When two truths collide
What do you do when life teaches you contradictory lessons?
Here's a puzzle for you:
Life lesson #1: There are no equations in life.
Life lesson #2: What goes around, comes around.
Both feel true. Both have stories that back them. Both shape how we move through the world. And yet… can they both be right?
Let's look at the first lesson. Anand Krishnaswamy, 39, from India, once said: "Equations in life don't exist. This whole notion of 'if I did good, I will get good and if I did bad, then I will get punished' is humbug. I have seen people do bad things in their lives, who have lived fantastically till the end of their days. On the other hand, I have seen people do good, but they have lived an extremely terrible life".
"You have a thousand reasons to do the wrong thing," he said, "but only one reason to do the right thing—because it is the right thing." Not because it guarantees a reward. Not because the universe keeps score. Simply because it's right.
But then there's the second lesson, told by 32-year-old Amadu from Guinea-Bissau, who found himself in Germany, desperate for work. He'd never harmed anyone, always helped where he could. On his darkest day, when he needed to feed his family back home, his teacher called with a job offer. "As the good I had done to the world had found its way back to me," he said. The equation had balanced perfectly.
So which is it? Does the universe keep accounts, or is that just wishful thinking?
Maybe we don’t have to choose. The ancient Greeks had a word for this kind of productive contradiction called aporia. A state of thoughtful confusion when you’re confronted with equally valid truths. Instead of rushing to pick a side, they saw it as an invitation to deeper understanding.
Perhaps what goes around does come around. And perhaps, there are no guarantees. The wisdom lies in holding both possibilities with humility.
Holding contradictions gently,
Team FUEL
Was there a moment when life showed you two opposing lessons at once? What did it teach you about yourself or the world? Share it with us here in the comments!