Mehak Gupta Grover
Selfless is the opposite of selfish. Selflessness is the ethic of god. It is the opposite of self- centeredness. It is the act of putting other’s needs ahead of one’s own. It is sacrificing of one’s self for the good of another. Selflessness is an important key to marriage, friendships and relationships. But unfortunately, often overlooked.
Does selflessness have a place in politics? Are candidates and parties influenced by selfless values? Are voters? Are interest groups? Great leadership is not selfish or self-centered. Great leadership is not about the leader, but about his service for a worthy cause. Great leaders are servants who facilitate the success of others. Well, it’s pretty hard to objectively define Selflessness, but there is one person who is truly an example- MOTHER TERESA. She started to devote her life to missionary work and charity from the age of 18 years. Her mission was to take care of the hungary, naked, homeless, crippled, blind and all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout the society. Such a humble soul she was.
In our world, true leaders are those who are selfless. Unfortunately, not all leaders are altruistic. In fact, some leaders are genius in pretending to be noble, but dig beneath the surface. Noone wants a weak leader and noone should have to tolerate one. Selflessness is all about strength. Weakness, on the other hand, takes the path of least resistance and as humans, that means being selfish- wanting all the credit and none of the blame. Real strength is measured by what we enable our followers to accomplish through our service to them, not by the pressure of our grip and the weight of our demands. Nelson Mandela was one such person- a person with selfless traits. He gave up what could have been a lucrative law practice to fight for the rights of his people. And then, having established the dignity of his people and rid them of tyranny he did not cling on to power but retired to let younger men carry on running his country. In his words- ‘ We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.’
Who are we as human beings, if we ignore the sufferings of others? Selfless giving to others represents one’s true wealth. Martin Luther king is one of the most influential figures in western history. He was a revolutionary visionary and his legacy teaches us about love, hope and forgiveness. He beautifully explains- ” Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
‘To lead is to serve; nothing more, nothing less.’ Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Being selfless is one of the toughest things we can ever do as a leader, and it requires competence. In the history of Indian politics which is dominated by dynasty, power, corruption and wealth; one figure with ethics, integrity and simplicity stood out as an odd man- he was Lal Bahadur Shastri. He was considered to be an epitome of ethics. He was a man best known for his integrity, honesty, hard-work, simplicity and austerity in Indian politics. But the scenario, now-a-days, is totally different. Political corruption has become a dominant mode of corruption. Politicians try to rise and remain in power by any means- right or wrong. I dont think any one of us can name a single politician whom we can consider as ‘selfless leader’. But why our society has become so self- centered that even leaders can’t serve their fair objective without a vested interest?
In words of Mahatma Gandhi-
” The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others.”
Happiness doesn’t come through selfishness, but through selflessness. At the end of the life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character; and not our success but our significance. Kindly live a life that matters!
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