It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop. Confucius
There is an apocryphal story about a clock that had stopped working and was sent for repairs. No sooner the clock repairman took the clock in his hands he heard a feeble voice emitting from the clock saying I am fed up of going tick tock every moment and don’t want to live this life forever. Fortunately the repairman was a wise old man who had handled many diffident clocks so he gently whispered to the clock, “You don’t have tick tock all your life, simply take one tick and one tock at a time and keep going”. The much relieved clock immediately sprang to life and began to tick along.
Perhaps many of us can identify with this clock for there are times when the cares of the world burden us and almost crush us under its weight and we wish we could simply give it up all and go to sleep forever. That is when one needs to take a break, refresh and then continue our journey with renewed spirit and hope. The key to overcoming our frustrations, boredom and apparent haplessness lies in self motivation. There must be something exciting that spurs you on every moment. It is up to us to find that activity or thought or inspiration that fuels our desire to enjoy every moment.
It is equally important that we pace and space our life. If we rush through life we will achieve quite a bit but will never relish those achievements because we are by now compulsive workaholics. A fast paced life also brings with it problems mainly life style diseases not to mention turbulent relationships. On the other hand giving people space is critical to ensure each one can shine as an individual without being closely controlled and monitored. Many a parent is guilty of wanting to plan the life of their children whereas the youngsters, particularly the teens rebel and prefer to follow their heart. Surprisingly many a delinquent youngster actually discover their potential and surprise everyone with their enthusiasm and success. The challenge here is to slow down our pace and let the younger people pick up momentum but this does not mean that we come to a grinding halt and let the youngsters run amock.
The occasional failures that every one encounters should be a stepping stone to reach out and pluck the choicest fruits from the top most branches of the tree of life. Yet we fear failure and so avoid taking on challenges thereby missing out on opportunities for growth. While setbacks will hurt us, we need to endure the pain and plod along with hope. We may pause to rest, recoup and refresh but we must never lose sight of our goals for that is what provides the impetus to keep moving. If the path ahead seems impossible for us to traverse, we need to change tracks or furrow a new path but we should never pitch our tent and give up our aspirations.
Retirement is a fearful taboo for an active person and send shivers down the spine of many a energetic person. If one actually plans the future well, retirement becomes a wonderful opportunity for people to realize their self actualization goals. One can keep busy without being overburdened, attain bliss without renouncing life and at the same time play a vital role in shaping the future of society in general and the immediate social environment in particular. It is when one simply hangs up his / her boots and mentally switches off that the mind becomes restless and the soul pines for understanding while the body progressively degenerates and the fear of death rattles our psyche.
Remember: “Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.” Douglas MacArthur
Try this
- There is a very inspirational poem ‘Don’t Quit’ Click on the links below to read it and be inspired by it. http://www.thedontquitpoem.com/thePoem.htm-Words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkCFeNeqyHk -Video link of words and visuals.
- Write down 2 – 4 social problems that you are really concerned with. Eg. Menace of stray dogs or dowry deaths or garbage disposal in cities or the ecological imbalance or Wastage etc. Write a letter to the editor of the local news paper and email it or post it. Can you write one letter a quarter / month on similar lines to begin with?
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