Initiative and perseverance

In the beginning any and every enterprise undertaken is always exciting and fun.  As time goes by and a pattern gets set, the same exciting task seems boring and burdensome.  The initial fervour evaporates and is replaced with a sense of delay.  The task remains the same, it is only our perspective about it, that gets altered. We begin to delay, relegate, skip, mourn, and even when we get to it, do it only haphazardly.  Most initiatives undertaken are left on the road just as easily as they are picked up - and new ones tried!  If only we see to the end of all that we undertake, we'd be superheroes!

No wonder, most sages and the experienced seek not for creativity or success, but perseverance!  The motivation and the spirit to carry on, when the task has lost its initial shine and glamour.  When the going seems tough... that is a good test of our primary reason(s) to take up that initiative. The depth of that motivation is seen not at the beginning but somewhere before the halfway mark! 

Perseverance +

Persistence.

So often exalted as a virtue can also turn to be a death-trap.  Once we get into the rhythm and become so steadfast in something, there is a great danger to forget or sideline why did we chose to become persistent with something in the first instance. 

Perseverance is indeed a great virtue, demanding great discipline and patience.  Nonetheless, needs to be coupled with love (or atleast the noble motivation that prompted us to walk down this path of perseverance).  

Patience and perseverance

Elisha cures Naaman, the Syrian of his leprosy.  Here's an imaginative aftermath of the event...

Many of the lepers in Israel hear of Naaman's cure and rush to the Jordan to take a dip.  Some wash themselves more than 7 times.  Some do it for 7 days continuously.  None of them are healed.  (Don't ask me why!).  Some go to Elisha and ask him to heal them too of their leprosy.  To each he prescribes a different course of action - all of which often take many days of perseverance and continued effort by the 'patient'.  Of these most give up very soon, because nothing of the sort that happened to Naaman is happening to them.  Of the few who continue being faithful to the 'prescriptions' of Elisha, not all are optimism. As time goes by and no healing happening, they begin to lose hope.  Only the most adamant and the most distressed, 'hell-bent' on getting rid of the disease continue and are ultimately healed.  But by this time, Elisha has moved on.  Those who were watching all this, hawk-eyed, have long got bored and gone on to find something more 'instantaneous' to amuse themselves with.  And those handful who actually are cured as now not so sure that it is only the 'prescription' of Elisha that has worked. 

Overcoming obstacles

One of the pitfalls people over forty fall into is thinking that it is too late. It is an old cliche but the simple fact is that it is rarely too late for anything.

Some years ago a man over sixty was offered US $ 200,000 for a restaurant-motel-service station business that he'd spent his life building up.  He turned the offer down because he loved the business and wasn't ready to retire yet.

Two years later, at age sixty-five, he was flat broke with no income to look forward to but a small Social Security check each month.  The state had built a new highway bypassing his business and he lost it.  Most people would have been crushed by such a blow, but he refused to give up.

Instead he took stock.  There was one thing he knew how to do - fry chicken.  Maybe he could sell that knowledge to others. He kissed his wife good-by and in a battered old car, with a pressure cooker and a can of specially prepared flour, set out to sell his idea to other restaurants.  It was tough going and he often slept in the care because there wasn't enough money for a hotel room.

A few years later he had built a nationwide franchised restaurant chain called Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The man was Colonel Sanders.

Daily commitment

No honourable feat is the result of a single spontaneous instant decision. It precedes many such small decisions for that one great act to appear spontaneous.  So is a grave mistake or mortal sin.  No one makes such a sin, without previously indulging oneself in petty mistakes and compromises, which eventually lead one to the 'big error'.

So how to achieve great merit or virtue?  Or how to avoid landing in the 'big error' or 'grave danger'? Mind the small, daily decisions and acts.  What you decide at each relaxed, calm and serene moment is what you will eventually decide later when under duress or strain.

Make hay while the sun shines!

Novena to Don Bosco: Discipline and Perseverance

Novena to Don Bosco

(Remembering DON BOSCO and the significant people who shaped his life and works)

Day 2: Francis de Sales 

(Patron of the Salesian Society) 

DISCIPLINE AND PERSEVERANCE

Don Bosco choose St Francis de Sales as the patron of his Salesian Congregation because he was inspired by the loving kindness of this great saint. The life of St Francis de Sales showed him that change is not only possible; that it is as vital as breathing.

Begin to practice self-denial in little things, so that later you will be able to do so in bigger things. 

In a goodnight to the boys of his oratory exhorting them to grow in the virtue of mortification and perfection in little things of life. 

Forgive others everything; yourself, nothing. 

Following the example of St Francis de Sales, Don Bosco learnt to be charitable to others, but never to oneself. He practised great tolerance towards his boys and others but was very austere with himself. 

Pray, pray, but with faith – with living faith! Courage! Onward, ever onward! 

One of the last words of Don Bosco on his deathbed in the month of January 1888. 
(Click here to download the pdf file for display)

Being prophets

Being prophets is a risky gamble.  Jeremiah was almost killed for prophesying against the house of Judah. However he is protected by Ahikam (it is the first time that I am coming across that name!).  John the Baptist lost his head, literally for speaking out the truth.  The Jews (and Romans) ultimately got the better of Jesus, after several failed attempts.

Even today none wishes to speak the truth openly.  Those who polish it, or trim it neatly to fit in the regular flow of thought are appreciated. Even those who malign and distort truth are felicitated.  But those who spell it out in all honesty are hounded.

Times have changed but not the mindset.  The strategies employed to silence those who speak the truth have certainly become more systemic and oppressive.  Prophets are not seduced by power and those in power cleverly scheme and eliminate the prophets.

Perseverance: God is search of Man

Perseverance is the basic theme running through the readings of the day.  Abraham pleading with the Lord to spare Soddom if he finds at least 10 good people (what initially was 50 good people). In the Gospel we hear Jesus speak of the man who keeps knocking on the door of his neighbour till he offers him some bread, even though it is well past meals time.

It is very likely we relate ourselves to the man asking and the Lord to the one who is being asked.  However, it is interesting to note that often it is the Lord who is persevering, in spite of all our negligence and indifference.  Perhaps more than the Lord asking us to persevere in prayer, the readings hint at the perseverance of the Lord Himself.  The second reading makes this point quite noteworthily.

Reminds me of the book of Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man.

Excellence, a habit

... connected to perseverance, priorities and finally values. 

Perseverance and fidelity

While catching up with the blog posts of Fr Ivo, I came across this beautiful one, wherein he differentiates between perseverance and fidelity, between choice and call. He is actually referring to a talk given by someone named Amadeo Cencini... (read the full post here)

...not enough to persevere, not enough to say, I want to die a Salesian; what is important is fidelity. But Cencini added a fresh new note: fidelity, he said, is relational, whereas perseverance is not necessarily so, could very well tend to be something that I decide to do for myself. Fidelity, relational: wonderful. Just like the difference between Choice and Call: the latter is utterly relational, the former is not, and is very much a phenomenon of the individual-centred individualistic culture spawned in the modern West. 

I'd love to rather reflect deeper on the latter distinction that Ivo makes: choice and call.  Never thought of that before.  What he says makes sense but not fully.

Advent wait

During the homily this morning, we were reminded that the season of Advent is almost akin to the Aesop's fable of the 'goose which laid the golden egg'. In our eagerness and over-zeal to hasten the celebrations and festivity of the coming of the Lord, we cut short the period of Advent and rush in Christmas.  The Church has rightly grown in this tradition of 'waiting' for the Lord, for no shoddy reason.  It is basically to savour the Lord, to prepare for his coming, to persevere in our zeal to encounter him.

Let there not be a cesarean for Christmas!

Queue psychology

As I spent four and half hours standing in the queue, I had ample time to formulate a 'queue psychology'. Here are some of the insights I gained while on my feet...

• As long as I was the last one, the fear that I may not get a confirmed ticket loomed large.  However, when there were almost the same number of people behind me, as there were before me, I someone was sure of getting a confirmed ticket.  Added to that was a sense of pity for those who kept joining the queue, as whether at all they will manager to reach the counter before it shuts down. 
• However organised and orderly the queue, the number of squabbles is directly proportional to the duration of wait. 
• There are always some who reach the scene late and a while later, find themselves much ahead of us in the queue.  No one knows how and when did he manage to squeeze in, but the fact is that he is there!  And, of course, when noticed by someone there invariably erupts a fight! 
• The degree of tension is inversely proportional to the duration of time for the counter to open. 
• Just when the counter opens, everybody rushes to reach the counter - gone the line and order!  And after some heated discussions and jostling when the order is restored, there invariably are a few who have managed to get in.  
• If jumping the line is a skill then staying unnoticed till your turn to submit the form at the counter arrives, is a real talent.  Some do it with great ease and flair!  
• When one joins the line fresh, he is a novice - unsure, perplexed, seeking knowledge...  After a couple of hours, he'd be doling out advice and instructions to newcomers as though, he were the Buddha himself! 

I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)

Passion and Courage

My goodnight to the community this evening was about having a passion in life and the courage to live up to it.  Citing the example of Malala Yousafzai, the fearless 15-year old, Pakistani girl child education advocate, I challenged myself and the community to introspect and see if this one girl can take on the whole of Taliban, purely inspired and goaded by her love for studies and education, how much more can we - who claim to be 'called by God' - achieve.  The basic difference between Malala and myself is that she is determined to get her education, her right to a better future (and that of others like her) and she has the courage to face whatever it takes to fulfill this dream of hers; I, on the other hand, am rather satisfied with what I have and basically no fire, no blaze scorching my heart and mind, driving me towards something (anything?) noble and worth dying for. 

Perseverance and fidelity

Most of us easily confuse perseverance with fidelity.  Only lately did I realise that the two mean very different things.  They may be closely related but certainly and in no way are they the same.  I can very well 'persevere' in my vocation as a religious without being faithful to the commitment I have vowed.  Of course, one might say that perseverance involves fidelity... but it does not automatically follow. I may stay in for varied reasons.  But to be meaningful, I need to stay in for the right reasons.

Given the difference, I do strongly feel that we are called to be faithful, not just 'hang on'. Moreover good to be clear also about what to be faithful to... fidelity to the person of Christ and not a rule.  I need to constantly remind myself of this.

Quotes on life and trust

Here are some quotes that I've been happily receiving from an old acquaintance of mine:

Fallen flowers cannot grow back on the tree; but new flowers can certainly grow. Life isn't about what you couldn't do so far, it is about what you still can.

But this one that I received yesterday was the best:

There are two reasons why we do not trust people. First: we do not know them. Second: we know them!

Perseverance and excellence

One of the virtues that every person keen on doing something worthwhile with his or her life ought to acquire is perseverance. Good intentions are needed at the starting point and they surely trigger great initiatives. However, to keep on and see to the end of what we aspire, especially in times of difficulty and doubt, is a challenge.

This is one area of growth my Brothers here shirk. The following quote aptly describes something very much associated with it - excellence.

Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.

Preparation and perseverance

For the goodnight today I began with the example of the preparation needed for making dosa or aapam in contrast to the little preparation needed for making upma. The former needs a longer preparation while the latter takes very little time to be cooked and served. Applying this to life, I told the Brothers that most things in life need long term preparation. For only then the results would 'taste' and 'be' the way they are supposed to be. Only such as these will have a lasting effect for we have been 'involved' in their 'making'. I also added that study and growth in spirituality (the former is very much a part of the latter, as far as I am concerned) is something that needs such long term preparation. No one just gets up one fine morning and is a bright scholar or a saint. These require daily and sustained effort. Only then will the resulting fruit be worthy and precious. Or else it would be like a dosa prepared with rice flour mixed just a while ago... it would be anything but a dosa.

Perseverance of St Francis

The little poverello, as he is called, St Francis of Assissi was indeed a giant in holiness. His life always fascinates. Simple yet radical; never imposing but powerfully inspirational. The fact that as a young man he was anything but interested in Christ or spirituality. The changeover, though slow, was firm and sure. As I always believe, what most of us lack is not the moment of conversion, but the perseverance to sit through the darkness and anxiety that follows during which God asks us to let Him guide us. Just like St Paul encountering Christ on the road to Damascus, the real journey begins when he awaits to regain his sight. That's the real point of conversion.

Having encountered the Lord, there was nothing that would stop him from being His and His totally. I wonder how many of us will have that courage and strength to leave everything and trust in Him alone. Among the many things that he inspires me with, for today it is this ability to persevere in a chosen path of life... not just change for a day or two but be willing to tread the path, come what may!

The ant philosophy

You can check the original here. Written by Jim Rohn.

1. Ants – they never quit! Try and stop them, and they will look for another way. They will climb up, climb under, climb around. They never quit looking for a way. If they are headed somewhere, they will get there.
2. Ants – they think winter all summer long. Don’t think nice when it is nice. Things are easy in the summer time. It’s warm. Resources are readily available. But the ant is thinking about gathering and working during this time. Think ahead.
3. Ants – they think summer all winter long. They say, “This won’t last long, we will soon be out of here.” When the first warm day comes, the ants are out! First warm day and… the ants are out!
4. And finally, how much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy.