Never Give Up!

by Patanga

 

Because of leg injuries, Sri Chinmoy

changed from marathon running

to weightlifting in 1985, at the age

of approx. 54 years.

 

Your life can be

Grown to perfection.

Don't give up.

Your soul

May replace God.

Don't give up.

God definitely shall make you

Another God.

Never give up.

 

Sri Chinmoy, The Golden Boat, Part 2, Agni Press, 1974.

And it is absolutely true. If we look at the world´s luminaries, athletes and inside our own heart, we´ll definitely see that patience is a divine virtue. It allows our continued faith and perseverance to bloom and blossom in the heart of our enthusiasm.

By the way, enthusiasm could be seen as "En Theos", which means "possessed by God". Can you imagine! Of course, if you prefer to think of your soul (or even "something in me") instead of God, that is fine. They are one and the same. That which resides inside your heart of hearts is also that which permeates the whole universe. It is only a matter of point of view. And you don´t even have to believe me, as long as you believe in yourself. That is what is needed.

Coming back to the luminaries and examples of our age, think of Nelson Mandela, for example. He was imprisoned for 27 years! And during that time, did he lose all hope, promise and enthusiasm to be of service to his brothers and sisters - in Africa and the world? No! Did he come back to exact vengeance? No! He was active when he could be active, then he was arrested, and when released, he simply continued his most soulful efforts.

We too, can do the same, can we not? In our own spheres, of course. If today I get up late to meditate, then tonight I can make a promise that tomorrow I will get up on time. And then, I will be able to accomplish so much during the morning! That will make me happy, and this happiness may well spread, inwardly, to many other people. I can be a good brother, parent, student, and specially an aspiring spiritual seeker - since for all these activities, it seems that the principle stays the same. So, we see, that to improve the world, the most important thing is to work on ourselves - with patience and perseverance! Sri Chinmoy has a poem - the one that inspired me to write this article and one of my favourites - which runs:

Don't blame the world; better it.

How?

By bettering yourself at every moment.

 

Sri Chinmoy, God's Hour, Agni Press, 1973.

And if you can make yourself believe that you like singing (even if you don´t), here is one song: