Acharya Tulsi
The country is surrounded by problems. This is nothing new. There is no country which does not face problems. Probably there is no mention in history of any nation that might have been free from problems in any age. That is why the problems of the nation do not surprise people. A dog biting a man does not make any news in the press, because dogs have been biting men all along. But if a man bites a dog, that news would appear in every newspaper in big headlines.
One nation blaming another nation, one province being dissatisfied with another province, one political party running down another party are the things that can be understood by all. But one hand biting the other hand, anyone striking his own hands and legs with an axe, someone obstructing his own progress are the things that would startle everyone. People are always alert to listen about such things happening in any corner of the country. How would the interests of the nation be served it there are internal fights among all the political parties of the country? One may believe or one may not, but the country is forced to face such a situation today. Still no one is worried. And there would be no such worry, so long as friendly relations are not established with the people of the whole country. There is nothing great in having friendly relations with one's own brethren, kith and kin and the acquainted people. But not regarding anyone in the world as one's enemy, allowing currents of friendship to flow even towards those who behave as enemies is a very lofty ideal of being humane. One would have to follow the path of friendship to attain that ideal.
Friendship is not confined only to words. The dignity of friendship is not restricted to the periphery of practical behaviour. The plant of friendship shoots up on the soil of the heart. Then alone the feeling of affinity with everyone grows. Seven formulas need to be borne in mind for the development of friendship-trust, abandonment of selfish interest detachment, tolerance, forgiveness, fearlessness and harmony.
Trust begets trust. Entangled in the thorny bush of suspicion, trust gets shattered. A torn garment, however neatly it is stitched back, cannot be the same again. Once the thorny splinter of suspicion had entered the eye of trust, it keeps hurting day and night. It does not allow the person to live without worry.
The first brick in the foundation of friendliness is trust and the second one is abandonment of selfishness. A selfish person cannot be anyone's true friend. Only he who is detached can abandon selfishness. Attachment to things, position, prestige etc. dazzles the eyes of detachment. Along with detachment, developing a sense of tolerance is also necessary. An intolerant person cannot tolerate even his parents. Tolerating a friend is even more difficult. The fifth formula for friendship is forgiveness. Tolerance is related with favourable and unfavourable situations, whereas forgiveness means completely forgetting anyone's bad behaviour.
Fearlessness and harmony are the two banks of the river of friendship. The current of friendship can flow only within the confines of these two banks. Mutual fear creates unnecessary distance. Where there is no harmony of each other's ideas and behaviour, conflicts grow. Harmony is the infallible mantra of peaceful co-existence.
Wherever conflicts, fear, suspicion and selfish mentality have predominance in the country, there can be no peace and no stability. Nor can there be new openings for progress. No matter at what point the friendly behaviour with people of opposite ideas begins, its achievement would always be in one interest of the nation.
