50% Discounted Life
View(s):
It is human nature to feel a sense of satisfaction to obtain something at a reduced price than its originally labelled price. It bestows a victorious feeling on a person’s mind. On the flip side when a person is over charged, he tends to feel frustrated, as he feels that he has been cheated or defeated. Little do we know that, even though we believe that we have won by obtaining a discounted item, what has actually happened is that we are defeated by a well organised manipulation. Either those products are short-lived, as in they are close to their expiry date or those companies are trying to create a need that is actually not in our priority list or they promote products which were never in our shopping list when we entered through the door of the supermarket. This behaviour does not exist only in our shopping, but it also affects the decisions we make in our lives.
A multitude of people discount the beauty of life by embracing many temporary pleasures and attractive gimmicks in life, which in the long term steals away years of abundant happiness that you could have derived in the future. Take a close look at the things you are affectionated towards in your life, are they extending you actual happiness or are they discounting your happiness? Taking a look at the food we eat and the number of fast food shops that exist in our vicinity clearly defines the importance we have placed on instant gratification over long term happiness. Unfortunately, the grievances in life have forced many to seek instant gratification based activities which actually discount your life. Your preference in appetite is not merely the call of your tongue, it is the agreement you possess with your mind to validate the call of your tongue caused by the numerous pleasurable prior experiences.
Even though people are highly skilled and accomplished with all the degrees offered in the world, they become utter failures in terms of basic life evaluations. In today’s society many obtain doctorates yet they are unable to weigh the pros and cons of a mouthwatering Kottu Roti. The countless number of MBA holders existing in our community have failed in their basic evaluation of faithfulness in their marriages. Mr. Emotions has clearly overruled Mr. Intelligence. Intelligence or wisdom has become a spectator in the deep end of the stadium. Regrettably, your emotions have transformed in to the board of judges who are making decisions hooked on to the temporary pleasures in life. Junk food, alcohol, gambling, cigarettes, illicit sexual relationships, pornography, anger, hatred, bitterness and various other deteriorating factors haven taken control of many lives, making them completely helpless. Therefore, the counterpoint of the scale is not even taken in to consideration in calculating the measurement.
If a family consists of an elder brother and a younger brother, the general norm is for the elder brother to take authority over his younger brother. Who is the elder brother and who is the younger brother in your life? If your feelings, thoughts and emotions act as the elder brother, then you are in a very dangerous situation because the elder controlling the younger means that there is no room for a rational evaluation of your life decisions. Where rationality does not exist the decisions all become emotional, which intensely focus only on momentarily satisfaction over the long-term benefits. I am not saying that you should completely sacrifice your emotions, if you do so you will lose the ability to enjoy the sentiments of life moulding you into a robot who has no gentleness and sensitivity within you. Tears and laughter are two important elements that mould us in maturity. All in all what I am trying to convey is that you should lead your wisdom upfront above your emotions, thereafter seal those intelligent decisions with noble emotions, as then you are sure to make fruitful decisions which are evaluated wisely and justified humanely.
Even though the Google Map clearly directs you towards the fastest route with less traffic, many people opt to use the lengthiest route as they are more comfortable using that route, not knowing that they are actually wasting their time merely because they do not want to challenge their fears. Similarly, people tend to go to the same restaurant or supermarket as they think they receive the best from those places, whereas what they obtain actually shortens their lives or decreases their level of happiness. Likewise, many people blindly get their happiness discounted by associating certain people who simply hinder their growth. Even a small get together with such corroded people only influences you to talk badly about others and judge your neighbours by watering hatred and other destructive measures about others which will blunt your positive attitude rather than sharpening your personality.
The worse thing about people who opt instant gratification-oriented activities is that they worthlessly believe that those activities comfort them by eliminating their pressures and pains. What do you think would happen if you wrap a parcel of stinky garbage instead of throwing it in a bin? Even though the foul smell may not outspread for a moment, it will grow worse in no time as wrapping it would further accelerate the contamination of the waste. The battle for excellence is a never ending process, it will only stop the moment you apart from this world. Most of the people constantly do their laundry and throw it back to the mud. “If you do what you always did you will get what you always got”
The fundamental truth we all need to fathom is that we will never be promoted to grade 10 if we fail at the 9th grade. A larger part of the community continually fail a specific grade in life, by selecting short cuts that position them back to the same place where they were earlier. If you are not determined to overcome the pain of rejection, then it will overrule your peace of mind. What is your aspiration? Do you wish to live in misery forever by using temporary plasters over your wounds or would you move forward in pain for a short period of time and live blissfully for the rest of your life. Unless you get through the 9th grade, you will never be promoted to grade 10. Remember that very well.
Take a piece of paper and write down all the substances, things, people and associations that you are attached to that are surely discounting your happiness, peace, life span and maturity. Close your eyes and take a firm decision that you would not go back into the mud again. Another thing you need to understand is that just because you took a decision to avoid eating chocolates does not mean that the temptation to do so will stop arousing from the next morning. The temptation would rather be stronger than before. The elder brother who was in agreement with eating chocolates will throw a fit, as he is not fed with what he is usually addicted to. Do not give up. Tame the negativity of the elder brother known as Mr. Emotions, continuously starve him by not feeding him with what he wants. He will yell during the first few days and throw some fits, but the more you starve him, the screaming and fighting will certainly diminish. Weaken your weaknesses until it dies within you. Start feeding Mr. Wisdom, if he is living within you as the younger brother who had less authority at all times and was constantly outclassed by Mr. Emotions who apparently was behaving as the elder brother. What we commonly hear is how to work on our personal strengths but we hardly discuss on weakening our weaknesses. Be courageous to kill what kills you and feed what assists you to live.
For further comments: e-mail: philipnehri@chandanalepa.lk / voice: 0779526496