THE MEANING OF SELF-DEVELOPMENT - Swami Vivekananda
The goal of self-development is to attain inner maturity in all aspects of our personality. This maturity endows us with an intuition enabling us to distinguish our immediate needs from our ultimate need. It urges us to wake up from dreams, false hopes and endless desires, and see the light of Reality. It asks us to act on the living present, instead of crying and moaning over the past, to take charge of ourselves and forge our own destiny.
Inner maturity teaches us that life’ so harsh realities—pain, suffering, and sorrow—are no idle speculations. They are inevitable and we must expect them and keep ourselves prepared for them so that we may not be taken by surprise when they come. WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE.
Inner maturity tells us that if we expect love from others we must love them. If we expect loyalty from our friends we must be loyal to them. If we expect kindness from others, we must be kind to them. As long as we live, so long do we learn. Those who have stopped learning the lessons of life have started dying mentally.
Lack of self-development creates havoc in our life. A four star general who is a hero on the battlefield can breakdown in tears if he does not see his pet dog for a few hours.