Diligence, the mother of good fortune

‘Strive on with diligence to gain your salvation’ were among the last words of the Buddha to his disciples. Just as patience, diligence is also a virtue. Diligence refers to work ethics involving hard work, patience and wholehearted efforts. We don’t need to look far from home for our role model of diligence. The father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi is an embodiment of leadership with his diligence and bravery. He shook the world in a gentle way with dedication, devotion and diligence as his munitions in the quiver of his armoury. 

Alexander Hamilton was one of the founding fathers of America and served as the first U.S secretary of the treasury. He is also credited to have established America’s first national bank in 1784. He was not born into power but worked with diligence and found himself on top in his short span of life. When the American constitution was drafted it was sent to all the 13 colonies for ratification. Hamilton wrote more than 50 essays tirelessly defending the constitution which came to be known as the federalists papers. The essays got people’s attention and the constitution got passed in 1787. When George Washington became president in 1789, he chose Hamilton to be the first United States Secretary of the treasury for his diligence.

An Indonesian proverb goes, “Diligence is the beginning of brilliance.” A student is said to be diligent or hardworking when he or she performs the work completely, correctly and neatly. The habit of hard work combined with patience and faith leads to  the path  of spiritual success and helps to get through the hardest of failures.

Miguel de Cervantes, the celebrated Spanish writer and the author of the widely read literary classic Don Quixote describes diligence as the mother of good fortune, and observes that  idleness, its opposite, never brought people to their goals. It's not luck but labour which brings success. Luck relies on chance but labour on character. When luck lies in bed dreaming of any news of a legacy, labour is busy laying foundation to strengthen competence. The hand of the diligent will  rule, goes a proverb. Indeed it’s the watchword which opens up opportunities for success followed by good fortune.