Change-II
I used to think we all make conscious choices, choices of how we'd like to see ourselves, how we'd like to view life. Well, probably many a time we don't (maybe better put, would be that only the very lucky few amongst make those choices), many a time others who think they know whats best for us, make those choices for us. And we spend most of our lives under those shadows, either fighting openly against it or reacting to everything we see around us, often with irrational fears (complexes of whatever kind) and scars of the past, running from our own shadows. I think we are all scarred by our past, at some level desperate to seek hope anywhere, desperate to hold onto even a straw of hope, when we see so much horror, so much turmoil, so much negativity around us. I think no matter what past we had, what distinguishes us is how we deal with our experiences. There are no gospel truths. Everybody has to find their own truth. Just a few observations though.
There are many things about our lives we can't change, namely those things which have happened in our past. There are two permanent aspects of life, the begining of life and the end of life, when one has seen both these things up close early on, one respects most aspects of life in their entirety much more than one would otherwise. One also looks to assume as little as one can about one's life and of life in general. One realizes that many of our assumptions, which lead to our own false senses of security are what prevent us from growth. In my observation, the knowledge of struggle, of both the meaninglesness and meaningfulness of life, all at once,makes one humble, less reactive, less likely to want to judge others, more receptive to an alternate point of view. I am convinced that we create our own realities, not by being biased and seeing the world through those eyes, but by being honest (to ourselves first, and to others where possible), by being kind, compassionate and understanding to others, their points of view. Those who have humility in their hearts, are more open to accepting their own fallibility and by extension are more open to learning and growth. People grow when they learn from their own experiences and those of others. We learn from others by approaching them with an open heart and mind and a stead-fast desire to learn. Anger, biases towards others, makes us blind and we hurt only ourselves. I have observed people including myself making complete fools of themselves, through false ego and having a desire to prove a point to others. Such vanity and self-delusions exist in all of us. When we are able to dust ourselves up and learn from our mistakes, we come out stronger and more mature from an experience. This however predicates itself on the assumption that we wish to learn, that is something that is strictly a personal choice. Only we can determine when and how we wish to learn, other people around us no matter how well-meaning cannot make us see what we are determined not to see, they can only help, if we are humble enough to recognize that it is human to err, human to learn and human to grow. Part of the human experience is to make our own mistakes, but it is also part of the human experience to learn from those mistakes and make an effort to grow from it. We all have the freedom and should have the freedom to learn our own way, without interference. Our friends and family can at best only help us in this endeavor provided we are kind, humble to learn with and from them and value and respect their presence and experience enough. We live in a world where no man has time for another's problems or points of view. By dismissing another man's viewpoint without careful thought, we only serve to devalue ourselves.
Irrespective of anything real change comes from inside.
I have no right to pass judgement on others, merely to hope that we make the best of what life gives us.
There are many things about our lives we can't change, namely those things which have happened in our past. There are two permanent aspects of life, the begining of life and the end of life, when one has seen both these things up close early on, one respects most aspects of life in their entirety much more than one would otherwise. One also looks to assume as little as one can about one's life and of life in general. One realizes that many of our assumptions, which lead to our own false senses of security are what prevent us from growth. In my observation, the knowledge of struggle, of both the meaninglesness and meaningfulness of life, all at once,makes one humble, less reactive, less likely to want to judge others, more receptive to an alternate point of view. I am convinced that we create our own realities, not by being biased and seeing the world through those eyes, but by being honest (to ourselves first, and to others where possible), by being kind, compassionate and understanding to others, their points of view. Those who have humility in their hearts, are more open to accepting their own fallibility and by extension are more open to learning and growth. People grow when they learn from their own experiences and those of others. We learn from others by approaching them with an open heart and mind and a stead-fast desire to learn. Anger, biases towards others, makes us blind and we hurt only ourselves. I have observed people including myself making complete fools of themselves, through false ego and having a desire to prove a point to others. Such vanity and self-delusions exist in all of us. When we are able to dust ourselves up and learn from our mistakes, we come out stronger and more mature from an experience. This however predicates itself on the assumption that we wish to learn, that is something that is strictly a personal choice. Only we can determine when and how we wish to learn, other people around us no matter how well-meaning cannot make us see what we are determined not to see, they can only help, if we are humble enough to recognize that it is human to err, human to learn and human to grow. Part of the human experience is to make our own mistakes, but it is also part of the human experience to learn from those mistakes and make an effort to grow from it. We all have the freedom and should have the freedom to learn our own way, without interference. Our friends and family can at best only help us in this endeavor provided we are kind, humble to learn with and from them and value and respect their presence and experience enough. We live in a world where no man has time for another's problems or points of view. By dismissing another man's viewpoint without careful thought, we only serve to devalue ourselves.
Irrespective of anything real change comes from inside.
I have no right to pass judgement on others, merely to hope that we make the best of what life gives us.
posted by Aditya at 9:37 PM
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