Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | The Sunday Guardian | May 24, 2015

All India Radio presents interviews with celebrities on a daily basis. One day I listened to the interview of a film actress. During the course of the conversation the interviewer asked the actress, "When you perform a role on stage, it is the role of someone else whom you are supposed to imitate. At that time you, as a person, and your role are separate from one another. How do you maintain this duality?" The actress replied: "At that time, I detach myself. I concentrate only on the role I am performing at the given time."

The present age is an age of professionalism. In the present age everyone has adopted a detached culture. You are you in real life. But when you appear on stage, you play the role of other-than-you. This is the universal culture adopted by almost everyone in the present world. Everyone is born as Mr Self, but in practical life he is playing the role of Mr Other. Due to this way of life no one has the time to develop his or her own personality.

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In this professional culture everyone is living an artificial life- film actors live for viewers, politicians live for voters, lawyers live for clients, businessmen live for customers, employees live for the employer, and so on.

This universal culture of professionalism goes against the scheme of things of the Creator. The Creator has created everyone with a unique self, that is, a personality of his or her own. The Creator wants a person to develop this personality by converting his potential into actual.

To this end everyone must play a role of self-teacher or self-manager, everyone must adopt a self-development culture. Everyone ultimately has to stand before the Creator. At that time, one who has converted his potential into actual by adopting the self-development culture will be awarded by God.