By: BK Surya
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/1808/the-daily-guardian/15
Dated: December 21st, 2024

All of us face various challenges in life. Recurring challenges can make some people despondent and depressed. It need not be so. Instead of being overwhelmed by problems, we can overcome them, or at least remain unaffected, by learning to deal with them in such a manner that they leave us wiser and stronger. Adopting some principles in life helps in this. 

The first principle is to accept and learn to live with what we cannot control or change. A lot many happenings in the world are beyond our control, and getting worked up over them does not help. Some of the events may be truly distressing, but when we are in no position to influence them, it is better to recognise them as a reflection of the current state of the world and not allow our mind to be disturbed. We can keep our outlook positive, with good wishes for all concerned. That may be easy to do when we are not personally affected by events, but when it comes to our own life, a major cause of sorrow are unhappy memories of past experiences. Coming to terms with the past is necessary to have a strong footing, emotionally, and to be able to move forward in life. The past cannot be changed, so it is wise to accept it for what it was and remember that was a different time – the present is not the same and I can choose to do better now. It is crucial to put the past behind us, otherwise we pointlessly expend our time and energy agonizing over it, which leaves the mind disturbed and weak. The mind is strong when it is calm, and that is when it is able to make the right decisions.

When we look for the root causes of the problems confronting us, we find that our circumstances are not to blame: others may be coping with similar situations quite well. It is the way we see the situation and respond to it that generates feelings of anger, frustration, sorrow, or resignation. It has been said that a problem is nothing but the creation of a weak mind. If a weak mind gives rise to problems, the opposite is also true – a strong mind resolves problems.

We can remain strong when we have the determination never to lose hope and give up. No situation or person can break us mentally unless we give in. The journey of life is like a movie playing on a screen. The scenes are continually changing and nothing remains as it is. The same is true of the difficulties before us today: they were not there earlier and will not remain forever. They will pass with time and let them pass, without engaging too much with them emotionally. Knowing that no problem is permanent helps us remain strong and stable.

A powerful tool everyone can use to clear life’s hurdles is the power of positive thoughts. Every thought carries with it subtle energy which shapes the future. We can create a good future by purposefully and regularly creating positive thoughts: ‘I am stronger than the situations before me…’, ‘All will turn out well…’, ‘Tomorrow will be a better day….’ Once we make it a habit to think in this manner, with an indomitable spirit, nothing can defeat us and stop us from moving ahead in life.

BK Surya is a Rajyoga teacher 
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.