The Key to Empowering the Self
Recently, a friend confided in how she wanted to work for the greater good, and not just lead a ‘regular’ life. After an extensive search on charities in India, specifically NGOs for children in India, she was even more confused than when she had begun the journey of searching to donate for a child’s education, or help in anyways with this cause, which she held really close to her heart.
The pandemic has not only disrupted lives, but also stirred a re-think on how life can be lived, differently, from what it has been conceived to be. This re-think also stimulated a retrospection and, subsequently, an introspection: the possible meaning of life? Our possible objective in life? That one supreme objective…This gradual shift in being a part of solutions to pressing challenges, being faced by others, rather than the self is, hopefully, here to stay.
Empowerment of the self is the first step to a more empowered community and society. Easier said than done. Firstly, where does one begin? With the self would be the obvious answer, followed by an attitude of gratitude for the things we have in life. This feeling could organically lead to empathy by ‘placing oneself in the shoes of the other’. Empathy leads to a desire to help, in whatever best way one can, keeping in mind the resources and time one has at one’s disposal, and the situation one is in. One thing leads to another, and partaking to find solutions to the other’s challenges becomes ‘easier’, and ultimately a part and parcel of one’s life.
Of course, the path is not a one-sided one, and giving is a symbiotic process with learnings serving as an important part of the journey. These learnings help in enhancement of emotional and mental wellbeing, which are such an important part of overall health. And, a healthy being is an evolved being, as she/he harbours a more mature consciousness. For those who believe in the spiritual aspect of the being, oneness with the universe is a possible result of this consciousness.
In a nutshell, giving and receiving is a part of the cycle of life, but what makes it worthwhile is understanding the precarious balance in which lies the beauty of living this one life we have: making the most of it, not just for the self, but for others – the greater good.
