There are two aspects to anything that happens in our life. The fact and our emotions attached to the fact.
A sharp and focussed intellect carries the discriminative power to deal with the fact to the best of one’s ability. Our challenge is managing our emotions attached to the fact.
The mind quickly assesses the Result of what has happened. Suddenly we get gripped with fear, anxiety and agitation because the mind is thinking about the Result of the Result.
The fact can be assessed calmly. The consequence can be understood clearly. But what that consequence can lead to, the result of the result, is what really starts bothering us. Like an actor whose movie doesn’t do well. Intellectually he understands that some movies go down well with the audience and some don’t. But his mind starts thinking of what can be the result of the first bad result. He may not get more movies, audiences may reject him, he may not be able to support a lifestyle and so on. The result of a movie not being successful he understands, its part of the industry. The result of that is what emotionally grips him negatively.
What helps us is the awareness that we have two choices – we can either stay focused and deal with the situation at hand which is the best chance we have for achieving a favourable future. Or we can allow our mind to write its futuristic fantasies and rob us of the vital present to be effective.
It is our highest duty to do our best in any situation and to aim for the best result. But we can only do that if we manage the emotions around the Result of the Result.
Yes very true
In Geeta also it is said karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana..
But sometimes as human being we forget.
Agree totally
Beautifully articulated
Yes this resonates
One thought has often helped me, when I worry about how thing may go wrong. That is to analyse, what is the worst thing that could happen. When I look at it in specific terms, then I know that I could handle it. Of course in the end it usually does not happen. This is the way that I have learned to deal with the unspecified pending doom waiting to happen.
In IOFC programme called “REAL Change”, they talk of a third element after “FAct” and “Emotion”: “imagination”, which must relate to what you say with futuristic fantasies, and which most of the time make us derive from the reality!