|| Your effort is your choice ||

 || Your effort is your choice ||

We have all heard the proverb that "some tiny efforts repeated day in and day out bring you to success," and "effort" is one of the main things that really matter in life. How come? One of my friends recently told me a very interesting story about a sparrow who accidentally drowned her two young kids while they were still inside their eggs in a large ocean. As a result, the small sparrow began manipulating the ocean's waves to bring her eggs back. As she was working, a large group of birds approached and asked her what she was doing. She said that I am attempting to manipulate ocean waves in order to retrieve my own eggs that have been lost in the water. Birds chirped together, "How is that possible? The little sparrow said, "Don't offer suggestions; simply offer to help if you can." Those birds joined her in trying to control the waves after observing her attempts. After a while, one owl passed by and saw the birds working so hard. Owl posed the same query, and the group of birds, including the sparrow, said collectively, "Don't provide suggestions; simply join if you want to assist." Owl joined them as well.

The Eagle that Lord Vishnu rides went missing, so he came to this location in search of him, where a little sparrow, a group of birds, and the owl were all working very hard to control the ocean waves. Lord Vishnu questioned: Why are you all acting in this way? The owl said, "Our little sparrow lost her two little eggs in this ocean, and we are all putting in a lot of effort to rescue them." Lord Vishnu said that you cannot just command the ocean, but you must make an effort to ask it to return the sparrow's eggs. As it turned out, miracles occurred and the sparrow's eggs were returned as a result of her determined efforts. Isn't this a fascinating tale? With determination and persistent effort, anything is possible. There was only one thing for sparrow to do: try to save her own children or just let them drown and go on. If you reread this tale attentively, don't you believe that the efforts made by the animals and birds were more successful than those made by the people? Only with their own appropriate choices can nature and the natural lives of this universe make the right choice.

We modern humans don't even stop to consider whether someone close to us or a loved one requires help or attention. Social media has developed into a tool for people to stay in touch, yet it is solely utilized in self-centered ways. With so many costs and so much show, we witness so many weddings and celebrations, and their videos are becoming viral on social media! But we do not value our parents who live with us or those who work hard for us every day. We don't even have time to see if they really need any attention. The fast-paced world has just chosen to put its efforts into the materialistic world rather than the real world of emotions, feelings, and respect, which those birds had for each other.

There are many stories that I have observed personally, but let me narrate one of them. There is this elderly couple who are around 80 years old, and they live alone. Their one kid is a boy. He is on a very senior post, and their daughter is also married into a very well-to-do family. Parents put in so much effort to grow them, but they chose to ignore them. They stay alone, and they have difficulty running the house as well. Both son and daughter call them only when they need help from their parents. The mother has so much difficulty hearing. Because it takes a lot of work to talk to her, they don't keep them around for long. If the mother needs a hearing aid or requires money to get one, is there any way she can assist? Kids don't have time to answer any of those inquiries. I recently asked Aunty why I hadn't seen her for a while, and she said that "my daughter-in-law was experiencing serious health problems, so we had gone to support our son." I have much more respect for their parents, since only humble people could make such a decision and effort!

Our young generation is heading towards a fast-paced world, but we are forgetting that we are losing the values of life that our ancestors put in efforts to make it survive. Especially we Indians are losing our cultural values and respect and moving towards the western world. I don't know where our reach will be with such choices. We, as individuals, just need to sit down and analyze where we need to put our efforts and make our choices to either create a better society to live in or to put up with physical and mental health problems that aren't getting better, especially after Pandemic and in light of the recent global socioeconomic crises.

 

I just read the news that there are going to be special classes for all the pregnant women where they will be taught to listen to the Ramayana, Mahabharat, and also the Bhagwad Geeta so kids can start listening from the time they are in their mothers wombs. They are also going to have classes for yoga and meditation so that the mother and her child can start learning to be calm from the time of gestation. Those classes for learning these religious books will continue for children to listen to for up to two years. Research studies say that a child can learn 300 million words in the first three years of life, no matter what the child's economic background is. I really admire these efforts, and really, hats off to the thought processes of such individuals. This choice to make a revolution will change the lives of so many people. This is the need of the day.

When we talk about specially abled kids, God has not given choices to them or to their parents. They can't be normal kids, but parents and those kids put in 100% efforts to make them reach near normal. Working in the Josh Foundation for the Hearing Impaired, we have learned that if correct diagnosis and right rehabilitation are done for every child according to their requirements, they can achieve an education and a social life like any other normal child can have. But here, the efforts of parents, teachers, and professionals alone will not work; the whole society has to come forward to make a change. I urge my readers to join me as other groups of birds join us in our mission to change the lives of these hearing-impaired kids so they can lead a normal life and become self-dependent and national assets, not liabilities. I have made the choice to help them, and I am also making all efforts; I just need further support.

Each person in this universe who calls themselves a "human being" has the freedom to perform good or terrible deeds, be positive or negative, strong or humble, rude or calm, believe in God or not, and put less or more effort into whatever they do in life. Our actions and our choices alone will improve and beautify the world around us. I've decided to remain positive in all I do, but how about you all?