I received a touching image on WhatsApp during one of the testing chapters of my life from someone I hold in equal esteem to my father. Today, about three years after that challenging period, I not only recognize those times as tests but also as fleeting moments. This realization brings me to a life lesson, the focus of today’s blog: falling versus failing.
The unstable nature of life is an inevitable reality. Falling is merely the process of pushing effort toward a goal and not achieving the desired results. Note these words carefully: “The results, the way you wanted, may not necessarily be what was best for you.” As mortal beings, we can never imagine the other side of the coin. There’s always a larger picture, a grander plan orchestrating the universe for your betterment, whether you comprehend it or not. I don’t express this in blind faith toward any belief system, but rather, it has a potent armor in its reserve—gratitude. The power of this word and the spirit behind it, I had not fully grasped before confronting my personal storms. Gratitude first detaches you from the outcome of any action—it doesn’t empower success or failure to break your self-confidence or elevate you to the heights of arrogance.
Does this sound familiar? Indeed! It aligns with the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita—the concept of detached attachment. Through my introspection on falling, acceptance, and gratitude, I also understood the concept of Anti-Fragility. Resilience has its merits, protecting oneself from being shattered by life’s storms, and refusing to bow down in testing times. This is admirable, really, but practicing anti-fragility means, after facing a dark storm, not only remaining unshaken but emerging stronger and enriched with the lessons it came with. It’s like taking exams in each grade to progress to the next class; the exam’s purpose is to promote you to the next level of life and learning.
This brings me back to the essence of this blog—falling is acceptable; it’s the fixation on failure that needs to be removed from one’s heart and mind. What’s crucial is putting in your utmost effort, learning from the process, gracefully accepting any unforeseen outcomes, engaging in introspection, and then rising again to move forward.
I’ll share a tale from Gautama Buddha’s life and times that is close to my heart. close to my heart. A disciple asked Buddha, “If a person loses all material wealth, his dear ones, his social capital, and almost everything, what does he have left to lose?” Buddha responded, “The only thing left to lose is his ‘hope,’ with which he can reclaim everything in life.”
Do you grasp Buddha’s message? Falling was an incident; gear up your hope again and strive to rise once more. Our hope allows us to rewrite our story after a comma, even if the world tries to impose a full stop. I’ll leave you with that!🙂
