AN AWAKENED ARTIST
A boy named Peter was
the only son of his parents. He displayed extraordinary artistic talent. He
used to draw perfect pictures, make marvellous models and carve elegant images.
His father was a bad-tempered drunkard and did not appreciate the boy’s works
of art. He used to scold him and beat him for wasting his time and paper for
such ‘useless’ works. But his loving mother encouraged him. One day, the boy
scratched a beautiful picture on the table in the house using the tip of a
sharp knife. The father returned from his work in a fully drunk state. He was
furious to see the scratched figure on their only table and violently thrashed
the boy mercilessly. The mother intervened, but she too received a few blows
from the furious father. The boy ran away from home, crying aloud, unable to
bear his father’s cruelty. He was so sad and bitter that he did not return to
his home. His parents later searched for him everywhere, but could not locate
him. They were very sad. The mother could not stop her tears and soon fell ill.
Peter boarded a train and landed in a distant
city. After doing some menial jobs with meagre wages, he joined an advertising
agency which painted display boards and erected them around the city. His
artistic talents made him a success in his new profession and gradually he
earned sufficient money to meet his needs. He grew up and became a healthy
young man and a talented artist.
Peter often thought about his family and
felt sorry for deserting his parents in their old age. He wrote several letters
addressed to his mother, but could not get any reply. Finally he returned to
his native village, repenting for his action and wishing to be reconciled with
them. Reaching the spot where they lived, he was surprised to see a new posh
house in place of his old hut. The owner of the new house told him that he had
bought the land from the Peter’s father when he left the place. He added that
Peter’s mother died soon after her son deserted them. The neighbours had no
idea about the present whereabouts of Peter’s father.
Unable to bear the
sad news of his mother’s untimely death and his role in the tragedy, Peter
returned to his work place. Later his firm opened a branch in the city near
Peter’s native place. Peter was offered a transfer to the new unit and he
readily accepted it. Reaching the new place, he stayed in a rented house. As he
had only a little money with him, he decided to buy some cheap furniture for
his house. He visited a shop selling used furniture.
While examining
the articles, he was surprised to see an old table with a scratched figure on
it. He observed carefully and discovered that the figure was the one he
scratched on his table when he was a boy. Thus he could easily identify this
table. Rushing to the owner of the shop, he asked from where and from whom he
got the old table. The owner thought for a while and recollected his purchase
of a few pieces of used furniture from an old drunkard’s hut. He was very poor
and sold the furniture as he had no money to buy food and drink. He remembered
the hut and gave the directions to Peter to reach the hut.
Peter ran to the hut and met his old father
there, who appeared very emaciated after years of illness and poverty. Peter
fell upon his father’s feet and sought his pardon for deserting him. He carried
the sick father to the hospital and gave the necessary medical care. He carried
his father to his house and by his loving tender care the old man became
healthy and happy. They lived there peacefully.
God created man in His
image. He then instituted the 'family' in the image of heaven. The ideal family
is a heaven of happiness. God has designed the family to be in the likeness of Heaven. The family is the first and best institution
founded by God. The letters in the word, FAMILY may be
regarded as representing the first letters of the words in the statement, “Father And Mother In Love, Year-round”
or the
hearty remark of a loving little child, “Father And Mother! I Love You”.
Parents
should stand between their child and God- not as a separating wall but as a
connecting link. "Children are a gift from
the Lord; they are a real blessing {Psalms 127: 3}.
Jesus said,
"Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these" {Matthew 19: 14}. "See that you
don't despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are
always in the presence of my Father in Heaven" {Matthew 18: 10}.
Addiction to alcohol
(alcoholism) has ruined the life of millions. The Holy Bible warns that
drunkards will not possess God’s Kingdom {1 Corinthians 6:10;
Galatians 5:19-21}. It is stupid to get drunk {Proverbs 20:1, 23:20, 23:29-35}.
Wine has been the ruin of many {Sirach 31:25-31}. We must abstain from
this harmful habit and pray for God’s grace to transform the alcoholics in our
society.
Let us remember that
‘ANGER’ is only one letter short of ‘DANGER’. Robert Green Ingersoll said,
“Anger blows out the lamp of the mind.” Benjamin Franklin said, “Whatever is
begun in anger ends in shame.”
Lord
Buddha taught, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent
of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burnt.”
The
Bible advises, “There is no excuse for unjustified anger; it can bring about
your downfall. Wait and be patient, and later you will be glad you did”
{Sirach 1: 22, 23}. “If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless
as a city without walls, open to attack” {Proverbs 25: 28}.
All religions
teach us to respect and love our parents. The Bible issues strong commandments to respect and
protect our parents. The Old Testament of the Bible prescribes the
following in the ten commandments of God, "Respect your father and your
mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you"
{Exodus 20: 12; Deuteronomy 5: 16}. “Honour your
father with all your heart, and never forget how your mother suffered when you
were born. Remember that you owe your life to them. How can you ever repay them
for all they have done for you?” {Sirach 7: 27, 28}.
………………………………………………………………………
© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip,
Darsana Academy, Kottayam-686001, Kerala, India ( Former Professor, Cochin
University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala,
India), Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St.
Dominic's College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St.
Antony's Public School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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