Make Ideals Firm

Hari OM

Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!

VEDANTA IN ACTION.

This is the title of a publication from CM which, whilst it of course has items by Gurudev, also includes selections of writing from other well-esteemed Gurus from the Vedantic tradition as well as leading businessmen. Its focus is the working life. We shall be exploring these essays for the next few weeks on Workings-day as, clearly, they pertain directly to the premise of this section of AVBlog! As ever, you encouraged to read back over previous posts, to ensure full benefit.

Part 1; Vedanta in Management.

"One single ideal can transform a listless soul into a towering leader of men." (Gurudev)

The opening piece is an extract from work by Albert Schweitzer (Jan 14, 1875 - Sept 4, 1965).

The power of ideals is incalculable. We see no power in a drop of water. Yet, let it get into a crack in the rock and be turned to ice and it splits the rock; turned into steam, it drives the pistons of the most powerful engines. Something has happened to it which makes active and effective the power that is latent within it.

So it is with ideals. Ideals are thoughts. As long as they exist as thoughts, the power latent in them remains ineffective, however great the enthusiasm and however great the conviction with which the thought is held.  Their power only becomes effective when they are taken up into some refined human personality.

The knowledge of life which we grownups have to pass on to the younger generation will not be expressed thus; "Reality will soon give way before your ideals,"; but "Grow into your ideals, so that life can never rob you of them." If all of us could become what we were ar fourteen, what a different place the world would be!  We must all be prepared to find that life tries to take from us our belief in the good and the true, and our enthusiasm for them, but that we need not surrender them.  That ideals, when they are brought into contact with reality are usually crushed by facts , does not mean that they are bound from the very beginning to capitulate to those facts, but merely that our ideals are not strong enough; and they are not strong enough because they are not pure and strong and stable enough in ourselves.