Can we blame the situation for our failure? Can we blame others when we fail?
Bharat Bhushan - 8 December 2008
The obvious answer, of course, is that we cannot. If it is entirely within us, then why do we fail? How do we fail? There must be some reason, and it must be outside of us, for we do not want to fail and we have made the perfect plan to implement any project or plan, and it was something outside of that plan or someone other than us who caused the failure. That is why we fail, not entirely because of us. So, why should we avoid blaming situations, causes, reasons and others for our failure?
Is there any failure in life? If the past was a myth and the future is not as yet true, and if the present is the only truth that there is, how could failure be an actual happening? We could not achieve some part or aspect or the entire plan at some point of time. So, is it a failure for the rest of our lives? No. There is much of life to roll on, and there are more and more opportunities to seek and to try and retrieve the non-success. I would like to recognise 'failure' as a 'non-success'. That is to say, that there are more and more opportunities to convert that non-success in to a success.
We seem to determine that we have failed. That recognition happens deep within us. We have set up a goal for ourselves, and we imagine that we have failed. Why? Because we think we are the most important living beings on this planet, and our success and failure is extremely important. Nothing can be farther from the truth. There is only one truth, and that is, we are of no consequence. Our success and our failure is of no consequence if it is relevant to us. It should be of use and of purpose to others, to nature and to the various living systems around us. Only then is our success of relevance to others. Only then, is our success is of any relevance.
If we fail in completing our goals, when our plan is of consequence to others, we should start again. That's all. It's that simple, actually. Start again.
We fail within ourselves. Our inner self, our thoughts, our mind and our resolve settle themselves into comfort, compromise or conflict. There is usually no convergence unless we determine that there should be. We weaken our plans by not resolving within ourselves to establish a definite plan and to keep working on it. This weakness creates a vulnerable perspective and we destroy our plan by agreeing to compromises such as - we will do it later - we will get it done by others - it is not so important - it is not my work, anyway - etc.
We are responsible for our mind, our inner self and our thoughts. We need to determine how we should think. We should be able to recognise the manner of thoughts that wander within us and we should be able to distinguish it from the ether and create crystal thoughts that can lead to action. We do not do so, most usually. We allow ourselves to be complacent. Let us look at a simple example. We are with a child and we want to convince the child to do some particular action. We can pat the child on the back with our palm and encourage the child to complete the action. We can also violently slap the child on the face with our palm and force the child to complete the action. What is the difference? Is our palm responsible? It is our intention that emerged from the thought within us that created a different action. We could have nurtured the child but we chose not to do so.
There was a road accident in which an infant child, about 3 1/2 years old, died within a bus-stand, when a out-of-control taxi climbed over the footpath and slammed in to the child within the bus-stand. The accompanying mother escaped with minor injuries and was traumatised. Everyone agreed with the mother about the terrible fate of the child and that there was no error on part of the mother, and that the situation was at fault, the road-design was at fault, the taxi-driver was at fault and the working condition of the taxi was at fault. So, the person was not at fault at all. How do we analyse such a terrible situation?
One has to understand that one should be mindful of the location that one is, all the time, especially when we are responsible for the life of the other defenseless person. If you are not going to think out the dangers and the problems that could emerge at such locations, then one is obviously at fault for not assuming that such and such danger could occur. There need not be a similar accident by the hour or every day or every week or every year. There need not be a similar accident, ever, in order to be alert and cautious. One has to understand that there would be accidents, and they could happen anywhere. And, that, they will happen.
Therefore, the most sensible option is to be cautious and to ensure that there is care taken in one's movements in a public thoroughfare. If you are walking about in open roads, through traffic, one has to be careful. Why are you cautious, when you are walking through traffic? Because, accidents can happen. But they do not happen by the hour, day, month or year. So many people walk about carelessly, and yet, they are not killed. So, are they absolutely foolish? No. They are cautious, within the core of their thoughts. They watch the traffic and make their way in a stubborn but careful manner. Except that, it is not obvious.
You are always at liberty to make up your mind. But, you should do so. You should make up your mind. You are at fault when you do not take caution, and you do not assume that such danger could happen to oneself, and to those whom we love dearly. That is when, blaming the situation or blaming the taxi-driver seems to be the correct option. That is simply wrong. We are to blame, for the failures in our lives, because we have not thought out our actions properly.
Bharat Bhushan - 8 December 2008
The obvious answer, of course, is that we cannot. If it is entirely within us, then why do we fail? How do we fail? There must be some reason, and it must be outside of us, for we do not want to fail and we have made the perfect plan to implement any project or plan, and it was something outside of that plan or someone other than us who caused the failure. That is why we fail, not entirely because of us. So, why should we avoid blaming situations, causes, reasons and others for our failure?
Is there any failure in life? If the past was a myth and the future is not as yet true, and if the present is the only truth that there is, how could failure be an actual happening? We could not achieve some part or aspect or the entire plan at some point of time. So, is it a failure for the rest of our lives? No. There is much of life to roll on, and there are more and more opportunities to seek and to try and retrieve the non-success. I would like to recognise 'failure' as a 'non-success'. That is to say, that there are more and more opportunities to convert that non-success in to a success.
We seem to determine that we have failed. That recognition happens deep within us. We have set up a goal for ourselves, and we imagine that we have failed. Why? Because we think we are the most important living beings on this planet, and our success and failure is extremely important. Nothing can be farther from the truth. There is only one truth, and that is, we are of no consequence. Our success and our failure is of no consequence if it is relevant to us. It should be of use and of purpose to others, to nature and to the various living systems around us. Only then is our success of relevance to others. Only then, is our success is of any relevance.
If we fail in completing our goals, when our plan is of consequence to others, we should start again. That's all. It's that simple, actually. Start again.
We fail within ourselves. Our inner self, our thoughts, our mind and our resolve settle themselves into comfort, compromise or conflict. There is usually no convergence unless we determine that there should be. We weaken our plans by not resolving within ourselves to establish a definite plan and to keep working on it. This weakness creates a vulnerable perspective and we destroy our plan by agreeing to compromises such as - we will do it later - we will get it done by others - it is not so important - it is not my work, anyway - etc.
We are responsible for our mind, our inner self and our thoughts. We need to determine how we should think. We should be able to recognise the manner of thoughts that wander within us and we should be able to distinguish it from the ether and create crystal thoughts that can lead to action. We do not do so, most usually. We allow ourselves to be complacent. Let us look at a simple example. We are with a child and we want to convince the child to do some particular action. We can pat the child on the back with our palm and encourage the child to complete the action. We can also violently slap the child on the face with our palm and force the child to complete the action. What is the difference? Is our palm responsible? It is our intention that emerged from the thought within us that created a different action. We could have nurtured the child but we chose not to do so.
There was a road accident in which an infant child, about 3 1/2 years old, died within a bus-stand, when a out-of-control taxi climbed over the footpath and slammed in to the child within the bus-stand. The accompanying mother escaped with minor injuries and was traumatised. Everyone agreed with the mother about the terrible fate of the child and that there was no error on part of the mother, and that the situation was at fault, the road-design was at fault, the taxi-driver was at fault and the working condition of the taxi was at fault. So, the person was not at fault at all. How do we analyse such a terrible situation?
One has to understand that one should be mindful of the location that one is, all the time, especially when we are responsible for the life of the other defenseless person. If you are not going to think out the dangers and the problems that could emerge at such locations, then one is obviously at fault for not assuming that such and such danger could occur. There need not be a similar accident by the hour or every day or every week or every year. There need not be a similar accident, ever, in order to be alert and cautious. One has to understand that there would be accidents, and they could happen anywhere. And, that, they will happen.
Therefore, the most sensible option is to be cautious and to ensure that there is care taken in one's movements in a public thoroughfare. If you are walking about in open roads, through traffic, one has to be careful. Why are you cautious, when you are walking through traffic? Because, accidents can happen. But they do not happen by the hour, day, month or year. So many people walk about carelessly, and yet, they are not killed. So, are they absolutely foolish? No. They are cautious, within the core of their thoughts. They watch the traffic and make their way in a stubborn but careful manner. Except that, it is not obvious.
You are always at liberty to make up your mind. But, you should do so. You should make up your mind. You are at fault when you do not take caution, and you do not assume that such danger could happen to oneself, and to those whom we love dearly. That is when, blaming the situation or blaming the taxi-driver seems to be the correct option. That is simply wrong. We are to blame, for the failures in our lives, because we have not thought out our actions properly.
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