People often
boast about their past accomplishments, strengths, helping nature and many
other impressive qualities. But a person, who actually transforms his words to
actions at the times when it is needed the most, is the one who earns respect.
Above him is the one who without even promising anything or boasting about
himself does wonders for the society or reaches an apex that others had dreamt
of conquering.
An
infant does not learn by what is said to him, but by what he observes. He
cannot understand what others try to convey through words but grasps from
other’s gestures. He becomes what he sees around. As he grows, he learns from
his father’s attitude towards life, home, work, family and friends. No matter
how many moral stories you recite to him, he would develop his own principles
by learning what people around him do. If you want him to work hard for his
studies, his future, you need to create such an environment in the house where
he can realize the truth about life. Scolding and beating won’t be fruitful.
Hypocrisy and dishonesty must be avoided by parents if they want their child to
live an ideal life
It
is not that words help a person earn respect in the society. His dedication and
hard work to accomplish them is what that really matters. It is human nature to
strive for a higher position; a position where others pay tribute to one’s
name. This he achieves not through his words but by acting to his words and
transforming the world into a better habitat. Some people tend to make castles
in air which neither have a strong foundation nor are the efforts put in such
as to sustain the castle. Great dreams not backed by undaunted determination
and selfless hard work are just figments of imagination and can never be
transformed to startling realities.
Sometimes
when we can’t use words by any cause, actions help us communicate with other
people. In other cases, even if we can have a communication with others,
actions make it clearer. When a baby is hungry, sleepy or wants to play
together, he tries to tell her mother who understands his gestures and deals
with the request accordingly. Also in between those who do not speak the same
language, actions break the barriers and play a rescuer. For instance, in
Japan, when people request something or apologize for a mistake, they bow with
both their hands stuck together.
A
person’s actions define him. They are a mirror to his motives. He might speak
something, but what he does defines his purpose. Once Mahatma Gandhi said,”What
is faith worth, if it is not translated to actions”. Gone are the days when our
leaders were men of their words. The people in power preached ‘Jaan jaye par
vachan na jaaye’. Nowadays, the politicians and the bureaucrats promise a lot
to the public but do not fulfill even five percent of their demands. Our
freedom fighters took a stand and proved their worth by fighting till their
last breathe. The leaders today make promises but once the elections are over,
they abscond from their responsibilities. The politicians keep giving speeches
for hours but fail to deliver when they need to prove their mettle. For such
people only sayings such as ‘Naam bade, darshan chote’ were invented.
In
today’s world, the practical aspects of life weigh more than the theoretical
ones. To overcome the obstacles in life a person must strive not to waste his
precious time on unnecessary preaching. In other words, he must be a man of
actions in order to succeed in life. Many great personalities have put into
practice what their conscience told them to do and have acted according to
their beliefs. Precious times must be converted to moments of action for real
success. Idle talk will lead one nowhere. In our dynamic world, success and
happiness depend on actions, not on theory on empty words.
Today
every individual talks about saving energy and minimizing pollution. Surely it
is the need of this hour. But do we in reality do anything to accomplish it? Unnecessarily
we keep the lights on; use less of public vehicles because we think that using
them reduces our status; loiter on the streets, burn crackers, waste portable
water and indiscriminately cut forests to provide space for continuously
growing population. Only thinking and discussing about preserving the nature
won’t serve the purpose, we’ll have to take certain steps which can help reduce
the harmful impacts on the environment. People should start consuming as per
their needs and stop activities that lead to environmental pollution.
Mahatma
Gandhi once quoted,” an ounce of practice is worth more than tons of
preaching”. His name stands in front of us as one of the prime examples of the
title ‘Actions speak louder than words’. He managed to drive the British
Empire, which exploited his country for more than a century, by using simple
non-violent approaches. He acted according to what he preached. He would let
the soldiers attack him and his followers and threatened to starve until death
if the violence didn’t stop. He never left his path of non-violence. His
actions did pay off and today we see India as an independent nation.
Buddhist
monk Sumangalo said,” Good words are not enough, you should do good deeds and
that’s how you come to be respected”. When we speak of action, we always mean
making sure that our conduct, behavior and all our deeds are such that each act
benefits one or the other. Among the Tamils of India, there is a legend about a
holy man who became known all over India as a teacher and preacher. Thousands
of pilgrims came to learn from him. He showed kindness to all, regardless of
rank. The goodness of his heart was shown by his actions. Everyone who came to
visit their great and holy teacher went away feeling that he had received deep
instructions. Yet this great teacher had never in his life been able to utter a
single word. He was born dumb.
Life
is too busy and one might find difficult to take out time from his busy
schedule and work for the promises he made to himself or to others. Only
talking about something or someone doesn’t show your care. Some people pretend
to be health conscious and every night swear to themselves to get up early next
morning for jog and yoga but fail to do so due to their laziness. They never
exercise, just keep on worrying about their increasing weight but do not act
accordingly. Some people promise their friends lifelong support and assure them
of any kind of help but when it comes to show their care, they fail to deliver
the goods.
What
is noticeable about the achievements of the great personalities is that they
always dreamt big but never boasted about achieving something big even though
they were highly capable of doing much more than they dreamt of. These eminent
personalities were aware of their caliber but never considered themselves
superior to others. They just kept on doing their job and served the world.
Don’t just say that you’ll change the world, do your part and success will
ultimately follow. If you are determined to bring about a change, your efforts
are bound to be recognized.
