FROM MAULANA’S DESK
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims . His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi.
WHAT DRIVES US TO THE POINT OF NO RETURN?
THE World Health Organization reports that suicide has become the second most common cause of death among young people worldwide. In order to create awareness on mental health and tackle the issue of suicide, WHO has developed a Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, which was adopted by the 66th World Health Assembly. The recent case of suicide of the 34-year-old Bollywood actor, Sushant Singh Rajput, has once again opened up the debate on declining mental health and growing case of depression amongst youth. Rajput was good in studies; he had chosen to opt out of engineering to become an actor. At a young age he achieved name and fame for his acting skills.
Despite the prospects of a good life ahead of him, what drove Rajput to the brink so that he ended his life? This question has been bothering me ever since I heard this news.
Man is born with unlimited potential, yet he finds limited use for it. He harbours an ocean of desires in his heart, but all these dreams are never realized. In this case, there is no difference between a poor man and a rich man. Each person finds himself amidst toil and strife. But dwelling on the non-fulfillment of desires or sinking into depression because reality does not match your dreams is not the solution.
We cannot forget that while each of us has our share of challenges in life, we also have an inherent ability to fight back. That resilience is within each one of us, we only have to realize it and get ourselves out of the depths of depression. But there is a precondition. And that is, to not view stress and failures as the endgame. Thomas Edison had famously said, “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!” This saying of Edison teaches us that in order to succeed in life, we should put in relentless efforts in the face of repeated failures, and we should maintain positivity at all times.
Some say that one should stop thinking about what is bothering one. But this approach is not the right one. This is because our mind never really stops thinking.
The ability to make a plus from a minus is the hallmark of human civilization. This is what has kept progress going despite all sorts of failures that have been witnessed throughout history. In this process, each life contributes and therefore each life counts!
Instead of wading through the problem and finding an opportunity, if we choose to simply create an illusion in order to stop thinking about the problem, it impedes our ability to fight back. Resilience is the essence of human spirit! When we dwell on problems and get trapped in failure, we end up obstructing the flow of positive ideas thereby creating a double jeopardy for ourselves.
The ability to make a plus from a minus is the hallmark of human civilization. This is what has kept progress going despite all sorts of failures that have been witnessed throughout history. In this process, each life contributes and therefore each life counts! It is incumbent upon all of us to not only foster our own positive thought process but also extend support to all those around us who may be in need of support and guidance.
Instead of getting disheartened with failures, the remedy lies in feeding the opportunities and starving despair! The health of this equation determines the health of our mind, which in turn determines the success of our endeavours and renders meaning to our lives.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
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