Anybody wanting to be a ‘good’ human will naturally want to have ‘good’ qualities. There are some qualities that seem obviously ‘good’—for example, honesty, humility, kindness, etc. However, there are other qualities that seem ‘neutral’. They can be used for both good and evil purposes. Let us consider will power. It can be defined as a strong determination to do something. It is essential for success. In history, we can find countless examples.
When Gautama left home, he was a prince brought up with all possible luxuries, who was unaware of the realities of life. When he witnessed human suffering, he became a monk. He learnt yogic meditation under Arada Kalama but was not satisfied. He then learnt under Udraka Ramaputra but was still not satisfied. He took up hard penance, in which he almost died, but he was able to finally achieve realisation and become the Buddha.
Adi Shankaracharya took sanyas (renunciation) at the age of 12. He left home and started travelling throughout the length and breadth of the country. By the time he died, at the age of 32, he had crisscrossed the country several times, challenged the prevailing religious and philosophical beliefs, established new mathas (monasteries) and authored more than a hundred works.
Swami Vivekananda died before he turned 40, but in this period, he toured the entire country and made a great impression at the World Religion Parliament in Chicago, US. He set up the Belur Matha and founded the Ramakrishna Mission. He made great contributions to religion, philosophy, social work and liberal nationalism and provided a bridge between the philosophies of the East and the West. His lectures and writings continue to inspire people today. However, willpower has not always been used for good purposes.
Adolf Hitler came to power by exploiting the discontent among Germans following Germany’s defeat in the World War I. From a small-time politician, he rose to become the Chancellor of Germany. He was a fierce advocate of the philosophy of Nazism. Through the force of his personality and his rhetoric, Hitler made most Germans his followers to the extent that they supported his violent policies towards neighbouring countries and Jews and communists. Hitler’s policies led to World War II and caused millions of casualties.
Hitler was a person of strong willpower just like the earlier examples we saw, but in his case, it resulted in destruction. Strength, courage, daring, strong willpower—these qualities in a good-natured person are a blessing to the world while in an evil person, they are a curse.