“Listen, learn and live the lesson,” is the toughest spiritual lesson anyone can get. It’s not easy to achieve spiritual success of realization or liberation because man never does these three things in life.
When will man learn? How many times have I said the same stuff to him but it doesn’t affect him at all. Why doesn’t he listen to me? Does he think I am his enemy? I am only interested in his growth and yet he doesn’t understand that. When will he understand?
I feel like giving up on him and just not bother with him. It is so frustrating to see him waste his life away. If only he were to listen to me, he would go places. I am fed-up with him. Sometimes I wish there was an easier method of teaching him, then he would have understood. But I do really take pain and efforts to push him but nothing shakes him up from his stupor and inertia. Someday he will understand but till then what can be done? I just have to wait it out and pray to God that he learns.
Have you confided in someone about another person that you truly care for? You have reached your wits end in trying to save this individual about whom you truly care about. But given the circumstances you cannot leave that person or that individual himself cannot desert you. Both of you’ll are caught in a log jam from which neither of you can wriggle out. That person could be your son or daughter, employee or down line, husband or wife, student or mentee. You have no choice to give up on him. I am saying him for convenience sake here,it could be a her too. You are at your wits end to change that individual and unable to do so. You have not slackened your efforts too. You continue to give your sage advice but he doesn’t seem to like it or work on it.
You had gone through the same process earlier. You have seen the downside of life. You have experienced the problems and issues associated with it. You know how difficult it is for anyone to rise above the moment they fall down. You know how easy it is for someone to slide down the path of destruction and yet you caution that young hot headed individual who doesn’t care to listen to you. You know for sure that there is a deep ravine with fierce animals who are waiting to lynch him and yet he doesn’t seem to pay heed to your sagacious advice.
On the other hand the young Turk is thinking about you as a very silly person who doesn’t understand that he knows everything and will never fall down come what may. He knows that he is unique and that you are unnecessarily trying to caution him. Maybe you have good intentions but don’t you understand that he is highly learned and knows the world inside out? His age is not like yours. He has the wherewithal of agencies like modern technology and latest techniques at his disposal. During your Stone Age there were only ancient methods. You belong to a bygone era. You are a relic who doesn’t understand the millennialist approaches or methods. You might belong to the baby boomers or x-generation and that was eons ago. You should retire but here you are dishing some ancient knowledge to him.
Both are not wrong and neither are they right. The main problem is about -“THIS IS WHAT I WANT!” So you may ask me what does that mean? The sentence “this is what I want” has two distinct terms which stand out. The ego ruled by the letter “I” and the desire ruled over by the word “want!” Both don’t want to budge from their positions. Both the parties have desires of the highest kind. The older person desires to teach and straighten the young person out. The youngsters need is to adjust into his own world and adapt to his peers and friends. He doesn’t want to feel let down or lost amongst his peers. He doesn’t want to be embarrassed or ridiculed. His hotheaded nature is but natural considering his age but the old foggy doesn’t understand that. Both are not interested in letting go and allowing the other to understand or explain.
This status quo is extremely destructive since the young person is bound to get into the same trap of destiny and fall down miserably just like the experienced senior. Once he is hurt and injured the elder advisor loves to gloat over it and dig the knife deeper into the wound. This leads to enmity and distrust.
Experience teaches a man better but hardly does the knowledge percolate down. One in a million may listen to the elder voice of reason and ask for assistance. That is a rarity and one off situation.
There are fabulous old books like The Art Of War and the Bhagvad Gita but even the main character who is the student hardly listens to the teacher. If only he could understand and listen it would benefit all. The rules are there and so are the paths to victory. It all needs a little discipline but that commodity is no longer available.
The youth or the student should listen very carefully and learn the ropes and then implement the lessons. The teacher should be very patient and empathize with the disciple. And the disciple shouldn’t take advantage of the gentle and persuasive nature of the teacher. Ego is the main cause of disaster so they have to leave their individual egos outside. Then the desire to disrupt each other should be kept aside. Letting the teacher teach and the student learn should be the main motivation and there would be success.
The three words to success are listen, learn and live the lesson.
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