Sunday, January 03, 2010

What if?

Have you ever had a "What if" moment? If you are a rational human being with empathy, you most certainly would've had not one, but many such moments.

What if Ravana hadn't kidnapped Sita? What if I'd studied better and gotten into college A? What if I'd chosen Commerce instead of Science? What if I had listened to Mr.X? What if the illness was diagnosed a few months earlier? What if I'd said 'no'? What if...

There are times in life when one is at crossroads, and you are required to choose a path to tread. If one is lucky, the decision of which path to take is either automatic, or is self-evident. Sometimes, its neither -- someone else makes that decision for you; you just tread along. Some other times, its a decision that leaves you between a rock and a hard place. "Can't I take both paths?" "Isn't there a middle path?" "Do I listen to my mind, or my heart?"

Sadly, answers to those questions are neither simple nor self-evident. One just needs the courage to weigh the situation and have the strength to stand by the decision. Its particularly hard if the decision involves antagonizing one person over another. One just hopes, in the end, everyone involved will concede whatever happened was for the best. The most important part is to not regret the decision.

Destiny and fate are words that most people who swear by logic love to hate. If the world were to simply run on logic, it would be inhabited with only atheists; but we know believers outnumber them many times over.

Keep the faith!