Joy in Failures

Let’s look at ‘joy in failures’ for today’s topic. You might say what kind of topic is this. Well, most of us have heard the phrase ‘Failure is the road to success’ and most of us understand the meaning behind this phrase, but what we need to understand is how and why failures should be seen as a joyful event rather than misfortune.

People often worry about all the misfortunes they receive and feel that they do not deserve to go through such major difficulties. Sudden accidents, health issues, financial losses, natural calamities are considered negative impacts, whereas in reality, they are only bringing something positive in return. Take the example of Christopher Reeve, the actor who played the role of ‘superman’ for all these years and had a very athletic, adventurous life in which he also contributed a lot to charity. What had he done wrong that he had the misfortune of becoming a paraplegic after a horse-riding incident. But just before he died, he said in an interview that he would not change anything in his past even if he had a choice, because as a result of this misfortune, even though it was very difficult in the beginning, he managed to continue to act, direct and create one of the largest organizations that supports research in the field of spinal-cord injury and paralysis — Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. He suffered a great deal but emerged from it, a stronger person, a better human being who not only had a desire to do good in his own life, but also to make a huge difference in other people’s lives.

Do you think that this kind of dedication comes from simply enjoying a luxurious life that is filled only with comforts and joys? No. If you don’t feel pain, you will not be able to understand the suffering of people less fortunate than you. It is very easy to say I want to donate some money to charity, but how do you decide what charity you want to give to? It is usually based on being able to relate to somebody’s feelings. If you have children, you might want to contribute to some charity that works to help young children. If you have some kind of cancer, you can relate to other cancer victims and may want to donate your time, money, efforts etc. towards a cancer research foundation. So until and unless you don’t feel the pain of other people, you will not be able to do good in life. 

    And why is it that only some people have the fortune of being blessed with children with special needs/ handicaps. It is not of everybody’s capability to raise a handicapped child. You have to have the atamik poonji or the innate strength of soul which will enable you to make a role model of that child for all other such children. Only then you can show the world the meaning of being a true parent. We normally complain about our children, being naughty and uncontrollable, have you ever thought about how difficult it is for those parents who raise kids with special needs, or even those parents (yes there are some) who adopt children or pets with special needs, think about the atma-bal (innate strength of soul) they possess and then compare yourself to them and you will automatically see where you stand. So the next time, you see someone in such a position instead of feeling sorry for them, go unto them and bow down and say to them what a great accomplishment they have made.

    Now, does this mean that we should all begin praying to have a handicapped child? No, certainly not. But what you can learn from this example is that you need to try and understand the pain of such people, by donating your time and efforts towards them, praying for them when you cannot do anything else. Anything you can do, either mentally, financially or physically will definitely help them in some way or the other. So whenever you find yourself in a situation of failure or some kind of misfortune and don’t do anything about it and just feel sorry for yourself, you will not be able to rise above that failure. Instead try to learn how you can become stronger and better from it, try and see what you can do for others in the same position. It is only then that you have made a difference in life.