Life is beautiful and full of fun, they say. Life is full of misery, they say too. Then what is life? While life is beautiful and fun it also has its share of miseries. Yet the life must go on. Simply put:
- Life is beautiful,
- Life is full of uncertainties,
- Life throws up many challenges,
- Life is not a bed of roses,
- Life is a journey,
- Life is to be lived full-size.
The above are some definitions or rather perceptions of LIFE. It is an established fact that Life is meant to be lived. We have many expectations from Life. It is observed that any deviation from the assigned or routine path, that is expectation, is considered an obstacle, which is thought to be insurmountable throwing the life out of sync. This situation leads to much negativity. One finds it difficult to negotiate and wriggle out of this negativity. One of the results is ‘depression’. This is a mental condition that requires efforts to overcome. We need to have no or least expectation thereby remaining unaffected of the result. Bhagvad Gita says ‘an individual is responsible for her deeds, the result of which are, however, not in her hands, therefore, she needs to perform duties to the best of ability.’
The world is going through a very difficult and trying phase due to the spread of the Covid 19. Human beings have been literally confined to their homes. Physical interaction between people has been halted, besides many other preventive and precautionary measures. Life has undergone tremendous change for people of all ages, from an infant to a very senior citizen. The activities that were normal have been stopped, many habits have changed and the like. The race to achieve higher goals by ignoring the beauty of life has been found to be redundant. The current situation has shown that activities are getting done, albeit at a comparatively lower level; but it supports life. The pandemic has forced us to stay home making us realise we can do meaningful work even without stepping out of the four walls of our homes. We had taken the Nature for granted, stopped appreciating flora and fauna around us. We had indulged in actions that were detrimental to not only the Nature but consequently the life too. With limited activities we have plenty of time available to experience various bliss of life, like enjoying family and family time, various beautiful dimensions of nature. We found that the Nature has rejuvenated itself, rivers have become clean, pollution has reduced to the acceptable limits etc. With time we could observe many species of birds and animals normally not seen. The most beautiful fact is that we, humans have started appreciating nature. We are now thinking in terms of creating a balance with nature and are grateful to the nature that it provides and sustains us. This has brought a sense of confusion necessitating transforming our life. This is the ‘new normal’.
The moot point here is we need to see life in a totally new perspective; we need to transform ourselves. Transforming is easier said than done. No one wants to move out of her comfort zone whereas transformation requires shaking oneself so as to come out of the comfort zone. The question here is, can one transform easily. Well, there is a class of people who are very high on Emotional Quotient (EQ). Such people can transform but this too may not be so easy. All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. It is said: ‘You have to frown from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.’ Even though it is an accepted path following it requires a considerable amount of effort and everyone may not realise it. Thus there is the need of a catalyst who can get people transformed. Dictionary defines a catalyst as ‘A person or thing that precipitates an event or change’ and also ‘A person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic’. A coach is a catalyst who through his powerful questioning and traits like active listening, empathy as well as Emotional Intelligence can enable people to come out of the lows due to the pandemic situation so as to move forward. A Coach’s duty is to encourage everyone in her struggle to live up to her own highest idea and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the truth.
RiseWithAmit 