Thursday, August 25, 2011
Never Giving Up On Ourselves

We will inevitably encounter numerous obstacles and setbacks along the course of our life. The obstacles in we meet in our lives once again puts our tender heart to test. How should we unrelentingly forge ahead and advance along the course of our lives towards the victorious flagpole which is ours? It is to become a strong person who is undefeated by the difficulties and hardships of life, carrying hope and never giving up on ourselves.

Never giving up on ourselves means regardless of whatever problems we may encounter, we still hold our heads up high advancing forward with great strides and never surrendering to our difficulties. Just like a light which will never be extinguished. When we fall into the state of despair, it will illuminate our hearts so bright that no matter how long darkness may be, daytime will definitely arrive. 

On the contrary, when we fall into the state of despair and chose to give up, then our life is destined to go down the track towards failure. The barriers to success aren’t the setbacks we encounter but giving up halfway. It is an expression of cowardice; always giving excuses escaping problems when it comes to confronting it. Ikeda sensei once said: ‘One who still exerts themselves in spite of failure is a true victor.’

‘Refusing to give in’ is ‘victory’. One who ‘refuses to give in’ till the very last moment will triumph. All the scientific inventions created or remarkable works by great people, which among all those aren’t the results obtained through hundreds or thousand times of failure and setbacks?

I believe all of you have heard the story of Li Bai.

Li Bai is a major Chinese poet during China’s Tang period, when he was young he doesn’t like to read books, always plays truant and stroll along the streets. 

One day, Li Bai didn’t go to school again, he wandered on the streets and unknowingly, he realized that he was outside the city. Li Bai let out a huge sigh of relief admiring the warm sun, cheerful birds, the flower and grasses which moves as the wind the blows. ‘Such a lovely weather, isn’t it meaningless if I were to just sit at home and just study the whole day?’ He said to himself.

As he was walking around, he came across a hut with a broken door; inside sat a white haired old lady who is grinding a metal club as thick as a rod which is used to beat clothes in washing.

He approached her and asked, ‘Aunty, What are you doing?’
‘I want to grind this metal club into a fine needle.’ The old lady looked up and smiled at Li Bai then continues to grind.   
‘A fine needle?’ Li Bai asked again: ‘The needle used for sewing?’
‘Yes indeed!’ The old lady replied.
‘But this club is so thick, how long would it take to grind it into a fine needle?’
The old lady asked Li Bai in return: ‘Water droplets can penetrate through stones, a man with a powerful will and determination can move mountains, how could it be impossible for this steel club to be grinded into a fine needle?’
 ‘But, you’re old already.’
‘As long as I put in more effort than others, there is nothing which I cannot accomplish.’


Li Bai felt ashamed hearing the old lady’s words. When he went back, he never skips classes anymore. He became more serious in his studies and eventually became a great poet whose works are passed down in history.

What moulded him was his firm belief in ‘never giving up on oneself.’

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Written at 9:49 PM by Paper Pilot.