OUTLOOK — By Mohammed Al Rahbi — Ironically, we are all on the same boat. We are tugged by two opposing forces that mould our lives and write its scenario with an evident imprint of both. You might ask yourself what is the driving force that has this magic influence in one’s life and carries the remedy and the exacerbation at the same time? My answer to you is that the ‘People’ with whom we live, we interact and we deal, are the mirrors through which we see ourselves either pessimistically or optimistically.
Sometimes you wish to grant the success you have achieved in your life to someone, no matter how trivial that success is. This feeling of being grateful to those who sacrifice a lot for you, support and stand beside you until your dreams are fulfilled, makes you speechless. In what words can you express your thanks to them. It even makes you feel that ‘millions of thanks’ that you are ready to offer would not be sufficient to express your gratitude. They are those who you think are born just for you; they are those who accompany you in your life’s struggle and shower you with their prayers and endow you with their peace and warmth; they are these who feel your pain during hard times and jubilate with you in your joyful moments; they are those who you become addicted to and cannot do without in your life; they are those without whom you won’t be able to overcome your pitfalls; they are those who are always there for you when you call upon them; they are those who you feel are present around you even if they are physically absent; they are those who wipe your tears in moments of despair and they are those whose words boost your spirits to keep trying again and again and again. So, these are the people one should keep, look after and make sure they are there in your life because they simply deserve to be called ‘true companions’. And this is what I call the happy and joyful river bank.
On the other hand, there are people who just hate you for no obvious reasons and you keep asking yourself the same question again and again: ‘Why do they hate me?’ These people enjoy seeing you suffer and struggle in your life. They try all means to stop you from fulfilling your dreams and try as best as they can to ruin your reputation. I recall here the proverb that says: “Empty vessels make more noise”. Their hearts are empty of good deeds but full of envy. I have no better explanation for such hatred. But wisdom is always the way out. I know that swimming against the tide is a real challenge and one will, soon or later, will give up trying. And this is what I call the sad and envious river bank.
But hold on a second. This is not everything!
How about making use of these people’s negative attitude towards you and think about it positively as a means of self-empowerment and a morale-booster.
Do you actually realise that you should be thankful to these people?
I know your immediate answer is going to be: “What?! Thankful! No way….
And my answer is yes, you should be… and I’ll tell you why. It is because these people are an indirect reason for your rebirth and self-discovery. Through them you discover your drawbacks and correct them in the future. It is also because of their hatred that you can triumph over your weaknesses and show these people that you are able to stand up on your feet again. It is because of them that you are able to make yourself immune against their misleading ideologies and emerge as a new person every time.
Finally, your boat arrives safely after a long journey in which you try to take as much power as you can from the happy and joyful river bank to keep going, without forgetting at the same time to protect it from the dangers that wait it at the opposite sad and envious river bank.
