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I have never been a pro technology person, if you give me an option to use Google Maps or ask ‘humans’ for directions to reach a destination, I would prefer to do the latter. At the same time, due to the pandemic we have reached a situation where technology has been our savior, whether it is online schooling, working from home, getting supplies online and so on, life has become simpler with the use of technology. 

Here’s food for thought, a valuable lesson to learn from technology -  

RE-ROUTING...

Have you noticed how Google Maps never yells, condemns or castigates you if you take the wrong turn?

It never raises its voice and says, “You were supposed to go left at the last crossing, you idiot! Now you’re going to have to go the long way around, and it’s going to take you so much more time, and you’re going to be late for your meeting! Learn to pay attention and listen to my instructions, OK???”

If it did that, chances are, a lot of us might stop using it. But Google simply Re-Routes and shows you the next best way to get there. Its primary interest is in getting you to reach your goal, not in making you feel bad for having made a mistake.

There’s a great lesson. It’s tempting to unload our frustration and anger on those who have made a mistake, especially those we are close to & familiar with. But the wisest choice is to help in fixing the problem, not to blame.

Playing the blame game, harboring victim mentality is very easy. I have fallen in that vicious trap many times myself. Even on a daily basis, we are always blaming someone - the government, the society we live in, the guy who was driving slowly in traffic, a family member, a friend, school or anything at all. It is just an easier way to function in life, to stay away from taking onus for our behaviour/actions, or to preserve our self-esteem. 

A few questions popped up in my head - are we failing to deal with our own mind by blaming others? Would it be difficult to look inward or look at the bigger picture instead? 

Look within, identify the real source of your discontent, and in most cases, it is the mind that stops us from looking beyond the trivialities of life. When we develop the self-awareness to realize this, we’ll no longer be so susceptible to the habit of blame.