Serving others makes life bigger

“Feel my children feel, feel for the poor, the ignorant, the downtrodden, feel till the heart stops and the brain reels and you will go mad; then pour the soul out at the feet of the lord, and then will come power, and indomitable energy.”
-Swami Vivekananda.
Martin Luther King, Junior, the American evangelist, helped thousands of people to feel that they do matter. Before he appeared on the American scene, many people believed that they were second class citizens. But the king knew that the secret of successful existence is helping others. I assert that anyone could be great by serving others and that did not require a college degree or any other special qualifications. Serving others help us to get outside ourselves. It removes self-centeredness. We may not be good-looking, we may not be smart, or accomplished, but that does not prevent us from serving others.
Helping others is an important way for us to find meaning in our lives. Many people feel self-important without recognizing the importance of others. Perhaps, that is self-deception, thinking that self is more important than others. Such people don’t understand that serving others gives some meaning to their existence and without it life is empty. Serving others makes life bigger, meaningful and enjoyable.
In winter, me and my mother were unpacking few boxes in the attic full of wollen clothes like sweaters, shawls, scarfs etc then my mother was showing me all the old wollen clothes which we no longer use. I felt its better to give those wollen clothes to some needy people. One day I was taking my night strolls when I saw a house half built and all its labourers having their dinner.There I saw a 2years old boy, wearing just a plane purple coloured cotton shirt and nothing else. He was starring at me as if his eyes were asking me “how can you feel warmth inside your shawl when here am freezing in this damn cold”. That starring look of the little boy’s innocent eyes pierced my heart.I went to home and took those “no more in use” wollen clothes out of the attic and I gave it all to that labour family then while returning home again that boy starred at me but this time his eyes revealed a kind of warmth. On one hand where the boy felt the warmth wearing the sweater I gave him, on the other hand he made me feel a certain kind of warmth of helping that soul. It may be not a very big thing for others but for me it became one. There is nothing more eventful than seeing the tears of gratitude in the eyes of others.
What I mean here is that, the important step is to search for a meaning in life without which life becomes routine. We should know that connection between what we are and what we ultimately become. Remember that there are no absolutes in life. Corruption and honesty, selfishness and selflessness, living for others and living for oneself are not absolutes; everything is comparative. There is no simple answer for all the problems of life. That is why the serenity prayer says: “God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Duke of Willington who was is dire need of money came to India to serve, earn and marry a heiress in England. While on a campaign in the south, the Prime Minister of the Nizam wanted to get some information about the deployment of the British soldiers. The Prime Minister offered him ten lakhs of rupees for this gesture. Although in dire need of money, he refused. Willington returned to England almost a poor man. The pretty heiress suffered a small pox attack, which disfigured her face. She appeared before Willington in a veil but he did not vacillate, deviate or shift his decision. He married her and the rest is history. There is nothing absolute in life; everything hinges on circumstances.
There was a new nurse who happened to be part of a surgical team. It was her first participation in a surgery. She was responsible to account for all the instruments and aids used in the surgery. When the surgery was over, the Surgeon was about to stitch the wound. The nurse intervened and said that two cotton swabs were missing. The doctor said that, afterall, it was only cotton and ignored her comments. The nurse insisted that the doctor cannot suture the wound without accounting for the cotton. The doctor lifted his foot and showed her the two cotton swabs and said: “You will go far in your profession. My blessings are with you.”
Perhaps, the desire to find a meaning in life is part of human nature and it is something to be celebrated rather than something to be worried about. Desire is what pushes us forward and urges us to go into action. Many people spend their lives getting ready to live. They deprive themselves of daily fulfillment by postponing happiness, in favour of some future success, which may never happen. Go for it and get it now! We cannot wait for something to happen in life. The majority of people in this world are ordinary like clerks, waiters, nurses and labourers. These people are also happy because they also derive a meaning out of life!