It’s unrealistic to think that the future of humanity can be achieved only on the basis of prayer, what we need is to take action.

It’s unrealistic to think that the future of humanity can be achieved only on the basis of prayer, what we need is to take action. – Dalai Lama

If only I could find the information, then I could take action… Praying at the Temple of Knowledge. Or learning by Osmosis. But not taking much action.

What does that mean?
To me, this is a very practical and pragmatic quote. While some might be quick to use it to deride prayer or belief in general, it states that he thinks that prayer alone isn’t going to get the job done.

It doesn’t say that prayer is useless or unimportant, but that it needs our help. We have to do the work. We need to make it happen. Thinking about it is good, and it is usually a helpful first step. But few of life’s difficulties, outside of theoretical physics, can be solved without taking any concrete action.

For the rest of the world’s challenges, we have to get up and do something. What we do, well that depends on what we can do. Not all of us can help in every situation, but all of us can do something. And in the doing, we help others achieve their goals. And together, we can help shape the future of humanity.

Why is taking action towards your goal important?  
If you’re praying about something, you have a goal in mind, right? You know what you want, and you’re asking for some form of help in accomplishing that goal. But what are you doing to help get it done? If we’re sick, and pray for health, then do something that doesn’t help our body heal, that’s not bright, right?

If our goal is a bit broader in nature, perhaps diminishing or even ending a particular type of illness, we might be able to clear our minds, ask for guidance, and even for inspiration, but then we still have to work towards a solution, right? Even with a clear idea of what we need to do, we still need to do it.

Taking action helps strengthen our resolve, and helps us move forward a little. Sometimes, that small step allows us to see around an obstacle and have a better idea what we are doing. Other times it actually gets us a great result for that little bit of effort. But if all you did was sit there and think, pray, or otherwise not take action, that goal is not going to accomplish itself, is it?

Where can I apply this in my life?
There is a joke I first heard as a child, which is about an old lady who has been praying every night for the last 40 years. Each night she prays that she win the lottery, as she has no husband to help her, and that she is very poor. Finally, one night she hears a booming voice reply “Help me out, buy a lottery ticket!”

To those who find that joke a little offensive, my apologies. But I decided to include it because it illustrates the point of the quote. In every case I know, you have to do something, you can’t just rely on prayer. Again, that doesn’t mean I think prayer is useless, but it seems to be so much more effective when backed by a little action.

Where in your life are you waiting for something to happen? Are you waiting to start something? Are you waiting to finish something? Are you waiting before you take action? Are you looking for a sign? Or are you just waiting, and looking for an excuse for doing so?

One of my favorite excuses is that I don’t know enough to make the correct decision. I know better than to use such a lame excuse, yet I catch myself doing it from time to time. I either need to do the research needed to get the information, or try something and learn from that.

Not everything can be known in advance, and sometimes you have to stumble your way towards the finish line. To me, that is something to which my pride sometimes blinds me. Do you have an attitude or belief which can, from time to time, make it harder to take action?

This gets back to examining yourself, to knowing yourself. When you know these things, you can try to work on improving yourself. If you don’t, it will be a little harder, right? Do you have a go-to excuse, or a ‘reason’ you tend to use more often than others?

What attitude or belief is behind that excuse? How can you change your attitude? What proof do you have that the belief isn’t really true? These things can be changed, but be careful that they don’t start to come back to you, and that wouldn’t be good.

Take one step towards the future. It can be a small step, but take one. It can be your future, or it can be for the future of humanity’ but take it. Everything starts small, be it life, projects, or fame. Progress can be just as slow, but it won’t get very far if no one is doing it, right?

What will you do for your future?

From: Twitter, @DalaiLama
confirmed at : it’s his own feed…
Photo by umjanedoan