Ashok Sharma
Life is a mixture of joys and sorrows.Every person, rich and poor, old and young, is confronted by troubles and obstacles at one stage or the other during the period of his life.As we face problems such as failure in examination or business, loss of job, unemployment, serious illness etc, we have a tendency to feel that it is the worst possible thing that could have happened to us and we are doomed for ever.Consequently, our stress levels go very high and we fail to find a way out.We become so tense and nervous that we forget that where there is a problem, there is a solution.Instead of focussing our attention on the problem and viewing it as a challange and blessing in disguise, our mind is riddled with thoughts such as ‘what shall I do now’or’I don’t know what to do and how to get out of this situation’.It is time that we need to change our attitude towards the problem and develop the feeling that ‘I can do it’ and I’ll do it’.It is better to think over the problem in a cool and relaxed manner and tackle the problem as a challange in the light of our existing resources, circumstances and abilities
History bears testimony to the fact that many great people have achieved greatness and eminence inspite of their physical and other disabilities.Charles Lamb, who is known as ‘king of essayists’ spent the days of his early in utter penury.Hellen Keller was blind, yet she found life beautiful and enjoyable.John Milton composed his best works when he had lost his eye sight.Albert Einstein was considered as a subnormal child in his childhood and his teacher said that being a slow learner,he could learn little.Charles Darwin, who wrote ‘Origin of the Species’, was, infact, handicapped and he admitted that had he not been handicapped, his abilities couldnot have been come to the fore.Christy Brown, who suffered from cerebral palsy and declared incurably imbecile by the doctors, learnt to write with his left hand and wrote his famous autobiography ‘My Left Foot’ which was a huge success and which has been translated into many languages of the world.Based on this book, a film was made, which won five Oscars.
The life history of Abraham Lincoln, the famous president of America, is too well known to require any mention here.These and many other legends have demonstrated that obstacles and unfavourable circumstances stand nowhere and if a person is the master of indomitable willpower, he can overcome all these impediments and achieve success.Had these persons faced no problems and obstacles, perhaps, they would never have achieved so much name and fame in their respective spheres
Obstacles and problems are an integral part of our life and we should accept them as opportunities and take them as challanges.Where there is a rose, there is always a thorn.The obstacles need to be viewed as positive motivators to help us build up our capcity and tackle them successfully so that we become stronger and quicker to encounter another obstacle if a new one comes our way.Obstacles, in fact, provide us an opportunity to make use of our latent and dormant abilities and thus enhance our capacity to face the problem bravely.In this dual world, where there is life, there is death;problems and solutions coexist.Even a story cannot be beautiful and interesting if there is only love and no conflict.If there is only protagonist and no villain in a film, few people will watch it and it certainly can’t be categrized as a great film.’Our sweetest thoughts are those which tell us of our saddest tales’, so says P.B.Shelley, the great poet.So problems and obstacles shall always come our way till we are alive but it is our attitude and response towards a problem, which determines how much impact they will have on our life.
In order to find solution to the problem and overcome the obstacles, we must ponder over the problem in a relaxed and cool manner and find out ways and means to turn this problem into a challange in the light of our inner and outer resources.We need to take this challange as an opportunity to better ourselves and enhance our capacity.If such a transformation takes place in our mind, something miraculous will happen and this newly acquired feeling will act as a catalyst to transfer our problem into a blessing.
Our confidence and energy level increases and we are in a position to pool all our mental and spiritual energy to find out the solution.It must be remembered that as long as there is life, there will be problems.We cannot change the events of our life we can certainly change our perspective and attitude in order to control our circumstances instead of being controlled by them.We should accept life as it comes and also the fact that it is made up of good times but also struggles and adversity.We must not just keep brooding over the problem and pass sleepless nights, invite medical problems and frustration but consider problems as opportunities to reinvent ourselves and face them stoically and bravely.It will help in bringing out what is best in us and enhance our capacity to face them in a better way in future.
(The writer is serving as lecturer in English, Govt.Hr.Sec.School, Barolla ( Udhampur )
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