Daily Meditation: Saturday, March 16, 2002

We expect well-educated, cultivated people to react in a …

03/16/2002

We expect well-educated, cultivated people to react in a measured and reasonable way when faced with difficulties, because, we believe, they are used to thinking. Very often the reverse is true, however, and the slightest mishap makes them angry, agitated or depressed. And once they have reached this state, they are totally unable to remedy the situation. They have never thought to work on their character, to exercise their willpower and all their education and eruditeness is of no help to them. They should understand that the most important thing is to live, not to be a professor, engineer or economist. What is the use of their strutting about with the riches of others they have gleaned from books? What they should be showing is what they have succeeded in achieving themselves. And if they are incapable of doing so, they should leave aside all the knowledge they have gained from their books and go and work at developing strength of character, which is far more important.