Covering his face with the palms of his hands unconscious of the drops of rain falling around him as there is a flood of feelings striking his heart and crushing all that come in it its way. Words echo in his mind …should he accept or refuse, draw near or far, proceed or stop, did he miss the way or was missed by it…deafening sounds echo in his mind so much so he becomes unable to hear the pulse of life. He raises his head when he felt his tears flowing over his hands and his face shows all sorts of agony and confusion…
Many times man stops in the paths of life feeling deep confusion and distraction as if he is walking in a foggy path that he can’t observe its signs. Many poets expressed this condition and one of them said:
O my friend, I don’t know where I should go
I lost my way amid my fear that does grow
Confusion is a regular feeling that every one experiences when they have to make decisions, but giving up to it for a long time leads to many negative effects in man’s life as if he goes through a cycle with no end that leads him to:
Chronic hesitation: confusion leads to hesitation while making decisions and it may reach a dangerous degree in which man turns into a viewer not a participant in life. Instead of living a full life and achieving his goals, he turns into a negative person.
Worry: Worry accompanies confusion when man can’t take a definite stand or a make single decision and it causes pain that wastes his energy and negatively affects his life. The Indian leader Gandhi said,“There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.”
Stress:It is the outcome of excessive worry that affects man’ balance and emotions and reflects on his relationships with others as his anger and confused emotions will create a crisis.
Giving up:
If man couldn’t break the cycle of confusion and hesitation, he would give up on his talents and abilities and stop trying to use them. However, life doesn’t stop; as if he is waiting for a train that passed yet he is still waiting.
To break that unending cycle that absorbs life, you should know its reasons. Reasons of confusion are several ….to be continued….
Anba Ermiah,
General Bishop& President of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
