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| Courtesy--Wikimedia |
Well, readers, I was not feeling well (down with Arctic Sniffles!) so I decided to indulge in some therapeutic reading. I took up a copy of
'My Experiments with Truth' by Mahatma Gandhi and got started. He says,
'Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.' His life, built upon the cornerstones of Peace, Truth and Service, is surely something worth learning from for all of us.
Even under the most extraordinary circumstances, Mahatma never wavered from the twin paths of peace and nonviolence. According to him, an eye for an eye would eventually turn the whole world blind. Time and again, history has proved him right by showing that any victory achieved solely through violence and bloodshed will eventually leave the mankind in tatters. With so many brutal conflicts underway around the world, it is now, more than ever, that we must pay heed to him. Before brokering peace outside, however, we must first be at peace with ourselves.
A crystal clear conscience is something that can take days to be built, but only a moment to get spoilt. You can fool all the others all the time but never your own self. If you feel that you have transgressed your limits with someone, then never hesitate to apologize. Try not to harbour any ill will or hatred towards others or even yourself. Whenever you find that thoughts of revenge are creeping up in your mind, think of Demi Lovato singing Let it go/Let it go/Can't hold hate anymore/. The day you're at peace with yourself, you will find that life is simpler than you'd have ever imagined.
Now that you are a peaceful guy (or girl, as the case may be), can you honestly answer this question: How true am I to myself? More often than not, the answer is likely to be 'rarely'. 'It was just an ordinary test tube. No harm if one broke. There's no need to go and tell the teacher about it.' Sure enough, a broken test tube won't cause much harm, but then, why not rather admit your fault? Mistakes do happen and, in most cases, your honesty will be appreciated. On the other hand, a single lie will soon lead to a vicious cycle, wherein you will be lying nonchalantly to justify the previous lies. Sooner or later, when the truth is discovered, your house of cards lies will come crashing down. And since the house would have become a skyscraper, it will hurt like hell.
A person, a business or an institution built on the hollow foundations of lies and deceit is bound to fail the test of time. Many a time, it may seem difficult to speak the truth. Actually, speaking the truth is always the best bet as you will never be on the wrong side. In Gandhiji's words, 'When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it—always.'
Mahatma Gandhi lived by the principle—To serve the God is to serve the mankind. The society is never richer than the poorest person, stronger than the weakest person or freer than the most oppressed person. Imagine what would happen if all sweepers, domestic help and truck drivers went on strike for a day or two. The house would be plunged into mayhem, streets would be covered with filth and transport of goods would come to a standstill. Yet, we often downplay their contributions in our lives. True progress can come about only when every person has access to basic facilities and equal opportunities for growth and development.
It is not beyond us to make this happen. Not surprisingly,
each of us wants it to happen. The very fact that you haven't exited the blog is a testimony to this. All we need to do is transform our ideas and ideals to deeds. Khalil Gibran beautifully sums it up—
I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy.
I woke and I saw that life is all service.
I served and I saw that service is joy.
The
Joy of Giving Week is an excellent opportunity for you to
do something. Gandhiji correctly said that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Rather than giving you ideas, I'd love it if you could come up with something creative and share it here. Who knows, maybe this small step can become a giant stride towards progress and happiness!
Gandhiji's life is really an unending source of inspiration for people around the world. No one puts it better than his contemporary, THE scientist Albert Einstein—
Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to share your creative ideas and valuable feedback. Will be back in a week or two, with a new post.
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| Courtesy--Arbor Vitae (Flickr) |
Till then, keep reading and embracing Peace, Truth and Service.
Happy Dusshera and Eid Mubarak to all those who celebrate!!
Good Bye!!!
