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Undo Button


If there were an undo button in life, what would I undo?  This is the question raised by Anjana at Indiblogger this week.

Wishing to undo something is a sign of regret.  There are many things in my life that I have reasons to regret. But I choose not to regret.  I go with Don Juan, the “Man of Knowledge” in Carlos Castaneda’s many inspiring books, who advised us not to regret but make decisions.  Regrets don’t achieve anything.  To err is human.  To forgive or not to forgive is also human.  Forgetting certain errors makes life easier.  Learning from certain errors makes us wiser.  Undoing errors is only wishful thinking.  There is no undo button in life.

Could I undo my birth?  The ultimate absurdity of human endeavours would have made me wish that.  But I don’t want to be a Hamlet oscillating between a harsh reality and an undesirable alternative.  Nor am I pining for the Buddhist nirvana since nirvana is the inevitable end of every human being as far as I understand human life.  I am caught in the cycles of desire and delusion like all normal human beings.  I know that I have to move from one desire to the next, from one delusion to the next, until nirvana will descend on me one day as naturally as the leaf falls from the tree.  I hope the fall will be elegant. Graceful. 

In the meanwhile the leaf has to face the winds that blow and the showers that refresh.  The seasons cannot be undone.  The planets have to follow Newton’s laws of gravity.  Newton cannot be undone.  The stars will continue to shine until they burn out.  Gravitational collapses cannot be undone.  Black holes swallow their own light. 

We live in a black hole.  The event horizon surrounds us.  It warps light rays.  There is no undo button.


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Comments

  1. Ravish ManiMay 26, 2015 at 2:59 PM

    Learning from mistakes is wisdom not deleting the trails of mistake. Very apt point made. And very true that Nirvana descends on oneself. One cannot seek Nirvana.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 26, 2015 at 5:11 PM

      There is no option either but to learn and go ahead toward nirvana.

      Delete
  2. Ashish KumarMay 26, 2015 at 7:02 PM

    A post which is motivational and portraying a message to move forward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 26, 2015 at 8:57 PM

      Inspired by my current situation which demands movement forward from the surrounding event horizon.

      Delete
  3. Roohi BhatnagarMay 26, 2015 at 11:29 PM

    I completely agree. Once a decision made, never look back that's a resolution I have taken after witnessing one of my dear one regretting for every single decision in life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 27, 2015 at 7:27 AM

      Looking back and regretting is not only a waste of time but also a killer of mental peace.

      Delete
  4. UnknownMay 27, 2015 at 12:14 AM

    I liked it when you accepted the fact that we live with desires and delusions. I too want Nirvana to come naturally into my life. I cannot force it. I cannot stop myself from beng natural and normal. No one can do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 27, 2015 at 7:29 AM

      Living our life to the best of our capacities will take us to the final grace gracefully.

      Delete
  5. UnknownMay 27, 2015 at 4:50 AM

    I totally belief in the Black Hole Theory. We can never undo the actions we have done or beyond our control. Saying so there is always a Positive outcome fro every situation will come to Light as time passes by.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 27, 2015 at 7:31 AM

      In the black holes too there is light but it has its limits.

      Delete
  6. Pooja MahimkarMay 27, 2015 at 11:58 AM

    This makes me wonder what Ill do if I get an undo button. Life would be so much more easier

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 27, 2015 at 1:14 PM

      Don't worry; undo buttons exist only on gadgets and life is not a gadget. Yes, some things in life can be undone with forgiveness, understanding and acceptance. But who wants those things nowadays?

      Delete
  7. IraMay 27, 2015 at 1:38 PM

    "Undoing errors is only wishful thinking..." So true . It is a mirage that that never meets the thirsty man. The imperfections give the life it's hopes and desires.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nima DasMay 27, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    A very thoughtful read. But we all wish life had an undo button,and they remain just wishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 27, 2015 at 6:21 PM

      Wishes can take other forms too, can't they? For the future, for example?

      Delete
  9. UnknownMay 28, 2015 at 12:57 AM

    It's true we can only move forward and there's no undo button. Even if there were, there's no certainty that fixing an old mistake *will* lead you to a better life... Live and learn...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bushra MuzaffarMay 28, 2015 at 8:16 AM

    Delightful read. My thoughts and perspective resonated with almost the entire post. Ya totally agree...no need for an undo button. Just move on :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sunita SriramMay 28, 2015 at 1:58 PM

    Appreciate your perspective but an undo button not to reset the events but for us to contemplate and set right our wrongs may not be bad after all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 28, 2015 at 3:12 PM

      How many wrongs will be righted? How many can be? Learning from the past, yes. But anything else may turn out to be futile.

      Delete
  12. UppalMay 28, 2015 at 6:05 PM

    Liked your analysis!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 28, 2015 at 8:19 PM

      Uppal, even my missionary benefactors are yet to decide whether I have an analytic or synthetic mind. :)

      Delete

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