Amplifications Writing II
Industry is the mother of good luck
Industry is the key behind luck to be good or bad. Good luck does not come automatically. It is to be earned through hard labour and patient diligence. A man has to be perseverant and painstaking to achieve fortune in life. Very few men attain fortune because they do not make a proper division of their time and perform their duties timely. They have no courage to fight against the failures of life. Once they fail, fail forever. They lose heart when they face difficulties. They forget that man falls to rise. They never get the favour of God. On the other and the men who are industrious, perseverant, hard working win the end the man who strength of mind are sure to attain fortune. They face any sort of ficulty however big be small, bravely. They never depend on hers. They believe in their strength and power of action. Sincere horts and hard work have got reward of its own. So industry is the mother of good luck.
Where there is a will, there is a way
Everybody wants to achieve success but few achieve it. There are many reasons behind this failure. But the most important reason is that most of the people lack strength of will. Nothing results from mere wishing. A man who is weak-minded gives up the hope of wess being frightened by the initial difficulties. But if a man does set lose heart and breasts the difficulties, he is sure to attain success. Life is nothing but the sum total of some hours and days. In this short journ upon earth life is full of thorns and obstacles. So a man's effort may not be always crowned with success. But this does not mean that he should give up hope. Rather he should take heart and sick to another. No obstacle can stand in the way of iron will and trong determination. The human history is full of many glaring examples in this regard.
Slow but steady wins the race
In our day-to-day life, we see a man of intelligence and abilities fail because he makes haste. He is unsteady and makes a mess of everything. It is always dangerous to begin many things hastily. An steady man cannot reach his cherished goal. He cannot win the race. In the long run he loses the race. He stumbles in his way of life because all his works are haphazardly done. On the other hand, a man who is slow and steady can rise high because he accomplishes his work in a well-planned way. He does not start many works at the same time because he knows that it is wise to do one thing at a time. He is never hasty, He is able to keep his brain cool and steady and can concentrate his mind fully to a particular job. With the help of this undivided attention he enjoys the victory of laurel. So it can be said that slow and steady wins the race.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
This statement is supposed to be based on an imaginary story. Let us imagine that an area of land covered in green grass was divided into two parts with a fence between them and some cattle were grazing on either side. But the cattle on neither side were happy. They thought that the grass on their side was not green enough and the grass on the other side was greener. So they always felt like going to the other side. This story of the cattle gives us an idea of human psychology. We see that most people are unhappy with their fortune. They always believe that other people are always in a better condition than they are, although those other people may not be in a good condition at all. Even a happy man considers other people happier and to see other people's happiness he heaves a sigh of sorrow. Human beings, thus, have a natural tendency to feel unhappy or discontent with their own fortune and they always feel jealous of other people's happiness. In our society very few people are satisfied with their own job or profession. They always regret their profession and say that some other professions are better than theirs. A university teacher often thinks that a doctor or an engineer is better-off than him and, therefore, happier. On the other hand, a doctor or engineer often thinks that there is no real happiness in their life and the life of a university professor is more comfortable than theirs. As a matter of fact, no one is perfectly happy. This attitude of human beings is not at all desirable. Instead of feeling jealous of other people's happiness, everyone should be happy with what they are or what they have.
A bird in hand is worth two in bush
We often calculate things which are not in our possession. But this is not wise. We do not know whether we will be able to use them when they are really necessary. It is uncertain. So one should mind what he has got at his disposal at the present time and act on their availability. If one takes into account the things which are in other's hand for an action plan and he does not get them in due course, it will be ruinous. He will be in great trouble and it will be too difficult for him to tackle the situation. On the other hand, if one depends on the available resources there will be little possibility of crash or unexpected failure. Sometimes people make a plan of investment with the money which will be borrowed from others and goes to action with that plan. But when he fails to collect the money as promised by others, he falls in a false position. He will not be able to implement his plan. His time and labour will be wasted. That is why the proverb goes: 'A bird in hand worth two in bush. It means that one bird in one's hand is bird to than the two birds in the get money he can do so easily. But what can he do with the wo birds in the bine? He cannot do anything with them. They hathe no value to him. The lesson of the proverb is that one should recamy satisfied with whatever he has even though it is meagre. He should not be fantastic in his thought and action. The exiting situation wild be taken as reality and he will not resort to any impossible calculation based on unreal prediction.
A little learning is a dangerous thing
Alexander Pope, a great eighteenth century English poet writes,
in his An Essay on Criticism:
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not Pierian spring;
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
A little learning is, according to the great poet, dangerous. The poet refers to the spring in Pieria, which is in Thessaly of east central Greece. Thessaly was the site of many cultures in the 3rd 2nd millennia BC. So in classical literature, the place is regarded as the seat of the Muses. Pope means to say that if anybody has drunk little from that spring, he will be intoxicated, and in that condition he may do irresponsible things, which might be dangerous.
The poet is true in his statement; in practical life we see it corroborated many a time. Another saying, which means almost the same thing, is that empty vessels make the most sound. Similarly, a man with a smattering of knowledge poses as a scholar and talks haughtily with all people, high and low. We can compare him with a man who has deep knowledge, who has drunk deep at the fountain of knowledge. A man of deep knowledge is mature, civil in talks and humble in bearing. Like Newton he considers himself a child only gathering pebbles on the shore while the vast ocean of knowledge lies beyond. A great scholar's knowledge is beneficial for mankind.
He does something for his country, which contributes to the welfare of the country. He carries on research, and does something or invents something.
But a man of little learning does more harm than good. For example, if a man acquires a physician he becomes a poses dangerous quack. He becomes a source of any to the society. Or, if the task of piloting a plane is taken up of a novice, what the fate of the passengers and crew will be can easily be imagined. He behaves as Pope says in another context "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Such a man of little learning is really a danger to people.