I do not subscribe to the idea that adversity is the most crucial chisel that shapes us. Our creativity, character and psyche all benefit from solace, tenderness and rest.

If we take El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X - we could give heavy credit to his tumultuous early life and incarceration.

But the Malcolm X we know and adore was brought into being mostly out of inspiration for his fellow inmate, John Bremby and the inadvertent gift that incarceration afforded him: rest, time and intellectual access.

Of course, challenges allow us to grow, detect our limitations to push them and push past them.

But we end up romanticising the transformative power of hardship and underestimating the virtue of receiving grace, having space and experiencing nourishment.

We are convinced that having our needs satisfied is a rockslide into complacency. The truth is, not needing to worry about or fight for basic necessities unearths new corners of our imagination and opens us up to brave new worlds of potential.

Starvation can make you savvy but you can't grow strong on an empty stomach.