The paradoxes of human life are innumerable ,vast ,their constitution and architecture, a flawless design, the essence of which can be made available only if we enquire, engage and deliberate on this basic principle carefully and with an attentive mind. The word paradox literally means an absurdity or a combination which seems impossible, contradiction in pure terms. The nature and significance of paradoxes is just this very things. Seemingly an impossible design made to work perfectly, to exemplify and exploit its duality to make those polar opposite things work in tandem. Or in other words this very element of contradiction or difference has to be juxtaposed in our life to make ends meet. A deep enquiry must be undertaken by us to expand on this idea and to know the mechanics of it. Beyond the words lies the truth of it, we must let this idea and its various meaningful projections sink into our psyche to help make it a purposeful one. In this blog, we are going to highlight the basic tenets and elements which comprise this principle of paradox, the nature of it and also the various types and forms of it will be engaged in detail.
The Essence of Paradox
Duality seems the way in which the world apparently works. Two forces universally complement and supplement each other to harness the existence of our particular reality. It is especially relatable to the human condition and has its significance just there. The human paradox when observed lightly could seem vague but it is a priceless model only if one knows to tap into it rightly and honestly. This idea is best exemplified by the powerful Daoist symbol of Yin and Yang where the dualistic physical nature has been pictorially represented. The presence of one corroborates the existence of the other. This Chinese image tries to validate the exact , proportionate elemental presence of the dualistic thought. In the truth lies the false and vice versa, or in other words the dualistic principle is inseparable and this very thought has to assimilated unconditionally by us.
Its Requirement in the Modern Circumstances
Umpteen statements both fruitful and useless float around in our modern discourse in relation to this principle . Various successful people have very rightly posited the theory in their life and have reaped enormous benefit both financially and psychologically. Our very lives seems the result of this dualistic and often contradictory operation. It is our responsibility to see through it and properly align the two dissonant properties. Circumstantial realities must not confound our outcomes or our psyche instead it must help towards the culmination of our desired results. In lieu of all these things we will elucidate a few forms of our paradoxes.
Forms of Paradox
The first paradox that we will discuss is the persuasion paradox. The classic example that we can engage herein could be the argumentative folk or in suave words the non listeners. Their very nonchalant and inattentive state renders them incapable of a proper absorption of intelligence and ideas. On the contrary the seemingly non chattering mind very effectively and quietly seems to absorb whatever it thinks worthy of gaining. A questioning intellect observes and listens in other words they do not rush to conclusive answers. Thus they mould this idea to better harness their persuasive abilities which as a result makes them fit for success in the worldly engagements. Now we will talk about the effort paradox . To put more effort means to make the task an effortless things. The particular thing has been so acutely practiced upon that it seems effortless, without a shred of conflict in it. Without obstruction, it just flows and that is what is meant by this paradox. The lives of elite athletes, singers, writers and entrepreneurs are best example of this. They are their work ,they have astutely juxtaposed their lives with their work that they become the work, and seems almost superhuman to the common folks. It takes a very high degree of attention and discipline to inculcate the meaning of it and to further implement it in our lives. The wisdom paradox is one of the most important points that will occur in this read. The beauty and the truth of this paradox must be seen and felt by us. Everything that goes inside us must be thoroughly investigated ,must be reflected upon and the observation of our own reactions to them must be accounted for, too in this mental exercise. The level of one’s ignorance, the depth and extent of our knowledge must be honestly guaged by us . We must be filled with humility and not burdened by our overconfidence , a lifelong seeker we must be, that puts us up on the pursuit of endless learning. This paradox could help us churn out wealth both materially and spiritually in the long run. The productivity paradox is the next important idea. Our unproductive and goal averse habits form the most basic impediment in our lives. The laxity that exists prevents us from venturing on our planned out routes. If we do need involve ourselves with meaningful work unnecessary things eventually will whether we want it or not. Proper routine and its effective implementation is all that one needs. In short a day well spent is a life well spent.
The next paradox is the money paradox. Effort , money and time constitute the basic facet of our goals and life. They have to be very directly invested in order to further our promises. They comprise the bedrock of all our mental structure and psychological moorings. We must sacrifice these things in order to gain our desired result or it can be put this way instead. We must utilise these things effectively for arriving upon our sought after goals. We must not be hesitant in the application of these ideas. Loss leads to gain, this saying suits the example the most. The other paradox is the news paradox. This is the age of information and we are both its beneficiaries and the losers of this game. Apparently it seems that more one consumes the news the less informed the consumer becomes. This I suppose has been mainly because of the burgeoning useless nature of the news we consume. Newsletters are riddled with unnecessary and information deficient gossips and no substance in it as a result. It is prime time that we become aware of this paradox if we want to stay focused and not sway away from our goals. Obfuscation and confusion are most often the rest of this. The Icarus paradox is next in line . As most of us know this particular Greek where the uninhibited and unhindered , senseless running after the goal led to his downfall. This is archetypal of many unsuccessful people where no understanding of their desires and goals and their future implications are not taken into consideration. Lack of vision and foresight of the consequent results of their actions are effectively missing from their personal discourse. The action as this paradox implies must be whole.
The failure paradox implies thus that our chances of success is directly proportional to the number of times we fail. The more we fail, the more we learn, thus better is our experience. So we must expose ourselves to failures and thus our weaknesses. The decision making paradox is the next thing. We must need be powered by a false self confidence instead we must confide in clarity and self awareness. It seems rather foolish and silly to posit falseness in the perpetuation of our goals.
The shrinking paradox constitutes the fact that we must shrink we must stoop in order to take that jump, the risk that we so sincerely love and aspire for. We must deliberately enfeeble ourselves in order to become strong. This is the truth of it. The death paradox is one of the most truthful thing that can ever exist. Our mortal existence must be deeply entrenched in our psyche and also in our actions . Life becomes fuller, wholesome and holds a badge of deep fulfilment as a result. The say no paradox directs us to answer only those problems that resonates deeply with our aspirations and thus dispose off the unnecessary ones . We must be in full control of our life , we must prioritise our work effectively that eventually propels us in conquering our mission. Astute and sensible application of the Eisenhower matrix could be useful in furthering our goals. Shoddiness then would be completely absent and an agile and light mind would flower in reality. The next paradox of the Talking paradox can be exemplified by our God Ganesha himself. If one observes he has large ears which metaphorically convey to us the essence and importance of listening and learning of ‘Shruti’ and its various meaningful implications. We must generate less talks and more of a reflective phenomenon must happen in our mind. In other words we must talk less to heard more and vice versa.
The fear paradox states that we must face our fears upfront in order to overcome them , to conquer them and thus to win over them. We must urgently undertake tasks which put us one on one with our insecurities. Risk aversion must be seen negatively by us if we want to do something fruitful for our societies and ourselves . Faith and uncertainty must go hand in hand but that leap of faith must be experimented upon unconditionally. Looking the part paradox elucidates that we must strike a balance between our vulnerabilities and strength in order to overcome them. A wholesome process guarantees this serious undertaking. We must be both thus whole. Sometimes we must also stop looking and pay immense attention to what we have with us, we might find it then and there itself. The constant change paradox is the final one and one of the most important one. An embrace of entropy or randomness or in colloquial jargon ‘change’ must be there if we want to reach the pinnacle of our being. Adaptability and an acquaintance with the change are the fulcrum of this particular paradox. The key to the related speed paradox and the controlling paradox lies in the freedom of the individual . We must slow down in order to deliberate our action better.
- So here in this blog we tried to analyse the nature of paradoxes, their myriad forms and the intrinsic nature of these principles and concepts . Acceptance and the love for our work in the dualistic pattern of existence has been stressed here. To connect with ourselves and deal with our problems effectively and in a straightforward manner is the essence of this write-up and discussion.