Tug of war

Tug of war is a sport that pits two teams against each other in a test of strength: teams pull on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal being to bring the rope a certain distance in one direction against the force of the opposing team's pull. - Wikipedia

In our life this tug of war happens between us as individuals at one end and the other end as society, environment or other individuals. Both sides try their best to pull the rope as much as possible.

Now it depends upon the strength of each individual character how hard they pull. How resolute they are, how focused they are and how aware they are of the other. If an individual is over aware of the other in this tug of war, it becomes harder to pull. Your resolve waivers. You see the bigger picture and forget the individual. You surrender your individuality as gracefully as you can or as gracefully you are allowed to.

On the other end if your individuality is highly developed and focused then you stand firm and put up a fight. There is a better chance that you achieve your objectives and defeat the enemy. The downside is that you lose the bigger picture. You might lose friends or family whom you have defeated so ruthlessly.

Like everything in life, balance and self control is the key. You can only surrender if you are willing to swallow your ego and you can only stand firm if you have the strength for it. To top it all, you need the wisdom to know what to do in each war. Pull as much you can or let the other team have their way once in a while.

Let there be wisdom enough to illuminate the path ahead and the strength to follow along.