MORE THAN MONEY

Every favour is limited in nature. There is no favour that has unlimited scope. But when you try to unfold your own potential, that is like embarking upon a journey that has no limit. Living on favour means living as a 'taker' in your society. But living as a hard worker means being a 'giver' in your society. And it is a fact that the 'giver' is better than a 'taker'. When you achieve something by dint of hard work, it gives you one precious thing, and that is confidence. Hard work is always accompanied by confidence. And confidence leads to peace of mind. Nothing is better than peace of mind. Once a poor man came to the Prophet of Islam and said, “Give me some money for my livelihood”. The Prophet said: “That would not be good for you”. Then the Prophet advised him thus: “The upper hand is better than the lower hand”, gave him some silver coins and said: “Go to the forest, cut some wood and sell it to earn your livelihood and meet me in two month’s time.” The man accepted this advice of the Prophet. Two months later he came back to the Prophet and said: “I am happy with my job. Now I have decided not ask for anything from anyone”. By hard work one can earn money but through money one cannot achieve hard work. For a life of dignity one should not obtain favours from others, but rely on one’s own efforts. o Unpleasant Experiences Unpleasant experiences are painful but they make a necessary contribution to advanced intellectual development.