If you are driving your car along the road and another car is speeding towards you from the opposite direction, you will promptly veer to one side and avoid the oncoming car. If both the cars approached each other head on, that would result in an accident. But if one car travels on one side of the road and the other on the other side, their onward journeys will continue in complete safety. In other words, both the cars, by taking the alternative route, avoid an accident.
Life is full of confrontations: at home, in society, in national and international life. At any time a crisis may develop, which can lead to a confrontation between two individuals or groups. In such a situation, the best thing to do is to discover an alternative. This is the simplest way to manage life’s crises.
Taking the alternative road is a universal law of nature. For example, rainfall is a common natural phenomenon. Rain falls everywhere, both in the plains as well in the mountainous areas. In the plains rain comes in the form of a downpour, while in the mountains snowfalls are common. In the plains rivers are directly fed by rainfall, so that their copious supply of water can be used throughout the year. In the mountains there are no such large rivers. But here nature finds the alternative by preserving snow in the form of ice which gathers on the mountain peaks. This then continues to melt slowly throughout the year, thus providing the hilly areas with an adequate water supply.
If there should be a crisis in your life, you should search for an alternative to confronting it head on. If you think with a calm mind, you will always be able to find a peaceful alternative by which to manage the crisis situation.
For example, freedom was the goal of the Indian people during the British rule. At that time, Subhas Chandra Bose said: ‘Give me blood, I will give you freedom.’ But this formula failed to work. Bose and his army died before seeing a free India. Gandhiji realized that the violent method was not working, and so he found an alternative in terms of non-violence. This alternative proved successful and India won its freedom in 1947.
This principle is applicable to every walk of life. When you face a crisis, do not let your mind get disturbed, but instead try to find some alternative. This will guarantee you success.
If you are working in a company and feel that you are not being promoted, you plan to register a complaint. But if your complaint goes unheard, you should adopt the ‘wait and see’ alternative. Where the first formula failed, you will see that the second formula will work.
You may feel that your income is less and your expenditure is more. You want to increase your income but cannot find a way. Then do not despair, because here too you have an alternative. Instead of aiming to increase your income, you should reduce your expenditure. You will find that where the first formula didn’t work, the second formula will easily work.
If you are in the habit of becoming angry in unpleasant situations, which leads to tension, then here also you have an alternative. That is, change your attitude by adopting the simple formula of taking things easy. You will see that soon your mind has become peaceful.
People frequently allow their lives to be governed by obsessions. It is because of this that they are unable to discover alternatives to the course they are following. You must come out of being obsessive and then you will see that the world is full of alternatives.
