Goodbye rigidity

[1]

Sri Rameshji Jain [1]

Rigidity in ideas, thinking, attitude and perception is one of the major causes for conflicts, friction, anger, irritation and frustration. It influences one’s personality and affects one’s family life, relationship with friends, relatives and professionals. It is the major deciding factor for quality and quantity of life.

A person who lives life based on rigid principles and expects other family members too to live based on his principles, is the one who attracts maximum pain in life. Not only does this person attract pain for himself but also gives pain to others. He suffers the most and makes others suffer, too. While such people make their own lives miserable, they do not miss a chance to make the living of others miserable too. These people get so accustomed of living a life of friction and conflict that it gives them a lot of ego satisfaction seeing others suffer due to these frictions. Under ignorance, they also think that their rigid attitude helps to inculcate discipline, build up character and good habits.
These people never understand that whatever they are creating is not harmony but misery. They are preaching not adjustment but rigidity. They are teaching not principled but egoistic living. There cannot be a bigger show of ego than showing off how simple and principled you are.
It is said that it’s not the strong wind which brings down the tree but it is the tree’s rigidity and ego of standing tall that makes it fall. A small plant does not fall even in a cyclonic storm because it does not resist the onslaught of the wind. It bends happily allowing the wind to pass; and once the wind stops, it comes back to its original state. Big trees fall because of their resistance to strong winds. When they lose their resistance power, they fall.
Be flexible like a small plant. Bend, adjusting to the demand of a situation, people, time and place. Do not always try to impose ideas on others though healthy discussions are welcome. Create no resistance whatsoever and let others feel comfortable in your company. Let your nature be such that people do not run away from you but look for an opportunity to be in your company.
There can be nothing more important than saving a relationship from breaking down or saving a situation from becoming bitter. During bitterness one wastes precious moments of life which otherwise could have been spent in happiness.