It was death day, with screaming all over. Plague rampantly consumed any and everyone that came in its way. Everything things come to a standstill. No job, no work, no school, just one thing to look for and that was how to save yourself. Almost everybody flew also villages into the impacted city to a safe spot. Otherwise, life in the village was nothing better than in the town, except for the plague threat. It was the moment that Sir Issac Newton’s almost ‘idle’ attention was focused on the dropping apple that had been dropping since time immemorial. That was the moment when he not only discovered the fundamental law of gravity but also made a major contribution to the field of optics and mechanics.
Man is known as God’s Greatest Invention. That sets man and all beings apart is the existence of a magnificent intellect. All of the inventions that make our lives better now are somebody’s gifts. There are also questions on ‘Should artificial intelligence kill people’? The conclusion is ‘NO’ provided that robots do not have a moral quotient.
This spirituality differentiates humans from animals and humans too. Before Swami Vivekananda had to go abroad to preach Hinduism, his mother invited him to dinner to check if her son was ready for his mission. Vivekananda enjoyed his dinner. After the delicious dinner, his mother offered him a dish of fruits and a knife. After he cut the fruit and ate it his mother said, “Son, Can you please give me the knife, I need it”. Vivekananda immediately handed over the knife to his mother. His mother calmly said, “Son! You have passed my test and I heartily bless you for going abroad”. Vivekananda surprisingly asked, “Mother! How did you test me”? Mother replied, “Son! When I asked you for the knife, I saw you handed me the wooden end of the knife and you kept the pointed end towards you. This way I would not get hurt when I take it from you”
The above anecdote shows two beautiful things about the human mind. First, even the smallest action performed is voluntarily/involuntarily influenced by the mind. What we reflect upon, in our spare time acts as fodder to our brains and brain matures on this. Secondly, the human mind is powerful enough to read anyone else if we utilize it properly hence, the subject Psychology.
Our mind has immense potential but the responsibility to tap it constructively or destructively lies upon us. Successful people, no matter where they reach and how many people they employ never sit idle because they know that ‘An idle mind is a devil’s workshop’. Sundar Pichai, CEO of a top-notch company still struggles to take his company higher. The sky is not the limit for such people. Narayan Murthy, Infosys Founder, though retired still wants to lend a hand to the Government in welfare projects.
Everything and everyone has a purpose. The Sun is meant to shine. If it does not, we don’t see light, no photosynthesis, no oxygen, no food, we all die. Similarly, the mind is meant to think ‘rationally’. Rationality is a gift given by God to humans. We subconsciously know what is right what is not. The mind should be used to achieve rationally determined goals. People without an aim have an unfocused mind. Such minds run a high risk of falling into the fangs of the evil. This evil could be negative feelings like jealousy, hatred, bigotry, or external evil influence. This external evil can be best exemplified by the radicalization of the poor, needy, greedy, or the uneducated. Several instances where suicide bombers have taken their own lives and harmed society is the result of this idleness.
But are we suggesting that the educated don’t fall prey to the evil? They do! Recent scenarios prove that well off and educated people get influenced by evil. The answer can also be drawn from the Industrial Revolution Era when England was busy to make itself rich. Having achieved this aim and no one to compete with and when no other aim needed accomplishment, the devil started raising its head. Their idle minds started focussing on exploiting the poor and underdeveloped. Were these people who talked of the ‘White Man’s burden’ not educated? They were true!
Education is imparted to keep the young minds busy and help them learn subjects like science, society, technology and transform them into good human beings so that they become capable of earning a livelihood. Currently, there is a surge in juvenile crimes. So does that mean the education system has failed? This can’t be stated as many Malala Yousafzai’s rises from those schools only. The difference is the kind of company we keep, the thoughts we reflect upon when we are free. These have a very big impact on our lives. Here comes the need of hobbies as what we do in our spare time determines the kind of person we are. Everyone has some of the other talents. Talents are like seeds which if sowed and nurtured become a tree with sweet fruits else they die.
For a person with no work or hobby, every moment is spare and this makes them even lazier. The hunger for money and power without hard work pushes them towards shortcuts like stealing, pillage, dowry, etc. They do get punished sooner or later in life. The society too suffers because of such people. Had Abraham Lincoln stayed idle or used shortcuts, he would not have become the President of the US and maybe, the United States itself would have never got united.
So how do we differentiate between good and evil to follow the right path? Truly, our mind subconsciously does it for us. And still, if we are unable to decide: Anything that inflicts pain upon someone is evil. Perfect epitome would be a violation of human rights.
Many of us fear interviews. What we need to realize is interviewers scan our personalities. Our mind has a strong influence on our personalities. What makes President Barack Obama’s and PM Modi’s personality strong? A strong mind underneath! Our mind gains strength when we direct it towards lucrative areas. An idle mind always leads to
a slack personality that can easily be spotted by interviewers and who wants to appoint a lazy employee.
Religions may or may not accept the existence of God but they all agree on the cycle of Karma. What triggers this Karma? Our mind! A person who sits idle thinks destructive and harms people is planning to harm himself shortly. Even when Lord Buddha was meditating to attain Enlightenment, evil Mara came to sway the Lord
but the Lord did not give in.
What needs introspection is ‘We own our mind; our mind does not own us’. With our will power, we can easily tame and master our minds for ‘He who knows and controls his mind knows the secret of every mind and has the power over every mind’ Our time is already measured by God: He who knows how to utilize it and his mind wisely is remembered and vociferously praised even after his time.