Dear Editor,
Thomas Alva Edison who had 1,093 patents under his belt, once very aptly said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety – nine percent perspiration.” However, the most essential quality that we need is indeed perseverance to cheerfully endure such a huge amount of perspiration.
When we see Roger Federer returning a very powerful shot — after covering a lot of ground — with a thunderous forehand down the line volley — while balancing his tall body on one leg; we generally say that he is a gifted player. And he can play so well because he is a born
athlete.
But the fact of the matter is ~ he has not inherited such ability but has earned it by perseverance which in the words of Victor Hugo is “the secret of all triumphs.” Indeed, Roger Federer has been hitting volleys while standing on one leg on a stiff mini – trampoline device for astronomical number of times and that makes him do it with such an élan in Grand Slam tournaments.
What makes the difference between him and other players is his ability to cheerfully cope with such a tough training regimen. This explains why he is a cut above other players. This is called perseverance which according to Oxford Dictionary – the quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties. The Mother (spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo) had once described it as “patience in action.”
Children have it as their natural quality that make them always cheerful rain or shine. I have seen small street children playing together with so much joy that even well-off adults generally fail to find in their lives. We need to reclaim this quality to cheerfully pursue our goal to translate our infinite potentialities into action.
Sujit De,
Kolkata.