Feeble steps towards firm goals

During my childhood and youth, I was taught by some very great people not only to respect every thought, every opinion and every belief but to actually make my home a platform from where even my adversaries could shout their opinions, sentiments , prejudices or even their hatred. One of these geat persons to inspire and teach me happened to be my mother. During my youth, I found it a tough ideal and often saw myself falling short of it. Gradually, my love for and loyalty to my mother and her memory and my faith in and respect for my teachers helped me to at least try walking towards this goal. I regard my Facebook page as my humble attempt to test myself out. Everyday, I ask myself if I am able to take adverse or even roguh and harsh comments in my stride. The day I find even a slight trace of intolerance in me, I will declare it openly and probably withdraw from Facebook, telling myself that I have not been true to my mother's love. There are five things she had wanted me never to abandon, and these are the five things I would like to see carrying me to the cremation ground: Love, honesty, tolerance,open-ness and moral courage.Two of these I place above everything else because I believe these two alone can anchor everything else: honesty and the love in my heart. From these alone flow compassion, a willingness to understand those who think differently from me, the courage to remain true to what I believe to be right and, above all, freedom from prejudice and hatred of any kind.