All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Every capable individual wishes to establish and publicise his capability and achievements. Other creatures aspire only to satiate their hunger for food and sex but man also aspires to prove himself better than others. This is called, being ambitious. Every man nurtures ambitions. There are very few who would be satisfied by fulfilling their basic needs and who would make no attempts to show off in some respect.

All that one needs to cover oneself up is a few meters of cloth but it is seen that people fill their wardrobes with variety of fashionable clothes and also keep changing them often. Women decorate their body with jewellery. There are strange and unique hairstyles to be seen. The whole purpose behind all this is to attract people's attention and on the basis of this, the one who manages to grab star attraction, is supposed to be superior. In order to enhance beauty, there are a host of cosmetics that are applied to the face and all the other parts of the body. Women, in general, are far ahead of men in this trend. How much money and time is wasted in all this get-up and fashion! When the fashion trends change, the old is discarded and the new is adopted so that by replacing the unpopular design with a new one, people's attention may be drawn towards oneself again. The artistry, fitting, gorgeousness and glaze is meant to dazzle people's eyes. It is a reflection of people's mental ardour that they want to exhibit themselves better than others.
The affluent build houses that are much bigger than necessary. Palaces and forts are decorated with expensive furnishings. Vehicles and servants are kept in numbers that are much larger than necessary. Parties are held every other day and people succumb to various types of addictions. The reason for all this is that a lot of undue importance is given to materialistic riches and because people evaluate themselves against others using this yardstick. This show-off only creates a delusion of superiority. If it was avoided then one could have lived with limited resources, time and money. The savings could have been used elsewhere, which would have benefited self and others.

One can see competitions being organized every other day. People participate in motor races, horse races, rock climbing and other such risky activities because the winner becomes famous for his chivalry. To establish various records, people take so much pains and show amazing courage. One reads about these in magazines and hears about them in various discussions. Why do people indulge in such display of their courage? Why do they spend so much time and money on it? In most cases, there is only one answer to these questions – the ambition of achieving fame and status of ‘greatness’. Those who are unable to perform, resort to paying for yes-men in order to earn false praise. These yes-men earn their bread by making a mountain out of molehill and then creating a hype around it in order to please those who have a greed for accolades. Many wars have been fought for similar ambitions. One can also see people engaging a fleet of servants and maids so that it becomes a topic for discussion. The pompousness on display during marriages is meant to serve the same purpose. The interest in keeping and exhibiting pets also originates from this desire to be talked about.

Upon contemplation, it seems that such indulgers only satisfy their egos. Others don't seem to give them the same importance. Everyone is busy. Who has the time to notice and rectify such delusions? And then, there are so many who indulge in this sham. Who considers such people to be great or the blessed ones? On the contrary, people tend to envy or to get an impression that it is an illegally earned wealth that is being squandered away and a sham is being erected to earn false accolades. How long can the reality be hidden?

It appears so childish that the poor attempt to put up a face of richness. It feels so pathetic to see people rent clothes from the laundry in order to dress up for the marriage processions. Many bury themselves under the burden of loans for such sham and end up frittering away all their ancestral wealth. When this pretension becomes a habit for the meagre earners, it forces them to resort to immorality. Such squandering does not allow man to remain honest. They have to turn to sinful acts to fill their bags. The reality of such people does come out eventually. As others start discovering the reality, the so-called respect or recognition of ‘high-status’ begins to give way to hatred. Once exposed, such people lose all their friends and allies because if they remained associated with such people, the world would see them in the same light.

By indulging in such mockery, only the childish try to achieve the status of greatness and of course, they fail. It is impossible for the reality to remain hidden forever. If an uneducated poses as a scholar, he easily gets exposed in a small conversation. Besides, the times are gone when one could awe others with one's opulence. There may have been times when feud lords ran the world and their terror gave shivers down the spine of the masses. But, now in most societies, people have come out of their shells. Communism has generated resentment against the rich. They are bitterly criticised and accused of dishonesty. Only the merciless can become rich otherwise if they earn more they should have been spending it on the needy. Their money should have been used for serving others. Those who turn their eyes away from social service and take pride in spending it on extravagance would not only carry the blame of inappropriate conduct but also be categorized selfish and cruel.

Prudence rejects this pretence of greatness as childish behaviour. Foresight and wisdom manifests itself in man in the form of refinement of personality through adoption of high morals, efforts to achieve eminence in qualities, actions and nature, striving to lead a pure life, maintaining high thinking, being kind, adopting the principle of simple living and high thinking, living a life of an ordinary citizen so that the savings from the increased earnings may be spent on helping others.

Those who try to achieve greatness through affluence and by squandering away their wealth, will only end up in disappointment. The terror of torture can also not instil the feeling of respect in anyone's heart. At times the threat of one’s powerful status might get applaud of some flatterers or fearsome subordinates.  It is possible that the heart may be filled with hatred but upon getting driven by fear or greed, one may be forced to speak a few words of praise but this deception doesn't last long. At the first opportunity, the reality presents itself. What is disdainful, will remain so. The facts cannot be denied for long. People with vicious character and wicked behaviour can neither live a glorious life nor earn respect. In spite of this, people can be seen treading this path. Many still believe that through hypocrisy they can earn and maintain a false clout of greatness. If people could come out of this illusion then they could work to achieve true greatness. They could adopt a straight and simple path and really achieve what they aspire for. Greatness achieved on worthless grounds crumbles like a pack of cards.


Attain True Greatness:

Greatness can be eternal. It is possible to attain true greatness by inculcating virtues and adopting ideals in thoughts and conduct. Achieving greatness is in accordance with human dignity. To achieve it one has to refine one's character, actions, nature, thoughts, conduct and behaviour to an extent that it can stand any tests of excellence. This refinement results in lasting self-satisfaction, social recognition and unlimited support. It must be clearly understood that honesty needs to be maintained in all the actions, complete dedication needs to be demonstrated in performing all duties and courage needs to be exhibited in not succumbing to pressures and temptations.

Some individuals may become rich, scholars, strong, talented, skilled, smart etc. and some may be able to prove themselves richer in strength and abilities compared to others. But, it is also certain that they will face the lurking danger of misusing resources and the possibility of attacks and damage from the jealous. Thieves and attackers will continue to skulk as well. The danger of being dragged into a quagmire of downfall by sycophants and yes-men, who will lay a bait of false praises, cannot be ruled out as well. Doubts and sinister possibilities will always be present. And, all this will keep one's mind in a state of distress.

One must understand the risks associated with greatness and remember the miserable state of mind that one may land in. However, if greatness is achieved through continuous chiselling and refinement of personality then there is no such danger. The dignity attached to such greatness keeps one happy and the favours done to others yield beneficial returns as well. The adoption of two foundations - character integrity and focus on social service - can lead every man, on the basis of his excellence, to present an example in front of the public that will encourage them to become better individuals too.

It is not necessary to become rich or a scholar to achieve greatness. It does not even need special abilities or cleverness. One can embrace the quality of humility, which is possible for everyone under all circumstances. Once the mind is immersed in goodwill and generosity, then the opportunities for benevolence and charity keep arising. Once the mind tastes the unique joy of immersing in the pool of love and compassion, in spite of being busy, it becomes possible to engage it in such activities that assist in uplifting oneself. Only by adopting sincerity and humility, one can prove to people that living a dignified life and sticking to a social discipline is not difficult. Even if others do not reciprocate, it is possible to maintain dignity and fill the environment with a scent of purity. While continuing to practice self-improvement, one can also lead others on the same path.

Ambition can only be beneficial if it is embellished with the spirit of purity and charity. Everyone can tread the path towards greatness, truly become powerful and be considered fortunate. It is only the folly of the wise that people run after the mirage of greatness but ignore the importance of divinity.