A Stark Revelation

A thought surfaced in my mind in the wee hours of today morning. And did it remain idle? No, instead it cajoled me to pen this write-up, which I feel might resonate with the larger audience.

“Out of the 8 billion or so people on Earth, where do I stand? What is my purpose, and how am I going to achieve it? Can I make a difference?” I've always had a compelling and insatiable desire to contribute uniquely to the world around me, and in doing so, bring warmth and light into people’s hearts. For this, one yardstick I've been mindful of is following in the wake of successful people by closely observing how they conduct themselves on and off the track and how they uphold cherished ideals and thinking. I would even muster up the courage to approach and ask them about their strategies and attitude to myriads of challenges they?face on a daily basis. This has indeed helped me a lot to improve and refine myself.?

But is this enough? Am I required to do that extra bit that I can't see or feel right now, to reach the precipice? As it turns out, all these juggernauts have one thing in common - they seem to have a stoic sense of demeanor that pushes them to endure all the challenges laid out against them and rise like a Phoenix ever bustling with energy and optimism.

I remember reading a story once about a sculptor who was well renowned across lands for his exquisite imagination and talent to carve the beauty out of a piece of rock. When he was asked what the magic ingredient to his success was, he gently smiled and said that he simply removed the uneven bits of rock from the whole and what was left was sheer beauty. The beauty was there all along, someone only had to recognize and nurture it. Perhaps, we are all like the sculptor and the sculpture, trying to carve out masterpieces of ourselves through the various trials and upheavals that we experience. We may only have to see the light to become that.??

The last week bore really hard on me, failing to rise up to my expectations of a promised land. But, I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by a few compassionate souls who have lit up my world beyond measure through their kind words and thoughtful acts. They inspire me to attune myself to higher and loftier goals as I sail along. I am thankful to all of them, and I hope they are reading this right now.?

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”?I hope one day, we too will be able to set an example for generations to come. Of this, I remain highly optimistic.?

Wishing you all a great day ahead!