ROUGH TERRAIN

Value: Imagine a life without stress. It is great and full of happiness & joy. But, how one knows that he is joyful? There should be a reference to measure the happiness. How happy are you? Without a proper reference, he may not even realise that he is joyful even though he is in a state of joy. Stress provides this reference. A state of joy cannot become meaningful without a state of the stressful situation.

The value of the shadow of the tree can be fully realised only when we walk in the harsh heat of the sun. Without the experience in the sun, our experience of the shadow has void meaning. Rough terrain makes you realise the value of smooth surface. We encounter stress to know the value of our experience of joy. The danger is that some of us are so much entangled in the mode of stress so that they lose the ability to see another side of their life. This is the sorry state of chronic stress. So, it is safe to have stress but it should not become chronic.

Balance act: Life is a cyclic pattern of on and off. The sun appears in the morning and vanishes in the evening. Moon comes in the night and vanishes in the morning. The modern digital world is a construct of this binary system only. It is just on and off. So, accept the stressful state willingly like how one accept joyful state cheerfully.

New Learning: Growth of a person comes from his new learnings. Growth ceases when there is no learning from the experiences of life. If one repeats the same set of activities day in and day out, he will soon hit the wall. He gets bored. New learning means one dare to venture into those unknown zones. This unknown zone is a rough terrain to maneuver. Stress provides an opportunity of this rough terrain. Let us play here for our new learning and gain new experience.

Rough terrain requires good maneuvering skill. It is a learning ground. It is a learning opportunity to learn new things. Learning becomes our experience. The collection of those experiences is our definition. Rough terrain provides an opportunity to know the value of the smooth surface.

Stress provides the reference. A state of joy cannot become meaningful without a state of the stressful situation.

New learning becomes our experiences. The collection of those experiences is our definition.