Many strange situations have confirmed that life is indeed a paradox, rather a bundle of paradoxes. Like what most of you would have experienced, there was often little on offer when I pushed myself hard but was stunned with the unexpected when I didn’t, all my life. It is not providence but the in-built contradictions within a given case or a situation that intrigues me. Else, who would have thought that people would increasingly find themselves lonely when connectivity has improved and it is possible to contact our family and friends living in other part of the world using our phones.
I have come to the conclusion that the more we seem to understand, the more we are left to comprehend as life baffles us with more questions. Paradox reigns supreme! Therefore, it is said that people make decisions based not on what they actually want to do but on what they think other people want to do. The result is that everybody decides to do something that nobody really wants to do, but only what they thought that everybody else wanted to do.
I am quite convinced that ‘paradox’ peps up life by driving us to think differently. How else will anybody understand the adage ‘truth is honey, which is bitter’. Does it not convey the virtues of bitter truth better? Whether one likes it or not, paradoxical statements or situations turn ambiguous stuff upside down, generating interest in what might seem silly or self-contradictory. It also assists in justifying many of our daily actions.
Come elections, and paradox becomes glaringly evident. We abhor lies, but support compulsive liar(s); we loathe corruption, but give our votes to dishonest candidates; we despise empty promises, but end-up being lured by them and we detest deceit but not without getting trapped by it. All that which earns our disdain in daily dealings gets preference under such circumstances. I am as baffled as you might be on such attitudes or approaches under crunch situations.
When I look around, I find lots of stuff that make for a paradox, indeed a daily reality! We may not realise it but we all are a party to perpetuating it. Else, how could poorly paid watchmen protect millions stacked in bank lockers; how the best of cars can be driven by lowly paid drivers with dubious licences; how could middle-class households accommodate under-nourished maids to cooks nutritious food for them; and how could frail-looking watchmen, who are rarely in the best of their health, guard residential apartments. The list doesn’t end here.
I can only say that when it comes to paradox, less is more!