Spirituality

Learn the Art of Balance

Published On: January 16, 2024 , Updated on : February 22, 2024

Famous Hollywood actor “Robin Williams” committed suicide by hanging himself with a suicide note of just three words “Time to Go”.

Great Dutch painter and creator of around 2100 art pieces, “Vincent Van Gogh”, shot himself in the chest with a revolver.

Well-known art director “Nitin Chandrakant Desai” committed suicide by hanging himself with a debt of around 200 crores on his head…

The cruel “Adolf Hitler” who took the lives of millions of people had to commit suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head in an underground bunker.

Well-known spiritual guru “Bhaiyuji Maharaj” whom millions of people used to follow, ended his life by his own hands by shooting himself in the head.

Famous Bollywood actor “Sushant Singh Rajput” committed suicide due to depression despite doing a positive thinking film.

This list continues with Gurudutt, Heath Ledger, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Jiya Khan, V.G. Siddhartha, Avicii, V.B. Chandrasekhar and many more……

From artists to actors, from poets to politicians, from singers to saints; there is a huge list of famous personalities who have committed suicide.            

I think many of you will be thinking why I have written about these suicides ???

What is the reason behind mentioning all these things here ???

What leads them to suicide and What should we learn from the examples of these celebrities?…..

Answers to these all questions is that these well-known personalities have failed to balance between Success and failures, Gain and Loss, Insult and Honor. All these celebrities were highly successful in their respective fields but one such small failure, insult or loss stuck in their mind and eventually that failure, insult or loss took their life.

At some point in life, everyone gets failure and the one who overcomes it is truly successful”. If they all have understood the real meaning of these two lines, then premature death would not have been written in their fate.

Failure should be considered part of life, not the end of success or end of life. 

To make us understand this thing, Bhagwan shree Krishna has said in second chepter’s 38th sloka of  Bhagavad Gita that

सुखदु:खे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि || 38||

“सुखदु:खे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि || 38||”

It means that “Fight for the sake of duty, treating alike happiness and distress, loss and gain, victory and defeat. Fulfilling your responsibility in this way, you will never incur sin.”

Success serves as a guiding light, illuminating aspirations and validating efforts. A singular focus on success can lead to a narrow perspective. It’s crucial to view success not only as an endpoint but as part of a continuous journey of growth and self-discovery. Every success seeker should have a growth mindset that views challenges as opportunities for learning and growth.

Failure is often misunderstood as a dead end. It is a stepping stone toward improvement and then to success. There is a proverb that says “To win the war, be ready to lose small fights”. Likewise to get great success, be ready to welcome small failures. Embracing failure as a teacher fosters the capacity for winning. Each setback provides an opportunity to learn, adapt and ultimately move closer to the desired success.

Failures, when approached with a growth mindset, become invaluable teachers. Analyzing the reasons behind setbacks, identifying areas for improvement and learning from mistakes contribute to personal and professional development. This repetitive learning process transforms failure into a booster for future success.

In the way of success if you face insults or get honoured, choose thoughtful responses. Don’t be driven by them, don’t let insult or honour drive your mind. Responding with grace to both criticism and praise maintains emotional equilibrium.

An Outlet of Emotion

Only a struggling person knows the effort he has to make to show that his life is peaceful. He may not be as strong as he looks from the outside. He may have a different feeling in his mind, which is not reaching anybody. Only he knows what he is trying to hide behind a cheerful and happy face.

What will happen if a huge dam is built for Water conservation at the expense of millions of rupees and it is not given an outlet for water to come out? Sooner or later The dam will surely burst. The human body is a “dam” made up of five different elements. If there is an excess problem in this body, will this physical barrier break or will it remain?

So always keep your outlet of heart open, and keep expressing your joy, emotion and problems to your loved one like your guru, parents, partner, child or best friend.

To open the outlet of mind we can practice meditation. 

To open the outlet of the ear we can listen to some good kirtan or katha of elder saints, which will teach us the value of a human body and The real purpose of our life.

And if possible open the biggest outlet, your eyes. Let the dam of tears break… let stress, sadness and sorrow flow ..so that you feel that it is never easy to hang on a fan or shoot a pistol to the head..?

take the support of a true Guru’s lap or a best friend’s shoulder who will pull you out of hell. Free your mind. Express yourself!! Laugh!! Speak!! cry!! fighting !! Be free..!! 

Instead of saying “MISS YOU” after a person goes, Say “WITH YOU” when he is alone because It takes a lot of luck to find loved ones or the one who cares for you…

Conclusion

Balancing success and failure, gain and loss, insult and honour is an art that everyone should have and we should keep in mind that it is not a one-time task but it is a lifelong ongoing process. Having a growth mindset, a calm mind, a kind heart, defining failure as part of success and practising mindfulness have a great contribution to the wisdom of maintaining balance.

Remember, the key to life lies not in eliminating or neglecting these dualities but it is in navigating them with wisdom and equanimity.

One response to “Learn the Art of Balance”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *