Of staying calm

In life, there come several situations, events and circumstances that could make us suffer unbridled pain and incessant trauma. When these situations are man-made, they are under our ultimate control. Therefore, we would do well to alter or change its intensity, charge or direction in order to mitigate the pain and damage that it could bring. By all means, we should try to allay fears and anxieties that such situations bring about by necessarily doing everything possible in our ambit.

However, what happens when the events and situations are not in our direct scope or control? Because no matter how much we break our head over it, the outcome would be futile.

Do we then tear out our hair in sheer exasperation or rant and rave like one possessed? Since it is beyond our control, no amount of drama or display can alter the course or result. What then must we do?

To understand this, we would do well to learn a lesson from the following episode. A man was making lemon juice for which he needed one lemon and one glass of water. However, absent-mindedly, while talking to friends, he squeezed five lemons and added one glass of water. Sipping it, he realised his mistake, but knew that the concentrated lemon juice was already diluted, and therefore out of the scope of his control.

A friend told him, “There is only one solution to assuage the problem without having to throw away the sour decoction.” “What is that?” asked the man. “In order to get the correct consistency where it can be drunk, add four more glasses of water to it in a big jug, stirring it so that it is balanced and with the correct consistency, and then distribute it to five persons to drink.”

In life, too, sometimes a major mistake happens over which we have no control. The only way to tide over the situation somewhat is by adding (equivalent to the four glasses of additional water) good deeds, thoughts and actions in abundance in order to procure an equitable result.