To survive, you must die first....

'To survive, you must die first - Title idea - courtesy - Ms. Sandhya Shiv

I will extrapolate it a bit - To survive and flourish, you must die first. It is like a phoenix re-born from the remains of its ashes. So, technically the phoenix bird is immortal!

It symbolizes the re-birth of oneself after he/she dies (symbolically). It may be due to utter humiliation, insult, torture (may be of the mind), total devastation, mostly by the people who are supposedly closer to you. You believe in them unquestionably, trust to the hilt. Invariably it will be your close aides and people on whom you had blind faith that stab you at the back.... There is no point in realizing it later (point of no return). Even if you scream, 'You too Brutus', nothing will happen.

May be first-hand experience is the best teacher in life. Hence you might die (virtually) to rise above from the debris of your own ashes, gain the vaunted strength to rise like a Colossus.
Having taken the bitter lesson (as bitter pill cures you fully) from your horrible experiences with your so-called buddies, you would rise above the destruction and you will live the rest of your life with steely nerve and renewed vigor. You would be able to sift chaff from rice, blow the chaff off. So it is simply not 'to survive only' but also 'to survive and flourish'.

Never trust anyone till you judge them. Initially touch them with your hands, with gloves on. Feel it, experience it, and judge them. Only if you find them trust-worthy, move ahead. Otherwise just throw them off from your wagon. They don't deserve to be travelling with you anymore. Never allow them to take advantage of your love, kindness and naivety to mean vulnerability and hurt you (as you are an easy prey!) when you do not expect it. Do not succumb to such brutal attacks of unscrupulous people around you.

Of course during your experimenting period (in judging the people), you would choose the right persons who deserve your friendship. Stick to them for the rest of your life, as you need genuine friends in times of need. You can rarely keep your relatives as confidants. It will be only the true and genuine friends who will come to your rescue. You can count on them during the calamitous happenings in your life cycle.

Almost all of us are bound to make grave mistakes in selection of our friends right at the beginning. It is only through trial and error, you narrow down to the most trust-worthy friends. So, it is natural for you to die first to survive and flourish later....