Our
expectations from life are so full of contradictions! Our nature is so
dichotomous! Our habits are so uneven. At times, we want life to be full of
adventure, replete with pleasant surprises, catching us unaware like a cute
child hidden behind a curtain who startles us by suddenly jumping in front of
us. At other times, we want our lives to be as predictable and certain as day following
night and seasons changing in the same rhythm over the course of its immortal
existence. These inherent contradictions in our expectations create a tug of
war between the contradictory expectations of our heart that are at daggers
with each other all the time.
In
the backdrop of certain and static patterns of life, why do we chase uncertainty? The fact of birth and death is certain! The
fact of ageing is certain! The fact of the cycle of gain and loss; joy and
sorrow, success and failure, are nothing but the most unchangeable and
predictable parameters of existence. Does that make us chase uncertainty? Is it
because there is too much of certainty in the larger schemes of thing? Is it
because we subconsciously feel that destiny or providence has given us a fixed
frame of reference and we have little choice but to act and behave and choose
within that frame of reference. Is this the reason why in certain corner of our
heart we constantly endeavour to break ourselves free of this presumably
monotonous existence? Is the charm and
craving for uncertainty and adventure nothing but a subconscious revolt against
providence? Is it an attempt to break ourselves loose from the clutches of
cyclic patterns of our existence? Do we chase uncertainty in the vain attempt
of giving a new interpretation to the predictable patterns of the universe? Why
do we seek entertainment? Why do we love to travel? Why do we like reading
books, watching movies, seeing plays that are full of twists and turns? Why do
we leave a well-paying job at regular interval and take up new job which
becomes equally monotonous after a point of time? Why do we seek new
relationships? Why do we yearn for thrill and passion in our romantic
relationships as against peace and certainty? This is for the simple reason
that human soul feels like a caged bird that is forced to flutter within the
four corners of its caged existence. We end up reducing human life to an
endless attempt at escaping this supposedly caged existence. In our attempt at
chasing uncertainty, we more often than not fail to discover the true meaning
of our existence. We fail to delve into the deeper beings and discover the
truth behind our existence. We try
breaking the imaginary circle of certainty and end up getting entrenched in the
circle of illusions and disappointment. The ceaseless pursuit of uncertainty
leads to the spinning of the web of sorrow.
On
the other hand, more often than not, when things become unpredictable and
uncertain, we crave and yearn for predictability and certainty. When the ceaseless
cycle of hard circumstances assumes the dimension of a monstrous wave and
whirls us back and forth against the pain of rock; all that we care for, all
that we want like a lost child is the predictable and certain circumstances
that has the effect of the peace and
comfort of the bosom of mother! Why do we search our future in the stars? Why
do we chase astrologers? Why do we read a person’s star sign either prior to or
after meeting that person? Many a times, we like to be with the same set of
people socially and professionally; we continue with the same job for years
together, we follow the same transport route year after year, we follow the
same routine, watch the same sitcoms, wear similar costumes without really
experimenting with the latest fashion, celebrate the same occasions, visit the
same holiday destination and end up behaving like a still water body which ends
up rotting over the course of time. We
fear change and we consequently uncertainty and adventure ends up becoming our
sworn enemy that haunts us every waking moment of our life!
Why
do we oscillate between clinging on to certainty and uncertainty? Is it the consequence of the failure of human
nature to accept what life offers or is it the outcome of the tumultuous nature
of our expectations? In the process of giving our own interpretation to the
life’s experiences; are we missing the larger picture? Are we failing to
understand the lessons that the cyclic nature of certainty and uncertainty has
to offer by interpreting it from our frame of reference and clinging on to it
to our larger disadvantage?
Are
there any certain answers to the above question? Do we seek any certain answers
to it? If you do have any answers, do
share your thoughts!
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