A WORD OF WISDOM

The well-known industrialist G. D. Birla (1894-1983) was deeply involved in India’s freedom movement. He donated more than ten million rupees to the Indian National Congress and was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s close associates. Before 1947, Birla House in Delhi had become a permanent gathering place for Congress leaders.

On August 15, 1947, at 10:30 a.m., the Viceroy was scheduled to deliver his final official speech announcing India’s independence. All the leading Congress figures sat in Birla House, watching the clock, waiting to hear his words on the radio. G. D. Birla was among them. Birla had a strict habit of going to bed at exactly 8 p.m. When the clock struck eight, he stood up from the gathering. He said, “It’s my bedtime now. I’ll read the Viceroy’s speech in tomorrow’s newspaper.”

This is the right way to live a successful life. A person must learn to tell the difference between a “problem” and a “purpose.” Pay attention to problems only as long as they do not interfere with your purpose. Once a problem comes into conflict with your purpose, hand it over to circumstances and keep moving toward your goal. Most people stay trapped in their problems. As a result, they lose peace of mind. They cannot give their time to higher aims. In the end, they die burdened with frustration. But that is not wisdom. Use your energy to deal with problems, but set a limit. Once that limit is reached, let go of the problem and hold firmly to your purpose.

The truth is that in solving problems, the decisive factor is not our worry, but circumstances. No matter how much a person frets, in the end, events unfold according to what circumstances demand. The wisest approach is to give problems thought up to a point and then leave them to circumstances — Pay attention until the clock strikes “eight.” After that, hand the problem over to circumstances and go to sleep. Then accept whatever outcome circumstances decide.