“Begin to be now what you want to be hereafter.”

Well...Sorry it is not a story.... It's an essay... Read if it is ok with you and if you have the time...

“Begin to be now what you want to be hereafter.”

As I contemplate these words, put together by the American philosopher and veteran psychologist, William James, I get swept into a current of deep thoughts. My pensive nature and a general affinity towards poetry have taught me to see everything with deep insight. Pardon me if I am being flamboyant, but I generally, am able to quickly grasp the real sense of events, objects or words. Consequently, these words immediately caught my attention and my speculation resulted into the interesting formation of new opinions about which I shall now relate.

          The pithy quote, on casual glance, does not evoke much thought. However, it has deep meaning attached to itself for those who are able to realize its true worth. As we all know, words are powerful- whether good or evil, is entirely a different question. The essence of these words too, lies in the expression of a very important aspect of life which portrays the significance of time and the change associated with it.

          ‘Zephyr’, a young poet beautifully expresses ‘time’ as “The herald of Change”, in one of his poems. He says that with the passage of time, places, things and persons essentially change- however small the transition, it surely occurs. I agree with his opinion. We all change with time even though we may not always be aware of it.

          Most of the time, the changes within us are such that we hardly have any control over them. However, sometimes, to meet our own expectations or to achieve the aims we have set for ourselves, it becomes necessary for ourselves to initiate the change. However changing ourselves according to our expectations requires a lot of will power, motivation, self confidence and essentially a general realization of the importance of time.

          As is evident from the aforementioned statements, it is necessary for us to change to achieve the standard we have set for ourselves in terms of personality, habits, profession or perhaps even life as a whole. So why do not we start to start working upon ourselves from now onwards? This rhetorical question is what we all must pose before our conscience. Most of us set reasonable targets in life but not all succeed to hit their respective mark. This is unfortunately due to the constant habit of procrastination and the indifferent mannerism with which time is prodigally treated.  We need to realize the status quo. Anything that needs to be done must be accomplished as soon as possible.

          One can always learn from old allegorical fables for children such as the well-known ‘Ant and The Grasshopper’. It is a simple story about an ant and a grasshopper in which the ant works hard and advises the grasshopper to do the same. However, the grasshopper mindlessly spends the warm months in singing and enjoyment. Eventually the churlish winter closes in and food becomes hard to come by. Starved and despondent the grasshopper turns to the ant for help but is only rebuked for his former idleness. By the time he realizes his mistake, it is already too late. While this story may be for children, the moral is for everyone. The moral, a simple one, but in true agreement with William James is- ‘Work today to eat tomorrow’. The message is clear- if we need to become what we want then the process of change needs to be initiated at the immediate present.

          To be successful in this venture every precious minute should be logically used by us to shape our personality, enhance our knowledge or to hone our skills. Every moment wasted may become a cause of deep regret later on in life. The time immediately after making the decision to change is however, the most crucial and judgmental in determining the effectiveness of our actions. If these initial moments lay squandered then any action undertaken will lack vigor, zeal and finesse in it. This will also significantly increase the amount of effort required to carry out the task effectively.

          Unlike the past which is cold and buried and the future which is quite obscure, the present is full of opportunities. And what is success, if it does not involve the ability to grasp opportunities and make the best possible use of them? We can spend our time wisely or foolishly- the choice is ours and so are its consequences. It is important to bear in mind that whatever results we obtain is solely due to our actions.

          All great personalities in history realized the worth of time in some way or the other and this is precisely what had enabled them to leave their marks in the pages of history. According to the revered father of evolution, Charles Robert Darwin,

          “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not realized the value of life.”

          My research and the eloquent words of the topic have left me brimming with deep inspiration, which has added a new perspective to life. It is of prime importance that we realize the worth of time. If we want contentment and inner peace in our life, then now is the time to put our thoughts into action. After all, in the words of American president John F. Kennedy,

          “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”

Author's Note

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Reviews

[msharma]

This essay is an inspirational piece for everyone. Each lovely thought shared with us brims with such a gravity and pushes all to judiciously value time. Good quotes all spread there enriches and highlights the creativity of the writer.