Is This You?
You open your news app. Instantly, you feel a flood of anxiety. There’s economic instability, political turmoil, climate crises, and a volatile job market. The future, which used to feel like a straight road, now feels like a chaotic, unpredictable storm. Making five-year plans seems pointless. You feel a constant, low-grade hum of anxiety. It is like being a small boat tossed on a giant, raging sea. How can you build a life when everything feels so unstable? How can you feel any sense of peace?
This feeling of living in a “crazy” or “unprecedented” time is not new. The ancient sages had a much longer view of history. They knew that chaos and order, creation and destruction, are part of an endless, natural rhythm. Their wisdom doesn’t offer a way to control the storm. However, it teaches you how to become an unshakeable lighthouse within it.
The Ancient Anchor
Before the gods, before the epics, there was the Vedic concept of Ṛta (ऋत). Rta is the cosmic order. It is the universal law that governs everything from the rising of the sun to the changing of the seasons. It dictates that life is not a straight line but a series of cycles. This cyclical nature is perfectly captured in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2, Verse 27):
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च |तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ||
(Jatasya hi dhruvo mrityur dhruvam janma mritasya cha |Tasmad apariharye ‘rthe na tvam shochitum arhasi ||)
Translation: For one who has been born, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.
On the surface, this is about life and death. But the deeper principle is about accepting the inevitable cycles of existence. What rises must fall, and what falls will eventually rise again. This applies to everything: civilizations, economies, and our own personal fortunes.
How This Philosophy Unfolds in the Ancient Texts
Our myths are not stories of permanent stability, but of constant, cyclical change.
The grandest illustration of this is the Hindu concept of the Yugas. Time is not linear. It moves in a great cycle of four ages. It starts with a golden age of truth (Satya Yuga). This is followed by a gradual decline in righteousness through two more ages (Treta and Dvapara Yuga). The cycle culminates in a dark age of conflict and ignorance (Kali Yuga). But the cycle doesn’t end in darkness. After the Kali Yuga reaches its lowest point, a period of renewal begins, and a new golden age dawns. This cosmic clock teaches that periods of chaos and decline are a natural and predictable part of the universal order. They are not a sign that everything is permanently broken.
Think of the magnificent cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, the Tandava. In one hand, he holds a drum, the sound of which creates the universe. In another hand, he holds a flame, which destroys it. His dance is not one of either creation or destruction, but both at once. It symbolizes the dynamic, pulsating rhythm of the cosmos. Old forms must be cleared away to make space for the new. The Tandava teaches that destruction is not an end, but a necessary part of rebirth and renewal.
On a more human level, look at the Pandavas. One moment, they were princes presiding over the most magnificent court in the world, Indraprastha. The next, after a single roll of the dice, they were stripped of everything and exiled to the forest. Their world collapsed overnight. They could have been paralyzed by the uncertainty of their future. Instead, they adapted. They learned to live a completely new kind of life. They acquired new skills. They forged new alliances. They deepened their spiritual understanding. They accepted the dramatic turn of the cycle. During the “down phase,” they prepared for their eventual rise.
The Modern Disconnect
Our modern society, is built on a myth of linear, upward progress. We expect our careers, our incomes, and our quality of life to constantly improve. We expect stability. When we encounter volatility and decline—a recession, a pandemic, a personal setback—it feels like a shocking failure of the system. We are not culturally equipped to handle the natural “down” part of the cycle, and it causes us immense anxiety.
Wisdom at Work
How do you apply this cyclical wisdom to stay calm in uncertain times?
- In Your Career/Hustle: The job market is volatile. Instead of panicking, see it as a natural cycle. Use “winter” periods (like a layoff or a slow economy) to do what a good farmer does: prepare for spring. Learn new skills, strengthen your network, work on a personal project. By accepting the cycle, you can use the quiet times strategically instead of just fearing them.
- In Your Relationships: Relationships are not a steady state of bliss. They have cycles of closeness and distance, harmony and conflict. When you’re in a difficult phase, understanding its cyclical nature can prevent you from thinking, “This is the end.” Instead, you can ask, “What is this phase teaching us? What do we need to learn to enter the next season?”
- For Your Mental Health: Practice the art of focusing on your “circle of control.” You cannot control the global economy, political events, or natural disasters. Fretting about them is like shouting at the rain. You can control your actions, your attitude, your spending, and how you treat others. Pouring your energy into what you can control gives you a powerful sense of agency. This happens even when the world outside feels chaotic.
Modern Sages
The greatest minds who have navigated chaos have all come to similar conclusions.
- The philosophy of Stoicism, born in ancient Greece and Rome, is a perfect Western parallel. Thinkers like Marcus Aurelius taught that we don’t control events, only our judgments about them. The goal is to cultivate an inner citadel of peace that external chaos cannot breach.
- Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, introduced the concept of Amor Fati—”a love of one’s fate.” It’s the practice of not just accepting but also embracing everything that happens in life. Both the good and the bad are necessary parts of your own beautiful, complex story.
- The Indian spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti pointed out that our insecurity arises from our desire for permanence. He explained that this is in a world that is fundamentally impermanent. He said, “The moment you have protected yourself, you have lost the whole of life.” True security comes from the intelligence to adapt to change.
- Ray Dalio, a modern investor who has studied the rise and fall of empires, speaks about “The Changing World Order.” His work shows, with data, that history moves in predictable cycles of debt, wealth redistribution, and conflict. Understanding this long-term pattern, he argues, reduces fear and allows for better decision-making.
Your First Step
Perform a “Control Audit.” Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left side, list all the things you are currently worried about. On the right side, put a checkmark next to every single item that you have direct, personal control over. You will likely find that most of your worries are in your “circle of concern.” They are not in your “circle of control.” Make a conscious decision to mentally release the items without a checkmark. Your only job today is to take one small, positive action on one thing that you can control. This simple act moves you from a state of helpless anxiety to empowered action.
