FROM MAULANA’S DESK

The ability to make a plus from a minus is the hallmark of human civilization. This is what has kept progress going despite all sorts of failures that have been witnessed throughout history. In this process, each life contributes and therefore each life counts! dwelling on the non-fulfillment of desires or sinking into depression because reality does not match your dreams is not the solution. We cannot forget that while each of us has our share of challenges in life, we also have an inherent ability to fight back. That resilience is within each one of us, we only have to realize it and get ourselves out of the depths of depression. But there is a precondition. And that is, to not view stress and failures as the endgame. Thomas Edison had famously said, “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!” This saying of Edison teaches us that in order to succeed in life, we should put in relentless efforts in the face of repeated failures, and we should maintain positivity at all times. Some say that one should stop thinking about what is bothering one. But this approach is not the right one. This is because our mind never really stops thinking. Instead of wading through the problem and finding an opportunity, if we choose to simply create an illusion in order to stop thinking about the problem, it impedes our ability to fight back. Resilience is the essence of human spirit! When we dwell on problems and get trapped in failure, we end up obstructing the flow of positive ideas thereby creating a double jeopardy for ourselves. The ability to make a plus from a minus is the hallmark of human civilization. This is what has kept progress going despite all sorts of failures that have been witnessed throughout history. In this process, each life contributes and therefore each life counts! It is incumbent upon all of us to not only foster our own positive thought process but also extend support to all those around us who may be in need of support and guidance. Instead of getting disheartened with failures, the remedy lies in feeding the opportunities and starving despair! The health of this equation determines the health of our mind, which in turn determines the success of our endeavours and renders meaning to our lives. o Maulana Wahiduddin Khan editor@thespiritofislam.org Follow Maulana at http://www.speakingtree.in (The Times of India)