REFLECTION 1

 ‘Before a dream is realized the soul of the world tests everything that was learned along the way. It does not do this because it is evil, but so that we can in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we have learned as we move toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up……Every search begins with the beginner’s luck and every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.’

-The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

All humans are not born with silver spoons in mouth. All of us are not bestowed with the luxuries of life and yet among this population there are few that create their own silver spoons and then there are few who continue to live in their world of self-perceived limitations. Irrespective of what circumstances one is born in, the common factor among us all is the tendency to follow the survival instinct.

For some people, the basic needs along the way are a struggle to meet while for the others the hierarchy of needs may satiate the moment they are able to provide for themselves and their families. There are still others for whom recognition and achievement are truly achieved when they win awards, accolades and fame for themselves.

There is yet another set of people for whom life is always a mystery that needs to be unravelled. For them life is guided by a desire…

 a desire to seek something more

a desire to touch others to the core,

a desire to find meaning in their lives

in service of others, their own potential they optimize,

a desire to bring about a passionate change

the self-imposed limitations, they surely abate,

a desire to achieve their goal unflagging

come what may, their spirit is never disparaging,

for it is in the fervent journey of the sort

that to true test, one’s character is brought,

a desire is then put to the test of fire

to gauge the pledge of the desirer,

the one who passes it without the testy face

Often ends up reaching the finish line in the race!

However, along the way it may so happen that we feel that every humanly possible way has been tried and put to test. Every possible option that an individual had, has been explored; every possible direction that one could move ahead has been probed. However, at that very point is the time when one needs to keep the passion alive, the courage and the determination to thrive, the vow to move forward with a non-begrudging heart and the spirit to bring an end to the start. This is when the real test of one’s faith begins. This is the truly testing time, a time when the previously learnt lessons need to be applied. It is in this hour of seeming adversity that one discovers the innate musings of one’s potentiality. It is in the truly trying times that one’s values need to shine. After all, the lotus only blooms in muddy water. So is the case of the human who works towards his mission. It is among these murky situations that one gets a chance to prove the validity of one’s commitment. So no matter how many times we have been rejected and felt dejected, the ultimate triumph would only fall in if we persisted. Luck may favour us to provide us with an opportunity to begin with but ultimately it is what we make of it that brings in victory. My students would tell me every year after passing their Psychology examination, “all the papers that you prepared were so unnecessarily complicated and you scared the shit out of us with those complicated case studies.” And I would tell them, “it is those papers that gave you the training to answer the questions that you consider simple today.”

Life is a journey amidst some simple and some complicated examinations, we just need to continue to persevere through those tribulations and continue to walk until we achieve the ultimate desire.