Everything operates according to the scheme of things.

 

Do not be disheartened.

People suffer because they feel they could not lead the life they wanted to. They resent the many challenges they faced and rue how it affected their lives.

All of us have experienced this syndrome. Life is perceived as about opportunities and choices. One enjoys or suffers accordingly.

There are also events and circumstances over which we have no control. They come out of nowhere and overwhelm leaving scars or permanently altering everything.

One has lofty dreams when life begins and halfway through there comes a time of evaluating how things developed. By that time or even later there is no scope of undoing things. One gets into the mode of patching things and moving along carrying wounds and disappointment in the heart.

People break under the strain. In childhood and youth one can cope due to the inherent strength but later in life the battered frame finds it very difficult to cope and a downslide begins.

How do we tackle such situations? Adopting the following methods help;

- Continuing despite the setbacks

- Internally adjusting to the new circumstances

- Keeping oneself engaged

Many turn to religion and spirituality at such times trying to understand why they had to suffer as well as to discover new ways to cope.

The most important resource one needs at such times is hope. The next is energy. If there are supporting friends and relatives around things become easier.

One can also seek help from the holistic healers. Herbs and homeopathy can help to a very great extent.

As we witness Navjyot Singh Sidhu stand like a rock by the side of his cancer stricken wife and diligently nurse her back to health, one cannot but wish that all those suffering had such support.

The answers to such situations exist, but not all can accept them. They feel cheated and let down.

- We agree to our life before we are born

- We undergo experiences so we can develop

- Even as the exterior suffers, the tremendous potential inside benefits from it all

- Going through adverse circumstances forces one to introspect and then the path slowly opens up

We live our lives like we are floating in a fierce current. So long as we enjoy the flow we do not bother about the way the life we lead impacts us as well as others. It is when we are hit that we start contemplating. We have all experienced this.

Knowing that setbacks come to teach or square up old accounts help in coping. Resolving to share so others do not suffer helps us too. And when we help others cope we really shine.

Life is about sitting in a table front to front with bowls of food in front of us. The problem is that the laddle is long and we cannot feed ourselves. There is a way out of the misery. We can use the long laddle to feed the person sitting in front and vice versa. The problem is solved and we gain from the service we render.

In early societies faced with extreme challenges this was the norm. People lived as a community and helped each other. Communities live without fear and anxiety as there is a common objective and help is always at hand.

As societies developed people discovered tools that mapped life and its vicissitudes. One such very effective tool is astrology. It maps ones potential, guides through life, and warns about the challenges on the path, and also offers hope by pointing out the outcome.

Education was about the various facets of life, spiritual and secular knowledge, and livelihoods. The healers ensured good mentality, health and energy. These helped in shaping a good life. There were counsellors available to guide one when in trouble. Even though society expanded the common threads kept it together. The trick was to know about the interconnectedness of things; life, society, nature, and shape livelihoods accordingly.

Modern life is about serving corporations that benefit from destroying nature. Consequently even as comforts galore, problems are so vast the multitude find it difficult to cope. When everything is measured in terms of money there is no scope for humanity to assert itself.

Even people who make it their resolve to serve society face the same challenges. They help others without any thought of return but find no one to turn to when they need help. But they do it anyway for they know of no other way to live.

We all have manifested for a purpose. There is nothing unnecessary in this world. We roll on gathering experiences and it is sometimes really bad. But then good times come and the imprint of the experiences deliver the much needed goodness.

Life delivers a lemon and the experience teaches us how to make a lemonade and share it with others.

There are no missed opportunities. There is no unnecessary suffering. Everything has a place. Bitter experiences are the seeds that blossom into beautiful worlds where people strive to create heaven on earth.