A noted western writer once, after studying the
lives of great men, attempted to pinpoint the special
qualities that were common to all of them. He came
to the conclusion that all of the men he had studied
had been filled with curiosity and discontent.
Curiosity had kept them in hot pursuit of things,
ideas and ideals which had at first eluded them,
and discontent had never allowed them to indulge
in the thought that they had reached the final peak
of achievement. These qualities had proved to be
the mainspring of their inspiration.
A similar comment is made by Mrs Anita Straket, a
mathematics adviser from Wiltshire, in an I08-page
educational report she had compiled for the
school’s council. Evaluating certain traits in talented
children, she says, “Pupils who are impatient with
anything that is second best are probably gifted.”
(The Hindustan Times, 2 February 1983).
A demanding temperament of this kind compels
one to go on seeking absolute truth. It prevents one
from being content with half-truths and paltry
successes, and one is continually spurred on to
higher and greater things. Such a temperament
demands that duties should be carried out in an
ideal way and, indeed, anyone so inclined can never
know happiness unless and until things have been
done in the best possible way. A man endowed
with such a temperament will never stop until the
highest good has been achieved. There can be no
half measures for him and he will never be content
with things of lesser value.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
