I was participating in a team golf event a few weeks ago. In our foursome, there were some good shots and some horrible shots. All four of us had a bad stretch in the middle of the round and we played ourselves out of any notable standing in the tournament. But we did not give up and kept playing as best we could compete. As we were enjoying the amenities of the 19th hole, George commented that a good word to describe our round was perseverance and that perseverance would be a good word to research. So, thanks George for the suggestion for this week.
Perseverance means the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. Perseverance was borrowed from the Latin perseverantia meaning persisting in a course of action despite opposition.
As each new area of Canada was opened to European immigrants, the pioneers faced the difficult task of building homes and communities from the ground up. To persevere on the land, life revolved around providing the basic necessities of existence in a northern wilderness — food, shelter, fuel and clothing. Before roads, canals and railways provided transportation of goods and communication, perseverance meant isolation, deprivation and hardship. Success was often measured by sheer survival. Persistence, optimism, thrift, resourcefulness and accepting unremitting hard work became character traits valued by succeeding generations.
On the other hand, marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, reporter Steph Wood reflected on the legacy of colonial policies in the stories about the environment and the indigenous communities rebuilding systems Canada sought to destroy. The Mamalilikulla of islands off the west coast were displaced due to a lack of clean water, lack of infrastructure, and their children being taken away to residential school. They were not allocated a reserve, so they slowly spread to urban areas and other reserves. Mamalilikulla’s Chief Councilor John Powell has stated that the land and the people need time to heal from the trauma inflicted on them, but he sees it happening before his eyes. Stories like these about Indigenous-led conservation uphold joy and perseverance.
Synonyms for perseverance include hang in there, carry on, gut it out, keep going, knuckle down, doggedness, and tenaciousness.
Hang in there means to continue despite difficulties or discouragement. We are almost ready, so just hang in there for a few minutes.
Carry on indicates to continue despite complications, opposition, or impediments. She bravely carried on despite the loss of her husband.
Gut it out implies persisting despite difficulties, disagreements, or hindrances. I know you're tired of being in the car, but can you gut it out until we get to the motel?
Keep going infers to endure when one is doing something. We were debating quitting after those few tough holes in the golf tournament, but we convinced one another to keep going.
Knuckle down means to apply oneself earnestly. I was getting tired during the fence building project, but Patti reminded me to knuckle down and finish before the rain came.
Doggedness suggests an action marked by stubborn determination. He was admired for his doggedness in finishing the race, even though he had no hope of winning any sort of prize.
Tenaciousness indicates being persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired. The teacher tenaciously held to the practice of memorization, as tenaciousness as farmers clinging to an age-old way of life.
If we had enough resolution, we knew we could finish the golf match with our heads held high and reap the benefits of our perseverance at the 19th hole.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
