“The show must go on”—a line that neatly captures a certain myth of winning through force of will. For a century, the West has exported that self-image alongside its markets and its currency: adversity as performance, persistence as virtue.

“The show must go on”—a line that neatly captures a certain myth of winning through force of will. For a century, the West has exported that self-image alongside its markets and its currency: adversity as performance, persistence as virtue.