The Wisdom of Life

CHAPTER 1 THE WISDOM OF LIFE What is your advice to parents of young children? The advice is that you should not favour your children at all. They should be given a chance of self-development. If they fall, let them fall and get back on their feet. I had met a Parsi in Pune about whom I learnt that he once made his child stand on the table and asked him to come. When the child leaped towards his father, he moved behind and the child fell down. Then he said to his son, ‘Do not trust anyone; not even your father. Trust your own abilities.’ This is a realistic approach to parenthood. Why is it so difficult to accept defeat? It is difficult because people are not ready to accept the role of the law of nature in deciding a result, be it success or failure. Man is often governed by his ego and whims, which makes him a case of failure. The logo of The Times of India bears the following inscription, ‘Let truth prevail’. On the same lines I would say in real life, the principle to be followed is: ‘Let the law of nature prevail’. If, however, we desire that our ego prevails, it would be hard for us to accept failure and draw a positive lesson from it. On the contrary, if we accept our shortcomings, not only are we able to accept failure but also work towards self-improvement.