What One of Earth’s Rarest Animals Teaches Us About Resilience

In the Gobi Desert of Asia, there is one animal that has survived the test of time through some of the harshest conditions in the continent: the Gobi Bear. With fewer than 50 bears left in Mongolia, they are now on the endangered species list. In the rugged environment that they live, the Gobi Bear is the definition of resilience.

Being one of the rarest animals on earth does not automatically equate with strength. But for the Gobi Bear, it exemplifies toughness in what it is willing to sacrifice to survive. Walking dozens of miles in between water sources, these bears are big, but not quite as muscular as you would typically picture a typical brown bear. They are more akin to an ultra-runner, possessing the ability to just keep going when others around have failed.

Besides my hoping that we will see the Gobi Bear continue to survive, there is something inspiring about this animal. When other bears spend months hibernating and then wake up to an abundant springtime where they eat everything in sight, this bear is constantly being tested in its ability to survive. The desert doesn’t do any favors to those who live there, and unlike the snakes or rodents that can burrow under the earth to hide from the sun, no such protection exists for the Gobi Bear. They have no choice but to push through.

I heard a great quote from a former Army Ranger, Mike Glover, on the meaning of resilience: “Resilience is the ability to literally stand back or crawl back to your feet when you've been knocked down. And that is an experience that is common to all." To go through hardship is to be human. We might not constantly live in a desert, but we all know what it’s like to experience something difficult. What matters is not that we push aside our emotions or feel empathy for them, but that we find a way to keep going.

Resilience is a universal experience, but it’s up to us to keep getting back up on our feet. Just like the Gobi Bear, we are always tested, one way or the other. The question is not what we do when we fall, but as Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred, once said: “Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.*”

*Movie Reference from Batman Begins