DEVELOP POTENTIAL

My favourite muse has been the poet-saint Kabir who wrote profound philosophy using very simple idioms and an even simpler vocabulary. My personal preferred verse of his (in Hindi) goes like this…
“Jo til mein hai tel, jo jagmag mein hai aag,
tera Sai hai tere andar, jag sake to jaag”
(Sesame seeds contain oil within, Flint stones hold potential sparks,
Your potential lies within you, wake up to this fact.)

Please note that sesame seeds need to be crushed by the crusher to be converted into oil. The oil is already within. Two stones when brought together and struck against each other will combine to create the spark of fire. Here too, the potential to create the spark lies inherent in the striking of the two stones. Similarly, Kabir says that every man’s potential lies within and we must first believe and accept that potential lies in us.

However, unlike the sesame seeds, humans do not need to be crushed to extract their inner potential nor do they need to be struck against another person. The first instance is of negative motivation while the second is of undue and unfair comparison. Too often, we do things only because we are forced to by the pressure of other people. Too often we assess ourselves wrongly by trying to measure up to somebody else’s standards.

We are owners to an inherent potential to do great things. We need to awaken and look inwards. We need to see what we are and what we can be. Talent needs to be first discovered by the one who possess it. Too often, we put ourselves down, because we fail to remove our blinkers of self-doubt while looking inwards and within. We must see the facets to our personality that lie unexplored and develop new dimensions.

It is the simple truth that our true potential is a promise that lies sleeping,
“Develop new dimensions” by first recognising and then performing!

Regards
Pravin