| Attitude | |||||||||||
| "POR QUES" : Spanish proverb meaning 'Why and Because'. | |||||||||||
| These two words why and because represent our attitude and virtually govern our lives. | |||||||||||
| Let us ask ourselves two questions : | |||||||||||
| Do we have control over actions or reactions of others ? | |||||||||||
| and | |||||||||||
| Do we have control over our own actions and reactions ? | |||||||||||
| The answer to the first question is no : Why no, because we have no control over others. | |||||||||||
| The answer to the second question is yes : Why yes, because one can train the mind - | |||||||||||
| because man is the only creation of HIS whom HE has endowed with free will coupled with the instinct | |||||||||||
| to discriminate. | |||||||||||
| The two coupled together create 'attitude'. | |||||||||||
| All other creations live their lives by instinct - the animal eats only when hungry, kills when hungry, | |||||||||||
| procreates when nature demands, | |||||||||||
| whereas man lives by attitude. | |||||||||||
| Again, our attitude to failures. | |||||||||||
| Is 'failure' to be considered as failure or stepping stone to success ? | |||||||||||
| Edison's response when told that he has failed 99 times to discover electricity,was, | |||||||||||
| "I have not failed" -- I now know that electricity cannot be discovered by these 99 means". | |||||||||||
| It is this attitude which made edison the first amongst equals. | |||||||||||
| He can easily be said to be the father of the concept of intellectual property. | |||||||||||
| All progress is because of questioning minds --- An attitude of seeking answers | |||||||||||
| and not accepting failure whilst pursuing 'Why" and 'Because'. | |||||||||||
| Swami Dayanand in his treatise on GITA says that desire is a great motivator and | |||||||||||
| one has a choice of action -- because no action is also action, | |||||||||||
| but one does not have control over result, which is determined according to the laws of | |||||||||||
| nature-- Karma. | |||||||||||
| He,therefore,advocates the development of 'Prasad-budhi'---attitude to accept results with | |||||||||||
| reverence. | |||||||||||
| It is this attitude which makes a man a success because non-acceptance leads to regret. | |||||||||||
| Even if we examine our reactions lead to everyday occurrences in life, it will establish that | |||||||||||
| negative reactions lead to discomfort,regret and misery, | |||||||||||
| whereas a positive reaction, even to an unpleasant event places us on the path of success. | |||||||||||
| How true it is if we reflect that we are more hurt by | |||||||||||
| 'What our opinion is of what happened than what actually happened'. | |||||||||||
| It is our judgement, our reaction, our resistance that causes pain. | |||||||||||
| Thinkers in all ages advise us to develop the attitude of being HIS agent -- because | |||||||||||
| an agent can do no wrong -- it is the master who is responsible. | |||||||||||
| Can we consciously,at all the times, act as agent ? | |||||||||||
| It is difficult but possible and if practised, can free an individual from the cycle of KARMA. | |||||||||||
| There is a good old saying, | |||||||||||
| "a man is what he thinketh". | |||||||||||
| In other words, | |||||||||||
| Our attitude makes us what we are. | |||||||||||
| The question is :Is it easy to create a positive attitude ? | |||||||||||
| The answer lies again in our "attitude". I believe it is possible. | |||||||||||
| I would conclude by quoting Charles Swindoll : | |||||||||||
| "The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more | |||||||||||
| important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education,than money, | |||||||||||
| than circumstances,than failures,than success,than other people think,say or do. | |||||||||||
| It is more important than appearance,gift,or skill. | |||||||||||
| It will make or break a company --- a church --- a home. | |||||||||||
| I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. | |||||||||||
| And so it is with you. | |||||||||||
| We are incharge of our attitudes" | |||||||||||
| Regards | |||||||||||
| K.Ilayaraja. | |||||||||||
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