What I learned in 2018
2018 was… strange. It lasted forever. Astrologically, it was weird because as per Vedic astrology I am going through the Ketu Mahadasha. I have been assured by astrologers (ever noticed how happy they look when informing you about the gloom and doom they predict?) that I will experience general malaise, unhappiness, physical ailments and unrest.
In short “Acche Din”
2018 had some good and some bad parts, so in spite of the prediction, things evened out.
Rejection isn’t the end of the world.
We’re hardwired to fear rejection, because in ancient times it was linked to survival. If a member of the tribe was rejected by the tribe, he was either killed or banished into the wilds alone. So one had to conform.
If I found a magic potion which could change someone’s deeply held political beliefs, I could charge big money. I really mean !!!BIG MONEY!!!
When the argument arose between liberals and conservatives I naively thought presenting hard facts would change people’s way of thinking.
Guys, Global Warming is Real!!!
The war on drugs has failed!!!
If we vote the far right, the fringe element will hijack the country!
We know how that went. Shakes head at my own naivety.
Truth is the mind doesn’t follow the facts. Facts are pesky and stubborn things, but our minds are pushy and even more stubborn. We tend to undervalue facts even if they are written in bold and highlighted, we won’t listen if they are shouted from rooftops if they contradict our deeply held beliefs. My second learning of the year is this :- We look for and find alternative facts that will support our pre-existing beliefs.
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Feels good to get that off my chest!
Confrontation sucks, but only if you let it. I hate confrontation, so I always deal with it by ignoring stuff or being passive aggressive. In the past year I’ve learnt that confrontation doesn’t have to be a fight. Confrontation can be a discussion. It helps clear the air and move forward with relationships intact. So the third lesson is :-
Contrary to popular belief, violent movies actually lead to a slight decline in violence, because, even though people who are likely to commit violent crimes enjoy watching violent movies, they don’t commit violent crimes while sitting in a movie theater. Over a decade, the violent movies led to the direct decline of roughly 1,000 assaults every weekend.
I’m going to binge watch gore this weekend! Netflix here I come!!!
The hardest lesson of them all …..
Sometimes one has to let go of the image of what one thinks one should have got and learn to enjoy what one has …
Oh, its caused me a lot of heartache. I have drowned the “what-I-thought-I-should’ve-got” in tears and spent sleepless nights bargaining with every supernatural diety I could think of.
Doesn’t work! I read self help books, meditated. The past kept haunting me. It was like I was sitting on the iron throne, and was getting stabbed by the swords.
I know … I am a drama queen. It’s hard to be anything else. Hum aisech hi hain, kya karen. So I won’t apologise for the bad simile.
But finally, Once the tears stopped, once I’d let it bleed, let it heal, I became Elsa and I let it go. Let it Go was the mantra of 2018 for me.
Let it Go, Let it Go …..
