Turn Setbacks Into Fuel For Self-Growth
Facing a setback or experiencing loss can seriously impact our self-esteem as it punches a hole in our animated success or fulfilment. We realise ainfully that life is not all good and that ears a small player inthe larger scheme events, often at the mercy of things yond our control. We feel helpless, opless and betrayed. There are some Ho never find escape from this black hole and others who manage to get out of it but the process, they lose their potential for feeling complete. They try to restart their febutalways seem to be grappling with art of experiencing yet another tack or loss. These experiences at traumatise us could instead be turned advantage and used as fuel for selfrowth by initiating an upward journey of consciousness. In the Bhagavata Parana, the story bees that King Yalata was cursed to lose is youth, and become an old man. Having lost his youth a despondent Yayatirequests his sons to give him their youth and one of them agrees. Thereafter, Yalata is said to have lived a thousand years, chasing wordily pleasures and gratifying his desires but his discontent grew with every new 'fulfilment'. Ultimately, he realised the futility of his endeavour and returned youth to his son making peace with the loss he had avoided for long. Yalata’s story is symbolic of both our never-ending obsession with pleasure-seeking and the incessant resultant pain. Perhaps, Yalata could have avoided this long period of suffering and discontent had he dealt practically with the loss, initially. Whether it is loss of a relationship, material possession, societal status, job opportunity, or a project, it is ignorance to slip into remorse or come up with bargaining measures to undo the loss. Our pain is not real but emanates from our attachment to ego and its inconsequential desires. When desires are getting fulfilled and our ego is feeling great, there is elation, and when it turns the other way, there is deep depression. Our simplistic solution to this complex problem is to do what Yalata tried to do for a long time. We exclusively seek and bind ourselves to elation and avoid depression by focussing on gratification of desires and ego. But basically this wish to fulfil our desires and pamper our ego gives all the power to loss because we cannot deal with non-fulfilment of desire. If we cultivate mindfulness towards nonfulfillment of desire, the curse of loss turns into a boon of transcendence. Whenever there is an experience of loss, one needs to become aware about all related feelings because loss is inevitable and has to be experienced sooner rather than later. Therefore, it better to face the loss now instead of trying to find a replacement. One should then develop gratitude towards the Divine for having given experience of suffering so that we are given the opportunity to become aware of the illusory nature and playoff gratification and loss. Once we capitalise on this enlightened attitudto give up obsessive desire for gratification and possession, loss becomes a trivial incident rather than a life defining negative experience.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Pulkit Sharma views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Pulkit Sharma and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Turn Setbacks Into Fuel For Self-Growth
Facing a setback or experiencing loss can seriously impact our self-esteem as it punches a hole in our animated success or fulfilment. We realise ainfully that life is not all good and that ears a small player inthe larger scheme events, often at the mercy of things yond our control. We feel helpless, opless and betrayed. There are some Ho never find escape from this black hole and others who manage to get out of it but the process, they lose their potential for feeling complete. They try to restart their febutalways seem to be grappling with art of experiencing yet another tack or loss. These experiences at traumatise us could instead be turned advantage and used as fuel for selfrowth by initiating an upward journey of consciousness. In the Bhagavata Parana, the story bees that King Yalata was cursed to lose is youth, and become an old man. Having lost his youth a despondent Yayatirequests his sons to give him their youth and one of them agrees. Thereafter, Yalata is said to have lived a thousand years, chasing wordily pleasures and gratifying his desires but his discontent grew with every new 'fulfilment'. Ultimately, he realised the futility of his endeavour and returned youth to his son making peace with the loss he had avoided for long. Yalata’s story is symbolic of both our never-ending obsession with pleasure-seeking and the incessant resultant pain. Perhaps, Yalata could have avoided this long period of suffering and discontent had he dealt practically with the loss, initially. Whether it is loss of a relationship, material possession, societal status, job opportunity, or a project, it is ignorance to slip into remorse or come up with bargaining measures to undo the loss. Our pain is not real but emanates from our attachment to ego and its inconsequential desires. When desires are getting fulfilled and our ego is feeling great, there is elation, and when it turns the other way, there is deep depression. Our simplistic solution to this complex problem is to do what Yalata tried to do for a long time. We exclusively seek and bind ourselves to elation and avoid depression by focussing on gratification of desires and ego. But basically this wish to fulfil our desires and pamper our ego gives all the power to loss because we cannot deal with non-fulfilment of desire. If we cultivate mindfulness towards nonfulfillment of desire, the curse of loss turns into a boon of transcendence. Whenever there is an experience of loss, one needs to become aware about all related feelings because loss is inevitable and has to be experienced sooner rather than later. Therefore, it better to face the loss now instead of trying to find a replacement. One should then develop gratitude towards the Divine for having given experience of suffering so that we are given the opportunity to become aware of the illusory nature and playoff gratification and loss. Once we capitalise on this enlightened attitudto give up obsessive desire for gratification and possession, loss becomes a trivial incident rather than a life defining negative experience.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Pulkit Sharma views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Pulkit Sharma and Speaking Tree,Times of India