Reflection, a bridge between knowledge and reality
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We acquire a variety of knowledge. All these endeavours are for different purposes. Some are connected to personal issues, some are social, some are historical, some are professional, some are for upgrading, some are technical, and some are just informative. What we call moral, ethical, or educational for knowing ourselves are deep areas of reflection. Having regard to their application in handling personal affairs and chasing the realities of life is not only difficult but also missing in general.
In this article, the issue is "self" and how to lead a sensible life. Here, superficial knowledge has no purpose. Just taking in the smell of a flower is not enough until we know its season, plants, and other details.
Seeds transform into plants only when they are given proper conditioning to grow. In the same way, reflections convert our knowledge about something into approaching the realities of life.
When we read content, we limit ourselves to knowledge. When we go further to inquire about the context, meaning, motive, and profile of anything, it is reflection.
Reflection takes a lot of time, energy, patience, and passion. It negates quick judgment. It has no business in concluding right or wrong, pain or gain, or win or lose.
In reflection, there are surprising facts, fresh evidence, the erasing of myths, clarity about ambiguities, the coss-checking of circulating narratives, and so forth.
Reflection fills up many blanks about causes and consequences and shows how to reduce the emptiness of life. It helps to know the senses and reasonings that are hidden in many activities.
Reflection is a powerful mechanism for self-improvement. It shows how suffering in life is manageable and helps to know how pain is converted into gain.
Reflection always pays more than what we invest in the form of time, energy, and other sacrifices. But many of us are unaware of it.
Reflection has seemingly no end. It is a process. It keeps a person inquiring more and more. We get many surprises along the way. It asks anyone to move on, as the process highlights that brighter spots are yet to come.
Reflection enhances internal strengths like tolerance, forgiveness, hygiene, courage, acceptance of situations, gratitude, discipline, and empathy, and creates more positive waves in life. Negativity starts shrinking.
When there is a comparison in material progress, growth in status, more comforts, and supremacy in mind, it suggests that reflection is at its lowest ebb.
The core of reflection is to ascertain the "why" of any issue impacting our ways of living. Why we love kids, why we prefer to live in groups, how money is not the answer to many crucial questions in life, and why a sensible life is so scarce—these are pressing areas of reflective minds.
Reflection is a tool to look inward. Otherwise, darkness persists, and ambiguity rules life. Reflection drives us to understand the purposes of our activities, both in peace and chaos and in health and sickness.
The activity of reflection pushes us to go beyond the boundaries we have drawn, as per the programming of our minds. Nature is ready to give, and we are reluctant to take. Reflection helps solve this puzzle.