The Core
Updated on 17th February, 2019
Some time ago, I was put in a situation where most of who I am was challenged. Several events unfolded,
and I was drawn into the entire mess. There was one common attribute which belonged to all of them, the
deepening of sentiment.
Most of us are put in situations where we tend to get attached. Sentiment is an inevitable outcome of
attachment. This emotional idealism is strongly felt and it has the power to grow with time, based on
how you let it affect you. But what most people do not realize early on is the absolute pain which is
caused to themselves when things don’t go as planned. Acting on sentiment is something which people
find hard to reason out. Logic doesn’t exist there, it’s just one of the strongest personal feelings
ever. Even when things are looking horrible, they continue to act in an odd way which is likely to only
provide the satisfaction for the foundation of their sentiment.
Even when things are going downhill for us, we are unable to even realize that we aren’t taking the
right approach. We stay in the endless loop that we made for ourselves and find hard to leave. We
become less flexible to alternative opinions, more biased to older conventions, whilst losing our power
of reasoning.
There is one thing which we must not fail to realize. Each and every one of us has a certain build, a
CORE. It constitutes everything which we would say defines ourselves. Our values, our principles, our
image, our dreams and aspirations, and so much more all of which aren’t meant to be transient based on
the passing of emotions or sentiment. Whatever happens, these things must not change because that would
be a cardinal sin. It is the basis for everything we stand for and it would be absolutely unacceptable
to lose that especially since it would be happening without our control.
It isn’t easy to contain the strength to find this core again, or even to let it from not slipping
away. It is the one mindset which you need to enforce in your mind, leaving it absolutely
non-negotiable. Once you understand that you need to keep this intact, your approach to dealing with
situations becomes refined with a certain cynicism which is required for your own betterment. No matter
what the situation, no matter how deep the sentiment, you cannot act in a manner that puts your core at
stake. On this matter, the one who takes the side of sentiment belongs to the losing side. You must
always care about this. My dad always said, “When you fall, it's better to get up and dust yourself
rather than rolling on the spot and getting yourself dirty”.
I too understood the power of this, it helped me shape everything I am now. This write up is addressed
to all those who find themselves in a situation where they cannot understand what’s important, either
themselves or their sentiment. Don’t lose yourself, it just isn’t worth it.