Recently I met a young man who opened up the story of his life to me. His father was a drunkard and his mother a chronic patient. He was the eldest of their six children. Naturally, as the eldest son, he had to take up the entire responsibility of his family.
He had to quit his schooling to work as a wage laborer to support his family. “I had a dream to study well and become a notable man; but my circumstances didn’t allow it” he said with a deep breath.
Like this young man, many people find fault with their circumstances for not being able to live up to their dreams. They look at the circumstances and never see the possibilities that lie ahead of them. Remember that the circumstances of many great men who achieved great things in life are not better than that of many of us. To cite a few names, we have Abraham Lincoln, Charlie Chaplin and so on.
Only fools give up their dre-ams, blaming their circumstan ces. It is easy to withdraw without fighting against adverse situations. Take for example, the life of the young man I mentioned earlier. It was easier for him to abandon his studies and take up the responsibility of his family than chase his dreams, which needed real guts.
Each situation offers an opportunity to fight. People like Charlie Chaplin succeeded in life not because their circumstances were favorable. Five year old Charlie started to perform on stage at the compulsion of the organizer of the show, when his mother failed to perform. Think what would have happened if he had run away from that opportunity? The great artist named Charlie Chaplin would never have been born.
Adverse situations, in fact, pave the way to bring out our talents and possibilities. Battles that are won against adverse situations are sweeter than the acts done when everything is favorable.
Therefore, let us go forward, exploring the possibilities latent in the circumstances. It is easier to withdraw without fighting than winning after putting up a great fight. Let us, at least, try our best when the circumstances are unfavourable.
