Playing the blame game helps no one, says author Amit Agarwal

Yes, as human beings we all tend to blame others or our situations, at some point or the other, for the troubles in our lives. The author has termed this tendency as “the blame game”.

This tendency is something that has become as habitual as breathing for most people.

So when I read the introduction by the author where he says that this habit can affect our thought processes, and in turn our lives, I couldn’t wait to turn the pages and read all that he had to say about this “game” we play on a subconscious level.

The author began the discussion on a philosophical note.

He mentions about our karmic cycle and says that whatever happiness or suffering we endure in a particular life is the result of our own actions in our previous births.

Then he goes on to write that a soul attains enlightenment through a cycle of numerous births.

In each life, we have certain experiences and we learn and grow through each of these.

It is of utmost importance that we act responsibly in every circumstance, that we don’t hide behind others, that we don’t take shortcuts by blaming others, that we shoulder our part of the responsibility for whatever goes wrong.

This is the only way by which we can really grow and develop. Growth and maturity can lead us towards our nirvana.

I found this explanation really striking.

There are so many instances in life when we save our skin by blaming others. But in the long run this habit is not doing us any good, in fact, it is only retarding our growth.

Of course, this discussion is something that will make the readers engage in self-reflection.

The author writes very correctly that some people have the habit of blaming themselves for everything that goes wrong.

In today’s stressed society, depression is raising its ugly head menacingly indeed.

And this habit of “self-blame” might be one of the root causes of depression, I think.

Yes, it is important to take responsibility for our own faults but that does not mean we should let ourselves drown in self-castigation and self-doubt.

The author rightly states that we need to realize our faults and then take appropriate actions to rectify our mistakes.

Without acceptance, there would be no correction. True, very true.

The world around us is becoming so unstable and intolerant.

Everyone is busy flinging blame on others.

Maybe we should all stop for a minute and ponder over our own actions. Maybe that would solve all the problems in the world.

Each chapter in the book discusses something very intriguing.

For instance, the discussion on how important it is to have positive thoughts and big dreams.

Another nice discussion is on how we can let go of all the negativity inside us.

This book talks about vital issues in our lives in a very simple way and I am sure this book will leave an impact on the mind of readers.

(Reviewed By Priya Das)