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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Thought for the day twenty five


Never leave the mind vacant
An empty mind is a devil’s workshop. All evil deeds start in the mind. We have to keep our mind occupied with something positive, something which is worthy. We need to have a good hobby. Our hobby, if it is a social work, would not give us chance to earn money, but sense of fulfillment and achievement would give us happiness. Even if we are resting physically, we need to indulge in healthy reading, chanting of God’s name etc.
We have seen people committing heinous crimes. What could be the reason? Their growing up is wrong? I do not think so. We know that even bad parents do not want their children to become bad. When that is so, we have to emulate good things so that our kids follow us. Generally kids do not listen to us. They try to do what we do. In fact, during growing years, the kids tell their parents ‘Don’t tell me anything which you are not following’
Unfortunately we are doing exactly the same. Imaging the father going on the scooter with the son sitting behind or standing in the front. There is a traffic signal. The father looks this way and that way, ensures there is no police and jumps red light. The son grows up. But his mind has the mental picture of father jumping red light. Why not I?
So, instead of making the kids go through such a procedure, we should make them pick up some hobbies. Good hobbies at that. It could be reading, stamp collection, drawing, painting, carpentry etc. The kid’s mind gets occupied with this. If he is an artist, he would always think of picturing whatever he sees.
Music is a good hobby. Be it Carnatic or Hindustani or even Western, the kids need to be exposed to one of them. This will help their imagination grow. When the imagination is high, they try to experiment in the same line. Then they will not have time for anything bad. This helps in keeping their mind occupied and it won’t be a devil’s workshop. When it is not a devil’s workshop, the bad thoughts won’t cross their minds and they don’t decide to become serial killers, terrorists, rapists etc.
When our hobby is a social work, like watering the plants of the street or the park which don’t get the water, people would wonder what you are doing. They talk for some time and then keep quiet. They see the worth in your work.
Then they may stop talking about it and they may even take it up along with you. A harmless social work is good. A social work which is doing well to one at the cost of happiness of others is not a good idea.
My favorite author writes somewhere about the trees on the road on which his house was situated. He was one of the earliest occupants. He saw that the saplings planted on the road were not watered regularly. He started watering the plants. Others in the neighborhood thought it was odd. But it did not deter our author from watering. He writes, ‘After a few years it was a proud moment to see these trees grown happily since they had the quota of water required for their growth’
That is the satisfaction he got due to the watering. This does not get us money. A sense of achievement, fulfillment fills our heart.
When we are resting we should ensure that we do some reading, healthy reading. The reading should help us in giving us happiness, satisfaction.
We can even chant God’s name continuously for some time during our physical rest so that it helps us in concentration. 

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