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When I get time, I listen to music, or read books. If any is left, I blog!

Friday 22 January 2021

Man Proposes, God Disposes

When I reminisce, I feel having what P G Wodehouse called, “the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom”.  Don't gloss over it with a casual laugh, because life to every one, is a see-saw battle between expectations and disappointments.

We all started our journey of life on a tiny boat of hopes, not knowing where we are bound.  Caught in the winds and tides, and threatening to capsize at times, the boat kept sailing, at least until now..., and hopefully for some more time!

Without hopes, life has no desire, direction or drive.  No wonder, we find idioms like 'sky’s the limit', 'chase our dreams', 'hit the jackpot' etc. so luring.  They elevate our hopes into expectations.  That most of them are unrealistic or unachievable, seldom cross our minds.

To hope is not a crime; but expecting every single hope to materialise, is.  Not convinced?  Look at relationships.  We enter into them and nurture them with hopes.  But somewhere along the way, these hopes turn into expectations, expectations into demands, and demands into entitlements.  Naturally, when things don't happen as expected, we get upset, angry and hurt.

“Tone down your expectations”, the wise would advise, “to avoid disappointments”.  I haven't succeeded.  For me, every single hope has had an extension.  Yet, disappointing experiences one after the other, have given me the disposition to stay calm.  Whoever coined the saying: “Man proposes, God disposes”, needs to introspect.  Why blame God, for one's own weakness?

Catherine Pulsifer author of 'Inspirational Words of Wisdom' said once, “If you put in little effort and expect big returns, you will be disappointed”.  She went on to add:

 You don't get apples by planting lemon seeds."

Catherine Pulsifer -

16 comments:

  1. Nice blog. In my personal opinion, so-called God can never induce positive nor negative in our lives. Every incidents in life is depending on FATE.

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    1. You bring out a disitnction between God and Fate, a thoughtful one indeed. Thanks. Please visit again

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  2. Truly said. Hope, expectation, demand, entitlement can't escape from all these. Being a human we can use wisdom.. that's all. Add on " Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack"-Brandon Sanderson.

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    1. That Brandon Sanderson quote is very apt. Thanks. Hope to see you again.

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  3. Every person, even a saint will have desires. Some need to achieve it and some dream of achieving it. Some, though, may be an act of kindness and others may be because of their corrupt minds. No one can measure the extent of their desire, initially. The only thought one should have to understand is that every living being comes to the world without anything and though they make heaps, will not go out of this universe taking even a small baggage. Desires are like colour. You can paint them beautifully but you cannot pick them out of the picture individually once painted.

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    1. Absolutely agree, Venoo, particularly the sentence "... will not go out of this universe taking even a small baggage." Yet, the irony is - desires are indeterminate! Thanks. Come again please.

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  4. 🙏🙏🙏
    We have hopes, dreams,expectations. We want them to be fulfilled. But then the super power above is the ultimate decision maker. Still we keep on hoping, dreaming and expecting. That is life.

    You have beautifully expressed the fact.

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    1. Thanks Asha. "Hope" you would come again.

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  5. Great piece of writing Rajuda!
    Especially delving into human psyche and articulating the trickiest emotion 'expectation' is the most difficult endeavour you have indulged in.
    The great Greek slave philosopher Epictetus becomes also relevant here through his epic quote "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it" and we indeed jeopardize many of our actions with wrong reactions.

    Looking forward to many more such articles.

    Thanks,

    Partha Deb

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    1. Thanks Partha. You make even the comments section enlightening. There can't be anything more realsitic than that Epictetus quote. Please visit again.

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  6. I read this article almost 4 times. I am truly in love with this. And I completely agree with each and every word. This article is mesmerizing garland of various pearls which can only be felt by heart and soul.

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    1. Wow, Mandar.., a poetic response. Liked the way you express your thoughts. And thanks for your words of appreciation.

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  7. Very good observations and apt advice!
    Life seldom turns out be as you would wish it to!!!
    Joe

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    1. True Joe. Life seldom unfolds as we wish. Thanks for your comment. Hope to see you soon.

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  8. Where there's hope,there is despair but this vicious circle continues....Let's live our life with hope as that alone will drive us forward...

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    1. Totally agree. It is a vicious circle indeed; yet it motivates us to live on... hopeful and happy. Thanks. Visit again, please

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