Hi friends, in this article I would like to explain you about what is REAL ELEVATION.
The following five qualities are essential to achieve success in life:
1. Truth
2. Honesty
3. Hard work irrespective of the result.
4. Not hurting others (except in performing the duty)
5. Relieving the sufferings of the poor.
These qualities are found abundant in the life of all successful persons. We should base our life on these qualities in order to achieve a successful and meaningful life. Life is a big and a long struggle. We have to swim against the waves in order to reach our goal. We will face lots of problems and troubles. Only the person who is prepared to face them and manage them becomes an achiever in life.
Don’t expect others to light the candle, when you are in a darkroom. Among others let you be the first to light. It is easy to be honest in a society of honest people. But it is very difficult to be honest and perfect in a sinful society like ours.
Wherever we turn around, we find selfishness cheating fraud corruption graft nepotism and exploitation. We should vow to lead an honest life practicing the five qualities mentioned above. It is easy to walk on the ground, but it is very difficult to walk on the rope. It may be easy to live with the above qualities in the Western societies; but to practice these in our society is very difficult. You take it up as a challenge to live like this. Do not blame the politicians, illicit-liquor brewers, selfish merchants, adulterators and other exploiters. They will be only like that. It is futile to try to reform them, to question the atrocities they commit, or to seek justice from them.
It is impossible for you. You should ignore them. Can a mouse confront a mountain? Why does God allow these people to thrive in the society? We can assume, God has allowed these people to give punishment to other sinners.
In practicing the above five qualities do not try to achieve 100% in any one of them. It is enough if you achieve 90%. If you can achieve 90% in all the five qualities in this birth that itself is a big achievement. Here is the story of a good man who tried to follow the virtues 100% and ended as a bad example to others.
There was an honest shopkeeper in Bangalore who sold spare parts for machinery. In business, in keeping accounts and in paying taxes he was 100% honest. He did not cheat the government even one rupee. And he did not pay even one rupee as bribe to the officials. As he was honest, he was a problem to the fellow businessmen and as he was not giving any bribe, he was a problem to corrupt officials.
Shopkeepers who adopted bad practices and the tax officers who were corrupt kept on creating problems to this honest man and tried to create problems for him. He continued to practice honest business in spite of the tortures given to him. At one stage he could no longer tolerate the problems given by them. Hence he closed the shop.
Nobody was impressed by his honesty. People wondered what he had achieved by having remained honest. His honesty drove him to close his shop. So people concluded that you cannot afford to be honest and also live happily in these days.
I have heard people commenting “Mahatma Gandhi’s children and grand children are not prosperous”. People think “They are Great people, exemplary leaders, people to be admired, people fit for worship like God. But we cannot follow them in life. If we follow, we cannot survive in this world, we will become penniless and our wife and children will live a miserable life”.
Hence it is better to follow the above five virtues 90% and become successful in this materialistic life. Only when you succeed in life and become rich, the others would listen to you, have faith in your words and follow your ideas and practice in life. In our society, it is very rare to find people who preach good qualities and also follow them in life. If you belong to that category, you have the big responsibility to set an example to the uneducated, ordinary people. You should prove that good people can also lead a rich and happy life.
You should continue to lead a good and honest life and set an example for others to follow. God will be very much pleased with you and will give you the big throne. The people around you, after initial criticism, will come round to your way slowly. Swami Vivekananda said “Give me 100 honest and selfless youths! I will change the future of this country.” Why not you be one of them?
God has given us the sixth sense. We should not behave like animals having only five senses. Educated people, people with intelligence, people with thinking power should analyze, should know the best things and should come to the correct decision. If we follow the above five qualities in life we can change our country for the better. We are standing very low in international level in spite of having the best Hindu religion to guide us. Whatever number of schools and colleges we start, and whatever number of industries we set up and provide jobs and whatever number of hospitals we start and run to eradicate the diseases , unless we have the above five important qualities neither the people nor the country can get any progress. However intelligently the government plans and implements various projects, and ensure that the benefits reach the people, God will give punishments through many other ways to each and every person according to the sins they have committed.
He will not allow a country of sinners to prosper. Earthquakes, hurricanes, storms and other natural calamities – all these are God’s way of punishing sinners. Why new diseases like AIDS, and SAARS are coming up in the world? All these are created by God to give punishment to the sinners. However much intelligent, efficient and clever you may be if you do not practice the above five qualities, all your talents will be nothing before God’s will.
If we have a proper understanding of God, His likes and dislikes, and live our lives as per His guidelines, we can rise to the level of the rich Western countries. Instead of borrowing money from them, we will rise to a position by being where we can lend them. You can rise. Your children and their children can rise; the society can rise, and our country can rise to great heights.
The uncrowned king of the computer world, and the richest man in the world, is the chairman of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates an American selects and employs, intelligent people from various countries of the world. He has stated that out of all the people working in his company; south Indians are the most intelligent people. This is the place where great rishis, philosophers and yogis were born. Not eating the flesh of other living beings is a good way of life - preaches our great Hindu religion. These are all the reasons behind the good achievements of South Indians.
So with a proper understanding of God’s ways, if we lead a proper life, we can definitely rise to the position of leading the entire world.