Efforts

“The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly.” – Richard Bach

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“You must make a daily effort to look upon others without condemnation. Every judgment takes you away from your goal of peace. Your ego loves your judgments, because with them you remain in a constant state of anguish and remorse. Keep in mind that you do not define anyone with your judgment; you only define yourself as someone who needs to be judged.” – Wayne Dyer

When I contemplate on the exuberant thoughts of these contemporary and outstanding thinkers of 20th century, I learn that it is imperative for me to focus more on the how instead of why. More I delve on injustice and tragedy I had to face, I become strongly inclined towards truculence leading me to believe that the whole world is out to get me and use all my potential for self-preservation. The stone that endures the chisel and the gold that withstand the temperature become the most admired statue/ornament. Feckless attitude towards life continues to keep me in darkness of ignorance. Liberating from the ignorance is true freedom and it requires me to become non-obstreperous, mettlesome, forbearing, pragmatic and assiduous. Even identifying the opportunities that unfolds in front of me requires resilient tendencies. These understandings are primarily the efforts that I need in life.

What is progress and how do I make it happen? It involves carefully crafted change to my thoughts, developing vision towards the purpose, exercising restraint in tendencies to break away from my character, instilling habits that sustains my character and never allow anything to enervate my positive attitude towards life. Will there be life without any challenge? Of course, not. I don’t have to know why I face it but how I overcome it without losing the precious character. My efforts must be in how to eliminate unnecessary reactions that zaps my energy, stay the course with respect to development and understand the nature of interdependent relationship with the nature and the fellow beings.

My mind is filled with frameworks and preconceived notions about the people and their characteristics around me. This might have been established either by my own judgment or something someone strongly installed in my mind with or without prejudice. All my thoughts, words and actions revolve around those precepts. If I could change myself today from who I was yesterday, it is obvious that others around us could also do so. I have nothing to gain by judging anyone. By judging someone, I only reveal my own character. My efforts to understand people should be to inculcate something that I admire in them.

I am a student in this university called the world. Everyone I meet in my life whether they are younger or older than I am, is constantly teaching me something. Nature is filled with immense amount of scope for education. How I see it makes no difference to me but how I observe it makes the difference. This awareness is always inside of me and my efforts are to allow it to manifest constantly.

Everything to become who I need to be, is inside of me. I am only relearning everything in this world of impressions. Let me stay in awareness and see the kindness of how things unfold to care for me. Understanding this inherent nature of the world, buries the image of the superfluous world that I visualize through my mind into one that really exist revealing myself to me. That is the result of all my efforts.

Finding this truth is inevitable for everyone however the world perceives him/her to be.

 

@GeetaKashyap,

Thank you for your first response and for sharing the quote of Kannada Poet from 16th century. There is so much to learn and as mentioned by the Poet, everyone has something to teach us. Even plants, insects, birds and animals have so much to teach us. The nature brings a lot of value to us. Once we observe, we can learn so much.

Viswa

 

Thank you Kamala for your straight forward feedback. I couldn't agree more about the mindset of people making them behave in a particular way on a particular day and that may or may not reflect their true character. I was only delving on it as understanding my own mind makes me understand what circumstances would make others do the same thing I do in certain circumstances.

I could be wrong but I believe it makes me a better person and more forgiving.

Viswa

 

@MalStrom,

Thank you for your kind words. What is affecting me most is what I believe as hurtful. Quicker I overcome that ordeal, my mind can become a tool that enables me to look at the positive dispositions of myself. Once I ride on the positives, the world becomes a better place.

Viswa

 

Dear Hariji,

I am merely trying to hold on to those wonderful insights provided by the spiritual leaders and talk aloud to elicit responses from the learned people here. The world remains the same and it is our perception that varies from person to person.

It is unfortunate that many pretending to be spiritual leaders really don't practice what they preach. I, Me and Mine stems from the Mind and hopefully working on it would make me understand the interdependence and be inclusive. At least, that is what I am hoping.

Viswa