THE CULTURE OF PEACE — Part III Teachings of Islam

To patiently face and tolerate loss is not tantamount to being defeated. Rather, this stance requires great courage and boldness. It is to voluntarily accept reality. It is to remain aware that even though one may have suffered some loss, one still has many resources left, on the basis of which one can rebuild one’s life. People who respond to loss with patience and courage can construct a new mansion on the ruins of the past. By abiding by patience and tolerance in the face of loss, one saves oneself from losing one’s balance. Despite being temporarily unsuccessful, one is able to preserve the ability to view things in a balanced way. One is able to survey matters realistically and make new life-plans. After getting past what one has lost, one is able to carry on with one’s purpose in life on the basis of what one still has. One acts with wisdom, not hopelessness, and once again picks up one’s life and journeys ahead. In life, after every evening, a new morning dawns. This world is full of potentials and possibilities. Here, if you lose one opportunity, you can find another one. If you miss one step, another step leading to a new door, opens up to you. In this way, it always remains possible that if a certain plan fails, you can always make a new plan to carry on with the building up of your life. The fact of the matter is that in this world, bad news always comes along with good news. Every accident silently gives us the good news that we must not be frustrated and bitter, and that, instead, mustering our courage, we should search for new opportunities. If we respond in this positive way, then Nature itself gives us the good news that our loss is not permanent. It tells us that we can very soon rebuild our lives—and in a better way than before. It conveys to us that very soon we will discover that what seems to be our defeat is actually a source of guidance for us. People who refuse to tolerate loss fall prey to negative thinking and so make their lives into an enormous burden. In doing so, they themselves become a burden on others. On the other hand, people who respond to loss with patience and courage can construct a new mansion on the ruins of the past. They search for and discover a new dawn after a dark night, in the light of which they can carry on with their life’s journey unimpeded.