In a previous article, Time to Resolve, I dwelt on resolutions. In doing so, I maintained that although one may try and fail sometimes in the bid to attain a goal, the will and determination to try again remains an essential element of survival and progress in an individual’s life, whether material or spiritual. In this piece, I take it further.
Sometimes, when we find ourselves at a crossroad, in a dilemma, or are indecisive about situations in life, Life itself would make the decision for us when it figures that we are due for a change or a new phase in our journey of life based on who we are. The situation could be very gladdening such as winning of a lottery, obtaining a new job or finding a new relationship. It could also be sad such as the loss of a dear one, an old job, a relationship, a dream, or even a hope. Regardless of how these situations may appear, it is always helpful for one to be less excited or emotional but to rather look beyond the façade. In most cases, it would seem that we did not bring about these situations, at least not consciously, yet each situation is unique to each individual because of who that individual is, has been or would be.
When a situation appears ‘bad‘, it is very common for us to quickly lash out at it in reaction to its immediate outcome, rather than look beyond the veil of what the situation seems to be and perhaps unravel the subtlety. Many of us would rather blame a situation on God, life, nature, anyone or anything, when the rationale is beyond our conception. Be that as it may, the situations we find ourselves in life are results of our own making. They are consequences of actions we took before in our present or past life. These situations may seem unclear to us either because they come back when we least expect, or in a different guise just to give us a chance to overcome the past and move ahead.
Accordingly, what we have thought to be bad may actually be the catalyst we needed to move on to better things in life. For instance, a relationship may have outlived its usefulness and the ending of it was the only way to move on and find a better one. Maybe one needed to lose an old job so as to get a new one that would open a greater opportunity. Perhaps the loss of a long held hope or dream was what one needed to turn a new leaf and find a better aspiration.
Consider these situations (1) A lady is saved from death because her supervisor who ‘hated‘ her sent her away to a remote office on the day many people lost their lives in the destroyed office building. (2) A man who was ‘wrongly‘ issued summonses, rather than fret about it, decided to simply play the numbers on the summonses in a lottery and won millions. (3) A traveler who missed his flight was thereby saved from dieing in a plane crash because his ‘stupid‘ driver made the wrong turn and could not get to the airport in time. I could go on and on but we already know about these situations, and most of us have had similar experiences if we check our past, but did we notice? It buttresses the point that there is hardly an accident in life.
It is therefore not relevant to label a situation as a good or bad one, or to let loose one’s emotion and become an effect of a cause, since that would suggest that we have made an assessment based on the immediate outcome of an event which eventually ends up being far from the truth. Having an open mind about a situation enables one to see the situation in its entirety and thus be able to pluck the gift that is latent in it. There is always a brighter side to every seeming dark situation.
Life is abundant with blessings and regardless of how tough a situation might seem, it is never too tough for there is always a way out. As soon as one door closes, another would naturally open. One only needs to look and he would see, listen and he would hear, and also seek for he would find. It is a natural law, just as darkness must leave at the arrival of light, as the day must break after night has fallen, and as another season must come when another goes. It is that simple, although the simplicity of truth is actually what makes it complex, because men have learned to look very far for what is near, just as some would wonder how today will still be here when tomorrow comes. It is a paradox, and life has many of it.
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES…
Then you wonder what went amiss
For then you thought you had it all,
Right in your hand and grip to keep
A while ago, but now it’s gone.
Vainly you watch your dreams and hope,
Vanish like some departing smoke.
Was it a loss or good riddance?
Or blessings of purifying storm?
That which some call dark night of soul,
Has come again to purify (thy being)
But you forget to seek the light
That lies in wait at the tunnel’s end.
You admonish your hurting heart,
To be patient and of good hope,
But in your fret you fail to find
The rock that always salvaged you.
You seek your friends and partners too,
To give a hand for you to lean,
Or some succor in form of words,
But they are gone away from you.
In your seeming forsaken state,
You fail to see the meaning there,
And that beyond life’s crossroad come,
Lies the path that would lead you on.
That old folks you knew, friends or foe,
Have served some purpose in your life,
And in your seeming loneliness,
A new good friend will find a room.
That the dream you have held so high,
Would not indeed have served you well.
And in the closing of the door (of old),
A new one opened for your (goodly) use.
