Stand by your convictions!

STAND BY YOUR CONVICTIONS!

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            “The unreflected life is not worth living!” This statement made by the great philosopher Socrates is something worth taking note of. There is every possibility that we could live our lives very passively, watching everything go by. Reflecting on our lives is something essential as it helps us form our convictions. We are called to be “Contributors” not “Passive observers.” It is in giving that we find greater joy than just being passive. We are called to live for something.
           
            So what is conviction? A conviction is a belief system that one forms in himself or herself over a period of time. This can be formed through the influence of somebody else or from the ideas or thoughts that one has imbibed over a period of time. While it is important to form convictions it is also important to form the right convictions as there is every possibility that a person could form the wrong convictions and live by them. When such a thing happens, life then becomes a disaster! Hence, it is important to cultivate the right kind of friendship and be in touch with those things which will take one ahead in life in the right way.

            The importance of convictions can be understood through the analogy of an anchor. Just as an anchor helps a ship to stay at rest in the midst of a storm, so is it with convictions. The world that we live in today is ‘flooded’ with many ideas, both good and bad. With regard to how we use them, that would depend on the convictions that each one would have. For example, just because gay rights or an Abortion Act has been legalized, I don’t have to follow the crowd because I know what is right, true and good.

            I would like to conclude this short reflection with the man that I referred to in the beginning – Socrates. When we read the life of Socrates, we see that he was a man of deep conviction and that meant even paying the price for his belief with his death. There is no doubt that besides Socrates, there were other people who lived by their convictions like Buddha, Kabir, Confucius, Gandhi and the list goes on. What makes them stand out is the fact that they believed in something very strongly and they gave their life for it. Hence, it was through their convictions that they became agents of production; they became contributors in society. So, what is your conviction?


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