People are neither born good nor evil. It is the choice that originates in the mind which makes us appear either good or bad.
People you meet, usually throw thought-seeds into your brain in the form of nonsensical suggestions, wishful thinking, false pride etc., like for example: – Imposing Hindi on non-speaking states to make a nation of one language, return of natives to home religion to make a nation of one religion, no miniskirts on beaches and absolutely no bikinis while bathing to stop provocation of rape, helmet on two-wheeler’s head to avoid it splitting into two halves, stop cow slaughter to show love towards them for eating plastic bags found in garbage bins etc, etc. If such thought-seeds are allowed to grow, sooner or later, it blossoms into an act. Good thought seeds bear good fruit and bad ones, bad fruit.
But if one is proactive then one does not dance to the garbage-ideas throw by others but takes one’s own decisions. On the contrary, if one is reactive then one reacts to whatever others say and so become a victim of taking wrong decisions based on mistaken dreams.
Many say that man is a product of circumstances and environment, e.g. due to the circumstances of unemployed in the country some fall into bad vices and form gangs, commit robberies, public offences and disturbances. If one works in a government office which is full of corruption, one may also be corrupt under its influence as the corrupt behaviour in the office becomes one’s accepted norm just as a caged animal becomes a product of its environment.
In every person there are two things — a tendency for good and a pull towards evil which make us capable of heinous crime or noblest deeds. The good, soars us above petty irritations of our life and the evil chains us down. This duality in man’s nature is seen in Stevenson’s Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The future of human beings or an individual remains in one’s hands. The mind is the master-weaver. It weaves both; the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance. If, one knows to differentiate between peace and happiness and is able to control one’s material desires, negative emotions of anger, greed, hatred, and keep wrong ideas at a distance then one enjoys inner beauty. Otherwise life takes its own course.
Avoid evil; choose the noble. Appreciate the best traits of others. Focus on the ultimate purpose of life which is to serve or help others. If one cannot do that, then at least do not hurt others. Although a man cannot directly choose his circumstances and environment, he can choose his thoughts, and can shape them; because man, is the lord and master of his thought, is the maker of himself; the shaper and author of environment.
