Why do things do not work out?

Every human on this globe, being a part of culture and civilization faces some events in his/her life where ‘things don’t work out’.  I came across many situation where things don’t happen as I wished and once I looked at society I felt that I am not alone… there are also other people !!! Almost all people I know have complained about this. Situation of life don’t go as per our desire. So the question comes why it happens so? Why our lives act as per our wish? I came across people who has complains about life and when I meet this people I feel my life is better than theirs, this happens because their complaints about unaligned life is more intense than mine. Everyone has their own answer to these questions, some complain, some cry, some become wise, some become nice and what not.

During same time, I came across Peter Brook’s Mahabharata (1989) and M.K.Gandhi’s interpretation of Bhagwad Geeta. One is the movie and other one is book, though meant for religion and spiritual emancipation of people of whole world has greater dealing with philosophy and perception about way of life. I am not here to celebrate this book or movie but to share thing which I have grasped from the interpretation of Brook and Gandhi. It is striking that Gandhi as an admirer of nonviolence is attempting to justify scene of war (in his interpretation of Geeta). On other hand, creative film maker attempting include all possible races, colors, emotions, action and drama by stunningly narrating stories of Mahabharata in true global sense. How these things are related to our issue of non-alignment of desires with life?

This book and movie recurring narrates the same thing that desires as well as life is not OUR construction than why we should grieve on its non-alignment? This seems good in books and movies but in real life it becomes difficult to seek detachment from such grievances. As human being we have certain roles to play, once we start playing these roles we feel attached to the ‘character’ that we are playing. For instance as son, student, friend or brother I have different level of attachment. Some are more intense some are less but they can’t be denied.

The denial to play this role won’t make us social being so the only option left is to have less intense attachment to these roles. Since, more intensity of attachment creates more pain. This pain in real sense is produced by misplayed role. By misplayed role, I mean which is not intellectually judge or emotionally judged. For example being into relationship which is not logically thought off can create distortion in long run. Some relationships have element of choice while some may not have. It is obvious that we don’t have choice to be someone’s son or daughter but of course we have choice to use our Intellect to play the role of son or daughter. Role played without using Intellect is mere outcome of emotion which is not at all stable and this is actual challenge we as social being are facing. The imbalance between emotion and Intellect.

To find way out we create situation called compromise. Through compromise we submit our emotions to our mind. We seek a midway which is not desirable but justifiable. It is complex shift from emotional thinking to logical thinking.  And thus, even ‘things don’t work out’ we move on!!! Such occasions in latter phases of life are observed as experience or phases which made us to learn something.