Bernard Malamund says ‘there comes a time in a man’s life when to get where he has to go—if, there are no doors or windows—he walks through a wall’. These are small words but expressed in a great motivating sense. The main motivation behind this is to be always determined in your work as the best way out is always through Determination. To illustrate what is mentioned above here is a small story which I am sure will motivate you and your thoughts to be always determined.
This is a story about a little boy Robert who proved that determination is the key to open the lock of difficulties. His little country schoolhouse was heated by an old fashioned, pot-bellied coal-stove. It was his responsibility to come early to school each day so that he could use kerosene to start a fire before his classmates and teachers arrived. He did it willingly because he loved his teachers very much and thus his enamour for them made him concerned towards them. He would himself come early and do his duty, in the, freezing cold so that his teachers would be comfortable. He was highly respected and loved by everyone, including his teachers. But as it is said, ’Where happiness comes, sorrow lies beside it’. As fortune had it, one day, someone mistakenly filled the kerosene container with gasoline, and disaster struck next. The class and the teachers arrived, alarmed to see the schoolhouse on fire. Even worse, they were terrified on hearing that Robert was inside. They rushed in and somehow managed to bring the semi-conscious, half-dead boy out of the flaming building. He had major burns on many parts of the body and was immediately taken to the hospital.
‘What has happened to my son?’ ‘How is he?’ ‘Why are you not replying anything?’ were the cries of the boy’s mother. She was moaning in agony as if the pain suffered by the child was her own. Such is the love of a mother, selfless devotion towards her child. All his teachers were there and could understand her feelings. After all they were parents themselves. They were trying to console her but it seemed as if nothing could stop her from crying that day. Finally the doctor came out. ‘How is my son, sir?’ she inquired her voice sinking slowly and her eyes growing heavier every chronon. He took her to the corner of the room as he did not want the boy to hear what he was about to tell. But, they were unaware of the fact that the boy was listening to them. From the bed, the dreadfully burned semi-conscious child heard the doctor say ’I am sorry to tell this but I think that your son will die. And it will be better for him as his body has been badly devastated by the fire. It will be better for him to die peacefully than to die tormentingly…’ But the boy didn’t want to die. He had made up his mind that he would survive. And somehow, amazingly, to the amazement of the doctor, the boy, Robert survived.
Yet when the mortal danger had passed, the doctor decided to tell the truth to his mother. He heard them speak in the shadows of his curtain. The doctor told the boy’s mother that since the fire had destroyed or rather eaten up the flesh in the lower part of his body to such a great extent that that he would now have to spend his life as a cripple with no use of the lower limbs. Still, his mother refused to amputate. He was given complete bed rest. A great lover of books, his mother bought him many to read. As he was reading the books, he came across an extremely inspirational and motivating story titled ‘Our most loyal companion, our soul’.
“There was once a rich merchant who had three sons. He loved all of them a lot. He always gave his youngest son the best. Whatever the son desired, the father gave it to him without any second thought. He always boasted about his elder son, and considered him the most capable son he had. However he always feared that his son might leave him. Although, the eldest son loved his father deeply and was extremely faithful towards him, yet the father never noticed it. Many years later, when the father was on his deathbed, he called all his sons. ‘I have always loved you and given you whatever you heart craved for. ‘ ‘Will you accompany me on my journey to heaven’, said the father to his youngest son. ’No way father. How could you even think of it.’ he said and walked off without a second look. The answer cut through like a sharp knife in the man’s heart. The merchant asked his elder son, ’I have loved all my life’ ‘ Will you accompany me to heaven’. ‘Are you out of your mind, dad.’ ‘I am so happy here, why should I accompany you?’ . The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated. Then a voice called out ‘I will always be with you father and will accompany you wherever you go’. The father looked up and saw it was his eldest son. He felt grieved and said to himself,’ I should have taken good care of you’ and breathed his last. To tell the truth, the three sons symbolize the three phases of our lives. The youngest son is our body. No matter how much we waste our time in adorning it, it will leave us when we die. The elder son is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go away. The eldest son is our soul, often neglected in pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. But it is the only thing that is always with us.
On reading this story, Robert was greatly moved. This story made him believe that he could do anything that he wished. He heard a cry from within ringing his minds, ‘You can do it Robert. Don’t be weak at heart. Believe in yourself and in whatever you do’. Robert was greatly moved. He now felt an urge in him to do something coz he knew that someone was with him. Now he was completely self-determined that he would not spend his life as a cripple. He will not be taunted by the world. He will walk, he will run, he will spend his life as every other human being spends. But unfortunately from the waist-down, Robert had no motor ability. His thin, scarred legs just dangled there, all but lifeless. Ultimately, after many days of rest, he was discharged.
His parents were very happy to have him back at home, safe and sound. Daily his father and mother would massage his legs. They even hired a therapist for they believed that their son would soon recover from this misery. Robert’s affectionate classmates and teachers would daily come to visit him. Ultimately after several days of turmoil, patience and belief Robert started showing some signs of improvement. Gradually, he was able to stand, but, still he was unable to walk. When Robert wasn’t in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. His mother used to take him to the park daily to get some fresh air. His mother also took him to his school, sometimes, to meet his fellow classmates and his teachers. Gradually, he began attending school as well. Things were going on smoothly for Robert until that fateful day which changed his life. As a regular routine, his mother had taken him to the park. He suddenly felt a strong urge to walk. In this attempt, he threw himself from the wheelchair and dragged himself along the fence. Then he stood up on his feet, and made his first attempt to walk. In the attempt, he fell down but, he did not lose hope. He was determined to walk and the determination could be read in his eyes itself. He had resolved that he would anyhow develop life in those legs. Ultimately through his iron-persistence and resolute determination, he did develop the courage, the ability, to walk. Though, in the beginning, he would walk haltingly, but later on with the help and support of his parents, he was finally able to walk. Miracles continued to govern him and miraculously he was able to run. His mother shed the first tears of happiness after the dreadful incident that had happened with him ‘That’ day.
Now nothing could stop Robert from running. He began to run everywhere, to the school, to the park and wherever he went. Nobody saw him walking, they always found him running and why wouldn’t he? After eight months of turmoil, pain and labour he was seeing this day, the day that he always longed for. Everyone was happy for him his parents, his teachers, his friends, especially his parents. They had always seen Robert cheerful and gay and longed for his smile to come back to his mouth. They could see it today and truly felt blessed. What more does one’s parents need than to see their child standing on his feet, once again. Though Robert was unable to run at a great speed, yet it did not concern him much. He just wanted to walk and he had succeeded in his desire by his will-power, his determination…
Robert was now on his road to manhood. Many of us would want to get a good job but Robert thought differently. He wanted to do something for those suffering, what he has already witnessed and has overcome. Thus Robert went to many countries motivating those who were suffering what he has suffered. His main aim was to tell the crippled that they are of great worth to us. They can do a lot to serve the society, the nation and the entire world, at large. Wherever he went, he won the hearts of millions. He received many national and international
Awards for his social works. More than that, he received world acclaim and became a motivator for millions who were touched by his works. After his death, the hospital in which he was given treatment paid homage to this great soul by erecting his statue in the hospital. The main purpose behind this was to motivate the people by just telling them they can change their fate by just being determined enough to do so.
This is a small story but it has a very deep and ever-lasting meaning. We have clearly seen that self-determination is equal to self-motivation. We can motivated by anyone, ourselves or even by others only if we are determined to be motivated. You can never be motivated if you are not determined to follow that motivation. As Barbara Castle quotes “I will fight for what I believe in until I drop dead. And that’s what keeps me alive”. The spirit of standing for what you have determined to do makes it even more rigid. We must always stand for what is right and always support righteousness. There is always a difference between what you can do and what you will do. And what you will do is your ‘SELF-DETERMINATION’. This is what sums up the whole thing and gives us the moral of the story.
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