Achievement

 Achievement

A young man asked an old monk," What is achievement?"

The old monk asked, "Are you asking the dictionary's meaning?"

The young man replied, "Teacher, I can get the dictionary meaning from the book, search engine or chatGPT; I need your thoughts."

The old monk, with a smile, said, "I appreciate your choice of using the tools Vs listening to people's experiences."

The old monk said, "Achievement is very personal and a statement of mind."

The young man asked, "Can you elaborate on it."

The old monk said,

For a toddler, walking without falling is an achievement.

For a child, differentiating between B and D is an achievement.

For a daily wage earner who buys a cycle is an achievement.

For a salesperson who buys a bike without EMI is an achievement.

For a  businessman who is completely free from loans is an achievement.

Walking 2 KMs a day is an achievement for those suffering from obesity.

Passing stool without pain and blood is an achievement for a person suffering from piles.

I can keep adding up the list, which is endless, like a human desire. We can live with a sense of accomplishment as long as we don't compare one's achievements with others' achievements. Nothing is called a big or small achievement; it is the state of mind defining one's achievement.

The Young man said, "Teacher, today, I not only understood what an achievement is, but I also understood that knowledge speaks from the books and wisdom speaks from the experience.

M.L. Narendra Kumar