Published: 12:30 AM, 20 October 2026
The Myth of Straight Lines: Systems, Setbacks and the Human Search for Blessings
Everything in life moves through a system. Nature has its systems, societies have their systems, and human beings create systems to organize activities, manage uncertainty, and achieve goals. From government offices to businesses, systems provide structure, discipline, and direction. Without them, coordination would become difficult and progress unpredictable.
Yet, a contradiction exists in how we perceive systems. Although we know that life involves uncertainty, change, and failure, we often expect uninterrupted progress once a system is established and its rules are followed. We want success to be predictable and outcomes to remain within our control. When reality deviates from our expectations, fear emerges. We search for reassurance, protection, and sometimes supernatural intervention.
This raises an important question: If systems are human-made arrangements intended to facilitate progress, why do we expect them to produce linear outcomes in an inherently uncertain world?
The proposition is largely valid, but one distinction is essential: systems can create order and improve the probability of success, but they cannot eliminate uncertainty or guarantee a straight path.
A system is an arrangement of rules, procedures, and relationships designed to achieve a purpose. Banking systems govern financial transactions and risk management. Administrative systems distribute responsibilities and establish decision-making procedures. Individuals also develop personal systems through habits, routines, and priorities.
These arrangements are necessary. They facilitate coordination, reduce arbitrary decisions, and help us learn from experience. However, a system is a means, not an end. Its purpose is to facilitate objectives, not to guarantee that every step will produce the expected result.
We often confuse compliance with achievement. We assume that if a process is followed correctly, the outcome should necessarily be favorable. Yet, even a well-designed system cannot control every factor influencing its outcomes.
A farmer may prepare the soil, select good seeds, apply fertilizer, and follow an appropriate irrigation schedule. Nevertheless, drought, excessive rainfall, or pests may destroy the crop. The system was not necessarily defective; it operated within an environment beyond its complete control. Human life is no different.
We welcome promotions, profits, recognition, and good health, but fear losses, rejection, illness, and uncertainty. We often interpret a temporary setback as evidence that our entire system has failed. The problem is not simply that we dislike failure; we expect consistency of effort to produce continuity of success.
But consistency and linearity are different. We can make sound decisions and still encounter unfavorable circumstances. We can act honestly and competently without receiving immediate recognition. Sometimes, failure provides valuable information, while apparent stagnation prepares us for a different direction.
A setback does not automatically indicate that a system is wrong. Equally, faith in a system should not prevent us from recognizing its weaknesses. The challenge is to distinguish between an external shock, an unavoidable fluctuation, and a correctable failure.
When people realize that systems cannot protect them from every uncertainty, many seek reassurance beyond them. They pray, make dua, seek blessings, request ashirbad from elders, or ask influential seniors for their good wishes. Before an examination, a promotion decision, a business venture, or an important meeting, people often seek divine favor or the blessings of respected individuals.
Such behavior reflects a basic human desire: to believe that we are not alone when confronting uncertainty.
Prayer may express faith, gratitude, or a search for strength and guidance. Seeking blessings from parents, elders, and teachers may express affection, humility, and respect. These practices can provide emotional stability, strengthen relationships, and help individuals face difficulties with greater confidence.
However, seeking blessings and expecting guaranteed outcomes are different things. A favorable outcome following a prayer does not, by itself, establish a causal relationship. Human beings naturally identify patterns, remember striking coincidences, and sometimes overlook occasions when the same practices do not produce the desired results.
This tendency is not confined to religion. Investors attribute success to intuition, employees associate advancement with particular recommendations, and businesspeople interpret fortunate coincidences as evidence of a special formula. In uncertain situations, we search for explanations that restore our sense of control.
Nevertheless, it would be simplistic to assume that every prayer or blessing is motivated by fear. Faith can be an independent source of meaning, not merely a response to setbacks.
The assumption that systems naturally move along a linear path also requires reconsideration. Some administrative processes should produce consistent outcomes. If an application satisfies all prescribed conditions, a properly functioning system should generate a predictable decision. But most real-world systems are more complex.
Markets respond to expectations, incentives, and external shocks. Organizations are affected by human behavior and competing interests. Careers depend on competence, opportunity, relationships, timing, and circumstances beyond individual control. Even a well-designed monetary policy framework cannot guarantee predictable movements in inflation, exchange rates, or capital flows.
Systems are designed to create order; linearity is an assumption we often impose on them.
A resilient system anticipates deviations rather than assuming they will never occur. It incorporates feedback, allows corrective action, and adapts to changing circumstances. The same principle applies to individuals. A successful career rarely follows an uninterrupted sequence of achievements. What matters is not whether every stage is favorable but whether we can learn, adapt, and continue pursuing meaningful objectives.
Problems arise when seeking blessings becomes a substitute for preparation, judgment, and accountability. If failure is attributed entirely to fate or insufficient blessings, we may overlook poor planning, inadequate skills, or flawed decisions. Similarly, seeking the favor of powerful seniors can undermine transparent procedures when personal relationships replace merit and established rules.
A sound institutional system should not require individuals to seek informal protection to receive fair treatment. Decisions should follow transparent criteria, consistent procedures, and accountable judgment. Personal goodwill should complement institutional safeguards, not replace them.
We can seek blessings without abandoning preparation, respect authority without surrendering independent judgment, and acknowledge uncertainty without surrendering our capacity to act.
Perhaps the necessary change lies not in the systems we create but in our expectations of them. Institutions should design procedures to manage variability rather than pretend it does not exist. Individuals should recognize that effort improves their prospects but cannot guarantee a particular outcome.
Faith may help us accept what we cannot control. Reason helps us identify what we can change. Experience teaches us to distinguish between the two.
Human beings create systems to bring order to a complicated world and seek blessings because we cannot control everything that happens. Both tendencies reflect our encounter with uncertainty. Yet, there is a fundamental difference between seeking guidance and expecting guarantees.
A system cannot promise uninterrupted success. Prayer cannot be treated as a contractual assurance of a desired outcome. A senior's blessing cannot eliminate every obstacle. Nor can perfect compliance with a procedure protect us from every external shock.
The meaning of life is one of the most important questions that people have asked throughout history. Life is not merely about earning money, gaining fame, or achieving success; it is also about finding happiness, spreading love, and helping others. Every person has a unique purpose in life, and discovering that purpose makes life meaningful. Family, friendship, education, honesty, and kindness play important roles in shaping our lives. We should learn from our mistakes, face challenges with courage, and never lose hope during difficult times. Helping the poor, respecting others, and caring for nature can bring true satisfaction to our hearts. Life is short, so we should use our time wisely and appreciate every moment. True success lies not only in personal achievements but also in the positive impact we make on others. Therefore, the meaning of life is to live with purpose, love, gratitude, and responsibility, making the world a better place for everyone.
The purpose of a system is not to eliminate the downs of life; it is to help us navigate them without losing direction.
Perhaps maturity begins when we stop demanding that life move in a straight line. We may continue to pray, seek blessings, respect our elders, and draw strength from our beliefs. But we must also recognize that setbacks are not necessarily signs of failure, just as success is not always proof that we followed the right path.
After all, a meaningful life is not measured by how rarely we fall, but by how thoughtfully we respond when we do.
Mehdi Rahman writes on foreign
trade and monetary policies.
