Expansion of ideas

 Knowledge is power’

A person who has knowledge is equipped with power. Here power does not mean

the power of money or force. Rather it means the power to understand, discriminate

between what is right or wrong, and the power to make the correct choices. The

illiterate person has limited choices of opportunity and advancement for he lacks

knowledge.

Knowledge makes a man resourceful. When he is faced with a difficult situation,

he is able to tackle it better. His mind is able to come up with many ways to solve a

problem. He is not bogged down by paucity of thoughts. He can even think up new

ways of doing things.

The world is moving faster each day. No one can afford to remain illiterate.

Everyone has to keep up with the knowledge of the times.

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13. ‘Health is wealth’

What is the use of having crores in one’s bank account if we cannot enjoy good

health? A healthy man can enjoy the benefits of his Wealth. But a wealthy man, if he

is not healthy, will always be afflicted with physical complaints

In fact, if you are ever asked to choose between the two, always opt for good

health. Because health can give wealth, but wealth does not ensure good health. Very

often the desperate search for wealth takes its toll on one's health. It deprives a man of

the necessary physical exercise. It makes the person follow unhealthy food habits in

the name of saving time. It thus brings along with it stress, high cholesterol, high

blood pressure, ulcers and diabetes. As a result a person may have to spend the later

part of his life in and out of hospitals and undergo expensive operations in order to

keep himself alive. Finally he dies a stressful premature death. And all the wealth he

has accumulated is distributed amongst the heirs. Rather, this person could have

enjoyed his wealth while he had lived if only he had believed in the dictum, ‘Health is

Wealth’.

_____________________________________________________________Unity is strength’

Everyone knows the story of the bundle of sticks that could not be broken easily,

but the single stick that could be broken easily. That is what is meant by ‘unity is

strength',

Five fingers make a hand. A hand makes a handshake. A handshake extends

warmth and friendship and reaches out to the world. India is a land of diverse people,

cultures, religions, languages and geography. Yet, as long as we are united, we are

strong and no one can do us any harm. The moment we show any sign of division, we

will be vulnerable and enemies will try to take advantage of the situation.

A team in which the individual members play for their own good cannot win a

match. As long as each player plays for the good of the team, it can win. Anything that

we do should be done for the general good, not for individual glory. Then only can

victory be achieved.

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15. ‘Honesty is the best policy’

Corruption has spread through India like an epidemic. At every twist and turn

you meet people who are willing to do anything dishonest in order to earn money.

Dishonesty in words and deeds is so common now that people have almost accepted it

as a rule rather than an exception. An honest person is a bit of an oddity in present day

India. Isn.t that a rather sad state of affairs?

We all know from our experience that a lie will lead to another ten lies; a

misdeed may need another ten misdeeds to cover it up. Still we tell lies and do wrong

things.

Every religion tells us that we must be honest. No one likes dishonest people

because they cannot be trusted. The truth is always so simple. Dishonesty is like a

whirlpool from which escape is difficult. Sometimes we are punished for being

honest, but it is nothing compared to the pain and suffering that we cause to others due

to our dishonesty.

Gandhiji laid great emphasis on the need for truthfulness in words and deeds.

His life throughout was a struggle to uphold the virtue of truth. A truthful person can

speak and act with moral conviction. He commands respect and reverence in society.

Such people are necessary in the world today.

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16. ‘Work is worship’

Everyone has to work in order to earn money. However, there are some who

think of work only as a means to earn money, and nothing more. As a result they do

not perform the tasks given to them by their employers with interest. They make

excuses, point an accusing finger at others, blame their tools, criticize their employers,

complain about their colleagues while they themselves work in the most inefficient

way possible. We must remind such people that ‘Duty is divine’ and ‘Work is

worship’. Work is a dedication of one’s labour to God. Work is the use of the

inspiration given to us by God to create and carve and mend and shape.

Work should be performed with sincerity, dedication and perseverance.

This shows respect for what we do, and for the others who will benefit by our work.

When we perform a task, however simple it may be, it should be done to the best of

our ability. This shows not only our deep involvement in our actions, but also an

expression of our skills. We must not forget that the first ‘work’ ever done was by

God the ‘work’ of Creation. And look how beautiful His ‘works' are!

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17. ‘Empty vessels make the most noise’

You will always find that a person with very little knowledge loves to jabber all

the while and laugh and joke and make a lot of unnecessary noise. This is because the

person doesn’t really have any substantial matter in the head and so hides this fact

with a lot of meaningless chatter. But the person of real substance looks around,

observes and when he or she speaks, it is to say something really meaningful. That is

what is meant by this proverb.

Hence when we are in a conversation we should only take a fair share of

the conversation and not keep prattling on as if no one else is there. This will show

that we respect other people’s opinions and wish to hear them out too. It would also

send out the message that we are not superficial people who only bore others with our

pompous talk.

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Slow and steady wins the race’

The famous fable about the tortoise and the hare brings out the singular truth

that am" and steady wins the race. Haste only makes waste, or results in shoddy work.

This is especially true for students. Daily regular study delivers good results. Those

students who want to complete their homework quickly just in order to play a match

with their friends, finally learn little or nothing. This is true even while attempting an

examination paper. If a student writes the answers hastily, he or she may make

careless mistakes, and this may result in low marks.

If a director wishes to make a film in a hurry, he will have a shoddy product in his

hand. But if he plans the script, the locations and the cast and takes rehearsals before

going to the sets for shooting, he or she is sure to come out with a quality product.

This is true for all great ventures, including the construction of a building. It is better

to draw the blueprint first. Then comes the laying of the foundation, and the rest of the

construction work in stages. If a building is constructed in haste, it might collapse and

lead to disaster.

So whatever you do in life, plan every detail carefully, collect the equipment

required for the project, and then go about performing the act. Then only will you be

able to achieve grand success.

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19. ‘Prevention is better than cure’

We sometimes handle a knife carelessly, cut our fingers, allow the cut to go

septic and when the pain is unbearable, consult a doctor. The doctor prescribes a

prolonged and costly treatment. Wouldn’t it have been better for us to have taken due

precaution while using the knife? In fact, we can always protect ourselves against

common ailments diseases by resorting to proper precautionary, preventive measures.

Very often, we are careless and do things thoughtlessly. We ignore signs that

indicate the possibility of trouble. Finally when the trouble occurs, we regret our

neglect, but by then it is too late. The proverb ‘Prevention is better than cure’ advises

us to take necessary steps to stop something unpleasant from happening.

This proverb has universal application. Proper maintenance of machines,

buildings, roads or bridges can prevent their deterioration and thus forestall disaster.

Health authorities should take prompt and effective steps during times of natural

calamities in order to prevent the outbreak of epidemics. At the national level too,

many problem that we are facing today would not have existed had the government

acted firmly, promptly and boldly at the very start. The proverb stresses the need for

foresight and precaution in dealing with every situation in our lives. If we develop

such an attitude, it would certainly be much better than facing misery and searching

for expensive remedies later on.

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