When Expectations Are Reduced To Cipher

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 9 January 2025 "Whenever We Manage To Love Without Expectations, Calculations, Negotiations, We're Indeed In Heaven." Jalaluddin Rumi, he scribbled the above mentioned thought immediately after the first disappearance of his soulmate Shams-e-Tabriz Poona-based world-renowned Astro-physicist Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, who studied at Cambridge University, often tells people the other side of the great cosmologist Stephen Hawking which had nothing to do with Science and Universe. Hawking, whose birth anniversary was on January 8, was more of a benign philosopher than a matter-of-fact, taciturn man of science. I just met him once when the Oxford-based Nobel laureate and my dad's friend Roger Penrose took me to meet Hawking, who was also based in Cambridge. Penrose and Hawking were great friends and also rivals! Knowing my language and literature background and knack, Professor Penrose gifted me a little book that had Hawking's simple but profound thoughts, ideas and musings that didn't have much to do with the intricacies of our Universe. There I found one beautiful quote, " When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have." This quote speaks to the idea that having fewer expectations can lead to greater contentment. When we can manage to appreciate what we have, even if it is less than we were hoping for, it can lead to greater appreciation for our lives and what we can do. This is especially true when we manage to accept that life isn't always going to go as planned, and that we should focus instead on the positive aspects of our lives. Focusing on the positive can lead to a feeling of contentment and appreciation of all the beautiful people and things we do have in our lives. To quote Abdul Hamid Adam, "Bada Sukoon Tha Hayaat Mein 'Adam' '/ Kambakht Ummeedon Ne Saara Chain Loot Liya" (Life was pretty comfortable/ Alas, expectations destroyed it). When you've expectations, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Expect nothing from life or, for that matter, from anyone because expectations are mirages. "Saraab Hai Har Ek Ummeed/ Isharon Se Bulati Hai, Door Chali Jaati Hai" (Every expectation is a mirage/ It beckons you only to deceive; Saraab : Mirage). Expectations aren't just disappointments. They're life's biggest disillusionments. "Koi Ummeed Na Thi/ Zindagi Isliye Acchhi Kati" (There were no expectations/ So, life was well-spent). Expectations are emotional manacles. They bind you. Urdu short story writer Naiyer Masud (1936-2017) rightly said, "Hasratein Aur Ummeedein Hi Insaan Ki Raah Ka Roda Banti Hain" (Desires and expectations are the impediments to humans). Though dropping all desires and expectations sounds sagacious, دنیا اُمِّید پر قائِم ہے (Duniya Ummeed Par Qaa.Im Hai ). To be a human is to have at least vestiges of desires and expectations. But when these remnants become overwhelming, life turns into a veritable hell. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/expectations-reduced-cipher/d/134281 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism