Keeping the water out...
When I was in Bombay, I attended a personality development session by the kids' favorite, Anant Pai, aka Uncle Pai, of Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha fame. I learnt quite a few good lessons about life from that session. Many of those I do not remember exactly to cite here, though I subconsciously follow them. And there are a couple that I continue to remember to this day.
He put it very simply. "Water that can drown a ship is all around it. But the ship floats, because it does not allow that water to enter it."
Yes, yes, I can hear the naysayers saying thats its easier said than done. Its too simplistic. Life's not that easy, I do agree. But what do have to lose by being positive? Rather, what do we gain by allowing the negativity to creep in? Maybe we should try to condition us, our minds, to stop the negative thoughts and things that surround us from entering our mind.
Think of the times when someone told you something was impossible or when conditions seemed pretty hopeless. Did you get discouraged, and brood over the hopelessness, or did you simply shut off those thoughts and decide to go ahead and give your best shot anyway? Maybe you still did not achieve what was seemingly impossible. But did you not atleast benefit from the experience of trying?
Bad news is there's water all around. Good news is that you can float on it if you dont let it in.
The other lesson I learnt was on discipline - "A river that flows without bounds causes flood, misery and destruction. Put a dam accross that very river, and you will be able to spread prosperity."
The human mind's worst emotions and desires are very much like a river. Unrestricted, they can leave a trail of destruction, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of others. Words once uttered in anger cannot be taken back, actions once committed cannot be undone, hopes once shattered cannot be repaired. Every time we have a rush of blood, we have the option to hold back those feelings, to channelize those emotions to fuel our efforts. Every time we feel like damaging something, we have the option to hold back and think "Can I put my time and energy to better use, to remedy this situation?".
Its not possible to always follow these principles, else the world would have been a much better place today. Yet, we can always try..
Just a thought, as we end one day, and get ready for another.
He put it very simply. "Water that can drown a ship is all around it. But the ship floats, because it does not allow that water to enter it."
Yes, yes, I can hear the naysayers saying thats its easier said than done. Its too simplistic. Life's not that easy, I do agree. But what do have to lose by being positive? Rather, what do we gain by allowing the negativity to creep in? Maybe we should try to condition us, our minds, to stop the negative thoughts and things that surround us from entering our mind.
Think of the times when someone told you something was impossible or when conditions seemed pretty hopeless. Did you get discouraged, and brood over the hopelessness, or did you simply shut off those thoughts and decide to go ahead and give your best shot anyway? Maybe you still did not achieve what was seemingly impossible. But did you not atleast benefit from the experience of trying?
Bad news is there's water all around. Good news is that you can float on it if you dont let it in.
The other lesson I learnt was on discipline - "A river that flows without bounds causes flood, misery and destruction. Put a dam accross that very river, and you will be able to spread prosperity."
The human mind's worst emotions and desires are very much like a river. Unrestricted, they can leave a trail of destruction, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of others. Words once uttered in anger cannot be taken back, actions once committed cannot be undone, hopes once shattered cannot be repaired. Every time we have a rush of blood, we have the option to hold back those feelings, to channelize those emotions to fuel our efforts. Every time we feel like damaging something, we have the option to hold back and think "Can I put my time and energy to better use, to remedy this situation?".
Its not possible to always follow these principles, else the world would have been a much better place today. Yet, we can always try..
Just a thought, as we end one day, and get ready for another.
posted by Dream Runner | 6:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home