VALUES IN LIFE
-Rudyard Kipling
A poet and novelist from England, Rudyard Kipling, is remembered for his children's stories, which include ‘Kim’, ‘Just So Stories’ and the always popular ‘The Jungle Book’. In 1907, he was awarded noble prize for literature. The present speech, ‘Values in Life', is taken from ‘A Book of Words’, which is a collection of Kipling's collected speeches. The speech was first given to a group of University students in Canada.
Kipling encourages
using your left hand to gain wealth while keeping your right hand for doing rightful
work in life. Acquiring wealth for wealth sake, according to Kipling is equal
to wasting one’s life. Instead one should consider to aim for balance in life.
Wealth is nothing but illusion and that it is never a criteria to be happy. One
should seek to help one another and not be greedy or self centered.
Kipling suggests that today’s youth doesn’t give much heed (attention) to
speech.
The author calls it a privilege to be able to hear or have
conversation with elderly or wiser people. He says that the young men and
women are made to believe that the world is governed by the idea of
wealth.
Though, there are some to whom the idea of wealth does not
appeal much. They seem to have no interest in wealth nor would they accept
money if offered. Such a person will not be considered ‘smart’ since
he is not money minded. After close study of such a man, people would be
able to realise that money dominates everyone except the one who doesn’t
crave to be wealthy. He would stand fearless in whatever he does and holds
the capacity to make others fear him. He would also be able to control the
money minded people.
The solution that the author presents is to interest yourself, to invest in the happiness of others and not fall prey to one’s own perception. There are times when dark clouds hover when our knowledge and experience don’t help, we need to leave it to the power of the almighty. “In other words, take anything and everything seriously except yourself”.
The author ends his speech with an interesting fact that there are some students who will be urged to acquire wealth and not consider living with humanity. As the man who goes to seek wealth, considering it as ‘smartness’ and in the course of action forgets his fellow man. The author says that when we see our friends trying to be ‘smart’ we should show them a better way. Thus, advises learning about how to live a worthy life instead of seeking to have a wealthy life.
