Denial : A Deceptive Reality

Situation :

Chino was a bright student and was praised by his teachers for his quick learning ability. He scored a high rank in the entrance exam and got admitted in a reputed medical college. But things changed. Both his parents suddenly died in an accident. Chino was unable to bear the truth. He got addicted to drugs and his life went into the darkness.

Why did this happen? If we see this incident practically – we can say that death is something inevitable. May be it was sudden, which gave Chino a shock. But why choose drug?

The answer is – “Denial”. Chino refused to accept the reality. Denial is a common thing in our life. Whenever we face the bitter truth, we have a common tendency to be ego defensive and deny it – though deep in our mind, we know that truth will not change. No wonder the reality was harsh, but inevitable fact is you have to accept it. When you don’t want to accept it, you want to build an imaginary world around you. You want to distort the real world in your own terms – thus trying to remain in a deceptive reality.

This tendency of “denial” of ours has a great impact in our life and our mental health. When we know that we can’t change the facts, the very denial of that makes the situation even worse. We can never find peace of mind and we become the pray of depression. The example mentioned above is an extreme case of denial. There can be thousands of examples like this.

So, what do we do? We can’t always accept the truth, can we? No, but the fact is there is no other alternative than to accept it. The sooner the better. Truth, however shameful or hurting it may be, is truth. It will be painful in the beginning, but once you start living with the truth, it becomes a part of your life. Every life has ups and downs – once you accept this universal truth, you will find the reason to leave.

Three things cannot be long hidden : The Sun, The Moon, and The Truth.

Buddha

 

Denial