A man took his young son to a shop to buy him a gift for Christmas. “Choose anything you want,” said the father to the youngster.
A balloon doll caught the boy’s attention. He pushed the doll and it fell, but in a flash resumed its earlier position. It became erect again.
The boy tried to make it fall several times. But each time it recovered.
“How is the doll coming back to its old position every time?” asked the father.
“I really don’t know, but there is something inside the doll that helps it recover,” replied the boy.
External appearances can only give a shape to any item. Unless strength and talent are developed from inside, failure may recur. It is not by attacks from outside alone that people fail, but because they lack the inner strength to withstand such threats.
If we utilise the time and money we spend for improving our external appearances on strengthening our inner selves, we can easily overcome minor attacks and insults.
One reason for our self-defence being lost is the weakening of our thoughts and emotions. If the inner self is strong, no external threat can conquer a person.
We can strengthen our defence by co-existing not only with people who praise us, but also those who enjoy hurting us. A person who has never faced criticism is bound to fall the first time he or she is targeted.
Trying to keep your life free of defeats will do you no good. It is the ability to recover from a fall and justify ourselves is what we need to develop. The strength we acquire while recovering from a setback and the lessons we learn in the process are invaluable.
