Through the Eyes of an Observer

July 17th-

It is often heard that keeping journals helps the mind focus on some particular thought. I was thus interested to start with this intriguing piece of writing exercise as soon as possible. Thus I make my first journal entry.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow."- Helen Keller

I came across this wonderful quote today. It left me admiring it's depths. How true it is that we as human beings tend to focus on our darkness more than the light that gives us hope. Unknowingly, we hinge ourselves on that very point which slowly engulfs our happiness. If only we can keep our mind focused on the good, we shall never have to worry about the bad.

Today as I was walking past the beach, I could not help but notice a child flopping his chubby hands on the sand. His mother kept a close watch on him as he pressed his palms on the sand and pushed himself up. To have witnessed that child's first step, made me smile but as I closely observed the face of the mother, I saw several emotions rise up to her face. She was firstly worried, then her expressions turned to pride and slowly the smile came on her face as she watched her son fall and rise, all by himself, in his attempt to walk towards her. As the little child toddled to his mother, she tightly embraced him and kissed the plump cheeks, flushed with the heat.

That was the moment which made me realise as we grow up, with every fall we lose our hope of rising back up and we sit there waiting for us to be picked up by someone. It is always us who can pick ourselves up and we are the ones who can provide endless motivation to us. 

The light of hope cannot be lit by another, it always has to be coming from within. It is the belief in ourselves that makes us a better person; always challenging our previous self to a tougher and more complex problem makes our mind stronger. If we are able to solve the problem for ourselves and not by someone else, the enthusiasm, excitement, encouragement that we will receive is beyond thousand words of approval from others.

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."- Buddha

Our search for constant validation gives us less desire to do something for ourselves. We tend to focus on doing things to show others, more than we care to do something for us. We never appreciate our own presence or our own existence as much as we should. 

Our lives are limited to a certain number of years and if we go around trying to prove our self-worth to everyone then we cannot find a proper path for ourselves. We shall run towards every direction we are being pointed towards. Our life needs a goal to focus onto, a dream to be filled, an aim to thrust ourselves forward; we cannot go on following what others do. 

Just because others are doing it that does not make it right. Sometimes following a group is a cowardly act. We need to be fearless and we need to be courageous enough to prove that the path chosen by us is the right path and we can make a better life out of our chosen one.

Everyone cannot be similar. People have different goals and dreams. Some dream to marry by eighteen, some dream to be rich by the same, some are still trying to figure out who they are. There are certainly no mistakes in any of them. It's our difference that makes our world so wonderful to observe. 

Thinking of a world with everyone, same as the other, would have made no sense. Good and Bad balances us. Everyone has a little demon inside of us against whom we are constantly battling. Sometimes it wins, sometimes we do; it is a never ending battle.

"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories." -Plato

Failures in our lives give us opportunity to learn. Just like the child who kept on falling yet he did not lose his hope of walking, he kept on trying. With each fall he put more effort to accomplish his work. Sometimes, we can truly learn from a child the way one should live. Observing their behaviours makes us understand how easily things may be achieved with a little bit of curiosity and the interest to see if it can be done.

"Children are illuminated text-books, breviaries of doctrine, living bodies of divinity, open always and inviting their elders to peruse the characters inscribed on the lovely leaves." These words of Amos Bronson Alcott make more sense if it can be viewed in a way as we, the adults, learn from these children— Innocence and Curiosity.

As we get older, we are involved with our schedules and pressure of work so much that the innocence and curiosity fades away from our lives. The only thing that remains are: "We must do our work or else our deadline would end", "We must go to this place or others would ostracise us." In this manner we are never giving the precious time for ourselves which once lost would only make us regret that we could not do things for us.

Once, while visiting a nursery, I noticed a child with her father asking, by pointing at a pot of cactus, "What is that father?" The father answered, "That is a cactus." "What is a cactus?" the girl asked. "Well, it's a plant which grows on a desert soil." 

I could see the rising curiosity in the girl's eyes as she eagerly stared at the cactus. "Why does it look like that?" "Because they have to be tough in the hot climate." "Look it does not even have flowers," said the girl pulling her father's hand.

The questioning went on for a few minutes before the girl's eye caught the colourful butterfly fluttering past her ear and she jumped like a little rabbit to catch it.

I couldn't help but wonder at the girl's eagerness to know about a simple plant. Then I realised, since I already am aware of the plant, my curiosity in knowing about it was not as much as hers. But a question constantly bothered me, if that girl and I had seen something completely new— How much shall I be interested in knowing about it? Will I care to know or would be busy with my piling work and the clustered schedule I have to maintain?

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."—Plutarch

The curiosity of the mind should always be fulfilled and the burning fire inside of it must be kept kindling. It is important to feed our wayward thoughts with proper knowledge so it can be brought into a straight path.

Even today, while I was talking to my colleague, she asked me, "Why do you always try to do new things?" Her inquisitiveness was just. I clearly forgot to do the presentation she asked me to do. But as always, I went astray and started thinking that if I don't try to do new things would I challenge myself? and if I don't, am I not making my brain dull by allowing it to be lazy? If I can constantly work in a new field then it would keep itself fitter and sharper.

Sometimes there are certain things that catch our attention and to quickly keep a note of the same does have an additional benefit to it as we can look back into these pages and realise our growth as a human being.

It certainly has caught my interest and I would love to continue with it. Hopefully I'll keep it up.