Cleanliness means keeping one’s body, clothes, foods, and surroundings clean. It is highly necessary for health. It keeps off disease and makes a man fit and alert. It keeps him happy and gay. It adds to the personality of a person. People get delight in coming near him or her. A clean and tidy person impresses others.
A dirty person, on the other hand, is hated by all. Nobody likes to sit near a dirty person, even if he or she is good –looking. Thus we see that cleanliness makes us lovable, respectable and popular.
There is a close connection between the body and the mind. `A sound mind in a sound body’ is a very popular saying. Only a clean can have a clean or pure mind. Pure thoughts cannot take birth in an impure mind. A pure mind in needed for them. And a pure mind can be there in a clean body only. Thus cleanliness is highly necessary for us all. A clean body is a source of joy and respect. A pure mind leads to peace of mind, cheerfulness and purity of thought. Let us read the story of a young man who kept neat and clean.
Once, the manager of a firm advertised a post in his office. A large number of applications reached him. He sorted some twenty-five of them. He sent letters to all these applicants to come for interview on a certain date.
On the date of the interview, the applicants came. The manager called them one by one inside his office. He was a vise person. He watched every candidate quite closely. He looked at his or her qualifications, clothes manners and speech. When the interview was over, a Youngman was declared selected for the post. He was much inferior to other candidates in qualifications. The staff of the manager could not understand why he had chosen that Youngman.
One of them asked manager, `Why have you chosen that young man, sir?’ the manager said, I interviewed the candidates not to test their qualifications only. I saw their manners, habits and personalities. The Youngman who has been selected is in a neat though simple dress. His boy looks well-washed and hair well-dressed. His manner of speech is much more impressing.’
`one thing more,’ continued the manager, `this gentleman possesses a sense of cleanliness. I had left some pieces of paper on the floor with a purpose. No candidate cared to pick them up. But as soon as this gentleman entered the room, he picked up these pieces of paper and put them in the small dust bin. More cover, when he talked or smiled, his teeth were fund nicely brushed. When he wrote, his nails looked closely pared and quite clean. His handwriting is very clear. All these things showed the love of the Youngman for cleanliness. And so I have selected him.’
Thus we see that cleanliness is almost equal to godliness. A godly person is held in high esteem by the people. They bow before him and want to be as near him as possible. They crave for his blessings and try to please him. In like manner, a clean and tidy person has a clean boy as well as a pure mind. His personality is so charming that people long for his company. They are naturally attracted towards him. They hold him in high esteem too.