Fighting Off Despair

Conrad's career as a writer is a clear indication that anything can be achieved by hard work. One may be born poor, but that does not mean that one cannot educate oneself, or—as in Conrad's case—master a foreign language as if it were one's own. In spite of being insignificant in the eyes of the world, it is quite possible, by dint of hard work, to write something so great that the best minds of our civilization feel compelled to read it. Interest and Involvement in Work A full time employee in a busy institution was simultaneously a sub-editor of an English newspaper. He diligently undertook all the responsibilities of his regular job and also the editorial tasks of the newspaper. Someone asked him, “How do you find the time?” He answered: “Time is nothing but a function of interests.” It is a fact that to bring any task to completion, time is not the most important factor. What is of real importance is interest. It is a person’s interest, which stimulates him to complete any piece of work. With interest and dedication, an individual will get through more work in less time. Once someone received an offer of work in a foreign country. For foreign travel one has to complete many legal procedures and he had only three weeks at his disposal to get his passport. To travel at the given time appeared to be very difficult. But he pursued the matter day and night, and then on the very day he was due to fly to his destination, he received his passport. The same kind of opportunity presented itself to another man. He lived in a village far from the city, so he wrote a letter to a relative who lived in the city: “It is difficult for me to come to the city, so would you please arrange my passport and the money spent on this will be my responsibility.” The