The last year and this have been tough on everyone. Across the world, many people have lost money, jobs, livelihood, property, and the worse – their loved ones. My husband and I have both been volunteering during the pandemic for various initiatives and so we have experienced heart-breaking stories of loss, firsthand. While 2020 brought in fear of health and adjusting to a new way of life, we were spared the loss of anything major except for some shortage in income. However, the terrible 2021 has badly shaken me, and sometimes I have wished that it was 2020 again – which we braved with a “this too shall pass” attitude.
This year has brought an unprecedented loss of life in my circle of friends and family. Starting in February, I have lost at least one person every month. I lost my Father-In-Law and Brother-In-Law from my inner circle of family. I lost a very close friend and a few ex-colleagues too. While some of the deaths were because of COVID-19, others were completely unexpected and happened out of the blue for different reasons. Is it the stress of the uncertainty that is aggravating dormant ailments or playing with one’s mind driving them to take rash decisions?
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When one sees loss like this continuously, fear sets in automatically. Fear of uncertainty for the rest of the loved ones and your own self as well. Yes, life is uncertain. It has always been. But never have I experienced loss on this scale and questioned it so much. Beyond a certain point in time one’s morale breaks down. Thankfully, our family rallied around each other and we are getting on. I am also blessed to have the unconditional love of my Dalmatian – Smokey. Pets do wonders for mental health and help keep you grounded in times of uncertainty.
And there is another thing that I realized in one of my conversations with my father – that faith and belief will help you conquer your fears. When you know things are uncertain and you really have no idea of why it is so and don’t have any actual control over it, dwelling upon the fear will only demonize the issue and make it appear bigger. Instead, if we keep the faith and firmly believe that things will get better, they actually will. Even if you can’t influence what happens, your belief will give you the strength to get through the difficult times.
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It is proven that faith and belief in good things attract positive energy. The key here is to believe wholeheartedly and unconditionally in the ‘something good’, even when you actually can’t see it. In fact, to quote an example from our epics, during the infamous public ‘disrobing’ of Draupadi in Mahabharata she calls out to Lord Krishna to come and save her. However, initially she is still protecting herself by holding on to the sari. This can be correlated to how we say we believe in something but still harbor doubts. It is only when Draupadi opens her arms and surrenders to her faith that Krishna will save her, the miracle of the inexhaustible sari happens and she is saved from the public humiliation of being disrobed in full court. This shows how good things manifest when you truly believe in something.
Last month, I had a scare with my mother’s health. While the problem was not big, it was giving her some discomfort and she was not getting better. The doctors were also not able to pinpoint the reason and we were sent for multiple tests by different consulting doctors. All this uncertainty and the risks involved in the hospital during COVID again brought out my fears. But I thought back to this Draupadi incident and kept my faith and got through this phase too. In fact, I feel I thought of this incident as Mahabharata has been on my mind of late because I reviewed Misters Kuru last month and the recent Janmashtami – again some kind of strange coincidence helping me get through a tough phase!
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A lot of people don’t have faith in FAITH because it stems from the heart. It is easy for the mind to take over and think of logical solutions. While the importance of this cannot be undermined, many times it is your faith that pushes you to find solutions because you know there is something better out there. In times of distress, faith can make you spiritual as well and help overcome fear and anxiety. In fact, your faith can also motivate someone else. So faith is not just some silly, irrational thought. It is also not just religious. It is transcendent. Your faith is what gets you through tough times and helps you make the right choices. And as they say, “ Faith Can Move Mountains”.
So here is a shout-out to all of you who are scared in these uncertain times. Things will get better and you will come out of this stronger. Keep The Faith!
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla and powered by Deyga.
This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter
True that this pandemic has scared us all.
It’s my trust in Almighty Allah
That keeps me going .
Faith and belief are necessary to stay strong at such times 🙂
Also humanity matters a lot , let’s be helpful to others 🙂
Ghazala
Very well written and glad that you are keeping the faith. I have realized that it is no use trying to control things that we cannot control. We have to just pray and believe things will get better.
Loved the Draupadi analogy you used, Vasumathi. Such a beautiful way to explain what faith is and how it works. I am a big believer in keeping the faith, and not doubting or questioning it. The results of doing so always please the mind and heart.
Very well written post and much needed right now as all of us are going through the toughest time. Thanks for sharing such an insightful post.
A much-needed motivation in the time of uncertainty. Only faith can help us wade through a critical situation and you’ve explained that very well with Draupadi’s example.
Well-written content. Sure, keeping faith gives me a positive attitude towards life and the hard time we go through. Love the way you’ve explained faith and how it works.
This pandamic and last year my mothe’s bypass surgery – I have been through both fear and faith. If you really have a faith you can overcome the fear. Very well written post dear.
That’s very poignant. Even if COVID didn’t get us, it has taken a toll on my mental health. This post instills my faith in faith!
Loved the post! Very well-written and well-researched. Thank you for such an insightful and informative post. The Draupadi analogy was very interesting.
Even I have lost so many from my close people. These uncertain times are creating a havoc with our mental and physical health at such time faith and belief bring peace in your mind and soul and help you evade it. Loved your article reading it gave me the strength and motivation.
I am really sorry for your loss. When I lost my husband, I turned to Gurbani to bring me peace. Things are not always in our control but God looks out for us. We need to keep the faith, it can do wonders. Your post is calming and motivating at the same time.
“…faith is not just some silly, irrational thought. It is also not just religious. It is transcendent. Your faith is what gets you through tough times and helps you make the right choices. And as they say, “ Faith Can Move Mountains”.
What powerful words!
I’m sorry to hear about the painful experiences you have gone through. It’s inspiring how you have been able to hold onto your faith and soldier on.
I almost lost my husband to covid so I know what it feels like to live with constant fear and anxiety. May we never have to face such horrible times again!
Well-written content. Keeping faith always gives me a positive attitude towards life and the hard time we been through. The Draupadi analogy I found it very interesting. Nice post dear
Loved your post Vasumathi. None of us have been left unscarred by the pandemic. I am sorry for your loss. And I can understand the scare you when through with your mother’s health issues. I read passages from Gurbani whenever I feel lost. It has so much about the journey of the soul, about death and loss. Always calms me down.
Beautifully explained with an example of Draupadi.
That’s a motivational post in this time of uncertainty. I agree that faith and belief in good things attract positive energy. Well written post.
I am a believer of faith and belief and I can feel every word you have written in your post.
So true, I liked the example you have given of Draupadi on believing and having faith on Krishna, which got proved and saved her only afte she had surrendered. This is relatable in every context.
Last year was fine for me but this year has been terrible. 3-4 months of depression and now the loss of my son. I have lost faith, Vasumathy. I have lost my husband too before. Where should I get the faith from?
Faith and fear both believe on trust. After reading this post, I am feeling positive. But this is also true, excess of believe or trust in these two field will be harmful.
Beautifully written. Only faith in God and hope for a better tomorrow can keep us going. And your famous quote “If it has to happen, it Will happen” says it all. Have courage to face life as it unfolds. There are innumerable people on this planet who are not as fortunate as we are placed and only HE knows what is due and when it is due for everyone.
Faith is what makes the world go around
Firstly sending you love and prayers for the tough times you have gone through… Secondly, I completely agree with you – believe in the healing power of faith and it will heal you.
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