Are we leading a Successful Life or Significant Life

[Guest guest]

bold">Are We Leading a “Successful Life” or “Significant Life”

 

Today the whole

world is captivated by the term “Success”

and mainly measured in monetary values. Everybody wants to achieve success in

career, family, education, etc, etc. While these seem to be possible for some

there are many others who fail to achieve or struggle immensely to achieve it.

The latter type of people thus feel miserable in many ways and always wonder

how come the others are so successful in life and enjoy things that they could

only dream of. They think that the fortunate ones eternally at least mostly

swim in the ocean of happiness. Is this true? What do you think? Does

“success” always means “happiness” in reality?? A

person could be successful in job, family, money, etc… and could have the

capacity of owning a dream home, car, etc, etc…. But it doesn’t

necessarily mean he or she has happiness in their life. The truth is the

“successful people” have

everything including the feeling that they lack for something, which is

happiness!!!!

 

Let me quote a

true story as narrated by Joy Thomas in her book of “Life is a Challenge,

Meet it. I quote -

 

color:#003366">The minister related the story of a young man who had yearned to

be a surgeon. He told how hard he had worked to get through medical school and the

struggles he went through before he finally

bold">established an extremely successful practice in Bel-Air, California.

His patients were all well off financially and as he was a good surgeon he soon

became a wealthy surgeon but he wasn’t happy. He had everything he had

ever thought that he wanted,

but he wasn’t happy. One day, without warning he

closed his office and joined a medical team leaving for Vietnam. The

Minister, by some fortuitous circumstances was privileged to observe the

surgeon’s practice on one busy day. A woman came into the grass-roofed

shack where medical services provided for the villagers. She was

obviously in distress and asked to see a doctor. The surgeon from Bel-Air

examined her. He told her gently that she would need immediate surgery. She

replied that she did not want surgery and that she couldn’t afford

it. Again, he spoke quietly, but he told her that she could not live

without her surgery. Then, dealing with her objection that she couldn’t

afford it he asked how much she could afford to pay. She held up a small bent

coin, worth only a few pennies and said that was all she could pay. The surgeon

smiled, took the coin and said that is exactly how much I had planned to charge

you.

color:#003366">

color:#003366">He went through careful preparations, giving this poor villager

as nearly as the circumstances allowed, the same care he would have given a

millionaire. The operation took several hours. After closing the incision and

seeing to his patient’s comfort, the surgeon and the Minister sat down

together. The Minister express his joy in being able to watch the

operation which he never would have been able to do back in the States. Then he

asked the surgeon what had let him to give successful practice and to come out

here to work under such primitive conditions.

color:#003366">

color:#003366">The surgeon replied when I performed an operation with

assistants and with modern equipment, I relied on that equipment and human

skills for the success of the procedure. I also expected the rewards from my

work to continually increase my bank account. But here, with little or no help,

and with limited equipment I have learned to rely on God instead of myself and

other external factors. As I scrub I begin to pray; Lord let me be your

instrument. Use me for the benefit of this person. I surrender the results to

you. You see in Bel-Air I had success

thinking that I was the doer; but now as God’s instrument knowing him to

be the doer, I have found true significance.

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During all our life we strive so hard to achieve

“success” and finally when we achieve it, we still have the empty

feeling that haunts us. We might have everything that we wanted except

‘happiness’. As in the case of Lord Buddha, he grew up in great

pomp and splendor, everything being served at a snap of his finger, but he

couldn’t find happiness in any worldly things and he thought

“Nirvana” is the only truth at his age of only 28. Similarly the

young surgeon as narrated above found extreme happiness in serving the poor in

the primitive conditions.

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What is that we all finally want to attain? I am sure

“Happiness” is the answer. If that is the case, should we lead a

“successful life” or

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“significant/meaningful

life”? The answer is to be decided by each of us and what does Swami say?

 

Humanness

is a marvelous thing. It is boundless and significant

"Book Antiqua";color:blue">. The term ‘man’ does not refer

just to the physical body. A human being is a composite of body, mind and

Atma.

To perform actions through the body, understand them through the mind, and have

the Atma

as a witness to both these – that constitutes living as a human

being. Action, awareness and registration – these three manifest

the meaning of human life. It is sheer ignorance to equate human

existence with the body alone. You

should grasp the nature and aim of human existence and lead a meaningful life.

 

color:purple">- Divine Discourse, 20th May 1993.

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10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy;font-style:normal">Sai Ram

10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy;font-style:normal">Sai sister

Shivathmika

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