In this short story, I'd like to discuss inspiration - the silent, mind-bending force that causes landmark changes along life's path. You may not have realized it, but if you examine your past and identify what changed its trajectory from time to time, you'll see it was an inspiration.
According to the Oxford Online Dictionary, inspiration is 'the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.' Inspiration tugged at your heartstrings so powerfully in some critical situation that, despite the pain, heartache, or loss it may have caused, you found yourself compelled to choose a different response. (Note: Inspiration differs from compulsion. When inspired, it's likely you didn't like the decision you took, but you chose it voluntarily. Compulsion, on the other hand, involves obeying an order or accepting change unwillingly.)
Let me explain it a bit with a couple of examples before proceeding. Remember, for instance, a time when life became too hard and you (or a close friend) were on the verge of suicide - someone or something caused you to change your decision at the very last moment. Perhaps it was a phone call from your beloved, aging mother reminding you to be grateful for the things you had in life rather than focusing on what you lacked - particularly, when so many others in the world were far less fortunate. You pondered her words and felt sorry for wanting to give up so easily. So, you finally relented and abandoned suicide! Or maybe you had been trying tirelessly for years to save your marriage with an uncooperative, selfish wife. Suddenly, despite all your patience and sacrifice, she did something to break your heart, pushing you to decide on divorce. But at that crucial moment, a strong, fatherly figure whom you admired - someone who had endured an even tougher marriage - dropped into your house and persuaded you to give your marriage one last chance. As a result, you reconsidered and abandoned your decision to divorce!
Going further, here are some real-life examples of lives radically changed by inspiration and/or circumstances:
In 2002, Jon Pedley, a British millionaire, was on the verge of death after a serious car accident. Miraculously, he survived. Until then, he had lived a very selfish life, causing harm to himself and others. In his own words, "I've been an alcoholic, had affairs, and damaged people's lives, including my own." After the accident, inspired by the charity work an Ugandan friend was engaged in, he underwent a sincere change of heart and turned to God. In 2010, he gave away his vast wealth to charity and chose to live the rest of his life in a mud hut in Uganda, emulating his friend. (Had his friend not inspired him, he might have returned to his former life, which, doubtless, would have resulted in a miserable end.)
Dr. Paul Wilson Brand (1914-2003), a renowned India-born leprologist, wished to become a civil engineer in his boyhood. However, witnessing a dying woman miraculously returning to life after she received a blood transfusion became a beautiful, life-transforming experience for him. It was then that he realized that healing was his true calling, causing him to turn from engineering to medicine. (Had he been uninspired, he may have become a little-known civil engineer and lived a far less impactful life than he did, pioneering leprosy (Hansen's Disease) care in India.)
During World War II, when Nazi Germany appeared invincible, Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister of Britain, rallied the British people with his powerful rhetoric and stirring speeches, including "We shall never surrender," and "Blood, toil, tears, and sweat." His words boosted British morale to such heights that they, along with the Allies, fought with all their might and ultimately defeated the Nazis. (Churchill's inspiring speeches ignited a flame in the hearts of the British, instilling in them a sense of duty to their country and the world to give of their very best in the fight against Germany. If it wasn't for Churchill's inspiration, they may have lost the war.)
There are only two possibilities: you are either living a meaningful and fulfilled life today, or you are stagnating - trapped in a life of dull, meaningless repetitions. Over time, stagnation can lead to cynicism, sarcasm, depression, and hopelessness.
If you feel you belong to the latter group (those living dull, meaningless lives), the only cure is inspiration. May an inspiration come into your life and change your life's trajectory in a big way toward true fulfillment today! That is my sincere wish for you!!
Before ending, I must thank Bob Dylan for his brilliant quote '... the highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do for anyone but inspire them?' It was pondering it that resulted in the learning that I shared with you in the story above.
THE END