About life (135) – “Reasons of Confusion” – 24/7/2016

   In the former article I spoke of confusion that reigns over man’s soul and mind during his journey of life. It would have a negative effect, if he surrenders to it as it is always accompanied by hesitation, worry along with stress which turns quickly into an anger that wastes his energy, abilities and talents. 
   We should recognize reasons of confusion to end it before it turns into an unending cycle that absorbs man’s life. 
   • Confusion during making a decision or taking a stance is due to the inability to read into situations and events. It resembles those who travel to another country without understanding its language thus they live in a state of instability and confusion till they perfect its language.
   • Confusion could be due to fear of making mistakes. Some people are afraid of failure or wrong choices thus they find themselves before many choices yet can’t decide. Other people consider failure the rock on which his dreams and hopes will be ruined, thus he tries to stay far from failure and as a result becomes in a state of confusion, hesitation and worry when making decisions. I recall the words of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle about failure that escape is the only reason to failure as you never fail as long you don’t quit and keep on trying.
   • If there is not enough information about the matter of choice, it will lead to great confusion as unavailable information may include positive or negative points about the matter.
   • Lack of self-confidence is a synonym to hesitation and confusion as they say there are limits to self-confidence as too much of it is arrogance and too little of it is hesitation.
   • If you have no goal or a vision for your future, you will be a prey to destructive confusion. 
   • Inability to deal with the changing nature of matters or instability of life makes man in great confusion and constant wonder of what’s right and wrong.
   • The International writer, Naguib Mahfouz, says” How confused I am between what I want and what I can”. Sometime confusion is due to man’s unrealistic dreams that don’t suit his current situation or his family’s unstable condition or his social status which results in adding more confusion and hesitation while making sound decisions.
   • Another reason to confusion is the extreme selfishness and desire to get everything without losing or sacrificing a little bit. As sometimes people may forget that life’s secret is in partnership between people in which they share joy and sadness.
   Many reasons may lead us to confusion and hesitation, but we should not stop living our life due to them. Man should understand the reasons for his confusion and take positive steps to get over it… to be continued…

Anba Ermiah,
General Bishop& President of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center