Mamta Rani
CSS Delhi
Before the battle of Stirling bridge (11th sept,1297), William Wallace, who was leading the Scots, gave a powerful speech to motivate his soldiers. A few words from his speech are as quoted below – “We all end up dead, it’s just a question of how and why. Every man dies, not every man really lives. I am William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You’ve come to fight as free men…….and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?”
As a matter of fact, these words demand attention by each one of us, as we are also supposed to fight at every moment in life, with challenges, problem, people around us, and also with ourselves! The point of concern in this 24×7 battle is- whether we end up dead or alive? Every time when allow negativity, fear, hatred, jealousy, anger, greed etc. to take hold on us, we are rendered as dead! However, when we are brimming with positivity, enthusiasm, courage, confidence, etc. while combating such battles, we come out alive! Verily, in this choice lies our real freedom. Yes, we are the sole decision- makers for our lives, to choose life or death for our existence.
No one wants to be the person that dies without living. So, people must find something that gives their life meaning, whether it’s being a great friend, sibling, parent, grandparent, teacher, neighbor, etc. Once people have found something to live for, they’ll live better. If it’s not relationships as a central purpose, maybe its occupation or something that is outside work that makes a difference to others. The meaning of life is something people have to decide for themselves.
That’s one facet regarding life, which focuses on our existence. Howerver, there is another aspect as well, which is ingrained with our existence, and that is, growth. In this context, it is worth mentioning the words of Martin Luther, which he said aloud on April 9, 1967: “And there are three dimensions of any complete life……length, breadth, and height.” Well, these dimensions primarily relate to our inner growth (as an individual); our outer growth (success in the outside world); and our contribution towards the society on the path of awakening as shown by the enlightened Masters of the time.
Just give a pause to the crazy race that you are engaged in every moment of your life. Check, which dimension is missing from life. On a sincere contemplation, you will find that the fundamental and underlying commonality in all the three dimensions is “Soul-awakening.” Why? It is because when we are awake at the level of our soul, we are best able to understand and explore the real meaning of the three dimensions, i.e. developing as a ‘truly civilized, moral, and wise ‘being; aiming at success in a confident and prudent manner; and, cherishing the joy in the life of selfless service, rather than constricting it in the parenthesis of I, me and myself .