5 Learnings from Swami Vivekananda: National Youth Day
National Youth Day
Swami Vivekananda, the great spiritual and religious leader, was born on 12th January 1863, and his birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day since 1984. On the occasion of his birth anniversary and on National Youth Day, I shared my thoughts on his teachings, using some of the recent developments and initiatives, to examine the relevance of these learnings in my life.
In this post, I expand on these observations, and also examine the implications and relevance of Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy and teachings in the contemporary context.
Swami Vivekananda’s Eternal Messages
Here are the top 5 learnings from Swami Vivekananda, along with my thoughts on their relevance in my life, and for today’s world at large. In particular, let us look at the impact on the youth, since his birth anniversary is also celebrated as National Youth Day. Here is a video that outlines these learnings and my reflections about the same, but keep reading after watching the video, because there is more that I have added in this post.
An Interesting Background Story
Before we jump right in (or before you think of jumping off after watching the video), spare a minute for an interesting detour, about the methodology that I used to pin point the top 5 learnings.
My typical approach in doing similar research would have involved a combination of several sources. These include Google search, review of top few pages returned for multiple search phrases, authoritative sites (eg. Wikipedia) / books / movies / research papers etc. on the subject or in the genre, YouTube videos, etc.
This time, I did something different.
A Word about Chat GPT’s role
I just keyed in the phrase “Top 5 learnings from Swami Vivekananda” into the ChatGPT tool, and the response blew my mind!
I will talk about ChatGPT and my reading of it’s capability in a separate post, but let us not divert our attention away from the subject at hand, which is the reflection about the key messages of Swami Vivekananda. Let me clarify that the top 5 pointers generated by ChatGPT have only been used as a trigger or starting point for sharing my thoughts. The reflection from my life events is (obviously) not something that ChatGPT or any other AI tool of today can generate.
In case you are curious, let me also tell you that the ChatGPT response accounts for only 191 words (out of over 2000 words in this article), and I have duly highlighted the ChatGPT portion in quotes in the post below. This will help you draw a distinction between content from a generative algorithm, and the reflections of a human mind. My intent is not to create comparison or competition between humans and machines, but to collaborate in a manner that can enrich our world.
I hope you will find this cocktail of man and machine appetizing! If not, you can simply ignore the small portion of this article generated by Chat GPT that is reproduced within quotes, and enjoy reading the unadulterated human view!
5 Learnings from Swami Vivekananda
Here are the learnings and my reflections about these learnings, along with key take-aways for the youth in the contemporary context, relevant on this National Youth Day 2023, and beyond:
#1: Self Realization and Self Improvement
The importance of self-realization and self-improvement: Swami Vivekananda emphasized the need for individuals to strive for self-realization and to work on their own personal development in order to reach their full potential.
via ChatGPT
The first message resonates very strongly with me, as I am a staunch believer in the practice of reflection and introspection. In particular, I have been publishing my thoughts at the year-end for several years, for people to learn from my experiences, and also to nudge them towards this practice.
You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
Swami Vivekananda
I published a 20 part Year In Review series on this website in 2020, and was fortunate that it was very well received. Even though this domain was brand new at that time, the master post of this series became a Featured Snippet on Google, ahead of billions of search results. One of the central themes of the approach at FTEM (From The Experts Mouth) is to help people reach their full potential through shared experiences, whereby we all can reflect and learn from each others’ experiences, and thereby achieve You Version 2.0, i.e. the best version of ourselves.
This year, I took things even further by doing a 22 part video series, with one episode each day for the last 22 days of 2022. One of the central themes of this Year In Review series was the power of introspection propelling us further. While special milestones and events such as a New Year or an anniversary naturally create an environment for introspection, we need to ensure that self realization and self improvement is a continuous practice, which is incorporated into our daily routines.
There is only one Soul in the Universe. There is no ‘you’ or ‘me’; all variety is merged into the absolute unity, the one infinite existence – God. There is really no difference between matter, mind and Spirit. They are only different phases of experiencing the One.
Swami Vivekananda
#2: Unity of religions
The unity of all religions: Swami Vivekananda believed that all religions are essentially the same and that there is a fundamental unity underlying all religious practices. He encouraged tolerance and respect for all religions.
– via ChatGPT
Swami Vivekananda’s views, and particularly his famous speech at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, are fairly well known today, and were certainly ahead of their times. There is an acute need for the world to pay attention to these views today, more than ever, as we live in an increasingly fragmented and xenophobic world.
It was the same God, and the different realisations were only degrees and differences of vision.
Swami Vivekananda
I will take the liberty to expand these thoughts beyond religion, to various other aspects that create divisions among people – be it nationality, caste, creed, race, gender, skin color, or any other attribute. I recently conducted an interesting thought experiment, that I discussed at length in one of the Year in Review episodes.
I took 22 different articles that were published on From The Experts Mouth by authors, whose backgrounds were very different from mine. I read the articles written by them on this website, and reflected on the thoughts that they had shared about their experiences. I realized that many of my experiences and my thoughts were in harmony and in alignment with the thoughts and experiences of these 22 diverse and different people, who were as different from me as chalk and cheese.
The Epiphany
My big realization from this random thought experiment is that at the fundamental level, there is some unifying factor that binds all of us together. This is probably what led Swami Vivekananda to believe that all religions are the same. I take this argument one bold step further, and declare that all 8 billion people on this planet are similar.
We just have to figure out points of commonality among the 8 billion people, rather than focusing on the differences that separate us. If we observe closely, these differences are mostly related to the outwardly manifestations, such as our physical attributes, or the practices that we follow, but at the fundamental level there is commonality in all the 8 billion inhabitants of Mother Earth.
#3: Positive Thinking and Action
The power of positive thinking and action: Swami Vivekananda advocated for the power of positive thinking and taking action towards achieving one’s goals. He believed that with determination and the right mindset, individuals could overcome any obstacle and achieve success.
– via ChatGPT
There are three aspects of this message – staying positive, taking action to be productive and adopting the right mindset. These are also the three central pillars of my messages to people, particularly since the pandemic first hit us.
I had written articles about this, and encouraged by the feedback and the impact, I had published the book, How To Stay Positive And Productive, during the first lockdown itself in March 2020. Since the readers felt that this book had lessons beyond the pandemic, I published a thoroughly revised edition in November 2022, with couple of new chapters, and post-scripts at the end of each chapter.
Apart from staying positive and taking action to become productive, the third controllable dimension is our mindset. The mindset required to succeed can vary depending on the circumstances. For instance, during the pandemic, I had advocated the adoption of the “pitstop” mindset. I borrowed the terminology from Formula1, where the drivers have to take a pitstop to recharge their batteries and check other essentials. I had advocated that the lockdown had presented us with the opportunity to take a pitstop, during the otherwise scorching and busy race of our lives.
However, the circumstances may not be the same today, and a different mindset needs to be adopted. The mindset that is relevant for you today, may not be the same that is appropriate for somebody else. One needs to figure out the right mindset for oneself in the current context, and the same template cannot be applied universally.
There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point.
Swami Vivekananda
#4: Service to Others
The value of service to others: Swami Vivekananda believed that serving others was a key aspect of spiritual growth and fulfillment. He encouraged individuals to use their talents and abilities to help others and make a positive impact in the world.
via ChatGPT
The fourth message highlights the value of service to others. He mentioned that this is a key aspect of spiritual growth and fulfillment and he encouraged people to use their talents, abilities and resources to help others.
If you wish to help a man, never think what that man’s attitude should be towards you. If you want to do a great or a good work, do not trouble to think what the result will be.
Swami Vivekananda
The last year was a very special one for me, as I completely reset and changed the direction of my life, as I have also mentioned in the concluding episode of my Year in Review series. I spoke about the two key themes that are important for me in this decade of the 2020’s and both of these revolve around helping others, using my experience, abilities and resources. I imagine that these efforts will be focused on two broad segments – people who are trying to make their mark in their careers, and secondly the entrepreneurs and the startup founders, who are building a business and bringing about impactful change.
Since the day is celebrated as National Youth Day, it is pertinent to reflect on what today’s youth think about contemporary issues. Reviewing the diversity and depth of thoughts in this earlier post on the young voices on International Youth Day is an eye opener, and demonstrates that the youth care for so many issues and want to be of service and value to the ecosystem around them.
#5: Mental Physical and Spiritual Development
The need for physical, mental, and spiritual development: Swami Vivekananda stressed the importance of developing all aspects of the self, including the physical, mental, and spiritual. He believed that only by working on all three dimensions could one truly achieve inner peace and fulfillment.
via ChatGPT
Thinking about this profound message from Swami Vivekananda, my thoughts raced back to the SUPER model of physical and mental health that I had written about, in my Year in Review in 2020. In this context, “SUPER” is an acronym for five things which encompass all the three elements of development mentioned by Swami Vivekananda – mental physical and spiritual.
The brain and muscles must develop simultaneously. Iron nerves with an intelligent brain — and the whole world is at your feet.
Swami Vivekananda
If we look at the trends of popular discourse, we will find a recent increase in the importance that the world is giving to mental health, traditional practices such as yoga, meditation and to spirituality. However, Swami Vivekananda had the foresight in the nineteenth century to encourage people to knit together all three dimensions of development – physical, mental and spiritual.
Have a SUPER time
I am confident that the messages contained in this compilation of five learnings from Swami Vivekananda will inspire not just the youth, but everyone on this National Youth Day, and beyond.
Taking a cue from the first learning about the importance of self realization and self improvement, what are the messages that have left an impact on you? Have you taken action already, or have you firmed up an action plan to ensure that you adopt any of these messages or learning in your life?
Think about this, and share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Have a “SUPER” day ahead!
About The Author
Rajiv Maheshwari is a business and start-up advisor, and the co-founder of From The Experts Mouth. He is a management professional with over 25 years of experience, and worked as CEO for a decade, and in leadership roles with NYSE listed companies such as Accenture and WNS.
He is a Chartered Accountant and MBA (Director’s Merit List from IIM Bangalore) and an autodidact, who is on the path of self-directed life long learning and sharing. He is a thought leader, author and keynote speaker and has developed several frameworks to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
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Nice and accurate post. I am from India.