Friday, May 18, 2007

Inspiration, very inspiring indeed!

Most of my friends often ridicule me for not having any Lakshya in my life; they all say that had I had one, it would have been better for my career, for my family, may be for my country and may be even for the mankind. I don't know if they are right or not, when they talk about so many entities but one thing is for sure, that had I had it, it would have been better for me. The reason, which I can guess, behind its absence may be the lack of inspiration. I mean, I never found any inspiration for something and that’s the reason why I don’t possess a drive for something. I've always believed that motivation is an external, temporary high that pushes you forward while inspiration is a sustainable internal glow which pulls you forward. That's why, I'm stressing on inspiration.


Well, how many can truly say that they are really inspired to do something? I guess not many. I some times wonder as what is the drive that is present in the great men that allowed them to go beyond the mortal. What made them work relentlessly towards a goal that they knew they can achieve but others did not. Is it the challenge, that others believe that they can’t do it, that drove them? Is it the belief in their cause that would not tire them? Or is it because of the few who actually believe in them!!


My answer would be each is an individual case, and different people derive inspiration from different things. Leaders like Gandhi's inspiration fed off the belief of the millions that adored him. The Wright brothers were inspired to prove everyone wrong by claiming that humans can fly.

"I love the pole vault because it is a professor's sport. One must not only run and jump, but one must think. Which pole to use, which height to jump, which strategy to use? I love it because the results are immediate and the strongest is the winner. Everyone knows it. In everyday life that is difficult to prove."

- Sergei Bubka

These lines explain the inspiration for this person, who holds the record of breaking the World Record for 36 times. Yelena Isinbeyeva, who has done the same thing for 20 times now, wants to further break this record because she thinks that it will be a great achievement. So, it’s different for different people however there are few strange cases where I couldn’t find the cause of inspiration. Take for example, Newton; he just saw an apple fall of a tree!!! What’s so inspiring about it?


This is the central idea of my post, as I’ve yet not been able to fix any reason behind the inspiration and hence my all efforts for getting inspired have failed miserably. Hence, I came up with an idea; an idea of getting inspired from already inspired people. If every person who ever felt a moment of transcendent inspiration took responsibility for it and took action – what kind of world would we have?


Any writer or artist will tell you that one inspired action leads to the next and the next. Can you actually imagine a world where people took responsibility for their passing inspirations? A world that takes responsibility for its children, its environment, its ill, its suffering, its war torn, its injustice, its free will; can you imagine that world? Which little piece of the world do you know, in your heart, you should be attending to?


Inspiration without action is like falling deeply in love and turning 180 degrees and running in the opposite direction. If we have nourished it, cynicism has a powerful hold on us. If we find something we believe in worth nourishing, eventually there won’t be any room for any cynicism. So, not of the present hour alone, but of every hour of our journey, the need is to inspire someone because this can yield faster results, if not better. And everyone knows that faster results in this context would anyway be better.


So, better ask yourself that have you ever felt a moment of grace? Some call it enlightenment, some call it muse, some call it inspiration, some call it spirit, and some call it the collective unconscious. But have you ever felt it? If yes, then please pass on the torch. I’ve tried to do this recently. Only time would tell as my effort went waste or yielded something. You may be curious as what I did. Well, in that case, I promise that I shall narrate the whole sequence which took place, once I would get a positive reply from the other end. Till then, try to make a difference from your side. I guarantee that your small contribution would magnify itself and become fruitful to generations. Moreover, who knows if it shall succeed in inducing that change which our world requires badly!


To end with one of my favorite quote, of Louisa May Alcott,

“Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.”

2 comments:

sindhu said...

COOL MAN.. AGAIN AWESOME ONE!!!FROM WHERE THE HELL DOES UR MIND GET SUCH THINGS?lol. UR INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES AND THIS ARTICLES HAS REALLY INSPIRED ME.THIS WILL BE UR FIRST ARTICLE WHICH I UNDERSTOOD IN ONE SHORT.. U UNDERSTOOD?I READ ONLY ONCE BUT I UNDERSTOOD THE IMOPORTANCE OF INSPIRATION..IT REALLY DOES PLAYS VERY VERY IMPORTANCT ROLE IN EVERY ONCE LIFE.I AM JUST LOVING IT!!! LIKE MCDONALS.AND DON'T MISS ON SOMETHING U SAID THAT U GONA NARRATE.. AM EAGERLY WAITING FOR THAT.SO DONT TEST MY PATIENCE NOW. SCRIBBLE IT SOON!!!!
KEEP IT UP.. KUDOS FOR U!!!!!

Unknown said...

Nice post, yaar. Thought provoking indeed.

Hmm, you do need a reason to do something, but, that's something big or something unusual.
For the mundane things of life, I don't think you need inspiration.
So, where do you draw the line, when does a deed transform from a basic duty / responsibility to something extra which needs an extra dose, i.e., inspiration?