Each Person has Challenges to face
By Dr B.J. Prashantham
EACH PERSON FACES CHALLENGES FROM BIRTH TO DEATH
Each person is engaged with challenges in their life. This is a short write up and is a supplement to earlier write ups that each person is worthwhile and that each person is unique. Charles Darwin, the evolutionary theorist and scientist is said to have asserted that “survival of the fittest” ensured continuity of living beings and species. It is further clarified that what he actually said was the “survival of the adaptable”, through out their lives in the midst of challenges that come in many forms such as change, conflicts, pressures and threats.
They vary from age to age, stage to stage and different epochs of history. While our ancestors faced challenges from wild animals, today we face challenges from destructive weapons and AI technology with all their plus points and negative possibilities. While in my generation we were looking for lights under to study, today’s generation is facing how to control the use of mobile and internet. If we look at a person’s life from birth we see how dependent a new born baby is on his or her parents and very specially on the mother. If mother faces serious health issues or other challenges at that time, she will have more things to deal with. As the baby learns to walk and talk and explores the world around there is the challenge to encourage and protect the child from harm of any kind. Further the child will face opportunity to learn step by step at home and soon in school and increase their strength physically, intellectually, socially according to their unique make up as each child different in some ways in their own family.
We see scientifically that,
a) Each person is a product of their heredity, environment and choice.
b) Each person grows by ages and stages.
c) Each person is unique in their personality, intelligence, aptitude, interests and achievements.
As they go further education and manage the challenges, they move towards careers and settle in family life or even choose to remain single. While facing challenges, each person has the possibility of using their strengths and potentialities. They also have the support of parents and later peers and colleagues.
The following poem with which I end this short write up speaks about the effect of significant people around children who can have significant influence on them:
CHILDREN LEAN WHAT THEY LIVE
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.
-Dorothy Law Nolte
Even after our personal efforts and social support if challenges persist, one can get professional counselling help to examine one’s perspectives and probable ways to meet the challenges in the spirit of the following prayerful poem:
Give me the courage to change what can be changed,
Serenity to accept what cannot be changed and the wisdom to know the difference.