The dangers of forced resilience

Opinion: A secondary school principal attracted some attention at the weekend when he expressed a view that “resilience” was lacking in many young people and they needed to toughen up. Secondary schools are not something I have direct experience of for well over half a century so I tread carefully here but taken too literally I see real dangers in this view.
The sentiment is clearly part of the current political environment. It sits comfortably with the approach to social benefits based on taking “responsibility” as individuals and application of sanctions for failure to do so. It has its counterpart in views on employment issues being expressed by the responsible minister. It echoes in disdain for those expressing a preference for ‘green’ over ‘machine’ in any sphere.