Not by privilege, but by perseverance

Since the launch of this column in November 2024, it has been reassuring to receive feedback that the nation is finding life in these reflections. Many readers have shared how these pieces have helped them see, perhaps for the first time, the wider national mandate entrusted to the National Disaster Management Agency in building a resilient Kingdom of Eswatini. That alone makes every word written here worthwhile.

For some time, whispers suggested that the nation’s resilience hub was merely about providing donations or temporary relief. While humanitarian support is important, reducing resilience to handouts misses the bigger picture. Resilience is a lifelong investment in people, systems, and preparedness.

Today, the narrative is changing. People are beginning to understand that resilience is not an event—it is a mindset, a national posture, about strengthening communities long before disaster strikes, so lives, livelihoods, and dignity are protected.

Credit goes to the Eswatini Observer leadership, under Acting Managing Director Mbongeni Mbingo, for opening space for these conversations, helping rebuild confidence and renew hope that institutions can think long term.

When we speak about resilience as a nation, we are really speaking about life itself. We all desire a good life, decent shelter, enough food, safety, dignity, and the simple comfort of knowing tomorrow will not be worse than today.

Privilege vs. Perseverance

Life does not distribute opportunities evenly. Some are born into privilege, their futures already paved through generational wealth and planning. Others are born into survival, where everything must come through sweat, sacrifice, and persistence.

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Resilience is forged in struggle. Those who rise from difficult beginnings carry something powerful within them, they know hunger, instability, and rejection, and they learn perseverance. True resilience is not accidental but earned.

Many who face hardship develop skills that privilege cannot teach: adaptability, creativity, and the ability to make much out of little. When opportunity finally arrives, they are ready.

Determination comes from understanding that while you may not control your beginning, you can influence your direction. Life will always have inequalities, but resilience comes steadily. If you feel behind, unseen, or disadvantaged, your story is not over. Your struggle is often a sign of preparation.

In the end, a good life is defined not only by what we have but by what we overcome. Sometimes, the most enduring legacy is not wealth, but the resilience we carry in our hearts.