Revolution in the Human Being

All the great conquerors in human history have nothing but political victories to their credit. They changed governments, but they failed to change human beings. All the successes in history are instances of a change of government, rather than a change brought about in human beings. In the Indian scenario, a ‘Mahatma’ apparently succeeded in bringing about a change in the system. Still, the Indian example is not very different either. The government changed hands in 1947. Foreign rule was replaced by home rule. But so far as human beings were concerned, no real change was effected.

This is the main reason why change in the government does not become synonymous with a change of circumstances. On the contrary, in most cases the new system ushered in the wake of the change in the government is worse than the previous one. As the saying goes: ‘A revolution is a successful effort to get rid of a bad government and set up a worse. Throughout human history, the only exception to this rule is that of the Prophet Muhammad, The revolution, brought about by the Prophet changed not only the government but also the human beings under it.

The basic reason for this difference can be traced to the difference between the method of the Prophet and that of the political leader, who always takes up political and economic issues. He achieves his goal by inciting people to rise against the ruler of the time. On the other hand, the Prophet takes up issues concerning the life Hereafter. He invites people to think critically of their ownselves. While a leader launches his movement on the basis of arriving at a reckoning with others, the Prophet’s movement is based on one’s own self-appraisal. It is these different approaches which lead to different consequences in the two types of movements.

The Prophet’s way and the experience of history show us that striving for the fall of a government is not a worthwhile goal. Change the human being and then the system of the government will change on its own.

.

..

...

Sameer Hussaini

Secret of Success

“I have reached my present position by climbing a ladder and not by coming up to it in a lift.” This observation was made by a tailor who had started with nothing but his own two hands and the will to work, and who had become eminently successful in his line of business. “Making a good coat is not child’s play. The whole process is so complicated that without detailed information as to how to proceed, long experience and a high degree of skill, it is almost impossible to accomplish. It is only after a lifetime of hard work that I have succeeded in running a prosperous shop in the city.”

The tailor went on to explain how he had served his apprenticeship under the guidance of an expert tailor. Just learning the art of cutting and sewing had taken him five long years. When he opened his own little shop, he discovered that he had difficulty in giving his customers a good fitting. This was because during his apprenticeship he had never really grasped the fact that people could be of such different shapes and sizes. He therefore set himself to the task of studying human anatomy, but it was only after many years of effort that he could make a coat with an absolutely perfect fitting. He eventually became so expert in this that he could even give perfect fittings to those who unfortunately suffered from deformities-such as hunchbacks. “In any type of work, there are many things which one has to learn on one’s own. Often one cannot foresee these things at the outset, and each obstacle has to be overcome by hard work and ingenuity.”

The tailor talked of many things of this nature concerning his skills, and it seemed to me as though I were listening to a lecture on the building of the nation by some very experienced person.

In truth, the only way to solve our economic and social problems is to follow the example of the tailor. After this initial apprenticeship, he had gone ahead and done things on his own. He had gone up by the stairs and not by the lift. There are no buttons, which you can just push and then automatically reach your goals. You can only make progress step by step. Progress can seldom be made by leaps and bounds. By means of the ladder you can progress even to the stage of owning the lift, but you cannot make a success of your life by starting with the lift and expecting it to do everything for you.

Looking forward to your comments...

Human Personality

If from a vessel containing water a single drop is found to be brackish, it means that all of the liquid is undrinkable. We need sample only of one drop to know with certainty what the rest will be like. Much the same is true of the human personality. It is like an over brimming vessel which keeps on shedding drops for other people to savour, to find sweet or brackish as the case may be. Small instances of an individual’s behaviour and quite short interludes in his company are generally sufficient to tell us what his overall personality is like. A thoughtless remark, an unfair manoeuvre, a failure to give much-needed sympathy or support, a devious transaction—all these are the plain indicators, like those brackish drops of water from the larger vessel, which indicate the lack of integrity or callousness of the person you are dealing with.

The human personality has the same homogeneity as water. A single human weakness cannot therefore be considered in isolation, as if it were an exception. It has to be looked upon as being representative of the entire personality. If an individual proves unreliable in one matter, he is likely to evince the same unreliability in other matters; if he is guilty of untrustworthiness on one occasion, the chances are that this trait will show up time and time again.

There is only one kind of person who is an exception to that rule, and that is the one who subjects his own behaviour to constant re-appraisal, who is continually scrutinizing himself for weaknesses and faults and who, once having found such faults, wastes no time in rooting them out.

A man who has made a mistake can completely erase the marks of what is an unfortunate experience for others by admitting his mistake and begging forgiveness. Some people are pricked by their consciences, but do nothing to assuage the ruffled feelings of others, thinking that to do so would be sheer weakness and would mean a loss of face. Such people can never have healthy social relationships and can never win the respect of their fellow men. They do not realize that a man displays his true mettle when he sees his own wrong actions for what they are, and humbly asks forgiveness.

It is only he who has learned the art of moral introspection who will, in the long run, prove himself a person of inviolable integrity.

Looking forward to your valuable comments.