Outline:
- Man born for a definite purpose
- Harmony between mind and body
- The habit of doing good deeds
- The art of great expectation and its miracles
- The Broader significance of life
Life is real, life is earnest and the grave is not its goal. Dust Thou art, to dust return, was not spoken of the soul. Man is born in this world for a definite purpose. He is not here to dream and drift. He has a great task to do and a heavy load to lift. He has many responsibilities to carry on his shoulders.
Man’s life consists of body and mind. He is here to nourish both of these. He is here to achieve physical and spiritual strength. Physical strength is gained by “receiving” and spiritual strength is gained by “Giving”.
He is here to create harmony between mind and body. He is not here to take all and give nothing in return. I believe that life is movement. It implies incessant change. We should not accumulate dead stuff in our mind. Mental superstition and dead matter in the mind has maimed the human spirit. The soul grows thin and mangy when we leave to give and begin to take. Bear in mind “Give and increase”, hoard and lose. It is a universal law of growth.
“I will roll up my petals of beauty, I will withhold this precious fragrance, this love incense of sun and dew for myself], said the selfish rose-bud. “It is wasteful extravagance to give it away to careless passers by.” But, behold, the moment it tries to store up, to withhold its riches from others, they vanish. It shrivels and dies.[the_ad id=”17141″]
“I will give myself out, said the generous rose. “I will do my duty and bestow beauty and fragrance on everybody who passes my way,” and, to it blossoms into a riot of sweetness and loveliness of which it never dreamed. It had only a tiny bit of fragrance until it tried to give that little to the world. Then, to its astonishment, it was flooded with sweet orders that came from somewhere evolved from the chemistry of the sunlight, the moisture in the air and the chemical forces in the soil.
The habit of doing good, of helping somebody every day, of dropping a little word of encouragement here and there, to a newsboy, a waiter in a restaurant or a hotel, a conductor on a bus, a toiler in your home or your office, a poor unfortunate man or woman in a wretched home or on a seat in the park this is what broadens, and nobles life, makes character beautiful and fragrant as the rose, this is the sort of giving that returns to us with compound interest. This is the task of life, which should be performed honestly in and out of sight.
Everywhere we go, we find opportunities for this sort of giving. Everywhere we find someone whose heart is breaking under a heavy load, someone who needs sympathy, someone who needs a lift. We never can tell what glorious fruitage the seed of the most trivial act of kindness may produce. Many a heart has been cheered simply by a smile from stranger. A look of sympathy, an expression of a desire to help, a warm grasp of the hand has brought back hope and courage to many a disheartened soul. A kind letter, a word of encouragement has been the turning points in the career of many a person on the verge of despair. This is the task of life, which should · be done day and night.
Give, give, and give of whatever you have, but give yourself with your gift. It is love for which the world is hungering. Scatter your flowers as you go, for you will not pass this way again.[the_ad id=”17142″]
Life is a mission. Let us practise the art of great expectations. No one can accomplish anything great in this world that is contented with little, who is sure that he was made for little things or is satisfied with what happens to come in his way.
O Muslim Youths?
Why look down?
Why not look up?
Why grovel?
Why not aspire?
Why do the lower?
When the higher is possible
A man who expects great things of him is constantly trying to open a little wider the doors of his narrow life. He has enough of the divine disposition within him to spur him on to nobler endeavor. He looks to get the best of thing offered to him.
The ideal, it is the aim, which modifies the character and shapes the life. It influences, colours actions, determines destiny. The whole life points toward the ideal. If it is low the life points downward, if high it aspires.
[the_ad id=”17150″]It is one thing to succeed in business according to the expectation, it is another and a totally different thing to succeed in life. Many’a man has failed in business and yet lived a truly successful life, because he has lived up to his highest ideal. The man who does the very best he can under all circumstances makes the most of his ability and opportunities. Who helps his fellow man whenever it is in his power to do so, who gives the best of himself to every occasion, who is loyal and true in his friendship, kindly, charitable toward all, is a successful man, though leaves not enough money to pay his funeral expenses.
The lives, which are repeated in thousands of homes all about us, are almost worthless. They contribute little to the sum of human happiness and progress. Such living is no real life, it is only existence.
Has life no higher meaning than to draw in the breath and blow it out again? Has it to broader significance than that indicated by lands, houses, and a big bank account? Why did the Creator put within us marvelous powers if they are to be mocked or allowed to die without the development of satisfaction? If man is to live like a brute, why does he bear the human form, the impression of divinity?
