STARTING OF A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER
Pic.: Vinod Krishnan
I was to start a very important chapter, today. Though all my
students are ‘my students’ – that is, I have to love them and accept them in
the same breath, teach them with the same care, commitment and passion, some of
them need to be reminded regularly of some subtle things which I do not have to
do with others… These young-kids are good… they have the same dreams – that is
to succeed in life… But, somewhere things are not going right with them… the
priorities are not well-defined, desire is lukewarm… and inspiration to succeed
is not just enough…
So, to these kids, I have to keep
reminding not to miss the starting of any important chapters. “You will find it
difficult to cope up later on,” I keep drilling into their heads, “Please be there
for initial few classes.”
But, then, my gentle, firm and
stern words need not necessarily move all of them. Some, despite my reminders
and personal messages, choose to remain absent… and, obviously, invite a great
deal of trouble for themselves… including their teacher’s wrath!
This morning, I
did not see a couple of them. At first, my mind was busy telling me, “Look, how
irresponsible your students are! What is the value of all your words and
advice? Call their parents; give a piece of your mind… Punish them… Teach them
a lesson…” Interestingly, my mind was stuck with the ten-percent, who had
chosen to bunk (for whatever reason), and was unable to see the ninety-percent
who had chosen to be present!
Suddenly, a
question popped up in my heart: “Have you not, always, professed, that the key
to happiness lies in being thankful to what you have, instead of grumbling
about what you do not have?”
“Yes, I had been
professing about it, always.”
“Then, is it
not the same key that should apply to your happiness, now?”
“Yes, it is.”
In that
instant realization – ‘Satori' as they refer to it in Zen – I could see one
thing happening: I could clearly see the goodness of those boys and girls who
had bunked the ‘starting of a very, very important chapter’… I could see my trust
in them getting rooted firmly and strongly in my own heart…
Yes, I could
feel in my heart the true meaning of Henry L. Stimson’s words:
This
was the ‘starting of a very, very, important chapter’… I am glad, I was ‘present’
when ‘the teacher’ taught me this… Yes, in the morning class!
GERALD D’CUNHA
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