Knowing limits

There are times when you need to be told the most obvious things. Advice is not always the esoteric or the deep things that only the wise may know. Sometimes, wisdom lies merely in applying that most uncommon of things - commonsense.

Like, this advice by Tiru would seem almost silly, except if you think back on how often you have failed to live by it.

Peelipey saakaatum acchirum appandam saala miguththup peyin - Tirukkural

Light though the peacock feather is, loading too many of them can break the axle of a cart - Loose Translation

Think of it how you will. I mean, like, you can think of the jobs that you can do in a jiffy without any feeling of strain. Even such jobs, when you take on too many of them to be done day in day out can cause you insurmountable stress. You know that tale about the last straw that breaks a camel's back? This Kural talks of very much that thing...only it uses peacock feathers instead of straws. So, yes, each individual job may cause no great pressure but if you keep piling them on, you WILL hit your breaking point.

Or, you could think in terms of alienating people. You may be strong and each individual enemy you make may be just a peacock feather. Make enough of them and the sum total of them all may prove to be strong enough to destroy you.

You can consider the applicability in a variety of ways. Like not engaging with a friend for a day...no big deal. Allow the days to pile up and you'll hit a point when the friendship has ceased to exist. And so on...

You CAN take things lightly when they come singly. But allowing them to accumulate...THAT's a problem. (AH, that reminds me of another application of this kural. In my procrastinating days, postponing one small job was no big deal. It would only add 15 minutes to the next day's work. But when the postponed jobs keep adding up...) AND, yes, it is oh so easy to keep accumulating those peacock feathers.

So, there. Even if it is peacock feathers, keep a count of how much you are accumulating so that you keep it within limits. Else they could end up breaking your back.

Fortune magnet?

Who does not want to attract good fortune? It is all fine to tout the merits of sacrifice and the benefits of renjunciation. BUT, even when it comes to that, you prefer that you have it first and renounce it yourself; not to never have it OR have it snatched from you. So, yes, you do prefer to have the good fortune of possessing things and of having the choice to hold to them or renounce them.

AND Tiru says this about how to attract good fortune

Aakkam adharvinaaych chellum asaivilaa ookka mudaiyaa nuzhai - Tirukkural

Good fortune seeks out the man of unfailing enthusiasm/unflagging energy - Loose Translation

There ARE these words which can mean two things. Ookkam is one of them, which could either connote enthusiasm or energy depending on context and, here, it could mean either OR both. Essentially, what Tiru seeks to describe is one of your eager-beavers who not only are full of enthusiasm but are also always active.

We tend to understand such things in snapshots and as manifestations of how people behave. Like, at the moment, the chap seems abuzz with both ideas and energy and you just see him that way. But remember those words 'unfailing' and 'unflagging'. AND then delve a bit deeper into that eager-beaver.

To have unfailing enthusiasm is easy when you meet with success all the way. IS that how life is, though? What if this chap is still trying to succeed and has only met with multiple failures so far? You see his enthusiasm and energy of the day in a different way, now, don't you? The character of a man who can still maintain his enthusiasm after multiple failures...THAT's what attracts good fortune eventually.

To have that unflagging energy, you need to have self-belief; you need also to have passion for your goals; and you need to have the perseverance to keep up the pursuit of your goals regardless of stumbling blocks. With all these, it is unlikely that you will be frittering away your energy uselessly. Your passion for your goals will ensure that your energy is targeted in the right direction.

AND, thus, good fortune shall come eventually to he whose enthusiasm is unfailing and whose energy does not flag. To the others, like me, come OTT series and french fries!