ALL YOU NEED IS A COURAGE

"WHAT A GREAT MAN HE WAS. ALAS! WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEEK HIS GUIDANCE ANYMORE." A MAN, IN HIS FIFTIES, STANDING NEAR A BILLBOARD REGRETTED. I WAS SITTING ON THE BENCH AT THE BUS STAND WHEN THE SAME MAN CAME AND SAT NEXT TO ME. HIS EYES WERE MOIST AND HE WAS DRESSED IN THE MOURNING CLOTHES. I TRIED TO STOP MYSELF TO CONSOLE HIM BUT UNABLE TO HOLD MYSELF FOR VERY LONG, I QUIETLY TURNED TOWARDS HIM AND SPOKE IN A VERY SOFT VOICE, " I'M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, I CAN ASSURE YOU WHEREVER HE/SHE MIGHT BE WOULD BE HAPPY.” THE MAN STARTED SOBBING. “HE WAS MY BOSS, UNLIKE OTHERS HE WAS VERY SWEET AND GENUINE. HIS NAME WAS MILAN. HE FACED MANY HARDSHIPS IN HIS LIVES BUT ALWAYS CAME UP WITH MORE POWER AND COURAGE.” HE PAUSED, TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND CONTINUED AGAIN, “MILAN WAS A 14-YEAR-OLD WHEN HIS FATHER DIED IN A ROAD ACCIDENT. HIS FATHER HAD MANY DEBTS ON HIM, UNABLE TO REPAY THEM HE DECIDED TO END HIS LIFE. FROM THEN MILAN LIVED WITH HIS MOTHER IN A SMALL COTTAGE, HIS MOTHER WORKED AS A MAID IN MANY HOMES AND MANAGED THE EXPENSES. HE NEVER LOST HIS BATTLE AGAINST HIS LIFE. HE WAS ALWAYS BRAVE ENOUGH TO COMEBACK WITH A SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS. AFTER THE SUDDEN DEMISE OF FATHER, HE DECIDED TO QUIT HIS STUDIES AND DO SOME WORK TO EARN MONEY AND HELP HIS MOTHER. HE WAS A BIG DEVOTEE OF LORD SHIVA AND VISITED TEMPLE EVERY SUNDAY. ONE DAY HE SAW ONE SAGE SITTING THERE AND GUIDING SOME PEOPLE. FRUSTRATED FROM HIS REGULAR WORK AND CURIOUS TO KNOW ABOUT HIS DESTINY, HE WENT UP TO THE SAGE AND ASKED ABOUT HIS FUTURE. THE SAGE REPLIED VERY COLDLY WITH BARELY ANY EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE, "I CAN SEE NO HAPPINESS IN YOUR LIFE. THERE IS NO WEALTH AND PROSPERITY AND YOU WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED WITH YOUR LIFE." MILAN RETURNED HOME DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WRINKLES ON HIS FACE. HE WANTED TO EARN MONEY AND LIVE A HAPPY LIFE. HE DECIDED TO PROVE THE SAGE WRONG AND STARTED ANALYZING HIMSELF. HE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT HE IS LAZY, AND USUALLY, DOESN'T FINISH THINGS ONCE HE HAS STARTED. HE THEN DECLARED THE WAR WITH HIMSELF, THE WAR TO MAKE HIMSELF BETTER, THE WAR FOR GIVING HIS MOTHER A BETTER LIFE. HE WORKED HARD DAY AND NIGHT. WHERE OTHER PEOPLE WORKED FOR 10 HOURS, HE GAVE HIS 16 HOURS TO EARN MONEY. AFTER SOME TIME, HE TOOK ALL HIS SAVINGS AND INVESTED IN A SHARE MARKET. WHEN HE EARNED A HUGE PROFIT, HE WITHDREW THE AMOUNT. HE THEN INVESTED ALL THAT MONEY IN SETTING UP HIS OWN BUSINESS. WITHIN FIVE YEARS HE TURNED FROM SIMPLE BOY TO A BIG AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN. HE WANTED TO SHOW HIS WEALTHINESS TO SAGE, SO HE VISITED SAGE AGAIN AFTER FIVE YEARS TO PROVE HIM WRONG. WHEN HE REACHED THE SAGE'S PLACE, SAGE WELCOMED HIM WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND SAID, "I KNEW ONE DAY YOU WILL BECOME A BIG MAN." MILAN WAS SHOCKED AND THEN HE ASKED THE SAGE, "WHEN YOU WERE KNOWING THAT I'M GOING TO BECOME A BIG MAN, WHY DID YOU DISCOURAGE ME FIVE YEARS AGO?". THE SAGE REPLIED WITH A GENTLE SMILE ON HIS FACE, "SOMETIMES WHEN WE WANT OUR CHILD TO LEARN SWIMMING, WE NEED TO THROW HIM IN A POOL FULL OF WATER". MILAN UNDERSTOOD THE REASON BEHIND THE SAGE’S DISCOURAGEMENT AND THANKED HIM FOR TURNING HIS LIFE INTO THE BEAUTIFUL AND PLEASURED ONE.” MAN STOPPED AND WIPED HIS TEARS. I WAS NUMB, I DIDN’T KNOW-HOW TO REACT. IT WAS JUST THE FACT THAT I LEARNT WAS, SOMETIMES NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENT HELPS US GROW, IT LEADS US TO SUCCESS. WE SHOULD NEVER BLAME OUR SITUATIONS FOR OUR FAILURE.