Defying Circumstances

Dixya Poudel

It is said that life is unfair. It is also unpredictable, uncertain and quite capricious. One minute we are quite on a stable footing and the next, the rug is pulled from underneath our feet. And the fact is life is unpredictable for all of us. 

At the cusp of a young age we might suffer a heavy loss whether in education, profession or health. When everything might feel like it was going well for us, we may have to confront unforeseen circumstances quite unexpectedly. 

All of a sudden, our worlds could tumble like a house of cards which is why it is necessary to have a strong support system whether it is social, financial, and psychological. It is in hard times that our relations are tested. It is also when our personal reserve of inner strength and determination is tried out. 

When life falls apart who can we depend on? Who is the person who is our strongest support system? For most of us it could be family members. Then for others, it could be friends or relations. Even a community we met on the virtual platform could be a pillar of support. Thus, it is necessary to surround ourselves with people who are our cheerleaders and a support system.  

It might also be vital to be around people who give us their honest and candid opinion. But then, we should be able to rely on ourselves as well. There is a saying, “Be your own best friend.” It isn’t just some pithy that people share in the social media. By being curious and inquisitive of our inner nature we could be more open to understanding ourselves. And when we truly know ourselves, we can find purpose through our higher self. As such, higher self is different from ego. 

By channeling our higher self we can learn to trust ourselves while also creating authentic connections. Here the question should be, “Can I be resilient in adverse circumstances?” Once we are compassionate to ourselves and can ask for and receive support from our loved ones, it will be easier to bear the unpredictable and variable circumstances that can befall us. Highs and lows are part of life but sometimes, the lows can be really crippling. 

In such cases, one could require professional help in form of counsellors for psychological support or a life coach to align our lives in the right lane. However, it could still be a rough sailing. There could be people who are willing to see one fall especially in the case of public figures. The truth is we can’t control others’ opinion of us. What we can focus on is ourselves. Instead of being reactive, we can be proactive. Again, it could sound a lot like positive psychology that is making rounds in the social media, but there is an ounce of truth in it. 

As Paul Aster says, “The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we’re not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.” In this unpredictable life that hurls difficult circumstances, it is necessary to reevaluate what is and isn’t requisite to our happiness and stability.