“I am a dog chasing ignorance,” said an ugly man who roamed in the streets of Athens barefooted. Yet, the rulers of Athens trembled at the mere name of the men. He was Socrates.
One day, he saw a notice that said Socrates was a criminal. His crime? He had encouraged the son of a trader to study philosophy. The punishment was death. Socrates was 70 years old at the time. He laughed and said, “I have faced life with courage. I will face death also with the same courage.” “It is not a crime to give knowledge. The problem is not how to escape death, but how to save oneself from crime.” Saying this, Socrates drank a cup full of poison. He died but his courage taught others a lesson. Today, nobody remembers the persons who sentenced him to death. But everyone remembers Socrates.
Courage is the Wheel of life. It makes life go forward. Progress can be made only with the help of courage. Many years ago man used to hunt in jungles. He used to live in caves. But man has progressed by means of his courage and hard work, life has become more comfortable. Today, man has measured the depths of the deepest oceans and climbed the highest mountains. Of course, man faced failure several times before he met with success. But he did not give up.
If you don’t have the strength to start a certain job or the courage to face difficulties, how will you shape your future? Many great people, weak in body but strong in mind, have shown the people the right path. They have led the way in removing evil practices in society. All men have two arms. But it takes a strong pair of arms to overthrow powerful rulers. At the root of all this is courage. The brave do not wait for company. They are ready to go ahead alone. They have their conscience and courage with them.
There was a time when nobody knew Mahatma Gandhi. As a young citizen of India, he went to England to study. In those days, an Indian was no better than a dog in the eyes of the white men. One day, Gandhiji bought a train ticket and got into a coach. In the same coach was a white man. He could not bear the thought of having to travel with a black man. He ordered Gandhiji to sit in another coach. Gandhiji refused to budge. People tried to push him out by force. But he clung on to the door.
He was prepared to die, but he was not prepared to accept the insult. It was this kind of courage that made him the Father of the Nation. That is how India got its freedom, through act of courage.
Truth requires great courage. All of us know the story of Raja Harichandra. He possessed great courage to keep the truth. Even though he faced many tragedies, he did not give up the truth. His story was the great impact to the Mahatma Gandhi’s life.
To be honest you have to be very brave. If you have courage, you will always be honest. Courage comes from within. It comes from your own soul. It is your strength. Jesus Christ has said: “Those who carry their own crosses may follow me.”
The history of the Sikhs speaks of the courage of their leaders, Guru Gobind Singh and Banda Bairagi. Guru Gobind Singh’s children were killed in front of his eyes. But he was not deterred
Bairagi was tortured beyond measure, but he did not utter a word of protest or pain.
If you want to get to the other side of the river, you must cross it. Standing on one bank doest not help. In the same way, be brave, be firm. You will be successful in whatever you attempt to do.
Time is a necklace made of moments. Each moment is a pearl in the necklace. If you make use of each moment, you will meet with success.
Time is the most precious thing in the world. Time is the most transitory, fleeting thing in the world. Time can make you or break you.
If you make use of time well, you can make all your dreams come true. Time never comes back. So it is no use wishing it would come back. Make use of your opportunities now.
The best time is the present time. Don’t postpone anything. There is no such thing as a good time to start or a bad time to do anything. The best time to do something is right away. If you don’t show time the respect it deserves you lose many good opportunities. It has been said that wealth can be regained by thrift and hard work. Knowledge can be regained by reading books regularly. Health can be regained through medicine and moderation. But time wasted can never be regained. Once it goes, it is lost forever.
A son of poor farmer woke up before dawn. He picked berries and sold them in the markets of Boston. With that money he bought a Latin grammar book and began to study himself. He helped his father in the fields and so he attended the school only three months in a year. Still, he memorized his lessons as he ploughed the fields. He borrowed books from those around him and absorbed all that he could.
The same son of a poor farmer grew up into an exemplary personality of the country. His name was Theodore Parker.
Sir Thiruvarur Muthuswami Iyer was the first Indian High court judge. Born in a very poor family, he studied beneath the light of street lamps.
Whitter’s words are very thought-provoking. Always keep them in mind. He says: “We decide today what the future will be. We weave the net of our fortune. We choose today whether we will live a life of purity or sin.”
If a person is busy, he has no time to worry. Worry is the name of an empty mind. Such a mind does not engage itself in an activity, so it worries. The air in a room with closed windows will be stale. A useless object made of iron will rust. This is what happens when you waste time.
Time is the most precious of all riches. Even a minute is too long to waste. Scientist Thomas Edison’s wife once urged him to take a holiday. “But where can we go for a holiday?” he asked. “Why don’t you suggest some beautiful place?” “The world is so huge,” his wife replied. “We can go wherever we want to. We can go where we will be happiest.” “So let me think about it,” said Edison. His wife was very pleased. The next day Edison left for a holiday to his favorite haunt – his laboratory.
You don’t have to gamble with time. It is always yours – if you want it. Even if you have nothing else, you have the wealth of time. Use your time well. Success is another name of time and toil.
This is a story from Greece. An orphan boy used to collect twigs from the jungle and sell them in bundles in the town. One day, a passerby stopped by his side and asked the boy:
“Boy, did you tie this bundle yourself?”
“Yes sir, I sell these bundles every day.” The boy replied.
“Show me how you made up the bundle,” the man requested.
The boy undid the ropes and arranged the twigs again in front of the stranger. The stranger was amazed. He had tied them up so beautifully.
“Will you come with me?” he asked.
“I will see that you go to school and that you get food to eat.”
“Yes,” said the boy.
Can you guess who this boy was? He was Pythagoras, the famous mathematician and philosopher.
Each one has a gift. This boy’s gift of being able to make bundles look so beautiful changed his whole life. In the same way your talent can change you whole life.
How do you pack your bag? Do you just dump all the things into the bag? Or do you arrange them neatly? Do you take special care? How do you keep your books? Do you scribble all over? Are the covers falling off? All these indicate what sort of person you are. All these indicate whether you have an eye for the beautiful. The way you conduct your self in the work place, at home, at a picnic – all these indicate what sort of manners you have, what sort of a person you are.
All of us live in this world. Somehow we study. Somehow we work. But only some know how to live life. Only some people know how to make the best of life. Only some people use their talents to understand the meaning of life and live accordingly. You may have everything you need – money, a house, a car and a good kith and kin. Yet you feel empty inside. Why? This is because you do not know how to live.
Suppose you have a beautiful house surrounded on all four sides by huge grounds. But the whole place is full of wild grass. There are some potted plants in the verandah, but they have not been watered for days. There is an expensive sofa set in the drawing room, but the curtains are filthy. You have plenty of clothes, but not one of them looks washed. Your cupboard is full of books, but they have all been dumped there. There is no order or neatness. Do you understand now what is meant by learning the art of how to live?
Remember, life is not a jungle. It is a garden that must be maintained with love, interest and care. Only then, it is beautiful. Whatever you do, do with love, interest and care. Your life will surely be beautiful like the garden.
When your life is beautiful, you will be happy. If you are happy, you will be healthy. Happiness is like the season of spring. Sadness is like autumn season, when all the leaves fall. Have you noticed that when one member in the house is sad, the whole family feels not good. The house seems unhappy. This is why you must always try to be happy. Even if you are sad, try to smile.
Learn to be happy. That is the secret of good life. Enjoy all the wonderful things that have been created for you. Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly. Get involved with activities. Mix well with people.
Don’t keep your head buried only in books or stick with your computer. Look around you and smile. Let the aim of life be in your eyes. Let your heart be full of hope. Let there be music in your voice. Let there be a smile on your lips. Walk with a song. Live with a laugh.
Some experiences will be pleasant, other experiences will be unpleasant. So what? You can learn to smile through all your experiences. The neem flower is bitter, isn’t it? But you can learn to extract the sweet nectar from the neem flower. This is the great art of living.
Etiquette or good manners are another important art. Make it a part of your life.
Let us take a look at this incident. There was once a series of interviews being held. One candidate followed another into the interview room, and then out of it. The interesting thing was, a book lying on the floor, just below the table at which each candidate sat for the interview. But, not one of them picked it up. Finally, a very ordinary looking boy dressed in ordinary clothes walked into the room. The moment he noticed the book, he picked it up, dusted it with his handkerchief, and placed it on the table. Yes, you are right. He got the job.
Etiquette is an art that makes the ugly beautiful. It lends fragrance to beauty. Make your life beautiful and fragrant.
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