A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO PRACTICING RELIGION - PART 10

 STEP 3: DO GOOD TO EVERYONE 

In my younger days (once upon a time in history) I used to have all these big fantasies that one day I will become a great person, with lots of money and power, and then I will change the world and help so many people and change their lives for the better. I guess many young people these days have the same fantasies. That is why I thought I will share some lessons I learnt on the way which may be useful for them too.

 

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

 

I was very fortunate to find a very wise mentor early in life who taught me that there is no greater good in this world than helping your mother do her chores so that she feels a little less tired at the end of the day!

 

We crave greatness by doing great things so that we will become famous, everyone would know our name, sing our praises, write about how we changed the world. Doing the dishes at home, helping clean the house, helping with the laundry, seem like menial tasks which are for lesser mortals. 

 

When we are younger, it sometimes escapes us that true greatness lies in making lives better for those people who are closest to us. It does not lie in conquering countries, it lies in doing small things that will bring comfort and happiness to our parents, our siblings, our friends, our neighbours. It is because when we do small things for them, we are not expecting that as a result someone will write a book or make a movie about us. We are doing it purely because we love them, and we want to do anything within our power that will make their lives a little bit better, a little bit easier, and that is true greatness.

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