“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting.”….. ‘if’ by Rudyard Kipling

In moments of crisis, challenges, emergencies, disasters, ….what comes to your mind? To face the situation and ‘fight’ or to ‘escape’ and ‘flight’.

The brave will say that we should always ‘fight’. The intelligent will advise, “not always.” If the situation is out of our hands and we are to live for another day, ‘flight’ is definitely preferred.

Is there a third option?

What happened when Shivaji Maharaj was put under ‘house arrest’ by Aurangzeb in Agra?

After Lord Rama departs for 14 years of ‘Vanvas’, how does Bharat react for 14 years?

Cheteshwar Pujara, in situations of hopelessness, resorts to which tactic while batting?

History, Mythology, Sports, give us ample proof of when neither ‘fight’ nor ‘flight’ is an option, there emerges a third one…‘freeze’!

In moments of crisis, when we can’t fight or run away, but believe that time will give us hope, we have gathered courage that is much more than what is required to fight or flee. We have to stay put.

In hopeless situations, with time, either the chemistry changes,or geography, or biology, or there may be a change in psychology, which gives way to our escape and gradually our win.

‘Face the Failure’ is the message.

In the process, we may be required to ‘fight’ or ‘flight’. But, let’s remember, there is a third option for winning the game….the ‘waiting’ game.

Let’s gather all our courage, let’s keep faith, let’s hope for the best, let’s cling on to our position… let’s ‘FREEZE’!

Rajesh Shetty