Children, it is natural for people to blame circumstances when they encounter failures in life. We blame other people or situations for our failures, sorrows, and hardships. But if we reflect deeper on this, we will realize that the fundamental reason for all our problems lies within ourselves. If we are prepared to turn within and recognize our weaknesses, we will be able to overcome any situation.
For instance, if someone throws garbage from the upper floor of a house as we are walking by and it falls on us, we may feel angry with the person for tossing the waste out so carelessly. But they did not mean to throw it on us, and we can also forgive them for this.
That said, there might be occasions when we will have no choice but to accept certain situations calmly, even when they are unfavorable. For example, imagine that a rotten mango falls on our head while we are strolling through a mango orchard, causing its putrid juices to drip down our forehead and cheeks.
We angrily curse the mango and the mango tree, and then, further inflamed, curse the earth’s gravitational pull also. We would be acting like a complete idiot because it is natural for ripe mangoes to fall from branches. We must learn to accept such situations without reacting in any way.
We can arrive at solutions to most problems in life through our own efforts. When others do wrong, we can either react against it or forgive them; we have the freedom to do one or the other. But there will be certain situations that we will have to accept as God’s will or consider to be an inevitable part of life.
So, when faced with failure, we must not blame circumstances or people. Instead, we must learn to overcome our own weaknesses and find the real reason for our problems.
We must not despair if we fail but double our efforts instead. If the situation is beyond our control, we must accept it instead of becoming distressed. In any circumstance, we must safeguard our presence of mind as if it were an invaluable gem.
When we receive prasad from the temple, we might find small stones in it. We will remove them and eat the prasad with devotion. Similarly, we must be able to accept any situation with prasada-buddhi, the attitude that it is a gift from God. Such an attitude will enhance our self-control and mental purity and maintain our cheerfulness.
Ups and downs are the very nature of life. Spirituality is the science that teaches us to happily accept everything. If we change our mental attitude, we can manage the changes that happen in external situations as well.
If someone knows how to swim, then swimming in the ocean becomes a delightful game. But those who do not know how can easily drown. Understanding spirituality helps us to face everything with mental strength. When problems come in life, some collapse, unable to face them. The spiritual person, however, will be able to face such times of hardship with equanimity.