HOW THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN A CHANGE AGENT
Good thing about this lockdown till date has been that I am slowly realizing what exactly I want from life. I am also understanding the requirements of relationships. Complete thought process is transforming. When you are isolated in your home with your family for such a long time, you start coming to terms with other members’ viewpoints, expectations and their response to tough situations. You come to know each others’ negativities and positivities. However we have not yet reached a point where we could take other person’s criticism in a positive way so as to give it a thought and act upon it to improve ourselves- if we find the criticism valid. We are still reactive rather than proactive.
These improvements come about by interacting with learned people, meditation, reading good books, journaling and staying positive. We have to keep in mind that the situation is changing constantly. What is there now won’t be there later on. Tough times will lead to good times. Nothing is stationary. When we are living on an earth which itself is rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun, so how do we expect that times will always remain the same.
We have to respect time and utilize the present moment to the fullest without giving much thought to what has passed away or what is going to come. Past must be a learning process for us and future must be something we are preparing for today. If our preparedness today is positive and well defined, there is no reason that the future will not be good. This means we should be proactive in every situation-whether good or tough, we should be empathetic towards others, tolerant and thank the almighty all the times for our possessions.
Of course it does not mean that we should not have any dreams or aspirations for the future. For a life well lived, they are definitely required. They are what’s going to keep us going and reinventing ourselves and improving ourselves. Our aspirations are going to make us a better person when we overcome the challenges to realize them.
Basically the moto of life should be to try everything that one wants to do in life keeping your present good. We should not spoil our present by worrying about the future we are working for. Live every moment of life. For this one has to be a disciplined person, a law abiding citizen and a person who is punctual and values time.
Nobody in this world-your parents, your other half, your kids, your friends, politicians-no one is going to help you. You have to fight your own battle. Its not that these people do not want to help. Its just that everyone is fighting his own battle and is so stuck up in his endeavour that he can not think beyond self.
Your parents gave you good upbringing, your children are a source of happiness, your other half is an inspiration for you, your friends are good guides. Ultimately you have to do your works. Any failures, any setbacks should not be taken on personal level. One does not become a weak person or a less intelligent person because of them. Failures or disappointments only show that you are on the right track. Take them in your stride and just move on.
Love life, love your home, love your surroundings. Just love. The motivator should be that during your later years of life when you look back, you should not have any regrets that you did not try. If we believe that there is a God in this world then let us allow him to reward us. Let’s just keep on performing and let him decide what is good for us. Of course we feel bad when we don’t get what we aspire for-but then that is life. We get what we deserve and not necessarily what we aspire for. We have to make ourselves a person capable of acquiring what we aspire for.
We have to be warriors born only to win. Winning may not necessarily mean acquiring worldly things. Winning means overcoming all challenges life throws at us and coming out stronger from each episode and more importantly living for the moment.
Journaling is also a great motivator. You pen your feelings, your thoughts, your achievements, your failures and frustrations in your diary. Your thought process becomes more refined with more journaling. This is a good habit to form. You realize that there are so few things you want from life.
When I think about myself and my life, I feel that I have been very fortunate for all the good things in life. I have lived the life that I desired. I have continuously tried to improve myself as a person. I have successfully reduced my requirements in life. I have become more tolerant, proactive and I don’t get disturbed very easily with the actions of other people-which may not necessarily be of my liking. I find these very trivial. I am looking for bigger things in life. My mind says that I should be self reliant, debt free and provide my family with good deeds. I should acquire what I aspire for and pass it on to my family.
Ultimately I want to go away to far off places. Travel, travel, travel. Meet new people, journal my travel. I want to be free of worldly encumbrances. There is a force inside me that is telling me to break free and move on. I want to search the deeper meanings of life. I want to bond with people all over the world.
Hope I am able to realize it sooner than later.
Romi Kataria
