The present younger generation is carrying a
mistaken notion, a misconception or a negative thinking that "the higher the
standard of living, the less should a man work". Mathematically, this means that
"the highest standard of living, no work at all". So no work, maximum
recreation, all sensual enjoyment, living all 365 days in holidays- is this the
highest standard of living?
This may be due to the historical background
of our Country. Foreigners were ruling us during the last few centuries. Then
the masters were squeezing the maximum out of the ordinary people, giving little
remuneration in return. As a reaction to this and the Country becoming
independant, the average man now wants to get everything from the rich employer
or the Government, with minimum contribution of labour from his side. This is a
natural social incident, which happens inevitably in the context of our history,
emerging from slavery to freedom.
We are now a free independent Country.
Our young men are no more the children of slaves. They are all proprietors of
the new chances given to them. There must be a new philosophy of action in their
hearts. The destiny of a nation belongs to the living generation. Life is the
most sacred wealth. All of us are working from morning till evening just for
maintaining our lives. Life is a common denominator. Life is for the poor, life
is for the rich, life is for the employer, life is for the employee, life is for
the successful, life is for the failure-everyone has got life and has equal
share. This we sacredly guard for ourselves. This is our precious
wealth.
What exactly is
Life?
Activity is the insignia of life. A dead
body has no activity. So long as we are living, we will have to act. Life
pulsating through the body is activity in the outer world. Action must come out
of every living person, just as fragrance from the rose. The rose cannot stop
its fragrance spreading out. Similarly, all of us have to act whether we like it
or not, till we are placed in our burial or cremation ground.
Now the
question is: since actions are flowing out from every living individual until he
dies, how can they be organized, altered, or disciplined in order that these
actions would bring a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment to himself and a
general happiness in the community or society as a whole? This is what is called
"The Secret of Action (Karma Sootra)".
Action is inevitable, because it
is the signature of life. Life expresses itself in action, as death does in
inaction. But actions may vary , as they do vary, from man to man and from time
to time. A labourer working in the field may be sweating under the hot sun. A
poet working may not be sweating. The labourer may think that the poet is not
working at all. Similarly, the poet may think that a scientist is simply wasting
public money. The scientist may think that a philosopher is wasting his time.
From all their points of view, the Budha under the tree is a waster and leech
upon the society. These are all feelings of one with respect to the
other.
The great Rishis have classified the type and the quality of our
works into 3 different categories:
Labourers
Workers
Men of Achievement.
Labourers
The man who is working in
society only for the sake of wages or salaries, or for the sake of commission or
profit, or for his own pleasure, the man who is self-centred, the man who wants
to aggrandize more and more wealth only for the sake of his wife and children-
are all ' labourers '. They do not think of doing any good to the society. In
this sense, even a Minister, a Judge or a Collector can be a labourer. It is not
his salary in terms of Rupees, or his official status or his qualifications
which matter; but his mental outlook while doing his work. For example. in the
same political field, you can have a Great man like Gandhiji or many criminals
and dacoits. It is not the work that you do that matters. What is important is
how you do it; what is your mental make up while doing it and what is your
expectation in return.
Workers
The
second category of men are called "Workers". You may not find any difference
between a worker and a labourer immediately. Just think of ! We never say ' a
political labourer ' or a ' social labourer ' or a 'religious labourer'.
We always call them 'workers ', not
'labourers'. There is a certain difference. Every worker
wants to bring about something in the society, in addition to his wages or
profits. It may be the picture of an ideal heaven or a perfect society, a
socialistic pattern, or a communist pattern or even a divine pattern. Each one
has an ideal in his mind, and he struggles to make the ideal an actual fact.
Such men are called 'Workers'. To the extent the ideal is worked out in society,
to that extent he is happy and feel successful. Workers will be less in number
compared to Labourers.
Men of
Achievement
These men are the rare ones. They are very few
indeed in this world. They do not work for wages, not for profit, nor for
success.They do not seek even Recognition. They work for fulfillment. The
feelings of such a man are: " I have done what is to be done (Kritakritya); I
have obtained what is to be obtained (Praaptapraapya); I have known what is to
be known (Jnaatajneya) ". They are the Men of Achievement. All that they
want is the 'secret joy' in themselves. Examples of such Great Men are Jesus
Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Adi Sankara, Vivekananda, Gautam Budha and so on. They
would have been assaulted, abused or even assassinated during their life. People
may realise their worth only well after their death even.
The morality,
the culture and the civilization of the society always rose up because of the
work of these mighty men, in their short span of life. A Christ lived only 30
years in the world. A Vivekananda lived only 37 years. Adi Sankara had a span of
only 32 years. All of them gave a push and fillip to the ideal- a life that they
themselves lived and experienced- not merely conceived and talked
about.
Secret of Success
The secret of
becoming successful in this world is : " Live like a Hermit, Work like a Horse
". A man of success in any profession has no time to waste in the coffee-house,
no time to go to the nearby picture-house, no time to do window-shopping in
malls etc.- which all are exactly the usual pastimes of a common man. The common
man has nothing to crave for, to demand, to work, to achieve for himself. All
that he wants is to live at the flesh-level. He is no better than an animal, as
animal also lives at the flesh-level - it eats, or licks or
mates.
Prosperity, culture and progress are possible not merely because
you are physically a human being, but only if you are human in your mind and
intellect. If you do not attain this great human stature within your intellect,
then the general progress of the country is impeded; you and I shall weep on and
on, quarrelling with everybody, with every government that might come in this
country, and die away in sorrow and tears alone, never gaining that joy of
'having lived'.
In order to live and to bring out the maximum happiness
from ourselves, every one of us must have a Goal in life - a mission, an
inspiring ideal - to look up to while working in this outer world. Our work
thereby become chastened; the work itself becoming its own reward. A great joy
will well up in our minds, not in terms of what we get on the 1st of every month
as wages, but what we give to the society as best as we can, from the place
where we are.There was a time when this goal was Dharma or religion. Today it is
not.
