In the book of Genesis, God said, “Let there be light and there was light.” I keep telling myself every day – “Let there be Monday” – just because of Monday Truclusions. I am not saying this because I think readers are waiting for my column, nor am I suggesting that I am a great writer, it’s just that I enjoy writing my Truclusions!
So, today I am going to try something very interesting! I am going to try to connect the concepts and beliefs of the Vedic age to today’s world. I shall be using these examples to elaborate on the power of stories that I spoke of last week. Then I will introduce you to a character who created his own legacy.
Time For A Tale
It was a rainy day and everyone took shelter from the rain. A father and daughter duo were caught in the showers. The father tried to drag the girl to safety, but the girl wanted to get drenched. While everyone else was trying to find ways to avoid the rain, this girl enjoyed it immensely. She would even collect rainwater in her hands and drink it!
She asked her father, “Why does it not rain every day?” A man who overheard their conversation began thinking of life with a new perspective. He found himself musing – isn’t rain as unpredictable as life? Like rain, life’s problems and unexpected situations are encountered unexpectedly.
The only thing that differs in people’s lives is the way different people respond or react to the situations they face. Some embrace the gems of wisdom, grace, and knowledge shared in the form of experiences. They gain from facing challenges and difficulties. Some stay away or prefer not facing these situations.
The Vedic scriptures speak of the Jataka bird, which drinks water only from the first rain of the year. The scriptures say we should also become like the bird and embrace every situation in life with positivity. But the question is – are you just embracing the situation and doing nothing about it?
What’s In A Name?
Once a man asked a child, “Can you name a great man or woman born in your village?” The kid replied that in his village only children are born and not men or women.
My point is that ordinary people become extraordinary because of the choices they make. This reminds me of another story from the scriptures:
Before the great war of Mahabharata, Lord Indra visited Karna disguised as a sage, and asked for his divine armour and earrings. He did this because he knew that with these two defences, Karna could never be defeated. Karna’s victory would be dangerous for the Pandavas, especially to Indra’s son Arjuna.
Karna could have conveniently declined the request from Lord Indra, but made the choice to give away his blessings as charity, knowing very well that doing so would take him into the jaws of death.
That’s the reason the world remembers him to this day – the memorable choices he made. Death wasn’t scary to him, and he lived his life to the fullest and created a legacy for himself. Karna believed that you aren’t remembered by what you have, but by what you gave.
Rediscovering The Last Lecture
Now, let me introduce you to one such man who is remembered for his choices and has created a legacy for himself. The choice this man made was similar as he too lived every moment of his life to the fullest. He is remembered for teaching his students to have dreams and to do their best to realise them.
This man is famously remembered for the last lecture he delivered. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Professor Randy Pausch, a master of virtual reality and computer science.
But then why is he remembered for his last lecture? That is because he spoke of living till his last breath.
Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the most likely to be fatal forms of the disease. But it was not enough to kill Randy’s spirit to live. In his speech, he spoke of the dreams he carried from his childhood to adulthood. One of those is to make the national soccer team.
He spoke of his childhood coach, a tough taskmaster. Randy said that once, his coach made him repeat a shot until he got it right. He said it is not good when your critics don’t let you know when you are messing up, that means that they are giving up on you.
He also said that the reason he was able to stick to his dreams was because he firmly believed that the brick walls that we encounter in our paths are there to show us how badly we want something. If we want to achieve our goal badly enough, we will figure out a way to do it.
The most important thing he spoke of, and which inspired me to bring this write-up to you, was his belief in the truth. He said that if he had three words to say, they would be “tell the truth,” and if he could add three more they would be “all the time.”
This reminded me of what Max Muller, a German scholar in the 1800’s who studied Indian history while making a trip across the country, said,
“I couldn’t find one dishonest man in the entire country and that is because they study the epics that teach them how to live”.
Now compare that India to the present day one, filled with corruption. Think about it – are we making an effort to bring that golden India back to life?
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read Monday Truclusions – Finding The Inspiration To Achieve Greatness.
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