Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Negative experiences make you stronger' that was published in Newsband

Negative experiences make you stronger

Life is full of puzzles. One has to solve these puzzles. The moment you solve one puzzle you happen to come face to face with another puzzle. Some puzzles are simple. Some are complex. It is while trying to solve the complex puzzles that you undergo sufferings and conflicts. But once the puzzle is solved you feel pleased. You realize that all the sufferings you underwent while solving the puzzle were worth the pleasure you experienced after you solved the puzzle. 

Your life is dependent on the good and bad times you undergo and how you live those times. Life is also about the experiences you undergo and decisions you make.

When you are happy you attribute the positive feeling to God whom you consider as benevolent and gracious. But sad moments make you wonder whether God really exists or whether he is just a figment of the imagination. But if we strongly believe that there exists a positive force which protects us even during the worst of times, then we are bound to achieve positive and pleasant results ultimately. Strong belief in this positive universal force never fails to lead us to better ends, more positive actions and fruitful results.  Great Khalil Gibran said, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive souls are seared with scars.”

One should not feel defeated when one is suffering because it is these sufferings which make us stronger than a person who never had to undergo pains. Suffering teaches empathy, tolerance and patience. It yields benefits when taken in the right spirit. People suffer all over the world in one way or the other. Every person faces problems, which if left by itself becomes larger with time. One should try to eliminate the suffering when it is at its infant stage. In spite of that if the pain grows in size, then don’t panic. Don’t lose faith in yourself and don’t stop believing in the positive universal force. Sooner or later the problem is bound to cease to exist. Problem doesn’t cause pain. It is your negative attitude while trying to overcome that problem that can cause pain. If you display positive attitude, the pain will be less or nil.   

Like bestows on us splendid gifts, including health, family and money but along with these positive assets we are also provided with limitations, weaknesses and faults. To lessen or eliminate these weaknesses we need to do introspection and self-correction every now and then. Whether it is struggle for freedom, survival or overcoming fear, we must not forget that what matters is that we learn from such reflections of adversity; and therein lies true victory. The day we realize this ‘truth’, we are on the way to be better human beings because that is one of the ways of the art of living.