A most reasonable question - "Why"

As he says: I started finding empathy behind the human thoughts only to know why am I being so deliberate to ask "Why" and answer why it follows.

The inspiration behind this story is just 3 lettered curiosity unable to stay in the mind box. Back in the school days, Fayij was a chess player. The game itself holds so much in the name that often we overlook what it follows next. In the game, for a single move, there has to be thorough thinking and reasoning. The question starts here: "Why" I should move this pawn when I have another 15 sitting happily. This thinking goes on and on until you or your opponent come to a stage wherein you could justify the move. Winning is basically a judgment of how you plan your moves, how clear your vision is, and how you aim to win over the thoughts in the opponent's mind.

So here's Fayij's story of turning from a chess player to a guy seeking answers for every "Why" that popped up in his head.

It all started with his career back in 2017. He had recently joined Cognizant as a trainee and was offered the location as Pune. Initially, the training days were good. There were lots of people hailing from in and around the corners of the country, getting to know them was the best he could do. Their cultures, way of talking, way of taking up tasks were all he loved to be a part of.

Soon, as they say, Good days fly away quickly, our training got over and he had to take up a project in another part of the country. Surely he was going to miss the fun he had here in Pune. It was here that I and Fayij met eventually as training mates. And one fine Saturday, which I use to consider as a break off day, got to know about how good he is at Chess.

Somehow Fayij was always eager to work on new things that come up his way. All along with this new hustle-bustle of new project, new teammates, new place, he was initially occupied. But sometime later down the line, he started feeling lonely. The new desk and new pile of excel sheets wanting him to edit did not excite him much. He found himself caught in the vicious cycle which we all are part of Sleep, office (work - coffee - work), eat, repeat. To avoid the negative thoughts that keep on coming he tried playing games, roaming to different places, traveling on weekends to small picnic spots. Eventually nothing helped him.

Down the line he found himself slipping an inch more every time into the bowl of loneliness. He started looking for people to reach out to, to talk to, to share to, but as we all know corporate isn't about your emotions to be carried with. Rampaging your teammates with your thoughts could be the cause of extra working hours too. Somehow he started feeling reluctant to work and go to the office too.

Fayij shifted his project location, so new project, new people around, a new location, yet again the same problem. Same thoughts, the same problem, and the same whirlpool everywhere. He could not just leave his job and run away as he had certain commitments to it.

He reached out to some of his old friends who advise him on a small side hustle he could work on. Start with something by which you could help others also who are or might suffer from these kinds of situations. Fayij, was always keen on playing chess and now he could not even think of playing it because of his timing restrictions, office commitments, and all. He remembered he was always into asking himself, why did I move this pawn? Why did the opponent choose to move the other one and not what I interpreted? He always had this reasoning in him which kept him going.

Eventually Fayij started to get to know more and more people. Now he would talk to them with the intention of having to know them. And as his intentions changed, he started learning that it wasn't just him experiencing the loneliness. Due to the barrier of breaking the ice on such hard emotions, nobody would open up so easily. More than a team member, now fayij connected as a friend. He had to draft all of his conversations and thought of putting it up. So that next time somebody feels like him, they do have a "Go-To" point.

Fayij now successfully posts daily motivational quotes and often blogs his experiences as he connects with the others. Having just changed the perspective of looking at things, the boring and awkward conversations were now his favorite.

He says "Rather than focusing on my problem when I widened my horizon to open up for other people, I started feeling that I do not actually have a problem. Helping others in solving their problems gives fulfillment. Problems are bigger when we keep them near. Keep them a little away from you will find what they want and why they are around us."

And that's how Fayij ended up being a Point of Contact to various people in and around his own society for sharing their thoughts, joyous or sad, Fayij listened to all. And he enjoys this journey of converting himself into a guy who always asks "Why".

Why did this happen?

Why is this correct?

Why people are revolving around problems?

Problems are everywhere. The way we handle them, the way we respond to the mess they kind of create around us matters a lot. Complaining of how the situations blew off and you landed with nothing but sorrow isn't relaxing. Hurdles are bound to come. Solutions are bound to float. The moment we grasp the two, and bring them at the same page makes us different from the herd.

The moral I could from his story was: Do not let your mind run you. The moment you gave it all the powers, is the same moment you might end up losing. Keep yourself occupied and you can throw away all negativity.

Thanks for reading. 

If you have any such stories please do reach out. Let's convey small stories and help others too. Please let me know how you feel about this.