Why We Do, What We Do

Most of us would have somewhere heard this famous parable of two brothers, which goes something like this. A father had two sons. The elder son was a drunkard and a notorious person. In the contrary the younger son was a highly disciplined person, and a teetotaler. People were surprised how there could be two different types of children for the same father and out of curiosity, one person went and asked the elder son, “Why are you into the habit of regular drinking?”, for which the elders son replied; “My father was a drunkard and so am I”.  The person who questioned, then went to the younger brother and asked, “How is that in spite of your father being a drunkard, you are such a nice person?”, The younger son replied, “Because my father was a drunkard, I have seen all the troubles my mother and my family has faced and that made me decide that I will not drink”. The incident is the same, but the outcome of the incident differs from person to person, based on his perception of life.

 

Anything we do in life needs a lot of emotional conviction. With mental conviction we may be able to do something for sometime, but only with emotional conviction we can do something all the time.

 

Let me draw an example, from my own life. I go for my morning walk regularly. I do my yoga exercises, regularly. As much as possible I try not to skip this routine exercise schedule. For people from outside it may look like, I am just fanatic about my exercise schedule. But to me, the reason for this type of conviction is a lot different. I am in fact gripped by a fear, which motivates me. Sometimes fear serves as a better motivation than appreciation.

 

My father was a diabetic and he took regular insulin. It was painful to see the daily injections he has to prick on himself. Doctors say, walking is a good antidote to diabetes.

 

I have seen my mother suffer as a bed ridden person for four years, before she died, due to her lower spine problem. Yoga is a good antidote for stiff back, because these exercises help in improving the flexibility.

 

Today, doctors claim that most of our diseases are genetic. Given this perspective, it is better to practice the philosophy of “prevention is better than cure”. In some cases we may not be able to avoid, but we may be able to postpone. There are so many things that happen beyond our control, but it is also true that we can to a great level, have influence on our health, by developing health eating habits, getting into an exercise schedule.

 

I caught the first spark of intelligence, on “prevention is better than cure” from one of my staff, many years ago. When we used to order for coffee, he used to say without sugar, every time. This gave me an impression that he was a diabetic. On questioning, he replied, “I am not a diabetic; but my father is. I am just trying to postpone my diabetic inclination, as far as I can”. His words had a lasting impact on me.

 

There are days I feel a bit lazy and try to avoid, waking up early in the morning, but the thought of future pain and suffering, makes me rise and go.  And once I am on, I enjoy my morning walk, more than anything else. I enjoy the gentle breeze, the soft rays of sunlight, my personal time with nature, and breathing in loads of fresh oxygen from the trees, that energizes me.

 

Not just about health, my friends. Anything we do in life, we need the emotional conviction, in order to keep going. The stronger the conviction, the easier it gets.

  D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com