MANY people spurn this quality and lose it because they consider it disadvantage in the modern age of aggressive behavior, shrewdness and one-upmanship; Innocence is misunderstood to be foolishness! This is not true. The innocence of our souls helps us to be open to the wonders of divinity and nature. To see a beautiful sunset and feel completely at peace is a gift of this innocence. To see the gurgling of a mountain stream and feel refreshed is possible only when we have a patina of wonder. To enjoy trekking in lonely mountains, to see the lashing of a butterfly’s wings, to fly with the splendid birds and to discover the joy of gossamer fine expressions of nature – all these enable us to live beyond our pressing needs for money and the luxuries it can buy. The luxuries which nature offers us are free and or literature is an invaluable gift given to us by divinity. Once we begin to nurture the innocence of our souls, a thousand miracles of discovery bring us face to face with the talents and qualities of others. An innocent soul is filled with curiosity about the unfolding of nature and its myriad secrets, evident in natural phenomena, bird and animal life as well as human life. It prompts us to appreciate all that is wonderful around us and learn from it.
An anecdote about Albert Einstein, the world famous scientist, illustrates this quality well. It is said that Einstein was once invited to deliver and important lecture to the Academy of Sciences in New York, USA. He was given a magnificent room to stay in the professors’ colony, next to the home of a local professor who was in charge of his daily schedule. This local professor was responsible for Einstein’s comfort and for providing him hospitality. On one occasion, the local professor found that his young child was missing from him home. A hue and cry was raised but no one could locate the child. Finally, when the local professor and his friends heard squeals of laughter from Einstein’s suite, they knocked on the door with trepidation and the door was opened! What they saw inside stunned them. Lying on the floor, Einstein was showing pictures from a comic book to the young boy and both were rolling with laughter! Einstein had become a child in the company of an innocent child. Being a world famous scientist meant nothing at that moment! If you observe keenly, many great people have this quality of childlike innocence combined with profound wisdom. Examples are: the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, all towering masters who have shared child like delights in the company of children.
Appreciating all that is good in other people and in the environment is an expression of the innocence of our souls. This enriches our personalities infinitely. People often suffer from deep-rooted jealously and envy when others do well or are endowed with more opportunities or blessing in life. This is probably why there is an urge in everyone to destroy or desecrate the achievements of others or cause hurt to other. Indeed jealousy and a vengeful attitude are supposed to be the predominant flavors of life in modern age. But carrying the burden of other people’s efforts and success makes our shoulders droop with fatigue and suffering. Only when we put our appreciation of others’ work and success on record do we become free and light-hearted enough to walk energetically ahead to find our goals and success.
Here, I would like to narrate my own experience to illustrate the point. A dear friend of mine, who was an expert textile designer, used to constantly encourage me to by my own car. I was nervous to do that because I knew little or nothing about the maintenance or repair of cars. I had nightmares about sudden breakdowns in the middle of the road and my insecurities about handling such problems. Still, she went on and even demanded that she would take the first ride in my new car when I bought it. In time, I bought my own car and invited her for her first ride in it. When she came, she stood quietly before the car, saluted it silently and then sat in it. I was surprised and asked here what was sacred abut a car that she had saluted it! Her reply is etched in my heart even today. She said, “I am not saluting the car. I am paying homage to your effort and hard work. Do you know that among the many names of the Lord is Kashta, which means hard work and constant effort. Only when I recognize him in everyone’s efforts, will I be free to achieve my own success. Only people who appreciate others’ efforts and accept that everyone has the right to opportunity and success, are happy in their own success! Those who rue the achievements of others, never have the time to learn from others or to walk freely and lightly ahead to achieve their own goals.”
The innocence of your soul bestows upon you the ability to see beyond the obvious. When you hear great musicians and vocalists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Jasraj or Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, you not only appreciate their incomparable music but also ‘perceive and enjoy the years of relentless efforts they have put in to reach the level of reaching a meditation-like-state’ in music. When you see the paintings of masters like M.F.Husain or S.H.Raza, you do not think only of the money such art will fetch, but also of the patient years they have plodded, locked up in lonely studios with hardly anything to eat when they strove to achieve the excellence they show to the world today.
Life works on one sure principle – wherever there is action, there is reaction. Thus, whenever you radiate goodwill and friendship, the reaction you will receive will surely be goodwill and friendship in the long run. This must be your firm belief. This belief is the kernel of the innocence of your soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment