Human experiences common to all

 

When I thought about this topic, I was drawn to our office talks. When someone behaves weirdly to us, we talk about it with our friends and close colleagues and find out their experiences. If they say, "Yes, I have also experienced the same weird feelings." We gather the commons and justify that we are not alone in this experience. This gives us the strength to face those weird people and give sound service to our organizations. 

When we find something awkward in our own selves, what do we do? We keep it inside and hide it, thinking, "What will people think?" We forget the above principle. If we can find commons among friends and colleagues for our co-worker's weirdness, why not find commons for our shortcomings and failures?

Dr. Neff (author of Self-Compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself) quotes Tara Brach's (author of Radical Acceptance) words as, “Feeling unworthy goes hand in hand with feeling separate from others, separate from life. If we are defective, how can we possibly belong? It seems like a vicious cycle: the more deficient we feel, the more separate and vulnerable we feel.” 

None of us are perfect. We all have imperfections. When we find people who are imperfect like us, we find strength in knowing that we are not alone. In this way we find the groups of similars and share our weaknesses and shortcomings. We also gain insights as we share our stands and methods. I will quote these words: "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help!" Yes, this is very true. I still remember that other than the athletic track, if you fall, someone nearby always comes to help. 

This brings in the concept of the psychologist Abraham Maslow. He proposed the hierarchical theory of needs. 

( https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html) 
This was his first model. In this model we can see that our growth needs of self-actualization can be only met when our basic needs are met and when we climb higher to meet our love and belonging needs. We cannot walk alone to fulfil the purpose for which we are called. We need everyone. I am reminded of the ad, "Har friend zaruri hota hai." (Don't forget to watch this.) 

I still remember my good old days when I used to do my assignments at the last minute. When all are doing the assignment, I would be sleeping, and when they are done, I will get up and do it. My friends knew this, and they will make sure to wake me up so that I finish the assignment on time. 

I also remember those days when I was not well and I did not come for breakfast; my junior came to inquire about me and brought my meals. I was able to do my duty because they helped me in the hostel. I have been able to complete my course because of all these friends. Life has many challenges, but if we find someone who resonates with us, the journey seems to pass like any other event. 

Isolation and self-pity yield nothing but good friends definitely make life a better place to live in. We all love to be identified in our best forms. No doubt that is good, but we become very harsh when we deal with our darker side. This dark place is where we have to show compassion to ourselves. How can we do that? We can show ourselves that we are not alone in this dark zone. We can encourage each other to reduce this dark zone. This reminds me to this song, "Together We Stand (Divided we fall)."

I was inspired the most when I saw this LinkedIn post of Jaokim Walstad. 

"I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z," and hyperlink this line to https://www.theblogchatter.com