Determinism Vs Regret ? ~ Human Psychology
‘If and only if had I prepared for the exam, by reading '@#$%&^%' book, I would not have missed getting a distinction!’
‘Had she been alive today, it would have been a better world for the family!’
‘Things would have been different today if and only if, he had signed that lucrative business deal 2 years back!’
‘But I had told her, this relationship would not work and she did not pay heed to my advice!’
There are N moments in life similar to the examples stated above, which make one ponder over one’s own thoughts and actions, that make one question the decisions of destiny, that falter the very bulwark of determinism established by the cosmic law. However, these N moments also keep reminding the self relentlessly that there is nothing the self can do to outwit the mysterious ways of destiny, the ultimate deciding factor for any living entity.
And why is the self debating on free willed psychology Vs determinism psychology, where in the former case, the mind has a choice to ignore the ‘one track psychology’ governed by determinism and contemplate over choosing the way, certain events should or could have happened? In simple words, free will permits the feeling of regret! Not that regret is forbidden in life! But I am more inclined to support the determinism aspect of psychology, more so as it helps one sail with the flow of life, despite the intermittent rogue waves of destiny that tempt the self to change the direction of events every now and then so that it could sit back and amuse itself with the weakness of the human behavior - the ‘dog’s reaction’. And those sporadic events are the ones that come with their extra baggage of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, that finally pave way to a never ending rant, initiating blame games and breeding cynicism and more of it!
The ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ appear to be eternal companions of the present, though they are the walking dead of the past, and later transform a future waiting to happen into an unknown nemesis!These ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ make one contemplate over bygone events, and still manage to convince the self about how the events should/could have turned out for better, and how the result should/could have been something else, otherwise! It is like believing a mirage of a desert to be an oasis in real, with a faith blinded by cynicism and mistrust! And many times, this belief misguides the heart to take radical decisions in the fit of the moment, where the mind succumbs to the failure of events, that did not happen as should have! And that is where determinism plays a major role in combating the belief cloaked with negations. It simply gives no room for regrets in life!
Regret is one unavoidable aspect of human nature. But regret should not govern one’s course of actions, from the event that is already a closed chapter in history. Every second that goes by, becomes a chapter of history, irrespective of whether that second existed a billion years ago or got over just before a microsecond lapsed by. If regret were the forerunner of every bygone event, the world would probably be floating in absolute misery. However, coming to think of it, regret gives a chance to retrospect! If the meaning of regret is perceived positively, a future in oblivion can be redeemed by shedding irrational inhibitions by giving a chance to self, to garner enough strength, to assess one’s weakness and move ahead with whatever, life has got to offer yet. Most importantly, the feeling of regret can also make one see through the course of events lapsed by, so that the ‘knowing’ that tags along helps in taking sane decisions for the future course of events.
And how does determinism help here? Only when the self learns to accept life as it comes, with its gray shades, without questioning its legitimacy, it will learn from the errors of past, and reap the surprises from a future waiting to happen! After all, ‘The present moment is inevitable, you might as well enjoy it'. Isn't it?
‘Had she been alive today, it would have been a better world for the family!’
‘Things would have been different today if and only if, he had signed that lucrative business deal 2 years back!’
‘But I had told her, this relationship would not work and she did not pay heed to my advice!’
There are N moments in life similar to the examples stated above, which make one ponder over one’s own thoughts and actions, that make one question the decisions of destiny, that falter the very bulwark of determinism established by the cosmic law. However, these N moments also keep reminding the self relentlessly that there is nothing the self can do to outwit the mysterious ways of destiny, the ultimate deciding factor for any living entity.
And why is the self debating on free willed psychology Vs determinism psychology, where in the former case, the mind has a choice to ignore the ‘one track psychology’ governed by determinism and contemplate over choosing the way, certain events should or could have happened? In simple words, free will permits the feeling of regret! Not that regret is forbidden in life! But I am more inclined to support the determinism aspect of psychology, more so as it helps one sail with the flow of life, despite the intermittent rogue waves of destiny that tempt the self to change the direction of events every now and then so that it could sit back and amuse itself with the weakness of the human behavior - the ‘dog’s reaction’. And those sporadic events are the ones that come with their extra baggage of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, that finally pave way to a never ending rant, initiating blame games and breeding cynicism and more of it!
The ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ appear to be eternal companions of the present, though they are the walking dead of the past, and later transform a future waiting to happen into an unknown nemesis!These ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ make one contemplate over bygone events, and still manage to convince the self about how the events should/could have turned out for better, and how the result should/could have been something else, otherwise! It is like believing a mirage of a desert to be an oasis in real, with a faith blinded by cynicism and mistrust! And many times, this belief misguides the heart to take radical decisions in the fit of the moment, where the mind succumbs to the failure of events, that did not happen as should have! And that is where determinism plays a major role in combating the belief cloaked with negations. It simply gives no room for regrets in life!
Regret is one unavoidable aspect of human nature. But regret should not govern one’s course of actions, from the event that is already a closed chapter in history. Every second that goes by, becomes a chapter of history, irrespective of whether that second existed a billion years ago or got over just before a microsecond lapsed by. If regret were the forerunner of every bygone event, the world would probably be floating in absolute misery. However, coming to think of it, regret gives a chance to retrospect! If the meaning of regret is perceived positively, a future in oblivion can be redeemed by shedding irrational inhibitions by giving a chance to self, to garner enough strength, to assess one’s weakness and move ahead with whatever, life has got to offer yet. Most importantly, the feeling of regret can also make one see through the course of events lapsed by, so that the ‘knowing’ that tags along helps in taking sane decisions for the future course of events.
And how does determinism help here? Only when the self learns to accept life as it comes, with its gray shades, without questioning its legitimacy, it will learn from the errors of past, and reap the surprises from a future waiting to happen! After all, ‘The present moment is inevitable, you might as well enjoy it'. Isn't it?
Labels: Diplomatically (in)correct
posted by Narayani Karthik | 6:22 AM
1 Comments:
Nice post on psychology. Really human health decides on how stressful is mind. People who are under very high stress need psychologist to relieve them from stress. You can look at this site for how to find psychologist
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home