60.2 Energy

60.2 Energy

Question:

What is important to achieve greatness?

 Answer:

The stalk of water lily grows as the water level rises; so also, the

greatness achieved by a man is determined by his lofty ideals.              (Couplet – 595)

வெள்ளத் தனைய மலர்நீட்டம் மாந்தர்தம்

உள்ளத் தனையது உயர்வு.                                                    (குறள் – 595)

             

Explanation:

Valluvar places great importance on having lofty ideals as the basis for human achievements. The height of the stem of a water lily in a pond continues to increase as the water level rises. Valluvar says, in the same manner, that the greatness achieved by an individual is in proportion to the lofty ideals he has in his mind. Having lofty ideals is the same as having big dreams about achieving success.

              The well-known comedy actor Jim Carrey went to Hollywood in 1987 looking for a career in acting. When he was struggling to find his way through Hollywood, he wrote a check for himself for $10 million. He dated the check “Thanksgiving 1995” and added the notation, “for acting services rendered.” That was his dream. By the time the year 1995 came, he had become successful in his career and had acted in several box-office hit movies. He had become a superstar, and his asking price per picture was $20 million. Jim Carrey’s story is not an isolated example of dreaming for success. Great inventors, artists, leaders, and athletic superstars have all used the technique of “creative visualization,” which is another name for dreaming. For example, Wilbur and Orville Wright must have imagined the possibility of constructing a flying machine before they set out to design and build the Kitty Hawk in 1903. It was his dream when President John F. Kennedy expressed his desire for the Americans to travel to the moon. The famous Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King dreamed of racial equality and wished that someday “justice would roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” in the USA. Successful athletes routinely visualize their success before they attain it. Musicians imagine receiving standing ovations and accolades from their audiences before their actual concerts. Great generals like Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte visualized their success in the wars they waged and motivated their troops to achieve their victories. It is a common practice in many corporations to express their lofty ideals regarding their products and services in their vision statements which help to motivate their employees to do their best. Therefore, it appears that many successful people from all walks of life had dreams or visions of their success. Therefore, the most important thing for achieving greatness is having a big dream.