Self-Help:
Self-Help is the golden lesson in life. One who has learnt this lesson has learnt everything. One’s hopes, joys and ambitions are determined by one’s own intellectual and physical resources. Self-help is in fact the secret of all noble actions. It is with it that great men achieve lasting glory.
Some persons are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. They are helped by their servants and relatives at every stage. They do nothing of their own. So, they have nothing to make their life great. In fact, they are parasites of society. They have nothing to give but all to take.
The lives of great men teach us that self-help is a valuable means for noble deeds. Mahatma Gandhi always preached this lesson. Not only did he preach it, but he also practised it throughout his life. He learnt this lesson when he was a student at London University. He did everything for himself. He washed his own clothes, cooked his own food and lived a simple and self-supporting life. The Khadi movement aimed at teaching Indians the art of self-help.
Not only individuals even nations are built and made strong with the untiring efforts of patriotic and hard-working citizens. In peace or at war, victory is always won with one’s own efforts. If America is a world power today, it is all due to the tireless efforts of the Americans. The people of Soviet Russia also made similar efforts and Russia today is equally a great power.
After the attainment of freedom, India is also engaged in the task of modernizing herself. In this task, we receive monetary loans from foreign countries. But, we largely depend upon our internal resources and the will of the people. Soon long as we do not utilize the instrument of self-help, we cannot achieve our national objectives.
There is a tendency among students to depend on cheap methods for getting through an examination. It only retards our growth. It teaches us dependence. It must go if we are to develop habits of research, scholarship and independent thinking. As citizens of tomorrow, we have to play our part in nation-building activities. This will be possible only if we face with courage the problems of today.
