Don’t we, at times, wonder what’s taking so long, why isn’t some news coming our way? In the absence of news, we tend to get anxious and start panicking, pacing the floor up and down. Our expectation of a favourable result builds up when we have appeared for a job interview or posted our response in reply to an advertisement in the newspaper, made an offer on Olx or simply asked someone to do a particular task for us. Students Expect their results after the examination and some news about their admission to the desired college and course. Employees waiting for the outcome of their year-end promotions and appraisals. The relatives of a patient who is being operated upon, expecting the news about the successful operation. The husband and parents of a woman in labour expecting the news about safe delivery. Our restlessness it at the height when we have booked a cab on the app and it is not showing up even minutes later. The only thing on top of our mind is, what’s taking so long for the news to come through? At this moment, looking at the watch, we start counting days, hours or even minutes and express our displeasure at paucity of relevant and much desired outcome. Our peace of mind seems lost and are unable to concentrate on anything at hand. Isn’t it our expeditious expectation of a favourable outcome of an event that makes us lose our patience? We also tend to become short tempered, getting peeved at almost everything that we try to engage or indulge in. Outwardly, we try to exhibit a calmer picture of ourselves but inside of us there is a big turmoil that twists and tears every piece of flesh including the heart and the mind. We become touchy and irascible and seem utterly unprepared to wait any longer. We seem to be on the verge of exploding when we do not get any news. And if it is taking too long than it should, our optimism wanes giving way to gloom and pessimism.
Now let us consider two different situations to highlight a stark difference, one in which the result of a lottery is being announced by a draw of lots and the other of engaging in a war. Do you agree that these two situations are diametrically far from each other? No other situations could be displaced as far as these two. I will show you how. In spite of the fact that in both of these situations you expect good news in as short a time frame as possible, but there is an inherent dissimilarity between the nature of these two. In the first, you expect to win and hear the news about it. The sooner the news reaches you, the better it is, which in all probability might announce you be the winner. An early news is supposed to bring sweet result. If the news is delayed or does not reach at all, it is supposed to mean your impending failure at winning the lottery. However, in the second example, when you send your troops to a battlefield, or go hiking on a formidable mountain top, you know that you cannot achieve desired success in a short time, neither a conventional war nor a formidable peak is won or aced in a matter of seconds or minutes or hours. Any news within a short time period should be viewed with suspicion and bated breath as the chances of it bringing some bad news are very high. An early news might bring the information about the reverses suffered by the troops or worse still if there are any casualties. One would actually not expect to receive an early news at all in these two mentioned events. Don’t you feel that you ought to give it a ripe time before expecting any news at all!
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Most you would be familiar with the nursery admissions in the country. Vacancies or seats as these are called, are thrown open to public in the months of December and January. Parents apply online for these seats by filling long pieces of information as well as show some creative skills at a few places on the application form. Then a seemingly interminable wait starts that lasts till the final date when the results are published online. Speak to a few parents and they will tell you how difficult it is to wait in the intervening duration. They continue to pray fervently and hope that they turn out successful in the draw of lots. So, some news is good news actually!
If the news is taking its own time, we tend to get anxious and fear grips us. Our mind goes into an overdrive conjuring up all the negative and recessive thoughts that demoralise and distress us to no ends. While it is taking time for the news to be served or reach you, the best option you have is to hold on to hope and pray often. Praying gives us strength to bear the bad or inclement news, equally well without letting it shatter you. What is in one’s control is the performance of a task but not its result as it is a complex interplay of various factors influencing the result. In most cases it is the macro environment that is beyond and outside one’s control that might hold sway to the results. You would agree that on most occasions, in spite of one’s best efforts, sweet results evade us. You might not receive any sweet news but what’s more important is that an unfavourable news or result should not break or bend you. On the contrary it should strengthen your resolve to seek success another time and try just one more time. Who knows, you might just get lucky second time! I remember an incident, although years back, when I was applying for the position of a junior editor at a famous monthly magazine. I had submitted my application offline which was an extant practice. I was given a date when I had to present myself in person for an interview. During the interview I submitted some of my esteemed and superlative works that I thought would please the interviewers. Finally, each candidate was asked to write two pieces of composition completely extemporaneous and impromptu while in the office. Candidates who declined to do so were disqualified and sent back. Thinking that it would be at most an hour’s affair, it turned out to be a full day’s imbroglio. At the close of the written examination, the material was confiscated and taken in safe custody asking us to disperse with an explicit instruction, ‘only the successful candidate will be contacted through snail mail’. So, no news turned out to be a good news for me as the place of posting was supposedly miles away from my home town, Delhi in some obscure and derelict district far away from any sign of human population. I am much thankful to this publication for rejecting my candidature as a week later I found a better rewarding job of an editor with a national magazine in the heart of Delhi.
