Of enthusiasm and patience

We can see enthusiasm in some people. But they lack patience. In others, we can see patience but no enthusiasm. Ninety percent of youth have enthusiasm, but not much patience. Ask them anything, and they will respond impulsively. Since they lack patience, they are often unable to get what they want. Conversely, elderly people—those aged 60 or 70—are patient; they have acquired patience and discrimination through life’s experiences. However, they lack enthusiasm. If you ask them why, they will say that their bodies have become feeble, that they cannot stride ahead in the way they wish. This is what we see today.

But look at a baby—it has both enthusiasm and patience. It tries to stand. It falls. It tries again. It falls yet again. But it doesn’t give up trying. Even if it sustains injuries, the baby will not stop trying. Thanks to enthusiastic and patient effort, it eventually learns to stand. The baby knows that should it fall down and hurt itself, its mother will be there to help. Even if it sustains a cut, the baby knows the mother will wipe away the blood and apply medicine on the wound. Because the mother is at hand to encourage the baby in its efforts, it has the optimistic faith that it will succeed. Patience, enthusiasm and optimistic faith—these three should become the mantra of our lives.No matter what the sphere of activity, we can see that those with conviction succeed, whereas those without it fail.

A company selling slippers sent two salesmen to a remote village. Within a few days of their arrival there, one of the salesmen sent a message to the company, “The people here are aboriginals. They know absolutely nothing about slippers. Therefore, selling slippers here isn’t feasible. So, I’m returning at once.”
This is what the other salesman said about sales prospects: “The people here are aboriginals. They know absolutely nothing about slippers. They are walking and sleeping in the dirt. If we educate them properly, there is every chance that we can sell many pairs of slippers here. For this reason, I request you to send a load of slippers at once.” Not only that, this salesman also succeeded in selling many pairs of slippers.
God is with us. Once we have the faith that God will help us overcome any obstacle, we will have the alertness and vitality to surmount any obstacle and forge ahead. The optimistic faith that we can succeed will not leave us either.

Rama, Krishna, Christ and Prophet Mohammed had to face many obstacles. Yet, they never wavered. They never even looked back. They continued moving ahead. That is why success was always with them. They are alive even today. Hearing this, some might think, “Well, they were divine incarnations. They can do anything. How can ordinary people like us do so?” Children, none of you are ordinary. You are heirs to extraordinary strength. There is infinite strength in us all. At present, it is latent. All that needs to be done is to rouse it. Success is guaranteed.

The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian