Taking on a task, each of us has two paths (usually) to the end... One is the easier/street smart way, the other the conventional/ 'proper' or 'correct' way of doing things. The former isn't necessarily wrong, it's just that it's veiled by the hues of grey! perhaps an appropriate analogy would be : Fast-food and home cooked meals. Fast-Food is savory and in a world where time=money, it's a tailor made alternative, yet it's not very artery friendly, and over years slowly draws it's toll! Then again, these days, 'the end' is what counts and not the 'means' one employs to get there... But is this 'the end justifies the means' approach necessarily apt for every situation?
As I see it, it's a personal choice. Like Albus Dumbledore points out, 'in life we all have a choice between what is right and what is easy...' The path chosen by each of us often determines who we become. No doubt, that each of us can justify why we chose one or the other, but the question I ask why aren't more people choosing the harder yet correct path?
The answers, I imagine, are numerous.The dread of working that hard, an urge to finish fast, simple laziness or merely the fact that in today's world we're all looking for instant mixes!
On my recent trip to Leh, a few things helped me gain perspective:
1. At the Siachen glacier, the Indian Army sits guard at -70'C
2. The BRO builds the worlds highest roads, in the most extreme of temperatures, placing jagged rocks when all you'd want to do is curl up with a hot water bottle.
3. There are people who sit by feeding weary travelers in More/Pang... amongst the loneliest stretches of land anywhere on the planet.
What is it that motivates these guys?
What if The Army chose the easier path... curled up under a blanket instead of putting up a vigil?
What if the BRO shelved their shovels ?
.... These people have no alternative by passes to their ends, yet they go about barely complaining, at most times content with what they're doing. In comparison, most of us have to make these choices in controlled environs, not on the enemy's footstep or in nature's endurance test, that in itself takes away the 'hard' from the hardship.
To all the fast food consumers I say, 'All the very Best'... but I'd much rather work hard than have my conscience work hard at me!!!!
As I see it, it's a personal choice. Like Albus Dumbledore points out, 'in life we all have a choice between what is right and what is easy...' The path chosen by each of us often determines who we become. No doubt, that each of us can justify why we chose one or the other, but the question I ask why aren't more people choosing the harder yet correct path?
The answers, I imagine, are numerous.The dread of working that hard, an urge to finish fast, simple laziness or merely the fact that in today's world we're all looking for instant mixes!
On my recent trip to Leh, a few things helped me gain perspective:
1. At the Siachen glacier, the Indian Army sits guard at -70'C
2. The BRO builds the worlds highest roads, in the most extreme of temperatures, placing jagged rocks when all you'd want to do is curl up with a hot water bottle.
3. There are people who sit by feeding weary travelers in More/Pang... amongst the loneliest stretches of land anywhere on the planet.
What is it that motivates these guys?
What if The Army chose the easier path... curled up under a blanket instead of putting up a vigil?
What if the BRO shelved their shovels ?
.... These people have no alternative by passes to their ends, yet they go about barely complaining, at most times content with what they're doing. In comparison, most of us have to make these choices in controlled environs, not on the enemy's footstep or in nature's endurance test, that in itself takes away the 'hard' from the hardship.
To all the fast food consumers I say, 'All the very Best'... but I'd much rather work hard than have my conscience work hard at me!!!!
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