continued....
4. Talent recognizes talent
It takes a brilliant mind to recognize brilliance in another. One who has never given birth can never understand the pain involved.
The effort taken to reach the pinnacle of success is tremendous. It can never be appreciated by those who have never undertaken a similar journey. However those who have aspired for those heights know and recognize the pain and effort involved in it.
In a related theme, I recollect a fable I came across in an Amar Chitra Katha series... It is about an old man who was lying prostrate on a street. A thief comes by and comments that this thief must be exhausted from running away from the police! A drunkard comes by and comments that this drunkard is so drunk that he cannot even stand up! A saint comes by and comments that this is indeed a true devotee who has prostrated himself in prayer! An owl watching all this from atop a tree realizes that all these people were seeing reflections of themselves in the prostrated person - a thief saw a thief, a drunkard saw a drunkard and a saint saw a saint.
It is not an exact parallel to our parable, and yet, both recognize the inherent tendency of men to understand others according to their own stature. Only a sportsman can appreciate a talented player; only an accomplished scholar can recognize the merits of another... this goes on....
5. Parents, educate your wards!
Parents who do not educate their children are their enemies. Because an uneducated person can never shine in a group just as a crane cannot in a gathering of swans.
Definitely true. Parents who do not emphasize the necessity of education upon their children are doing a great disservice to them. The difference becomes apparent when the child moves into a group of youngsters. Here the lack of education can cause great emotional discomfort to the child creating insecurities causing him to withdraw from society eventually.
A good education is a stepping stone to success; and it is the duty of the parents to ensure that their children are fully equipped to face the world.
Several living things are born fully ready to face the big, bad n brutal world out there; but a newborn human child is perhaps the most defenseless creature on earth. A human child is dependent on its parents for food, shelter, care, and what not! And this dependence continues till the child grows up to ten or more years; in some extreme cases, we see some spoiled "children" of over twenty or thirty still depending on their parents for their day-to-day survival. In such scenarios, educating them in all the aspects of life and preparing them for a self-sufficient life is the responsibility and duty of every parent.
You can find a copy of Neethisaaram here at
http://en.sreyas.in/malayalam-spiritual-ebooks-download. Be warned, the text is in Malayalam though.
