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GUIDELINES TO NATIONAL WORKERS

GUIDELINES TO NATIONAL WORKERS

[From THOUGHTS EXCELSIOR of Shri Guruji Golwalkar, published by Jagarana Prakashana, Bangalore. P.Poojneya Golwalkar Ji, the second Sarsanghachalak of Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh].
 
Recognising the good in others is one of the greatest and rarest of human virtues. The guiding principle of a worker should be to water the seeds of virtues in others and carefully weed out their vices and defects without parading them before all and presenting before them the silent example of his own superior conduct. Even if a worker has certain great qualities, let him come down from his 'heights' to the level of an average man and share his greatness with the rest of his brethren in society. Let him become one with others without making others feel that he is something extraordinary. Even a remote shadow of separateness arising out of the consciousness of one's capacity and sacrifices should not be allowed to fall between one' self and the people. After all, the various virtues that a worker strives to cultivate in himself are for offering them at the feet of the society. That is the essence of real greatness.
 
The test of true friendship is the ability to remain unoffended in the face of adverse comments. Even if a person says or does something which in the eyes of others appears to harm or insult him and still he does not in the least feel its prick, then alone can he claim true friendship with that person.
 
The attitude of 'I am no changer; take me as I am', will be of little use in building an organised life of people. That is like a foot-rug with the letters 'USE ME'. Should there not be any difference between living men of dedication and a lifeless object?
 
As the work progresses and gains in prestige and influence, people naturally begin to praise the worker. And therein lies the danger spot for a worker. He begins to feel conscious of his capacity and influence and a sort of vanity develops in him. The repulsive odour of his ego will then begin to stink in the nostrils of those who come near him. They will try to keep themselves at a respectable distance from him. Saint Jnaneshwar has beautifully described the strange nature of ego: 'Strange are the ways of ego. It does not touch the ignorant, but clutches the learned by the throat and lands them in grave danger'. He should therefore be extremely circumspect and not fall prey to the deceptive tactics of ego. Vanity is the greatest enemy of all virtues.
 
The desire to strut about in the limelight of name and fame, and to shine at the top only betrays one's lack of inner worth and weakness for selfadulation. After all, what is great about sitting at the top? Even a crow can sit at the top of a dome?
 
Falling a victim to emotional upsurges may disturb the mental balance to a dangerous extent. Those who cannot restrain their emotions will give vent to them in several undesirable channels. Some will give themselves up in grieving and lamenting, some others indulge in desperate acts, harming the interests of the ideal itself. Often such reckless acts even destroy whatever favourable conditions the others might have built up over a long time by their patient toil.
 
When we wear a colored shirt it makes very little difference in appearance whether we wear it for a day for a fortnight. But, on a clean white cloth even a drop of water leaves its mark for a time. So the purer we aspire to become, the more the vigilance we have to exercise over each moment of our life. We have to alert ourselves at every step as though the whole of society outside is keenly eyeing us only to peck at and expose our failings.
 
There are persons endowed with pure character but who are rude and offensive in their speech and behaviour. They even pride themselves on their rudeness. They say 'I call a spade a spade. If it offends anyone I care two hoots.' But a worker who is devoted to national reorganisation cannot afford to be so. Sweetness of speech is a 'must' for a national worker.
 
Let the stone in the foundation be our ideal. It lies there unseen, unadmired. It may not be beautiful, may not be polished; but all the same it is the basis. If it moves or is shaken, the whole edifice crumbles down. More important than anything else, is that stone in the foundation. With all that, the stone remains there with self-oblivious service and self-effacement. That should be the spirit with which we have to work among the people.
 
It is necessary for the worker to sit in solitude daily in the mornings and nights and probe his mind. With a discerning intellect he must find out whether any worthy thought had entered his mind. If so, he should resolve to throw them out and become purer the next day. He should detach his mind from unholy associations and make it immersed in thoughts concerning the chosen mission of his life. It is possible that he succumbs to the same failings on the next day also. But he need not despair. He should continue the daily selfsearching and assertion of his holy resolve. He will, in course of time, find that his mind has become less prone to evil propensities and more attuned to the noble impulses.
 
Today, more than anything else mother needs such men - young, intelligent, dedicated and, more than all virile and masculine. Victory is ensured when Narayana, eternal knowledge, and Nara eternal manliness, combine. And sure are the men who make history - the men with capital 'M'.
 

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