Before the Show

POINT TO PONDER

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. 

                                                            -Muhammad Ali

 

REFLECTION by Rajiv Shah

I read that after Mother Teresa's death, her diaries were found to contain doubts about her religion, and her faith in God. There was a fear that if Mother Teresa, a saint ordained by the catholic church, had doubts about God and the meaning in her service, it would lead to questions about her sainthood.

    To me, those letters confirmed that she was even more of a saint than I orginally thought. My reasoning, and this is only my opinon, is that her having doubts that she was human like the rest of us but chose to continue serving in spite of her doubts. To have no doubt means the path was relatively easy and free of conflict. But when you doubt, when the path is hard, and you still are able to overcome and succeed, that is a true sign of something remarkable. Mother Teresa's letters confirmed to me that she was even more admirable because she chose to continue helping people in spite of it. 

    For whatever reason we like our heroes clean and without human failings. We want the path to success to be clean cut and easy to follow. It almost never is and Mother Teresa's is no different. In her quiet moments away from the news and her foundations, she doubted. She questioned the very religion and service she was exalted for. And what makes her amazing to me is that she continued to do good in spite of those doubts and fears.

    It's human to question and to feel like we may not be able to accomplish a feat. It is human to doubt ourselves from time to time. It is in those times that we must conquer them on our own and face ourselves. We might not always like what we find but we must continue on. 

    It's very easy to remember a person's success, it's what we celebrate, but it is equally important not to forget all the hardship and work it took to get there. 

 

 

Comments

[elisabeth]

To have doubt is to open yourself up to other possibilities. One cannot be right 100% of the time, it doesn't mean you give up your convictions because of it, but you find the varied shades of gray, where on a personal level, you can live. To doubt is to wonder and imagine. . .I like a hero with imagination and the courage to see a different point of view.

[Gandhian]

"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?
Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

- One of the last notes left behind by Gandhi in 1948, expressing his deepest social thought.

[microCEO]

This beautiful story also reminds me that the process of education and learning for students requires a similar kind of quality of perseverence through personal doubt. In effect, great science and discovery is made out of struggle with doubt.

"In science, self-satisfaction is death. Personal self-satisfaction is the death of the scientist. Collective self-satisfaction is the death of the research. It is restlessness, anxiety, dissatisfaction, agony of mind that nourish science."
- Jacques Monod 1910-1977, New Scientist, 1976.

I think that many kids lose interest in science or maths because they "do not get it" or find it too difficult. But to struggle with a difficult problem and push aside personal doubts until an answer is found is the essence of science. (Some text books may try to hide this quality by making routine exercises with answer look-up in the back. While useful in some ways, in some cases I wonder if this approach can be misleading and actually cause students to lose the essence of the practice, hence losing interest, too.)

"[When] I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and I was a street kid. ... [t]here was one aspect of that environment that, for some reason, struck me as different, and that was the stars. ... I could tell they were lights in the sky, but that wasn't an explanation. I mean, what were they? Little electric bulbs on long black wires, so you couldn't see what they were held up by? What were they? ... My mother said to me, "Look, we've just got you a library card ... get out a book and find the answer." ... It was in there. It was stunning. The answer was that the Sun was a star, except very far away. ... The dazzling idea of a universe vast beyond imagining swept over me. ... I sensed awe. " -Carl Sagan

[Great Wall]

Very well said
"It's very easy to remember a person's success, it's what we celebrate, but it is equally important not to forget all the hardship and work it took to get there."
When someone we admire so much open himself and acknowledge the hardship, challenge, even openly confess the mistakes he/she made, he/she will get our respect, reminding everyone that we’re all human not God, and being so true and candid about oneself gain a lot more respect and faith, and would be influence people more to follow his leadership path, knowing that he/she is no different from us as a human being, and the path the leader paves is a very true and workable approach for the followers , and the momentum as a whole org will go on. Or else, the feeling would be , it’s just what saint can only achieve and we look up at the saint, admire the person, not necessarily take actions to go.

[Mark Dennen]

I believe an extremely humble and dedicated person may be blessed with some insight into the true magnificence of God, then perhaps wonder how they can in any way be truly worthy. we see such and example in the the story of Mary during her Annunciation. She also is extremely humble and says, "Let it be done to me according to your word." Just complete trust in God.

The saints are always such wonderful examples of people dedicating their lives to a much higher purpose with little care about themselves or personal gain. As a Catholic, I have often heard the comment, "Catholics are idol worshipers", but the purpose of the statues of the saints is to remind us how "everyday people" lived their lives and ascended to holiness.

[From an old friend]

Very nicely said and so true...............
Thanks,