Recently, while I was emotionally getting ready to walk away from a situation that was annoying me, I ran into someone I had not seen in a while. That person happened to ask me if I would ever be seen in a good emotional state.
Unfortunately, that is how life works; those who hardly pause to notice our struggles are quick to make such judgments, which worsens our already dire situation. And, even if we choose to explain to them the reason for the sadness, we are only likely to be left with a disinterested listener who is going to leave the conversation with a mountain of misinformation that would favour his or her story in which we are probably doing not-so-good in life.
Adding to it, modern technological advances and the information overload make it easier for misunderstandings to arise. These days, we even find enjoyment in extrapolating logical conclusions from the unknown and take the freedom to join disparate dots to make sense of things that are inadequately defined. We even think highly of ourselves for doing so, which only seems as easy as making juice out of lemons that life gives us for free. The reality is that we fail to value those lemons and forget that even those lemons have value. This is why I feel that misunderstandings that arise out of disinformation are powerful — something that could blind humans and make them lose their sense of things.
To be misunderstood feels like being subjected to a thought experiment, in which we learn about ourselves based on the outcomes of the experiment. It tends to make way for openness and a critical assessment of oneself. When we rip things apart in our journey of being misunderstood, we look for better ways to be. When we turn our egos down and start accepting the world for how it is and not for how we perceive it to be, we become more accepting of the world.
Putting our humble selves in a place where we are mercilessly judged is not an easy task for anyone. But when we master the skill of placing our goals ahead of our bubble reputation, we are likely to achieve more. By putting ourselves in the practice of keeping our eyes and minds open, we reach a point in our lives where being misunderstood stops disappointing us and starts educating us.
The truth can be misunderstood, but it cannot be destroyed. The truth will find a way to project itself onto the world, and so is the case with our vision for a better society. If we want our society to understand us one day, we will have to be okay with being misunderstood for many, many days before we get there. We will have to suffer some hits, but as long as the objective is to advance the community at large, it’s okay. After all, reputation is transient, like a bubble.
jank@hotmail.co.in
Published - January 26, 2025 03:57 am IST
