As I sit here, stressing out about upcoming finals and papers, I feel the need to write about something that might help us all put things in perspective. In Karma Yoga, Swami Vivekananda writes:
This world is neither good nor evil; each man manufactures a world for himself…Life is good or evil according to the state of mind in which we look at it; it is neither in itself.
Everything depends on our state of mind – if we are in a bad mood, even the best news will seem bad, and if we are in good humor, we will easily be able to turn bad news into good fortune. This is why no two people can have the same opinion about everything — each person sees the world through a different lens. This idea also ties into the idea of the three guna-s (sattva, rajas, and tamas) — depending on which guna prevails in people, their view of the world will be different and their approach to life’s quandaries will also vary accordingly.
On a more accessible level, Swamiji’s quote also reminds us that the world is what we make of it; it is our choice whether to regard life as full of complications or opportunities, problems or potential solutions — everything depends on our minds. It is our choice whether to mope about, lamenting the horrible Cambridge weather and cribbing about how we have finals when the rest of our friends back home are relaxing and enjoying a stress-free break, or utilize the time we have to learn as much as we can. Ultimately, the world is neither good nor evil — what it is depends on how we choose to perceive it.
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