When faced with reversals in life, it is natural to question, Why is this happening to me? While it is important to use our intelligence to identify and rectify the cause, sometimes finding a specific cause is simply not possible.
In the medical field, there is a term for diseases with unknown causes—idiopathic diseases. When faced with such a diagnosis, neither doctors nor patients abandon hope. Instead, they shift their focus from, Why did I get this disease? to, What can I do about it? Questions like, Can it be cured? Can its symptoms be managed? Can its effects be minimized? guide a pragmatic approach.
Similarly, in life, when we encounter adversities without discernible causes, it is vital not to become hopeless or helpless. The Bhagavad-Gita (4.17) underscores the principle of karma, emphasizing that while the workings of causality are universal, their specifics can be difficult to discern.
Adopting a pragmatic approach means shifting our focus from Why did this happen to me? to, Now that this has happened, how can I make the best of it? Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita similarly encouraged him to shift his perspective on duty and act resourcefully rather than succumb to resentment.
Summary:
- It is natural and desirable to seek the cause of a reversal, but when no cause is discernible, a pragmatic approach is essential.
- Just as doctors and patients handle idiopathic diseases by focusing on management rather than the unknown cause, we can focus on our ability to make the best of our situation.
- Shifting the question from Why did this happen? to How can I act resourcefully? can transform how we deal with adversities.
Think it over:
- Recall an instance when identifying the cause of a problem helped you resolve it effectively.
- Reflect on a time when you adopted a pragmatic approach because you couldn’t find the cause of an issue. How did this help you?
- Is there a challenging situation in your life now where the cause is unclear? How can you focus on acting resourcefully to deal with it?
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04.17 The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is.
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