We all are special,,we are unique or we are extraordinary .We all have such biased believes about ourselves.we are taught to pamper our ego right from the very early stages of life like if you got less score in some subject a teacher would say "you are much better than this ,i want to see you top the class ,come on you can do it ".If you are playing cricket and can't hit those big sixes ,seniors around you would go something like this "you need to practice more " or "its not easy its not your cup of tea :D " and this just challenges your ego further and you wanna hit those sixes ,because you want to satisfy your ego .We are either encouraged or mocked which just fuels the notion of self importance within us.Growing up in such a society hard-wires this belief in us that we are special, we are here to do something ,achieve something that no one else can.
while this looks quite fancy and natural ,if you observe carefully and look within you ,its not difficult to realize that in this vastness of universe we are just insignificant beings dwelling on a rotating planet,
and if you zoom out sufficiently as in this image ,the famous pale blue dot,its a photograph of earth taken by Nasa's voyager 1 spacecraft when it had reached Neptune.
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you will see that your existence is just a joke to the rest of the universe.if we read the below excerpt from a Stephen Hawking's speech ,we can see how it resonates with us !
"The human race is just a chemical scum on a moderate-sized planet, orbiting around a very average star in the outer suburb of one among a hundred billion galaxies. We are so insignificant that I can't believe the whole universe exists for our benefit"
it does right ? however we find it so difficult to perceive world from such a vantage point as we are just caught in this trap of feeling special and yearning to be perceived as extraordinary by others that I think we just miss the whole point of our existence which is the very experience of life itself . Instead,if we could understand that we are so inconsequential in this universe and the fact the life is just a journey headed towards its final destination every second,(yes the clock is ticking !) ,we can understand that all that matters is the experience of life itself !
However in order to get the best experience of this voyage which is life,we first need to unshackle ourselves from the chains of our ego that makes us want to feel special ,outstanding, extraordinary etc etc and serves as the perfect hindrance to our full involvement in life.The moment we start believing we are special we form a bias upon which we make all of our decisions which eventually deprives us of opportunities to grow or to learn,distracts us from the journey ahead and makes us focus on failures or success instead ,takes us away from the present moment and given that life is a just a multitude of these moments ,eventually takes us away slowly but surely from life itself.
if we try to understand experience of life itself,it does not always have to be happy, joyous or prosperous or successful ,does it ? Let's say in a cricket match, our team wins the match comfortably and in another there was a close encounter and the match went down to the wire but we lost,despite the result, we would enjoy the later scenario,because it had us involved more ,containing many moments where heart skipped a beat.The same applies to life ,if we are focused in each moment ,caring the least about the result,we will be more involved in life,we will feel much more satiated,regardless of whether we won or lost ,and isn't that's all that matters ?
so a good experience of life makes us satisfied ,however that's not the only thing it does .
If we observe we are part of this big machine called the world,and in a machine contrary to what appears on outside its able to function only because even the simplest of its part is functioning as expected,similarly in life despite us not knowing we impact each other lives significantly,we make a difference !
when a school teacher teaches a subject in the best possible way,it changes pupil's life forever,when a industry worker does his work perfectly he helps in making the essential household commodities to be available,when a farmer harvests crops he feeds an entire nation,when an actor delivers a breathtaking performance ,it inspires the audience for lifetime. all of these things are possible because these people are focused in the moment while doing their work,leading a vibrant life ,enjoying the experience of life.
when we are truly dedicated to the current moment,we life live to its full,and when we enjoy our lives we can potentially change the world around us for good !
Hence,whenever you start developing a misplaced sense of self importance about yourself ,remember its an infinite universe ,all of your happiness or sorrows amount to zilch in the large scheme of things.
your time its good or bad is the only time you have got,this is the only life you have got,make the most of it ,gather not just medallions but also great experiences !
All the best ,have a great one !
All the best ,have a great one !
