Imagine you are driving a car and inching forward on a crowded street during peak traffic hours. All around you, there are noises and fumes as people try to make their way to work. Suddenly, the traffic comes to a standstill. "Oh no!" rises the frustrated cry, "Not another traffic jam!" Brakes screech, horns blare, people curse under their breaths. You feel your blood pressure rise; you will be late again.

As you fight to control your emotions, the sound of an overhead plane draws your attention skywards. The plane soon disappears, but its backdrop the beautiful blue sky catches your eye. You see birds fly gracefully high up in the sky. Some of them flap their wings briefly and then relax as the momentum carries them on.

You take a deep breath as your eyes take in the vast sky sprinkled with several exquisitely shaped clouds. The majesty of the sight fills you with a peace and poise that you have not known for a long time. As a few precious and endless moments pass by, your heart finds solace in the sublimity of nature. You feel yourself experiencing a profound serenity and tranquillity; you find tensed muscles relaxing your breath becoming deeper and steadier, your stressed body shifting into a more comfortable position in the car seat.

That reminds you - you are in a car caught in a traffic jam. As you look around and survey the chaos, you feel strangely calm. It's as if you were one of the birds, looking down like a detached observer at the chaotic scene below.

The vehicles ahead start moving; you too start moving, feeling rejuvenated and enlivened. The traffic jam has ended, but you know that something wonderful has just begun within your life. You have discovered the uplifting, transforming power of taking a bird's eye view of an adverse situation. You are determined to keep tapping that power in the future whenever you are faced with adversities.

When we are at the mercy of unpredictable worldly or personal events which we have no control over, we can feel disempowered. Those who let themselves be overwhelmed might break down under the ensuing stress. On the other hand, getting a bird's eye view of a troublesome situation is empowering and can help us to face it better. Just like a traffic jam - it may be inconvenient, but it is not permanent.

Additionally, as Buddha said, "To never have suffered is to never have been blessed." We can develop patience, tolerance and many other good qualities in difficult situations.