VICE
Sure, darkness is the absence of light,
but it is under the most resplendent gleam, that we have all cried.
When the brain cannot (or chooses not to) hear the heart’s plight,
because it is the darkest in those corners of your brain where all the human vices reside.
Thinking is easy. Overthinking is easier and brooding is the easiest of all. It is when the brain engages in, what I call, “draining thoughts” that the process of an ideal perception is blocked. All the happiness that floats around us is of little or no value if we are unable to perceive it. Hence, what happens around us is sometimes altogether different from what happens within us. It is very difficult not to think about anything at any given point of time and hence a blank mind probably seems like a concept on paper unless you have mastered the art by years of meditation and all the science that they have in this direction.
Skepticism, in my opinion, is the emperor of all human vices, on a psychological front. You just got very skeptical about continuing with this article, isn’t it? But if the first paragraph struck a chord, I assure you that it is safe to proceed.
Let’s analyze my point by taking the example of a centipede. A centipede as we know is “overendowed” with limbs. All of the limbs must move in perfect synchronization for it to move effortlessly. But does the centipede consciously make the choice of how to maneuver? Scientifically it doesn’t and the synchronization is a natural reflex . But there is a poem called Centipede’s Dilemma which proceeds as follows:-
A centipede was happy — quite!
Until a toad in fun
Said, “Pray, which leg moves after which?”
This raised her doubts to such a pitch,
She fell exhausted in the ditch
Not knowing how to run.
George Humphrey wanted to highlight a phenomenon called the Centipede Syndrome, which revolves around the concept of hyper reflection. Simply put, our normal activities are affected greatly by an unnecessary consciousness about it.This is how we sabotage our daily life by overthinking about situations, thus leading to significant impairment of our decision making abilities. Now that I have made it as contextual as possible, let’s move back to the point
Therefore, not only is skepticism beyond necessity a vice in itself, but also paves way for the inception of other vices. Like an avalanche, in no time one ends up becoming skeptical beyond the necessity of it and this breeds doubt. And we all know that it doesn’t take an eternity for doubt to flourish into self-doubt. Simply put, it’s the skepticism directed towards ourselves, that pushes our peace of mind into dire straits. Self-doubts and self-loathing stem from cynicism and start consuming the virtues that we possess.
It is very easy to think we are a failure when things don’t go your way. It is very easy to start holding yourself in the lowest strata of self-worth. It is thus incredibly easy to keep spiraling into the abyss of self-loathing. In each one of us resides two of our kind. One of them is who we are supposed to be: Confident, resilient, full of positive vibes and courageous enough to venture into the future even when the past keeps gnawing us. The other kind is, sadly, who we are: Doubtful, fragile, full of reasons (ironically each one of which is devoid of reason) against ourselves and cowardly. Every morning, over a cup of coffee (or tea or as you may please), only one of the two can decide to steer your day. Every morning waking up may mean giving yourself another chance. It may also mean giving up on yourself. The choice is not easy. Simply because the usual tendency is to get drawn towards the negative. Negativity attracts the mind like a magnet despite not being alluring at all. Now that’s the paradox you must be aware of, even though you might not understand. This effortless drift towards the negativity is a result of thinking too hard. Hence, every day while confronting yourself, don’t think too hard. The secret is to be whoever you had been sans that tragedy that changed you (for worse) years ago, sans the fear of failure perpetually looming over your head and sans the illusion of emotional fragility. All you have to do is take this choice to be as simple as deciding to brush your teeth. You don’t think hard about whether to brush or not, do you? You do what you are supposed to. Brush. Similarly, in this situation, you ought to do what you are supposed to. Be.
Always remember
“To weave a life of beautiful hues, it will depend on the threads you use.
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