Thursday, April 9, 2020

Courage to deserve what I want

One of the most beautiful prayers that I have come across has been-
Lord give me the courage to change the things I can,
The serenity to accept the things I can't
And the wisdom to know the difference.
   Wisdom is  knowledge with the fragrance of discrimination and discretion. It's the harmony between knowledge of the self and knowledge of the world that we live in.
Knowledge of the self, that incorporates ones strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and most importantly the mission of one's life. Happiness lies in knowing what gives one true happiness. It's very important to know what one really wants. It's an absolute parameter, and can never be relative. Relative happiness is happiness based on comparison  competition and consumption. These three Cs have collectively spelt the doom of happiness and wrecked the peace of mind.
      True wisdom lies in the knowledge of what one really wants , what gives one the greatest satisfaction, what is ones temperament ideally suited for. This knowledge alone should serve to navigate all our endeavors. Privy to this knowledge is the greatest wisdom. The greatest travesty of happiness is doing something only for the lack of not knowing any better, of relegating ones wants relative to another and having scant regard for the inner voice that is silenced by the noise of mundane routine. Treading the path less,  taken, exploring the depths and the vast unknown landscape of the self, is necessary to find answers to this all important issue. The greatest disillusionment is the realization of reaching a destination and realising that one never wanted to get there.
The prayer mentioned above needs to be tweaked a bit

Lord give me the courage to pursue the things I deserve
The serenity to give up the things I don't
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Having dreams is absolutely essential for every being. But having a dream, that is in synch with ones abilities and in harmony with what gives absolute happiness is much more crucial.
Lord, please give me the wisdom to desire what I deserve, and to deserve what I desire.

Deepak Ranade.

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