The amount of time we spend
complaining about Life can actually be spent living it fully, spiritedly!
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| Justin Vijay Yesudas Picture Courtesy: The New Indian Express |
I read an inspiring story in this morning’s
New Indian Express (NIE). Archita Suryanarayanan
profiles 34-year-old Justin Vijay Yesudas who has recently won three gold
medals at the National Paralympic Swimming Championship at Indore. An accident
in 2004 left Justin paralyzed. Save his shoulder and elbow, Justin cannot feel
or move any other part of his body below his neck. Yet he took to swimming and
has managed to get this far. He tells NIE’s
Archita that he’s now ready to aim for the Asian championships. Justin is not
just a swimmer. He also has a corporate job as a Deputy General Manager at
Cognizant Technology Solutions. He accepts his special condition as part of his
Life’s design. He does not complain about it. In fact, he keeps a tight
schedule daily – swimming, weight training and his regular corporate work. I
simply loved this quote that he gave NIE:
“Everyone tries to walk, but I know that I can’t. So, I continue doing what I
used to (before the accident) instead of trying what I can’t. I see many able
people who find excuses not to do things. What I do is find reasons to do
things, Life can be beautiful even after paralysis.”
Reading this and seeing his million watt
smile in the paper today lit up my morning! I just thought to myself – Isn’t it a shame
that we, well-endowed folks, succumb to negativity and depression so often?
Don’t we always end up complaining about what we don’t have? And aren’t we
quick to cite constraints for not being able to do several things in Life? People like Justin invite us to re-examine our attitude
to living and encourage us to live more spirited lives!
If you reflect on the way you approach your
Life, you will find that complaining about what you don’t have comes naturally.
To complain about lack of resources, lack of time, lack of money or lack of
understanding is comfortable. You don’t have to do anything to complain. You
just have to state what isn’t there and sit back and pine for it. We miss the
whole point of intelligent living this way. We don’t realize that it is part of
our Life’s work to work around constraints – whatever they may be. When we
complain the lack of something in Life and feel deprived, we are actually
beginning to suffer. Over time, this suffering holds us hostage and keeps us
depressed. That’s really how you lose the yen to live and be happy. But if you
work around your constraints – either by getting what you don’t have or by
learning to live without what you don’t have – you may surely feel the pain,
but you will not suffer. Justin surely feels the pain of being paralyzed. He
will feel it all his Life. But clearly he is not suffering.
It is only when you end your suffering that
you can actually live fully and spiritedly. That’s when you feel inner peace
and happiness. But it all begins first with stopping to complain. Inject yourself with Justin’s spirit today – stop whining,
start living!
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