English
Today is the birth anniversary of Wilbur Wright. You all must be aware of the fact that Wilbur and Orville Wright together translated humans’ dream of flying into reality. But few people must be aware that the story of their flight had already begun from their childhood itself. One day when their father gifted them a toy model of the helicopter invented by Alphonse Pènaud, the dream of flying germinated in their minds.
However, their family’s financial condition did not allow that Wilbur and Orville to educate themselves much. On the contrary, they had to setup a cycle repair shop to sustain themselves. But, this was just an adverse circumstance. It did not affect Wilbur and Orville’s aspirations of flying; on the contrary, it was simply a speed-breaker! But it was fine. At this time opportunity did not present itself, but if time stood by them, they would surely accomplish their dreams of flying… And one day the two kids who were not highly educated and were struggling to make ends meet, finally did make man fly. I salute the determination and intelligence of the brothers.
However, there is a lot to learn from this short story. Having a dream and following it is a good thing but, blindly chasing it despite the situation not being in your favour, is utter foolishness. Dreams are to be nurtured, but one cannot afford to shy away from the realities of life. It has to be well understood that fulfilling your dreams is all a matter of timing.
Secondly, if you have set any goals, you should never give up on them. Only wait for the right time, and when the opportunity presents itself, grab it with both hands. And this is exactly what the Wright brothers did. Everyone should read their life story and the history behind their invention of the airplane. What you will get to learn from it will perhaps be more than what even the best religious scriptures can ever teach you.
The third and the most important lesson is to remember that the minds of children are like a blank slate. Thus, you should always be careful while speaking in their presence or think before gifting them something. They are not only receptive but also set their goals quickly. …Meaning, it is in childhood itself that a child finds the direction of his life, and it is in childhood itself that he is usually mislead. So, if you want your children to turn out like the Wright brothers, be careful about your behaviour with them. Provide them with gifts which would encourage them and also have conversations which would boost their self-confidence. Never try to instil fear in them, and never give them gifts which would lead them astray.
– Deep Trivedi