Encounter

Today morning as part of my schedule, I went to the swimming class. I was doing the back and forth rounds in the pool, conveniently at my own pace. When you are the comfortable stage, you are at ease. I was watching others in the pool and enjoying their companionship. As all of them were the beginners and trying new strokes of swimming, it was a real good moment to see their enthusiasm. Some of them were trying to learn the practice of Diving and I was closely watching their actions.

Suddenly got a call from one of the instructors and he told me to come over to the next big pool. And I was sure; today it is going to be a big drama and people would make good fun of me. I did not want myself to be the part of their amusement talks. Let us see, my inner conscience peaks out and I got encouraged to be there. Most of the times in our lives, we tend to superimpose our fear factor over everything else. Though the fear is a negative feeling, it is the fatal one. Why one should hook around the negative feeling, when you have the positive factors imbibed in you? Then I remember something, “Never ever let your fear emotion to override you.”

I was quite confident in my approach and thought of all the associated risks. The moment I reached the next big pool, my instructor insisted me to jump inside the pool and continued in an explanatory mood to move my hands and legs in well-synchronized manner. Remember, loose your body and you will not drown, believe me. I nodded my head in an affirmative manner after seeing the rescue material besides him. This rescue material was a long bamboo stick which assists the swimmers to come over the surface of water, when they are on the verge of loosing their control. I cumulated the confidence in me and with a positive sense of mind; I jumped into the water without loosing a second. The Instructor assured me that he is there to help me out, if something goes wrong.

And just to check the authenticity of his statement, I just thought of pretending the act of drowning. But I did not realize that this could be dangerous to me as well. The act of pretence in pragmatic sense was so dreadful that I lost my control and actually started drowning. For that very moment, I lost my control and my FEAR became powerful than my DESIRE to learn swimming. I was sinking badly with the hope deep down inside my heart that something auspicious will happen. This reminds me of the true story about Success. The definition of success defined by Socrates, the great philosopher, in a truly manner to a young person. Let me narrate that short tale as well.

One day a young person, David, approached Socrates, and asked him,
“What is Success and how one can achieve it?”

Socrates smiled for a while. He said that to understand the real success, you need to follow him. And he took David to the nearby river. He reached the river and kept moving until the level of water was up to his neck. And the person followed him too. When he reached there, he was in a suspicious mood and anxious at the same time. Then David could not resist himself and asked him, “What are you trying to explain, Socrates!”

In response to his question, Socrates got hold of David’s head tightly and put his head inside the water. Indeed David was completely in a shocking situation and gulping water in and out. Then Socrates pulled him back and again pushed him back in the water. He kept doing this for 2-3 times. Finally he pushed him over the surface of water and explained the meaning of success in a very beautiful manner. He said as you were desperate enough, only, and only for the gush of air when I drowned you completely, that is the state of success. When you look out for something desperate enough and work hard for it, without thinking anything else, it is almost certain that you will succeed in that field. You are the master of your destiny and you are here, on the phase of Earth, to mark a difference. The young David was more than delighted and got the answer to his question.

The incident of mine actually exhales out the fear towards water. I know I can swim well and as far as my learning continues, there is no far away when I shall be able to swim in the deeper pool or may be the flowing river. What actually matters for the completion of any work, is the dedication and bend of mind. Be positive in your attitude whatever you takes up, and there is no reason of failure. Just imbibe your mind completely into whatever you take up and it is almost certain that you can move mountains as well.

“Life is short, so take on the plunge in you and do whatever you like, as you get to live once.”

That was a narrow escape indeed!