LIFE IS TO LIVE
I.D SONI
Kindness is so important: Smile at strangers who appear to be having a bad. Give Rs.500/- to the woman who forgot her purse at home and is now embarrassed standing in line at the fast food restaurant with three screaming kids. Tell a joke to a friend who is hurting. Learn to give more than we receive.
There are opportunities for kindness everywhere we look, and not a single one is too small. Not only does kindness make a world of difference to those around us, it will also change our life. When we focus on being kind, we will bring so much positivity into each and every day. By helping others, we help ourselves.
Be a master, a master of life: To become a master, to walk the way of perfection, the way of immorality, certain qualities are needed to be developed. The very first “in courage.” “Uttista! Parantapal!” says Sri Krishna in the Gita stand up, O Arjuna! Stand up unafraid on the battle-field of life.” The truly spiritual life is the heroic life. We must be a hero in the struggle of life. We must meet the challenge of the universe with courage. Be brave, be fearless.
The second great quality is the quality of simplicity. For the way of wisdom is the simple way. The simple life is the life purity and poverty. And as true purity is of the heart, true poverty means abandoning ambition, desire for prominence, thoughts of greatness. It is therefore, imperative on our part to renounce ambition, renounce aggressiveness, renounce reputation, renounce all imitation and walk the way of humility.
The third great quality is the quality of sympathy. Civilization, today, in sinking into chaos. There is economic chaos, there is a political chaos in the world, today. There is class warfare. Clouds of hate and war are gathering thick and fast. The world, today, is in a great agony. The sympathy is the power of a new world, a new civilisation. For sympathy is creative. In political and economic chaos of the world, today, sympathy has the power to build that new civilisation.
Walking this way- the way of courage and simplicity and sympathy-Bab, the Prophet of Iran, and many others attained to immorality. And the way is open to all!
Value of time: These days one can practically buy everything at the click of a mouse, except a few items like ‘Time’. It is something which is even any stock market cannot sell. It is not available even if a billionaire is willing to pay his entire wealth. But most of us very casually in our daily lives say, “Oh, I have no time.” Time is money. It is very precious. Let us give due regard to the value time.
Let us live our own life: We do not live our own life. If yes, do we live somebody else’s life? In the final analysis, we continue to copy others. After sometime we forget, our own personality and then live other people’s life. Children do copy. They can be excused but when the elders also behave that way, they cannot be excused.
We have to know and understand one fact. Whoever has been born in this world is a typical man or woman in his or her own right. The hereditary, environments, education, etc. Make everyone what he is and there are different for different persons. Hence no two persons can be alike.
Hence we have our own speciality and individuality. Our personality is the sum total of numerous factors. We are a type by ourselves. We can succeed if we discover ourselves and develop our personality in our way and act accordingly.
When we imitate others, we face many problems. We suppress our actual talents and this throws an undue burden on us. We utilize only a portion of our mental power. We create our own limits and live within them. We should utilize to the full extent what nature endowed us with and develop our personality and live our own life.
Learn to face life: The way to live a victorious life, a triumphant life is to walk we God today, and trust Him for the tomorrow. Let God guide our footsteps. Let God lead us on the path of life.
Of Alexander the Great, we are told, that one day in a mood of generosity, he started handing out gifts. To one he gave a fortune, to another he gave a little, to the third he gave a province, to a fourth he gave a position of high honour. A friend said to him, “If you do this, you will have given away everything. You will have nothing left for yourself.” “Oh yes I have”, replied Alexander. “I have kept what is greatest of all. I have kept all any hopes to myself.”
The beginning of the end of life is when we live in memory, and in hopes, when our memories are an escape from the prison of life, we have nothing to hope for; all stimulus to further living is lost.
The best way to face life is to face with trust. There is no situation, there is no problem which God and we cannot handle together. So let us surrender all our affairs. If we do so, we will find miracles happen in our daily life. The way to face life is to face it with hope and faith and love. The best way to face life is to face it with love. Let us give Him the love of hearts. So let us step into every new day with a simple prayer i.e. we love you God! Grant us pure love and devotion for ‘Thy Lotus Feet’ and so bless us that this world-bewitching maya may not lead us astray.
Work hard, but do not work too hard: Let us chase our dreams and work hard to make them true; work our backside off all day long, but go home to our family and be with them when the clock strikes five. One of the biggest regrets that dying people have is that they did not spend enough with those who meant the most. Let us, therefore, make it a point to spend sufficient time with our children. Let us go out on dates with our spouse and children. We must visit our parents if they are alive. Spend some time with them and provide them all comforts, if we can.
While it is so important to pursue our dreams and work feverishly to accomplish our goals, strive to keep a balance in our life. Make time for our family, friends and ourselves.
Accomplish our duty before starting any task: The enquiry revealed that the battle was lost because the soldiers were discouraged, as the horse slipped, killing the General of the Army. But why did the horse slip? Because the horse’s shoe came off, and this in turn because the blacksmith had not nailed it properly. So the saying was that “the battle was lost for want of the horse shoe nail.” Hence the importance of careful planning and cheerful execution of our duty in life.
Uplift for our spiritual thoughts and brighten our future: We are born not merely to eat, drink, grow and then pass away but also to uplift ourselves spirituality and brighten our future. “Nor or Never” should be our motto in life. No one can lift us out of the mire; but self-effort, along with guidance from the Spiritual Beings or Guides, will definitely help. The Vedic scriptures proclaim that this human form of life is very rare and the time available to us in this body has to be most effectively used for attaining the goal of life, i.e. to be eternally happy. Inner peace and happiness are interconnected. We want more happiness. Let us learn to calm our mind-make it less restless through spirituality. We don’t have to create happiness, because though we may not believe it, it is part of our essence, but is just hidden. All we have to do is calm down our mind and feelings and uplift our spiritual thoughts because when here is a quiet mind, our spiritual thoughts are uplifted, inner peace and happiness emerges from within us. This is how we learn that “Life is to Live.”
Concluded
(The writer is President, Home of Aged & Infirm, Ambphalla, Jammu)