Man works to live and not lives to work, and thus actions incessantly flow from him as long he is alive. But, how our actions can be organised, altered or disciplined in order that they necessarily and inevitably bring about happiness all around in the community and a sense of fulfilment to our own selves? Obviously, the answer has to be that we follow the art of inspired action.
The glory of our actions is dependent upon not the environment, not where you work and how you work, but it is the intention or motive behind our actions that lends enchantment to the very work. The work is glorified, it gathers momentum, because of the ardour and sincerity, the intention, the great motive or ideal that has inspired our heart when we are at work.
Think of the beautiful sculptures, paintings or other art works in churches, temples or mosques. The sculptor or the artist here not only did the form, but his heart had a great love and reverence for the theme that he was working on. Such sculptured pieces become immortal in the world. It is no more a stone or marble chiselled by iron bits. The pieces start talking. The individual seems to have poured out his personality and beauty of heart into pieces of stone. They are not mere rock pieces, but they seem to give the immortal message of the heart of the sculptor.
What primarily matters is the kind of ideas we have in our mind. The way in which we behave in the world is altered, controlled, regulated and commanded by the type of ideas that inspire us in our actions in the world. The quality of action is improved by the ideals, which illumine and inspire the individual worker in the world outside. Thus, the nobler the ideal, the greater the shine and beauty of action, and such ideals that inspire us at all times to bring out of ourselves a better efficiency and beauty of action are called noble ideals or moral ideals.
Inspiring ideals are; the spirit of freedom, the spirit of reverence for your country, the spirit of sacrifice for the sake of society and such other virtues. Inspired by such ideals, mighty men have done great, ennobling work in the world and fruits of their actions are enjoyed by the future generations for many years. The higher the ideal that inspires an individual, the nobler is the work he does in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi was only a Barrister-at-Law. He probably would have been a successful one if he had only looked after his wife and children. But, what would have been the total turnover of his work? On the other hand, the same person, when he was inspired by the ideal of his country’s freedom, was a different person, a mahatma. It was only because of the change in the moral vision of the country and of all the thinkers of the world that he brought about, and the quality-work that he turned out. The quality of it has been higher and nobler because of the high ideals that inspired him. Even so, when we discover a goal and surrender ourselves to that goal in life we simultaneously find ourselves propelled by an unknown super energy from within.
