Pranaam yatri,
India is on a winning streak in the Cricket World Cup.
And on a losing streak with a deadly AQI in the national capital. The last I heard, it’s equivalent to smoking 31 cigarettes a day!
The people of Delhi-NCR have nothing to do with it.
The farmers of Punjab are burning stubble, and the resulting smoke may end up harming a lot of innocents who have absolutely no control over the situation (except perhaps to stay home, shut the window, put on the AC, and contribute to a worse climate).
On the other side, millions of people are heartbroken hearing about the passing of Matthew Perry.
And many are struggling with finances, relationships, health issues, and what not.
Life has become a cocktail of bad news and stress.
It is difficult to deal with such pain.
It may be ours. Or seeing someone else in a bad state.
Either way, how do we get about it?
While psychologists have multiple exercises and interventions, I only have a story.
When Dev was born, Anand (his father) felt something was off.
Just an inner voice. His instincts said that Dev is in trouble.
So, he consulted the family astrologer.
Looking at the kundli, the astrologer said,
“You’re right Anand. Dev has a shadow of bad luck over him. And it is not a small problem.
Although he will be a man of many virtues, the charts tell me that he will make 20 big losses in business. Only after these end will he see good fortune.”
Anand was upset, but grateful that he knew what to expect.
The years passed. Dev started a business.
It was growing quite well when a debtor defaulted. He was left with almost nothing.
This sudden twist of events shocked everyone, including Dev.
He was strong-willed, but the loss shocked him.
Among them all, only once person was smiling.
Anand.
“Only 19 more to go,” he murmured.
To get over loss, we need to do what Anand did.
We have to look into the future and believe that every bad thing that happens to us is just the repayment of a debt. Once we go through it, we don’t owe the universe this pain anymore.
“Great, I now have fewer bad days to face” is a great attitude to live with.
It gives us hope for a better future and confidence to face the present.
Yes, I know. It’s easier said than done.
But even if you muster the courage to have this self-talk 50% of times, is it not a good deal?
