"I had a great Buddhist teacher many years ago in Thailand who taught emotional survival with a simple illustration.  "Be like the bamboo," he'd say.  "It is strong on the outside, soft and open on the inside.  Its roots are firmly planted in the ground and freely intertwined with others for mutual strength and support.  The stalk blows freely in the wind, bending rather than resisting.  That which bends is far more difficult to break."