Bamboo Mentality

In ancient China, people identified with Bamboo as the very symbol of Chinese character. Bamboo stands for elasticity, endurance and perseverance. Bamboo is beautiful, strong, yet pliable. The stem bends in the wind but does not break. The leaves are moved by the wind but do not fall. After the American atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, bamboo was one of the first plants to emerge from the soil and turn green again. It is a survivor.

It is natural to picture an oak tree when thinking of strength and endurance. After a storm, however, the branches of an oak are cracked and broken and its leaves are strewn about. The bamboo tree survives monsoons by being flexible. It bends with the storms of life so that when the storm is over it can continue to stretch upward, stem intact and leaves accounted for.

Life sometimes feels like a series of windy days. Other times it feels as though an atomic bomb has been dropped on you. Responding to life’s storms and explosions requires patience and planning in order to survive with the least amount of cracks and breaks. Having a “bamboo mentality” means yielding when appropriate and advancing when possible. Bamboo mentality refers to your ability to reach compromise, sometimes giving in, but ultimately emerging from your troubles unbroken.