WHAT HAPPENS INSTEAD
"We never live, we are always in expectation of living." - Voltaire
In the beginning there was just darkness and then a wise form of energy proclaimed, "let there be light'. Let me start this post with a critical thinking point: is there light to conquer darkness or does the darkness overwhelm the light? It is no secret that the universe, in terms of physics, is unbalanced (the matter/anti-matter). So it's a part of life to find balance in unbalanced systems, as is to find order in chaos?
As masses of energy, we too have a particular equilibrium. This is usually when we are saturated with ourselves, the desires equate the accomplishments. Man without desire is one with the universe but on the other hand, one with desire has a lot to thrive for its own survival. Speculate the consequences when 2 such people meet. It shall be something on the outlines of, as the Joker said, 'an unstoppable force meets an immovable object'. Two contrasting backgrounds can be deemed as an opportunity to complement by an optimist and as a call for isolation by a pessimist. During childhood, many of the stories pertaining to greed had glorified the feelings of jealousy. "Why should the next person have something more than me?" Jealousy, thus leads to greed and eventually the reason to be self-less transfigures into a being of a lesser self. Let's consider, arguably, the greatest of all traits responsible for the personality divides: Introversion (I) and Extroversion (E). In a conventional scenario, an extrovert gets the attention of the world but the introvert actually gets most of the respect. Within oneself, both want a piece of either's gains. Nobody wants to lose anything. This wish can be a driving force for the people to work harder, smarter. We wish for a better, easier, simpler tomorrow. This takes us to a paradox; if there is actually a scope of improvement in everything- what is perfection, and when is it achieved? Pondering on such a question is a call for many sacrifices to be made in the future by the self.
The Yin-Yang portray the good-in-evil and the evil-in-good philosophy. Children are innocent, they cry, dance, sing with all the ecstasy that we can fathom and thus a child considers every person a gentle soul for it thinks that it resonates with its own self. A lawful judge on the other hand, tries to find the true essence of murkiness in people- the lies, betrayals that one attempts to hide. But at any point in life, all the 'adults' want to relive those uninhibited moments they had as a child. So, the circle of our wishes continue: a child wants to grow up and the grown-ups want their childhood back. A person who is observant and quick to judge can usually rely on his judgement, which may turn out to be true in most cases while the other person who is a believer of perceiving things that s/he thinks are as they are might find itself in a situation, crying out to polish or rather develop h-is/er judgmental skills. Maybe that's why common phrase, "Didn't see that coming." still exists.
Being one-sided has never benefited anybody, it is always aspired to broaden and indulge into various horizons of life. Too much sweetness can be a cause for throwing up. Factorial experiments can inform us about the significance that a particular factor has upon our actions, the more factors we bring in- greater are the chances of an imbalance amongst its variables. Here comes in the principle of harmony. Let the varying factors be closer to some standard, imaginary criteria. One may not want to be completely inclined towards a particular field while being completely or partially oblivious to the existence of the another. The universe works in a consortia of many factors/variables. Aren't we affected by the day and the night as much as with our sleep? We plan many things, maybe unknowingly, by the influence of the sum of various factors. As we grow up, these factors become integral to our decision making. We yearn and yearn with every passing day for something that we do not have, while so callously we overlook the things that we are in possession of, at that moment. Try to achieve peace and you may find your most precious gift, yet.
I think now I can safely bring this topic to full circle and culminate that- it doesn't matter what happens, what matters the most is What Happens Instead.
"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations." - Eli Khamarov
LIFE PILED ON LIFE
"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master." - Ernest Hemingway
A person gets up in the morning, gets ready for work. Works throughout the day, returns. Eats, has some relaxation and ultimately sleeps. During the course of the day we interact with many other supposed fellow human beings and their creations.
The mornings - most vital part of the day. We are most energized during this time of the day, although, not immediately after waking up. Some of us plan the entire day while doing the daily mundane chores. Leave for work, for some- home is the place of work but the person gets into the mind frame to work, nevertheless. Things sometimes go according to the plan, sometimes they do not. In fact, the incidences of the day is what creates a tentative outline of what the day holds. Run into an argument with someone and there's the shadow of doubt on self's ability for the entire day. Likewise, help some one in need & feel blessed. The ability, efficiency & productivity of our work depends largely on the activities of the morning which is why, offices open up almost during the same time period throughout the globe i.e. ~8 am. Potency of our mind dictates the quality of our work. We meet our colleagues, our superiors and subordinates at the workplace. Not enough chitchat with them in the morning we have, do we. It's because our mind is in a particular 'comfort zone' of its work and within the proximity of it, it really wants to perform well.
Mind is a funny thing, it has a mind of its own which is pretty egoistic. It never wants to bow down in front of anybody, no matter how just it is. It tries to adjust the facts to fit a theory in which the reasoning of it prevails over all. So when we meet other people as the day progresses, it starts to ease up a little and the comfort zone is then gradually transforming into the casual zone. But there isn't any casual zone during work time, is there? Our human part manifests when we interact with fellow humans, at a human level - the classic paradoxes of empathy & sympathy. The joys and sorrows of others are felt by the brain. A colleague with a bad experience instantly depresses us while a funny incident brings joy- in either case, they knock us off our rhythm. This is all information for the brain to process but as we are humans, the rate of inflow of information is much more than the rate at which it is processed. Think of it as a kid in school who is given many assignments to do but never does it before its needed. We like symmetry in almost all things then why is the 'to-do' and 'done' list not symmetrical? "Tell'em that its human nature?" sang the late King of Pop: Michael Jackson. Coming back to our topic, the information and the brain; as the day progresses the information accumulates in our mind. Here comes in the Conscious, sub-conscious parts of the mind. Notice the tone in which you were complimented or suggested for your work, the not-so-blank eye contacts with someone, the orientation of the materials on your desk or simply-the change in the environment.
There are a lot of doors in a building or any place with a formal setting. Has it ever happened to you that you enter a room or kitchen and immediately forget the reason of entering there, wondering "why did I come here?". Our brains are programmed in ways, rather we've conditioned them such, that as soon as we enter through a door our mind senses the change in the environment & 'forgets' old information in favour of the new surroundings. Yeah, there's a bit of "Sherlock" in all of us who's constantly judging the surroundings, the things in the background, the temperature fluctuations when someone enters/leaves etc. It's just that as we grow up our observational priorities change. So what to do if you have a really important task at hand but is supposed to be carried in an another room? Simple, just be attentive; repeat the task in your mind as you pass through the door. Focus is yet another answer and reason for almost all our problems. So with every door we enter, equal doors we exit. We always leave with a new information when passing through the doors.
By the time we leave for home, our head is filled with a huge chunk of information. Every sight is worth a thousand words. Our brain gets exhausted & craves to relax. Exception is when the person has been in complete control of itself during the day and has had the most productive use of it. We reach home as the sun shies away into the west. The animals & birds return to their home and so do we. Home has its own set of information waiting to just seep into our already heavier minds. Then as the darkness engulfs the light, the tired lashes of the eye just give in to the temptation. The conflicts of the mind are then segued into the gentle world of hope & despair. The mind processes the information it gathered and all that it feels immaterial is discarded. The rest? well, ever heard of the word Deja vu, where the mind automatically fabricates the present with our past and tricks us into believing that this is the second time a thing is happening to us.
Liberation comes to those who work towards it. Work smart and not hard, give your brain a much needed peace. Rest, relax and start afresh. Where ever we come across any living being or something created by a living being, it speaks volumes of the creator's intentions. The incredible ability to relate everything we see/experience/hear to ourselves, when we look into any one of the Opus' creations, we look back at ourselves. We are defined by our actions and our actions are defined by our thoughts. This is the life piled on life.
"When you see beyond yourself, you see peace of mind waiting there." - George Harrison
