Every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better
It does feel good to read this quote, doesn’t it?
Have you ever wondered, if Is this quote really true?
Let’s wonder together…
For this to be true, there has to be two conditions,
First Condition: For this quote to be true, there has to be someone or something that must know your future in your current path (not so good) and must have the power to redirect you to a new path (very good), thus creating a new future for you.
What’s that someone or something?. A god or the universe (gas and dust). Yeah, there is a group of people who are not religious but believe that gas and dust can affect their lives.
What does that someone or something gain by doing you a favor?. No one knows.
It’s external. It’s not in our control. People who believe in creationism will be offended. Ok, no problem. Let’s ignore this first condition.
Second Condition: You must have lived both lives, to compare and confirm that the re-directed path is better than the original path. If you have ever lived only one path, you cannot claim that your current path is better. At most, you are being delusional.
I’ll give you a couple of examples from my life.
Example 1: Right after college, when I wrote the aptitude test for Infosys, I was so well prepared that I knew the answers for 9 out of 10 questions right away. I finished the one-hour exam within 10 minutes. But I was rejected because my friend took my answer sheet and started copying the answers. I did join TCS and I had a good life.
But, how do I know that my life in TCS is better than what my life would have been in Infosys? I’ll never know. I would be happy with this quote, only because my current life is good.
Example 2: My father had a stroke and was paralyzed for 22 years, confined to the house most of his adult life. Towards the end, his health deteriorates and his every breath humiliates his existence. All he wanted was to die. This is the redirected path for my father.
Would you think my father would agree with this quote? I don’t think so.
Probably you’ll exclude this as an exception, even though you do not have the data of all lives that were redirected, ended up being good vs the ones that ended up being bad.
It’s Ok. I understand that everyone wants a good life and these positive quotes help them momentarily. Sure, let’s move on…
I have one more question. Have you ever wondered,
What makes you so special that you must have a good life?
The answer cannot be, “Everyone deserves a good life”. Because, in reality, for you to have a good life someone else should have a bad life. For example,
For you to have a clean house, someone else has to clean the sewers.
For you to have a free life, someone else has to defend your freedom.
For you to be generous with money, someone else has to need money.
When everyone has everything in their life, there are no good things left to do. Whatever good you could do, everyone else can do it too and it’s probably done already.
Think about that !!!
The question again is, “What makes you so special that you must have a good life?”
Any answer that you come up with, would apply to everyone else in this world. Wouldn’t it? See if you can defend that your answer applies only to you.
So, I am not special?
Try to answer that yourself, it may be hard. But be genuine to yourself with your arguments.
My answer is
I am not special. My life could be as good or as bad as any random person in this world.
“You sound so pessimistic and nihilistic”. Ok, that’s one way to look at it.
Let’s talk about the hard truths.
As I grow into coaching, I am becoming more restless than becoming calm. What used to comfort me, doesn’t comfort me anymore. What I was afraid of before, I am curious about them now.
I am consciously redirecting my life in multiple paths to find truth and be at peace.
Do I enjoy this phase? No, not really. But I am curious to figure out, what my life could be.
Would I find it? Maybe, or maybe not. That’s what life is. An exploration.
Every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was being redirected to something better
What’s your “something better”?
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