Today, we have so many choices when it comes to rest and recreation. However, what is sorely missing in life is a smile that blossoms from the heart and a word fragrant with love. Most youth cannot distinguish between love and lust. What we see these days is lust wearing the mask of love. A smile has become the most expensive adornment. There are even institutes that teach how to smile.
A man was standing on a bridge over a turbulent river. Owing to bitter experiences, he was contemplating ending his life. But another thought arose: “It’s true that no one has ever loved me. Let me see what kind of person I meet next. If I get a sweet smile or kind word, I shall live with renewed hope. If not, I shall throw myself into this river.” How this story ends depends on each one of us.
Some people face insurmountable problems. Sadly, people around them are not coming forward to console them, and give them strength and support. Today, relationships among people are deteriorating. People who have lost hope now resort to suicide. But it is not an answer.
From time to time, we check our bank books. If we have a healthy deposit, we are happy. If we are in the red, we brood. There is another account book of even greater importance. In most cases, we don’t open it. It is the book of values. We can reach the pinnacle of success through our abilities and efforts. However, if we want to remain at the top, we need to have values in our life.
We must strive to become good in thought, word and deed. If we do wrong, we must repent and move ahead. That is the correct path. We point to the mistakes of others, and take pride in our own imagined greatness. Often, we impute wrongdoing to others even when they are innocent, in order to prove how superior we are. If we succeed, we take all credit for it. If we fail, we blame others.
Once, there was a feast in a place. A man helped himself to the food several times. When he got up for the seventh time, his wife asked, “Shame on you.What would the servers be thinking about you?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been telling them that the food is not for me, but for you,” the man said.
It is said that there are four necessities in life: dharma (righteousness), artha (material wealth), kama (desire) and moksha (spiritual liberation). These are the four pillars that uphold life. Awareness of dharma is on the decline in the world. The desire for moksha is also decreasing. What remains are artha and kama. If we want real progress, artha and kama are not enough. Young people are educated but lack values. Because of the craze for money, we are losing the wealth of love.
There are two types of growth in life: growth that comes with age, and growth that comes with maturity. Growth because of age takes us to death, whereas growth brought about by maturity leads us to immortality. Maturity is an inner process. The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader