Stoke up the mental fire!

Most of the people we meet everyday are emotionally dead. Very few of them have the zest for living a meaningful life. This lack of enthusiasm is partly due to modern technology.

When you can do your daily chores easily and in a short time, you become complacent. For instance, most town dwellers do not hand wash their soiled clothes. They have washing machines. They do not want to cook their meals at a leisurely pace as microwave ovens do the job in double quick time.

We no longer travel long distances to meet our friends and well-wishers. We telephone them using our land phones or mobile phones. Even if somebody visits to have a chat, we have no time for them. Children and adults are glued to the idiot box and they are living in a fantasy world.

Even lovers no longer write love letters because they can air their feelings through e-mail or mobile phones. Love letter writing was an art in itself in the not too distant past. I know of many old couples who still preserve those "silly old" love letters in the corner of an almirah.

With modern advances in science we are compelled to live a hectic life paying no attention to enthusiasm which is dying a slow death. Finally, they will wonder whether life is worth living.

Look at children. They are full of enthusiasm. They are eager to learn new things and acquire knowledge. However, adults do not allow them to maintain their enthusiasm by dragging them to their own world. The average worker is quite content with his earnings, knowledge and family life. If you are content with what you have, you have more or less killed your enthusiasm.

Psychologist Robert Heap once called them "human cabbages." People who do not wish to expand their horizons are full of apathy - the exact opposite of enthusiasm. When once you get some form of employment, settle down in marriage and expect your children to succeed in life, you are getting too complacent.

No wonder we are living in a welfare state, enjoying canned entertainment and hygienic conditions. This kind of life gives you the idea that there is no need to be enthusiastic about anything.

Those who came up in life the hard way would remember that when they had no comforts and money in their pockets, they had enough enthusiasm in their hearts. This spirit of enthusiasm should not be allowed to die a natural death. It must be stoked from time to time. And then see the difference it makes to your dull life.

For a moment, think of your present station in life. You would never have achieved such great heights, however humble that might be, if not for the great enthusiasm that was burning within you. Meanwhile, those who are younger to you may not have the vast experience in life you possess now. Why not impart your knowledge through writing or speaking to them. This will kindle your interest in living a meaningful life.

More than other professionals, teachers retain their enthusiasm due to two reasons. They spend most of their time with young students who are naturally enthusiastic. This helps them to learn new things and update their knowledge. When once they begin to seek new knowledge, they overcome their sluggishness. Therefore, most of the school teachers, university lecturers and professors are a lucky lot.

This does not mean all young people are enthusiastic. Far from it. Apathy and boredom are rampant among the youth. The fault lies with adults who remain complacent that they have done everything for their children.

But has any parent paused to think whether he has taught his offspring how to live! Today's young people have better living conditions and more avenues of entertainment. Probably this is why many young people are apathetic and bored to death.

Once a senior university lecturer confided in me that he did not know any secrets of success or techniques when he lived in a small hamlet close to Moneragala. But he possessed a flaming enthusiasm to reach the top in his field of activities. Even today, his enthusiasm remains unquenchable and many are drawn to bask in its steady light.

You can kill boredom by becoming deeply interested in something fruitful. You can do so many things, whoever you are. Learn a new language; learn how to play a musical organ or follow a course in public speaking. When once you choose a subject, you will be at it with great enthusiasm and boredom will vanish through the back door.

I have observed that many unmarried women have become great animal lovers. This is a good sign. Nobody can expect all women to get married and produce children. The unmarried women are not social misfits. Some of the world's unmarried women were great personalities in their chosen fields. Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell are classic examples.

According to Greek philosophy, enthusiasm is God in us. This is no exaggeration because enthusiasm is all powerful.