THE BIG BANGS OF DEFEAT

Defeat is the true mirror in which you may honestly view your real self.” [UB 156:5:17]

Thought Adjuster: “Defeat is indeed a stern but very gifted preceptor if you look at it from the perspective of your spiritual education—your interior remodeling. How else could you be made aware of areas in need of improvement if you never stood face-to-face with your ‘real’ self?

“Defeat catches you at your worst. What I mean by that is, to continue with the mirror metaphor, it reveals your raw self, without any concealer. However, do keep in mind that such humbling episodes can be used as spiritual springboards toward your self-realization.

“The beauty of experiential life is that it continuously provides you with opportunities to retake your failed tests. What matters is that you do not get discouraged by your temporary setbacks and that they strengthen your resolve to beat that level of challenge—just as you do in your digital video games.

“Do not overlook the positive side-effects of defeat! It will humble those of you who are over-confident and thus prevent them from developing the dangerous ‘Luciferian complex’ of narcissism.

“At other times, when you have given your all to achieve a certain objective, and it fails to get manifested, defeat will act as a “do not enter” or “stop” sign, redirecting you to more worthy endeavors. Instead of resenting such turns of event, express gratitude about the life-saving fact that they are relocating you on the right track.

“As you grow older, it becomes easier to look back and survey your track record. You will then develop belated gratitude toward these significant turning points of your life. What have they taught you?

“Keep in mind that challenging life predicaments always have a silver lining, as they reveal what you are made of, and provide you with the building materials for a stronger character. The day will come when you will no longer shy away from the brutally honest mirror of defeat, as your stellar personality will have emerged with bright colors from the ‘big bangs’ of defeats.”