FOCUS ON ETERNAL TRUTH

I’m an engineering student and I place truth above all relationships. I can’t understand why people seek advice and then blame me when things don’t work out! — Gautam Kumar Sharma, 22 years

■ May I say emphatically, don’t ladle free advice. This is an experiential truth. In the world, advice is the one thing that is freely and generously given; but poorly received.

So your condition is not unusual. Also, it is always convenient to blame someone else!

Let’s say you are in a predicament, you seek advice and attempt damage control. Yet, your salvage exercise comes a cropper. What do you do? Now most people are quick to disown failure. They’d rather embrace a favourable outcome. But if the problem ends brilliantly, they rush to take credit. Self-interest rules people, and truth is incidental.

Unless someone expressly seeks advice, refrain from it. Or if you have a specific assignment as an advisor, courtesy your calling in life or by virtue of your job dynamics. Otherwise, quit giving free advice. It can become a bad habit whereby we interfere in people’s private lives. For some it becomes an ego boost ‘to decide for another’.

Considering you regard truth paramount, I suggest you fix your mind on the ‘real truth’, the param or Supreme One. He is your ready charge to experiencing bliss. Not the ever changing truth of a subjective world, where truth itself has many versions!

■ Follow Surakshitji at speakingtree.in

 

Do you have a question for Surakshitji? Please write to st.editorial@timesgroup.com
with the subject line: Ask Surakshit and state your age