Stimulus

‘My childhood determined how I turned out’ was the reply of two brothers to describe their way of life. They shared a common stimulus of a terrible childhood. Their mother died young and their father was an abusive alcoholic who best up his children. The negative strokes had a huge impact on their eventual life scripts.

One brother gave up on his school education. Like his father, he took to alcoholism. He would abuse and beat up his wife and his children, just like his father did. An unfortunate story was being repeated all over again.

His other brother too dropped out from school. He joined the trade of a mechanic and began to earn a decent living. He was a sensitive and supportive husband to his wife and a caring and doting father to his children.

Both were exposed to the same stimulus of a troubled past. Yet their divergent life scripts were due to contrary responses. While one succumbed to the dead weight of his past, the other chose to learn from his past and ensure that it was not repeated.

The stimulus does not determine our response. We have the opportunity to choose our response. There is always a choice available to us. The stimulus may not be in our control but our response is a matter of our discretion.  

response need not hinge on the stimulus

the choice we make depends only on us!

~ Pravin K Sabnis