THE TENETS OF SUCCESS

THE TENETS OF SUCCESS2015AKSHAY KUMAR (Roll No.-70001)CHANDRAGUPT INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT PATNA Corporate Governance and Business Ethics

FOREWORD

Before I begin penning down my creative and original thoughts which are the basic essential requirements for the successful completion of this project, I would like to give a brief foreword about the project. The project was not actually a project. Rather it was an opportunity for me to bring out the creative creature hidden inside me and use this as an opportunity to connect with my real self. Though, I have followed the guidelines provided by our respected and beloved guide and mentor, Dr.Prasad Sundararajan, but at times I have taken a few liberties to deviate from the track and integrate my own creative inputs with this project. The Hindi poem that I have written at the end is an example of the same. I am sure that sir will definitely acknowledge my creativity and hard work that I have put into this project.

THE TENETS OF SUCCESS

INTRODUCTION:Raise your head, look around and get a feel of the activities going on around you and also try to grasp the realities of life. You will see a very interesting mix of people indulged in all sorts of activities. You will see a rat race for success going on. This has become the inevitable truth of life. In todays world success has become a very materialistic concept. Fame, money and power are few of the most important aspects used by people to gauge the level of success. But are these really the correct parameters to measure success? Has the definition of success changed in todays world? Or is it that humans have created a world full of illusions and are not willing to seek the true meaning of success. The meaning and value of success has definitely changed with time. But the core meaning and value of success can never change. It is just the perception of people about success that has changed. Success still is the opposite of failure. One can only say that he or she is successful when they achieve a desired level of satisfaction as a result of their targeted efforts. And satisfaction is never accompanied by failure. Therefore success is the opposite of failure.Another important aspect of success is the clarity of thoughts and trying to excel in a field of our interest. Success doesnt come from trying to hide our incompetency. Rather success comes from honing and enhancing our skills and competencies. As in the story of the master cook, the master cook was trying to become something that he was not destined to become. Whereas he should have tried to focus on his skills and be the best in his trade. The linkage analysis of Zen parables through the story of the Master Cook gives us an important insight into the realities of life and shows us a path to achieve success in the real sense and not in the materialistic sense.Analytical thinking is yet another aspect that plays an important role in the success of an individual and it is a factor which can clearly delineate between success and failure. It is the ability of individuals to analyze things in an analytical manner that ultimately leads to success. Analytical approach towards problems or towards things we see and observe is generally borne out of our creative mindset and the ability to think differently. And to be able to develop an analytical thought process, we need to remove any sort of bias or preconceived notions that we have towards the object to be analyzed. The inability to critically analyze things stems from the existence of some sort of bias or preconceived notions. And unless and until we remove such mental blocks from our mind, we wont be able to develop an analytical view about the things we see, feel or observe. And once we are able to get rid of such biases, our ability of analytical thinking will be immensely enhanced and will be able to analyze not just the peripheral aspects but the core and essential aspects of things, which will ultimately pave the way to success.The concepts of Zen, governance and ethics that the story of the Master Cook analyses are central to the concept of success. The values of meditation and intuition that the concept of Zen emphasizes are values that have a strong linkage with success. Zen is the basis of ethical existence. Ethical behaviour is an important part of good governance. So the concepts of Zen, governance and ethics are interlinked and are strong determinants of the degree of success a person achieves. It is therefore important for everyone to rise above materialistic desires and strive for attainment of the state of Zen and also develop faith in good governance and ethical behaviour. The story of the Master cook, therefore serves as an excellent parable to showcase the mantra of success.THEORETICAL GROUNDING OF ZEN:According to the dictionary, Zen refers to the school of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in China during the 6th century and emphasizes on the values of meditation and intuition. But what really is Zen. Defining Zen is like trying to describe the taste of honey to someone who has never tasted it before. You can try to explain the texture and scent of honey, or you can try to compare and correlate it with similar foods. However, honey is honey! As long as you have not tasted it, you are in the illusion of what honey is. The same goes with Zen, because Zen is a practice that needs to be experienced, not a concept that you can intellectualize or understand with your brain. There have been a lot of theories floating around in the world, regarding the concept of Zen which may or may not be true. And many of those theories are duplicated versions of certain pre-existing theories. But according to me, the theoretical grounding of Zen is deeply rooted in ones understanding of self. Zen is simply the basis of ethical existence. Zen is a state of being which is free of the desire for materialistic wealth and is firmly rooted on the belief of ethical existence. In reality, Zen is not a theory, an idea or a piece of knowledge. It is not a belief, a dogma or a religion; but rather, it is a practical experience. We cannot intellectually grasp Zen, because human intelligence and wisdom is too limited. Zen is not a moral teaching, and as it is without dogma, it does not require one to believe in anything. A true spiritual path does not tell people what to believe in, rather it shows them how to think; or, in the case of Zen- what not to think. Zen is very simple. It is so simple, in fact, that it's very difficult to grasp.THEORETICAL GROUNDING OF ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE:Ethics can be defined as a philosophical study of moral values based on the concept of right and wrong. Therefore, ethical perspective could be considered as a persons individual perception of moral values, beliefs and rules based on his or her personal view of right and wrong. I, as a management student firmly believe in ethical behavior being an integral trait of not only managers but of all the employees of an organization. The ethical perspective of related to business issues is a very interesting and subjective issue and each individual has his or her own views regarding this. Business ethics is the accepted set of moral values and corporate standards of conduct in a business organization. The specifics of what this actually means can vary from one organization to another. Alternatively business ethics can also be defined as the study of the standards of business behavior which promote human welfare and the good. Business ethics manifests both as written and unwritten codes of moral standards that are critical to the current activities and future aspirations of a business organization. They can differ from one company to another because of differences in cultural perspectives, operational structures and strategic orientations. The guiding framework of business ethics permeates all levels of the organization. It is about having the wisdom to determine the difference between right actions and wrong decisions. In simpler terms, business ethics fundamentally epitomizes the organization's codes of corporate governance. It stipulates the morality standards and behavioral patterns expected of individuals and the business as a whole. These moral benchmarks can be perceived in terms of the microenvironment and macro environment of the business.Those who approach ethical decision making from a shareholder perspective focus on making decisions that are in the owners' best interest. Decisions are guided by a need to maximize return on investment for the organization's shareholders. Individuals who approach ethics from this perspective feel that ethical business practices are ones that make the most money. The prioritization of the shareholder perspective, however, may sometimes compromise business ethics. The perspective, indeed, is influenced by the profit-driven motives that are biased toward the optimization of the interests of shareholders. Such biases can prompt corporate managers to commit or omit extremely consequential actions.The phrasecorporate social responsibilityis often used in discussions of business ethics. The idea behind this concept is the belief that companies should consider the needs and interests of multiple stakeholder groups, not just those with a direct financial stake in the organization's profits and losses. Organizations that approach business ethics from a stakeholder perspective consider how decisions impact those inside and outside the organization. Stakeholders are individuals and groups who affect or who are affected by a company's actions and decisions. Shareholders are definitely stakeholders, but they are not the only ones who fall under the definition of stakeholder. Stakeholders may include: employees, suppliers, customers, competitors, government agencies, the news media, community residents and others. The idea behind stakeholder based ethical decision making is to make sound business decisions that work for the good of all affected parties.Companies and business people who wish to thrive long-term must adopt sound ethical decision-making practices. Companies and people who behave in a socially responsible manner are much more likely to enjoy ultimate success than those whose actions are motivated solely by profits. Knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing what is right is the foundation for ethical decision making. In many cases, doing the right thing often leads to the greatest financial, social, and personal rewards in the long run. There have been many instances in the past when businesses experienced catastrophic consequences for failure to adhere to ethical business practices. News Corp, a New York-based international media company owned by Rupert Murdoch, provides a vivid example of the disastrous consequences of unethical business behaviours. In June 2011, the world was treated to a shock when accusations that the company's team of journalists collected news stories through illegal hacking into telephone communications of unsuspecting victims. The phone hacking conspiracy affected Britain's general population as well as the royal family and prominent celebrities. This scandal was allegedly committed by employees of News International, a subsidiary of News Corp in Britain.The above points indicate to the importance of ethics and having an ethical perspective in every field of life, be it personal or professional. With special reference to the business world, the ethical perspective becomes even more important. And therefore it is absolutely necessary to view things from an ethical perspective and take rational decisions which are ethical and are also in the best interests of everyone without toeing the line of unethical behavior.THEORETICAL GROUNDING OF GOVERNANCE:The complexity of governance is difficult to capture in a simple definition. The need for governance exists anytime a group of people come together to accomplish an end. Though the governance literature proposes several definitions, most rest on three dimensions: authority, decision-making and accountability. Governance determines who has power, who makes decisions, how other players make their voice heard and how account is rendered. Ultimately, the application of good governance serves to realize organizational and societal goals. One simple definition of governance is the art of steering societies and organizations. Governance is about the more strategic aspects of steering, making the larger decisions about both direction and roles. Governance is also a highly contextual concept. The process and practices that will apply will vary significantly given the environment in which they are applied.The concept of governance is not new. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put "governance" means: the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local governance. Since governance is the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented, an analysis of governance focuses on the formal and informal actors involved in decision-making and implementing the decisions made and the formal and informal structures that have been set in place to arrive at and implement the decision. Good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality.While discussing about the theoretical grounding of governance, it is very important to talk about corporate governance. Corporate governance refers to the set of systems, principles and processes by which a company is governed. They provide the guidelines as to how the company can be directed or controlled such that it can fulfill its goals and objectives in a manner that adds to the value of the company and is also beneficial for all stakeholders in the long term. Stakeholders in this case would include everyone ranging from the board of directors, management, shareholders to customers, employees and society. The management of the company hence assumes the role of a trustee for all the others. Corporate governance is based on principles such as conducting the business with all integrity and fairness, being transparent with regard to all transactions, making all the necessary disclosures and decisions, complying with all the laws of the land, accountability and responsibility towards the stakeholders and commitment to conducting business in an ethical manner. The importance of corporate governance cant be neglected or denied. Fundamentally, there is a level of confidence that is associated with a company that is known to have good corporate governance. The presence of an active group of independent directors on the board contributes a great deal towards ensuring confidence in the market. Corporate governance is known to be one of the criteria that foreign institutional investors are increasingly depending on when deciding on which companies to invest in. It is also known to have a positive influence on the share price of the company. Having a clean image on the corporate governance front could also make it easier for companies to source capital at more reasonable costs. Unfortunately, corporate governance often becomes the centre of discussion only after the exposure of a large scam.CREATIVE REVIEW OF THE ANALYSIS PART OF THE ZEN PARABLE, THE MASTER COOK:The Zen parable, The Master Cook is an excellent parable to drive home the idea and concept of Zen and also explain various other facets of life and determinants of success. The analysis of the parable, done by the enlightened author of the book is nothing short of a master piece. Before reviewing the analysis part of the parable, it is very important to give a short summary of the parable.Once there was a cook named Tosotsu who worked for a great Samurai named Kyozan. Kyozan was a very skilled swordsman. But as he reached old age he started training young Samurais in his monastery and passed on his skills to children of other Samurai. Tosotsu developed an interest in this art and wanted to learn it. But being a cook he was unable to approach his master. So he started learning the skills of his master in secrecy. He watched Kyozan training the young Samurais and started honing his skills by watching the training sessions and then practicing when he was alone. Gradually he became extremely skilled in the art form and he wished to test his skills against the best proponents of the skill and left his master in search of new avenues, challenges and duels.As Tosotsu moved on, he faked his personality as a Samurai and started challenging other Samurais for duels. He won all his battles with relative ease. After that there was no looking back and he defeated a lot of Samurais. Tosotsu then decided to part with his master and get settled at a new location as a Samurai where he could live as a Samurai and have duels against other Samurais. One day, at a local shrine he saw an elderly Samurai as agile as Kyozan. Without thinking too much, Tosotsu challenged him. The elderly man accepted the challenge and invited him after 14 days.Tosotsu later learned that the samurai was a master swordsman named Shogen, having a special sword known as Lightning Rose. Chills ran down his spine. He became very anxious and frightened. He returned to his master and narrated his story from the conception of his desire to the death of it.Kyozan made him practice every night and during daytime Tosotsu remained in his cell simply thinking about his inevitable untimely death. On the day of his departure for the duel, the cook went to the room of Kyozan to bid farewell.The Master asked Tosotsu as to what was the last act he wanted to do on this earth and the cook replied by saying Cha-no-yu. Then the master advised Tosotsu to take his cooking gear and offer his last cup to the opponent.At the arena, Shogen was offered Cha-no-yu by Tosotsu and he was amazed by its brilliance. It was the best tea he had ever had. Pleased by the brilliance of the tea, Shogen exclaimed that Tosotsu was a Master Cook and decided to spare his life.The above story highlights a lot of important aspects related to human life and the concept of Zen. There are a lot of factors contributing to the attainment of the state of Zen and consequently the attainment of success in life. Those aspects will be critically, creatively and analytically reviewed from here onwards.Possible-probable linkagesReview of the Zen Parable from Ethical Perspective:There are various incidents in the story of the Master Cook which clearly distinguish between the ethical-unethical, good-bad, right-wrong, integrity-manipulative, honesty-dishonesty, etc. It is very important to critically analyze those incidents to draw a clear line between the ethical and unethical behavior and its implications on the life of an individual and also the effect of such behavior on the degree of success.In the story, as Kyozan grows old, he starts training young Samurais in his monastery which is a very good gesture on his part because knowledge lives only when it is spread. Thus, by training young Samurais and honing their skills to become great Samurais, Kyozan was doing a very good job. This also displayed his honest commitment and passion towards his art which he had mastered through rigorous practice and hard work.Tosotsu envied the Master Samurai, for his fame and recognition and started nurturing the desire of learning the art of sword due to the belief that the art of sword is better than the art of tea-ceremony in achieving fame and recognition. This was very unethical on Tosotsus part as this demonstrates that he was affected by the mask of sorrow. Mask of sorrow arises when an individual does or ventures into something other than his or her area of interest and expertise, just to gain materialistic benefits. Tosotsu lacked commitment towards his art and this shows lack of integrity on his part. He also seems to be in a state of dilemma regarding his goal in life and the path he needs to tread to achieve those goals. Tosotsu learnt the art of sword in secrecy. This indicates that he had the realization that whatever he was doing was unethical and wrong on his part because there is never a need to hide any ethical or right activity. Also Tosotsu left his master by lying that he wanted to settle elsewhere as a peasant. And its a universal truth that lying, be it for any reason cannot be justified and will always be termed as an unethical act. It was therefore, wrong on Tosotsus part to have lied to his master. This also shows that Tosotsu was a dishonest person, which is a negative trait of his personality.When Tosotsu moved to the new location, he started living under the false identity of being a Samurai. This was highly unethical on his part and shows his lack of integrity, honesty and commitment towards his real identity that was of a cook. This also indicates that he was affected by the mask of sorrow because only then an individual tries to hide his or her original identity.After realizing his folly of challenging a master swordsman, Tosotsu lost faith in the art of sword which he had learnt through sheer hard work and the fear of death crept into his mind. And to fear something that is inevitable is an indicator of an extremely negative mindset. And an individual with a negative mindset and thought process loses the ability of analytical thinking which is very dangerous. There is no way in which such a thing can be justified. So this was yet another negative trait of Tosotsus overall personality and thought process. This also shows that Tosotsu had a lack of faith in his abilities which is not a good sign.On the day of his departure for the duel, when Tosotsu was asked by Kyozan as to what was the last act he wanted to do on the earth, Tosotsu immediately replied by saying Cha-no-yu, i.e. he wanted to make tea before dying. This is a positive or good aspect mentioned in the parable because it is always beneficial to do the things we enjoy doing as those provide us with immense satisfaction, rather than doing something which does not match our competency just for the sake of obtaining materialistic satisfaction and success.Shogen, after consuming the tea, impressed by the brilliance of it decide to spare Tosotsus life. This is indeed an act of supreme humanity and shows the appreciation of other art forms possessed by Shogen. This act of kindness on the part of Shogen reflects his thought process and the positivity of his mindset and thought process. This is therefore a highly positive aspect of the parable.Review of the Zen Parable indicating the Ideas-concepts-practices of GovernanceBefore reviewing the Zen Parable and indicating the possible-probable linkages of the ideas, concepts and practices of governance, it is important to revisit the definition of governance. Governance refers to the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). There are various incidents in the parable where the characters of the story are forced to make some very critical decisions and an analytical review of those incidents will highlight the ideas, concepts and practices of governance, either good or bad.After seeing the young Samurais learning the art of sword, Tosotsu decide to learn it himself. But since he couldnt do it openly, he decided to learn the art in secrecy. His thought or idea was pure and uncorrupted. But the manner of its implementation was wrong which is a clear indicator of this being an example of bad governance. After learning the art of sword, Tosotsu decided to leave his master and go elsewhere to lead the life of a Samurai. Here also he lied to his master and gave a false reason for leaving. This is therefore, yet another example of bad governance.In the final stages of the story, Shogen made the decision of sparing Tosotsus life. This was a very positive decision and an act of supreme humanity. This incident can therefore, be classified as an example of good governance.Review of the Zen Parable and its Possible-probable linkage with My Purpose in Life:Ones purpose in life is not always clear and people keep on wandering here and there in search of their goals and purpose in life. Life would have been so easy had the purpose in life been clear. Most of us have no clue as to what do we really want to do and what is our true purpose in life. Same used to be the case with me. But a critical and analytical review of the Zen parable, The Master Cook forced me to think, not once, not twice, but over and over again. And I was able to successfully identify my purpose in life. My passion, my goals everything became very clear and has given a new direction to my life. My heart and my brain are in perfect sync now regarding my purpose in life and keep on motivating me to follow my passion in life as that is the only mantra of success.But there are many people who are extremely confused about their purpose in life. Heres the truth. We exist on this earth for some undetermined period of time. During that time we do things. Some of these things are important. Some of them are unimportant. And those important things give our lives meaning and happiness. The unimportant ones basically just kill time.So when people say, What should I do with my life? or What is my life purpose? what theyre actually asking is: What can I do with my time that is important?This is an infinitely better question to ask. Its far more manageable and it doesnt have all of the ridiculous baggage that the life purpose question does. Theres no reason for you to be contemplating the cosmic significance of your life while sitting on your couch all day and dreaming about a glorious future. Rather, you should be setting aside your laziness and discovering what feels important to you.So for me being happy and contented and satisfied is the most important thing I can do with my time. But to achieve this state, I will have to choose a correct path out of the alternatives available to me. In the process of figuring out the paths and connections, we tend to lose our main vision and aim. We get so busy and confused in the highly-interconnected network of obstacles that instead of focusing on the aim, we give all our attention to the paths, and gradually the destination gets blurred and long forgotten. In this story of the master cook, Tosotsu gets fascinated by the art of swordplay. He envied his master for his fame and recognition. He thought swordplay was a better means of gaining fame and recognition than cooking. Thus in the process of accomplishing his ultimate aim of fame and recognition, he got tangled up in his dilemma and fantasy of learning swordplay and abandoned his main talent and competence of cooking.As such, the linkage of this with my purpose in life can be seen if we go beyond the obvious. We also tend to forget our main aim and indulge in short-term happiness and dilemmas. We are so obsessed with the way and art of living and about our choices and selection, our alternatives to glory and achievement, our self-awareness around the society that we totally forget what we want to do and how to do it. We are just like the cook Tosotsu. Until and unless we get defeated and our ego gets crushed, we dont stop and ponder whats next? Why was I doing it? Was it fruitful? Was it in lieu with my purpose of life? And then we go into deep introspection and then clear our blocked mind. I am, just like the cook. Till now I was doing what I deemed was fit for me in order to gain materialistic pleasures. But a certain defeat turned my life and also my perspective about life. I gained clarity about my goals and my passion. And I have embarked upon the journey towards attainment of my goal and fulfillment of my true and innate desires and passion. And maybe one day, following my passion with immense sincerity will lead me to becoming the master of my skill and the world will refer to me as a Master.Learning from this assignment and its possible-probable consequences to be reflected in my engines of dialoguing, mindset, engines of action, self-view and life-view:For me this assignment was very gratifying and satisfying as it gave me an opportunity to look towards life in a very analytical manner and devise a new strategy for leading the rest of my life. My goal in life, which was a little blurred till now became clear and I also understood a lot about my engines of dialoguing, mindset, engines of action, self-view and life-view. But before dealing with the impact of this assignment on these aspects of my personality, it is very important to define them.Engines of dialoguing or language: According to the author, a language works like a genuine Master-Thief. Language reports something new or original. Language about the invisible, subtle, intangible linkages are the originals of the language but are not in the language per se. Language can duplicate or represent anything. The design-setting process of language creates variability in the duplication or representation. The design-setting process of language is quite in tune with the perceptual engine- the mind. And this leads language to drive our attention but within the territories of the language.Languageis concerned with four central problems: the nature ofmeaning,language use, languagecognition, and the relationship between language andreality. The philosophy of language tends to be dealt with, not as a separate topic, but as a part oflogic. Language is the investigation into the manner in which sentences arecomposedinto a meaningful whole out of their meaningfulparts; and how or if the meanings of such complexes are derived from the meanings of parts thereof.Mind-sets: Mindsets are beliefsbeliefs about yourself and your most basic qualities. amindsetis asetof assumptions, methods, or notations held by one or more people or groups of people that is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools. This phenomenon is also sometimes described asmental inertia, "groupthink", or a "paradigm", and it is often difficult to counteract its effects upon analysis and decision making processes.Engines of actions, activities, etc (work): We work to have leisure, on which happiness depends. In our culture, leisure is the goal, and work is often just a means to achieve leisure or a necessary evil to sustain life. On the other hand, work is sometimes made into a god. One's job performance becomes the chief measure of the value of a person. The Christian view provides a fine balance between these extremes. Leisure is subordinate in importance to work. Since work is the more basic calling, leisure takes a back seat in importance and in the potential for satisfaction. Because we spend the majority of our waking hours working, it is comforting to know that work has a greater potential for providing deep, long-lasting satisfaction. On the other hand, we are guarded from making work an idol by acknowledging that work is a stewardship from God. We must give work the priority that God assigns to it but not a higher priority. Work is subject to failure and frustration, and in some cases this experience overwhelms the satisfaction that should flow from working hard. So work is a mixed bag. And this applies to all work, whether it is research or digging ditches. No work is free from frustration and failure.All of the above combined gives a very realistic picture of work. Since work is basically a good thing, we should commit ourselves to working hard and seek to find satisfaction in it. In fact, we will find the greatest possible satisfaction when we commit ourselves to theengines of actions, activities and ultimately work.Self-view: Selfdefines the essential qualities that make one person distinct from all others. The self is the idea of a unified being which is the source of consciousness. Self is theagentresponsiblefor the thoughts and actions of an individual to which they are ascribed. It is asubstance, which therefore endures through time; thus, the thoughts and actions at different moments may pertain to the same self.Life-view: To have a life-view involves envisioning and reviewing the features that are most important in life. Life-view is a particular way in which we understand ourselves in relation to others and events in our lives. Identity in life-view can take multiplicity of style expressions. Life-view serves as a function of behaviors and experiences. It helps us in defining certain possible patterns of our receptivity to life. Life-view enables us to make informed choices in relation to what are found to be important features in their everyday life.Actual learnings: There has been immense learning for me from this assignment. The experience of doing such an innovative and creative assignment was a very enriching one and it also gave me an opportunity to revisit my outlook towards life. My perspective towards life was inclined towards the materialistic aspects of it and I was running after illusionary success with no well defined goal in my life. But the process of developing ideas for the completion of this excellent assignment designed to test our creativity, originality and analytical thinking process helped me to clearly identify my passion, my goal in life and also showed me a path to follow my passion and achieve my goals in life. The successful completion of this assignment has given me immense pleasure and satisfaction and has also enhanced my ability to distinguish between the ethical and unethical, the good and bad, the right and wrong, integrity and manipulative behavior, honesty and dishonesty etc. I have also been highly motivated and have become confident enough to follow my passion as that is what will ultimately lead to true success.A POEM TO ILLUSTRATE THE LEARNINGS FROM THE ASSIGNMENT:The following poem encapsulates and also lists out some of my learnings from this highly enriching assignment. The poem is in Hindi followed by its interpretation in English language. Despite the whole assignment being in English, I chose to write the poem in Hindi because that is where my competency lies and also language cannot be a barrier to creativity. | | | | | |- - | | | , ? - -| | | | |Interpretation of the poem:I have a desire to succeed in life and reach the pinnacle of success. But nothing big is achieved easily. We have to work hard to achieve our goals and fulfill our dreams. As is said No pain, No gain. Despite this, it is essential to face hardships in life as it prepares us for the bigger battles of life and life also loses its true fun and essence if we dont have to face any hardships. Testing times provide us with an opportunity to test our true mettle and character. If our goals are clear and mind is prepared to work hard to achieve those goals, then we will be constantly motivated to work hard for the achievement of our goals. In todays world truth has lost its sheen. Times have changed and people have started losing faith on the power of truth. There are a lot of questions and dilemmas in our mind and we keep on searching the answers to those questions and dilemmas in the wrong places without realizing that the answers to all those problems lie within us. We just need to do a deep self introspection. The lines of differences between right-wrong, truth-lies have diminished. The humans have also forgotten the importance of truth and goodness. A life without the will to win is absolutely useless. But a victory is meaningless if it has not been attained by following the path of truth and honesty. We have always been taught that greed is a bad thing. But do we really believe in it? Do we really stay away from greed? We keep on roaming here and there like naive creatures in the search of easy and quick success. And while seeking quick success, we have completely destroyed the importance and value of goodness. After all these years, I have finally begun to know my true self and I have accepted the truths of my life. No more do I ask God to give me false or materialistic happiness. Rather, I just pray to God to connect me to my true internal self as the answers to all the worldly problems lie within us. I hope that I am able to get rid of the desire of seeking materialistic success. There is fun and meaning in life only when our deeds are good. There will be happiness in my life when my dreams will be true and I will follow them with utmost passion.

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