Hard work is its own reward

03-05-2023

In August of this year, the newspapers were filled with the story of the discovery of a great Italian painter and sculptor, 73-year-old Pordenone Montanari, who had isolated himself from the world for 18 years to dedicate himself exclusively to his work and supporting himself for his life. . needs of his wife. He was discovered when his wife was putting a “For Sale” sign on the doorpost and a local businessman of Indian origin was passing by. The businessman bought the house in a matter of hours and, in partnership with another Indian businessman, bought the rights to the artist’s work.

His work provokes comparison with Cézanne, Braque, Bacon and Picasso. Dr. Rossana Pitteli, an art expert at the Italian Cultural Institute, said: “Montanari is a truly exciting new Italian discovery.”

Edward Lucie-Smith, a leading British art historian to whom the buyers showed the work, said Montanari was unique. She said: “Some contemporary artists pursue fame, others find an obstacle in the way of their highest ambitions. Montanari belongs to the second category.”

I would like to make two points here.

In the Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjun, “You only have the right to action, not to its results. Do not be attached to the results of your actions, and also do not go without action.”

It means doing one’s duty without much concern for its results and rewards.

Mind you, this was taught by Krishna in order to persuade Arjun to fight against the great era of Mahabharat.

In the world, great people, artists, writers and scientists work without directly caring about results and rewards.

In India, no one knows who wrote its great Vedas and Upanishads. In fact, they seem to be the combined effort of many people over a long period of time.

The second point is that success comes after long and lonely hard work and many times after many failures. Some say that it takes seven years of hard work to be successful in any field. The Get Rich Overnight, Get Famous Overnight, or Get Successful Overnight schemes don’t work in the real world. Only hard work over many years pays off.

In this regard, please also reflect on the following: Life story of one of the world’s biggest ‘failures’:

1. Age: 21 years: Business failure.

2. Age: 22 years: Failure in the elections.

3. Age: 24 years: Failure in business.

4. Age: 26 years: Death of wife.

5. Age: 27 years: Nervous breakdown.

6. Age: 34 years: Defeat in the congressional elections.

7. Age: 45 years: Defeat in the Senate elections.

8. Age: 47 years: Defeat in the attempt to occupy the Vice Presidency.

Who was this man?

Abraham Lincoln, who became President of the United States at the age of 52

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