Lessons for a father - Invictus

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We, sadly, seem to be living in the age of excuses. They seem to be everywhere - both excuses and people that use them. 

To be different then, to do away with excuses and get down to the business of doing things, requires courage, conviction and, sometimes, the ability to not give a damn.

The Bigger Question(s)

Why is it necessary to be the maverick anyways? Why isn't everyone OK with following the rules that have been so clearly laid out? Why, then, do we find a need to question and break status quo on a daily basis? 

These rules, after all, have been there for hundreds of years and have served us well till now. 

Haven't they?

The Problem Is Us

I think humanity excels at creating boundaries. Not just the geo-political kind but the ones that create limitations and barriers for all of us. What makes the world go round these days, is less a hunger to improve and more the word "should".

We should all go to college. We should all become scientists. We should all marry and have children and a dog and a house. We should all gauge our level of patriotism by our decision to join the military. And once we are done with ourselves, we should make sure that our children follow the same rules. 

Why "should" they do anything different? That would be anarchy. People thinking by themselves and for themselves is nothing but unruliness, which should be looked down upon. Right? 

Wrong.

Look at what Nelson Mandela did. He was sent to prison for more than 20 years on charges of being a terrorist in South Africa. 

Instead of living with anger he forgave everyone, abolished apartheid in his country and became one of the most loved leaders of his people. "Madiba" became South Africa's Gandhi. He became their Martin Luther King. 

He could have easily done what was expected of him. He could have given up in the prison. He could have spread hatred and could have easily chosen to be the leader of only a part of South Africa. 

He did not do that. With all the hardships and pain, he became a medium of tolerance, love and change. Through the strength of character and his spirit he became unconquerable - invictus.

The Lesson For All Of Us

Leadership requires us to change and break boundaries. It requires us to be courageous in times of adversity and calm in times of chaos.

Let us change the time then. Let us fight for things that really matter. Let us work on things that have been deemed impossible. Let us collaborate and innovate. Let us create solutions to problems that are as old as humanity itself. Let us cure Malaria, Tuberculosis, Cancer, AIDS and hatred. 

More importantly, let us lead the world towards an age where following our conscience becomes more important than following rules that do not matter any more. 

If things do not go your way, do remember that there is something that always belongs to you - you!

For as William Ernest Henly very aptly said:

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.