THE POWER WITHIN US

Light of Truth

Vijitha Sebastian Adappoor

A post on the social media that was appreciated by many caught my attention too. It was about the disciplining of a son by his father. The constant reminders and nagging went on all through his formative stages. All of us have gone through this phase in life though in varying degrees. In the aforesaid case, the son realized the value of it only when he cleared an interview for the job where his skills were tested not on the basis of his educational qualification or his intelligence quotient but by his attitude towards the most ordinary things in life. His father’s disciplinary approach had ingrained these qualities deeply in him.

The post read like this as he approached the venue, he saw that the latch of the main gate was in an awkward position, so he set it right lest others who enter in a hurry should get hurt. He also saw that the water from the hose was flowing on the pathway so he pushed it back into the flower bed. He set straight the doormat to avoid anyone tripping over it. He also switched off the fans that were switched on in the vacant part of the hall. Finally, when he walked into the room the interviewer handed over the appointment letter saying that he passed the test as he walked up to that room. He was hardly conscious of doing those everyday activities but they put him on the path to success. Earlier, when he received the call letter for the interview, the first thought that struck him was about the chance that he would get to escape from the strict life imposed upon him by his father.

As I cross examined myself, I realized that if I were put through this test, I would grossly fail to do most of them not because I was not taught but due to sheer indifference. Out of curiosity, I asked a few of my colleagues, friends and young ones about their response. Many gave me affirmative answers, some were unsure and the young ones gave a shrug and a wave letting out their stark ignorance. One response was that she used to be very considerate towards others but quit after a few occasions when the peer group members teased her of being Gandhiji’s grand-daughter. We can easily surmise that we should not let conditions control our attitudes. Instead, our attitudes should control the conditions.

Our actions are the outward expressions of our thoughts. These thoughts spin an energy that makes us act when opportunities come our way. This energy within us is what we call our personal power which gives us the ability to trigger meaningful change and bring about the desired result in an effective manner. Even if we are surrounded by those who distract us easily from our set goals, blame others for our setbacks and hold grudges against us, the excellent values ingrained within us will give us the courage to use our talent and potential to bring about changes of high quality. Moral decadence has resulted in indiscipline at all levels. We do feel sad when we see intolerance, disrespect, non co-operation, cheating, abuse of law etc reigning supreme and guiding others.

Honesty, hard work and dedication in all our activities make our life admirable and fulfilling. At the same time abhorrence, self-centeredness and irritation should be kept at bay. Even if it is not convenient or comfortable, we ought to do what is right. Very often we hear our friends say that without any warning life presents treacherous hairpin bends. Victor Hugo said, ‘…Problems are wonderful transition points. During times of growth the greatest problems arise and they get solved too.’ No life is lame. We have to be patient and wait for what destiny has planned and believe that those plans are always beyond our imagination. Each new day stretches ahead of us giving us an opportunity to fashion it the way we desire.

Through our interactions with others, the power within us will cause others to move into action as we respond to the challenges thrown to us in life. If we don’t get the desired results, we normally end up giving excuses or justifications. By enhancing the spiritual quality of our life, we can shut out the feeling of being victims of circumstances. It also helps us to act decisively so that our ideas and intentions are translated into reality. When there is surety of purpose in all our activities, the generation that follows us will absorb it. They will be imbued with self-respect, a sense of honour and self-discipline. The son in the instance quoted above realized the true worth of his father’s training only when he too promptly acted in all readiness without any fuss. Just like the concrete that is made stronger due to the steel reinforcement, the spiritual power within us will certainly drive us to lead outstanding lives.

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