It should ideally be full of love for others and nature, says AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
Judge for yourself. Starting from student life, some students, I am referring to the ones who excel in studies, limit themselves more or less exclusively to get higher and higher grades. Is learning of books the only learning necessary to live a quality lifeIJ What about physical activities like sportsIJ What about some hobbiesIJ What about expanding the horizon and making friends and spending some time togetherIJ
let us take up persons who are highly placed in their companies. What is their outlookIJ Due to personal ambition or pressure from the company, they are under constant stress to deliver results. Family takes second priority. In this period, their children grow up, with whom they had hardly spend any time, busy as they were in climbing the corporate ladder.
The third group I will refer to are successful businessmen, the ones who have done very well. Are they satisfied lotIJ Mostly, no. They are constantly driving themselves to take their company to the top. Here, foreign companies included, they don’t think of anything else. Rules, laws, morality, social responsibility, etc take a backseat. Take advantage wherever possible, even where there is serious doubt.
The next group is a class of its own. These are the fame-seekers. Either they are busy doing what they do best or spend time to promote themselves. There is no time even for proper sleep; they are always on the move. Their world is dominated by a burning desire for more attention.
Where do some of them end upIJ It is not too difficult to guess. Drinks and sleeping pills besides other medicines for serious diseases like hypertension become their shelter. Is this the kind of space one wishes to live inIJ Yes, it is a shame when one makes one’s world so small and mostly painful.
What should our world be like ideallyIJ It should be full of love for others, nature, environment, places, etc. Does the world of parents not expand with love for their childrenIJ Does our love not widen our world with marriage and childrenIJ love for nature takes us out of our homes. love for places makes us travel. And the mother of all love, ie with God, connects us with the entire creation. So, if we really don’t wish to make our world small, we better begin loving.
The next quality which expands our world is friendliness. When we are in school and begin to like other children, our world becomes bigger. We begin sharing time, things, ideas, etc. Here I am referring to close friendships, not casual acquaintances.
If we wish to do still better, we must be prepared to sacrifice. This is even more effective than sharing. For example, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi made their whole nations their own by their sacrifices.
I will go even further; Gandhi made the whole world his own by his ideas and principles.
Empathy, not sympathy so much, connects us to others very fast. No one is a fool; even children can feel our good emotions. Mother Teresa is a classic example of this quality. It is no wonder that she is loved by so many around the world. She was not a stranger anywhere. Being generous with whatever we can spare, like time, money, etc, also expands our world. Bill Gates is a great example of this quality. He has become a household name.
lastly, our awareness should be universal. This is possible only if we are spiritual. I have written about becoming spiritual many times before so I will not repeat that here.
So what is the verdictIJ Do we want to narrow our world to almost nothing or expand it as far as possible to enjoy a quality lifeIJ
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com