“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift,” said Albert Einstein. Very relatable, isn’t it? A human mind can totally rational, but doing so wrecks something, our soul. The only way out is to mitigate it by compassion.
For those who aren’t familiar with Hindi, ‘log kya kahenge’ (what will people say) is nothing but people pleasing. Dump it, or brace yourself for a bumpy ride ahead.
The story of Mulla Nasruddin will help explain this. One fine day, Mulla Nasruddin and his son were travelling with their donkey. Mulla preferred to walk, while his son sat on the donkey. Soon, they passed a group, and one of them scoffed, “How sad and disgraceful. What a spoilt child!” Both Mulla and his son felt embarrassed and they switched places. While passing another hamlet, someone exclaimed, “That horrible man should be ashamed. A heartless father indeed.” They were confused and decided that they would both ride the animal. Yet again, as they moved on, they heard people say, “People are so cruel these days. Merciless scoundrels.” Feeling astounded, they both got off the donkey and started to walk beside the creature. As they went on, both were jeered and teased by another group of strangers for being on foot when they had an animal to ride.
This story is very relatable for a lot of us. We are enslaved by such comments.
Time is crucial for this generation. We don’t have a moment to spare. We’ve set targets in our lives to make it as special and comfortable. Our nation is blessed with the biggest youth population but it isn’t even close to the way as it’s supposed to be.
Where does the problem lie? Thoughts are the answer. Thinking is a powerful force in determining progress. Take a note of the events that you have skipped because someone else questioned it. If you’ve none, that is indeed a success. Each decision we make is special. In India, there are plenty of engineers and doctors, way over the requisite number. It is not because of a lack of options but the result of society trying to be too rational. We, as humans, need both intuitional and rational mindsets. The intuition makes us unique and sustains the beauty of the world. Fearing uniqueness pushes you to an average life.
A few months back, a video clip by a young entrepreneur went viral. His story was introduced as a case study in one of the world’s leading universities. From a poor family in Kerala, he is now the CEO of a company worth over 100 million dollars. Doesn’t that sound special? He was never a geek to provide us websites nor a techie to invent a gadget. His product was simple and humble, a ‘vada’ making squeezer. It might sound strange or silly but he is now a millionaire. Had he backed out from this venture due to criticism for his idea, where would he be now? Let him be an idol for each and every youth. He had the choice to be an engineer or a doctor, but he moved with his soul and he triumphed.
You are not an emotional caretaker. Start off by saying no to the things you don’t want. Being nice is too mainstream in this generation. Let people say what they want.