want them to understand that to taste the sweet fruit of success they must first suffer the bitter fruit of failure. We want them to realise that success follows perseverance.
It is our job to teach grit and mental tenacity to our children. Our society is coining terms like “affluenza” because too many adults do not have the courage to be role models, and fail to create boundaries for their children. Every time we undermine a teacher, or blame someone else for their loss, we steal the opportunity to become gritty from our kids. Every time we don’t say “What can we learn from this” when our kids face trying times, we are failing our kids.
Children across the UAE are preparing to get back to school. This new academic year, let's help them Discover Fortitude.
History is peppered with examples of people who have overcome exceptionally challenging situations.
Armed only with grit and fortitude they changed the world not only for themselves but millions of others. Last year, UCMAS dedicated its 21st International and 13th National Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Competition 2016 to this mental hardiness and fierce spirit of conquering fears and ‘Discover Fortitude’ became the theme of the mega-competition.
WHAT IS FORTITUDE?
Fortitude can be defined as courage in pain or adversity. It is explained as having strength of character and morals and toughness of mind. While there are many definitions and explanations for the word ‘fortitude’, we believe words can hardly capture or explain the spirit of fortitude.
Take for instance the contingent of 18 specially-abled athletes who represented the UAE at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. These tenacious athletes did not see their physical limitations as a setback but used them to launch themselves on the trajectory to success. They set for themselves and achieved goals they had not even thought of prior to the circumstances that left them physically impaired.
The UAE team came back with seven gold, silver and bronze medals in total, beating the previous record of four medals at Athens. Female shotputters Noura Al Ketbi and Sara Al Senaani became the first Emirati women to win medals. Their achievements won them recognition from the highest echelons of the nation with HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai comparing the athletes’ willpower to that of the UAE: “The UAE leadership, government and people believe in the culture of willpower, determination and in making the impossible possible.” He added that they all shared “the determination to succeed in every field”. “Willpower conquers the impossible and no success is without resolve and determination,” Sheikh Mohammed told the athletes at that time.
Amongst these mighty achievements, it is worth remembering that fortitude is required and reflected not only in great acts of valour, but is an important part of everyday life. Take for instance the thousands of children from around the world who spent hours practicing on the abacus to achieve the goal of the UCMAS International Competition – 200 sums in eight minutes. For a mere eight-minute competition, these kids have put in hours of practice for over 6 months. They sacrificed precious play time to be able to ace the competition, wanting to give it their best.
Why does UCMAS demand this of its students? Why are we such hard task masters?
The answer is simple - UCMAS aims not only at academic brilliance but also cultivating a culture of resilience, grit and responsibility amongst children. We want them to work hard to achieve their goals. We want them to understand that to taste the sweet fruit of success they must first suffer the bitter fruit of failure. We want them to realise that success follows perseverance.
It is our job to teach grit and mental tenacity to our children. Our society is coining terms like “affluenza” because too many adults do not have the courage to be role models, and fail to create boundaries for their children. Every time we undermine a teacher, or blame someone else for their loss, we steal the opportunity to become gritty from our kids. Every time we don’t say “What can we learn from this” when our kids face trying times, we are failing our kids.
Children across the UAE are preparing to get back to school. This new academic year, let's help them Discover Fortitude.
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