The
success in life depends upon human endeavour, love understanding and common sense. This is
proved by many historical events. However, no sincere effort has been made to study these
events in their perspective. The study of history is confined only to passing of
examinations. Others make use of these events to support their arguments or to make their
oration more forceful. In other words, the study of biographies of the great personages is
not taken seriously. Here are a few examples:
Chandergupta
Maurya who was the first monarch and laid the foundations of a united India, was the son
of housemaid named Moora. He was brought up in poverty and deprivations. Under the
guidance of Chanakya, the great statesman and as a result of his own hard work he founded
a well-administered State. Noorjahan was the daughter of an Iranian refugee. She became
the queen - the guiding force behind all actions of Emperor Jehangir. Alexander the Great
also went through many tribulations in life. Although born a prince, his mother became
involved in a passionate affair, got her husband Phillips, the King and Alexander’s
father, murdered and humiliated Alexander. But Alexander overcame the adverse events with
his determination and converted his bad luckinto fortune to
become Alexander the Great. He also realised at time of his death, that he was following
wrong path and all his achievements came to naught.
The
life of Abraham Lincoln who fought for justice and equity and in the end had to make
supreme sacrifice for the cause, was fraught with failures. Wherever he tried his hand, he
only met with failure. He started his career as an employee in a shop. The shop became
bankrupt. He joined a partnership firm with a friend with similar result. He somehow
managed to get law degree and started his practice. This was also a failure. His marriage
was a total disaster. He had a strong desire to remove the discrimination against the
blacks by white and establish a true democracy. He fought four unsuccessful elections.
Finally he met with success by winning Presidential election and became a legend in his
life time and immortal in history.
Socrates
was an ugly son of a sculptor. He lost his father at a young age. His mother was a nurse.
In spite of the heavy odds, through his diligence and intellectual pursuits, he was to
become one of the greatest philosophers. History just cannot ignore him. In the end he had
to lay down his life for his beliefs. Shakespeare who is compared with the renowned
Sanskrit poet Kalidas, was the son of a butcher. He himself worked as a butcher for some
time. But his hard work and talent in writing, acting and plays made him one of the
greatest literary genii.
Mahatma
Gandhi had a humble beginning. His beliefin his convictions, his
moral uprightness and his desire to excel in the chosen field and face all adversities
boldly, made him the Father of our Nation. He shook the foundations of the British Empire
and ultimately became a martyr for the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity.
In
the field of religion, the life of Swami Vivekananda is a success story. He became famous
in his lifetime after his participation in the Parliament of World Religions in U.S.A. The
basic hallmark of his character was perseverance. He was in search of truth. He went to all known Gurus and Saints and was not
satisfied because they could not answer his basic question: “Have you seen God?”.
Ultimately he met Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He asked the same question from him and
got a positive reply. This convinced him and he became the most dedicated disciple of
Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He preached his Guru’s teachings all over the world and
he himself has become a great historical figure.
The
history is full of such life stories and events, which proves that to bemoan failures, to
blame the luck for not achieving desired results in life and to blame the world in general
is to ignore the bitter truths and is merely indulging in escapism. To achieve success in
any field, one has to surmount obstacles and
fight against adverse circumstances and arouse one’s inner faculties. To wait for
favourable circumstances for achieving success is futile. Initiative and strong
determination pave the way to success.