Tag: philosophy

No man is passive enough to reach old age and, looking back, be able to justify himself as a victim of the life he has led. This is never possible, and noticing this reveals a valuable lesson. There is always an action that follows the impositions of fate, and it is in this action that one’s personal mark is engraved. In a biography, such actions are highlighted, and just as they cannot be separated from the events that motivated them, neither can they be separated from those that came about because of them. After all, it is always possible to point out the weight of individual responsibility.

To be able, like Radhanath Swami, to write a book like The Journey Home and call it an autobiography is something that only a tiny fraction of men throughout history have had the opportunity to do. And it is difficult to imagine how satisfying it must be to look back and have experienced a story like this, as incredible as instructive, and only not exemplary because it could never be lived by an ordinary man. To have similar experiences, one must have the courage of madmen, who fear nothing and are always willing to lose what they have. But there is further proof that madness pays off, and that this world seems somewhat different to those willing to sacrifice themselves to achieve what they most intimately desire.

Whenever we tend to complain about bad luck, about the obstacles imposed by fate, it is worth remembering a handful of biographies, both ancient and modern, that demonstrate how much can be achieved with willpower alone. The effect is humbling. Because, in truth, when this is strong enough, one does what one wants. And the endless examples lead to the conclusion that lack of conditions and resources are less real impediments than subterfuges employed by those who perhaps do not want it enough, or simply do not deserve what they regret not being able to achieve.