The Sojourn of the Soul: An Ode to Origin and Duty

 The Sojourn of the Soul: An Ode to Origin and Duty

 

This poetic reflection serves as a humanistic meditation on duty, humility, and progress. It emphasizes the need to remember one's origins and struggles as a source of strength and empathy for others. The author calls for those in positions of authority to lead with compassion and wisdom, acting as mentors rather than mere commanders. Ultimately, the piece champions the belief that personal growth is a continuous, self-reliant journey, urging the reader to embody their best self not only for self-elevation but to inspire and illuminate the lives of all those around them.

 

A Man must remember his origins, the struggles that forged his present comfort;

The sojourns are sacred & invaluable, life’s strengths that demand respect for others’ problems & strife.

 

The Path of the Beginner

All are beginners at one time, and one learns the ways of growth, taking lessons from successful ones.

So, hold an elder's hand for one's own raising, learn to walk, and be able to tread the path alone.

It is always the requirement of the time to take appropriate support, with no shame in this necessary act.

People become masters first with help, then by own efforts, forging a battery of moral strength sustaining.

 

The Compassion of Authority

Those in authority need to be diligent & compassionate with the beginners under their charge.

Life is a journey from zero to maturity, and everyone has to cover this essential distance.

We must avoid unnecessary strife in lives and teach others to be vigilant in self-defence.

Also, we must make benign efforts, not always seeking help or crutches for a task that is self-doable.

 

The Duty of a Good Person

A good person always helps all, provided others do not harbor enmity against him.

A tree gives shade to all, even to the person cutting it and plucking its nourishing fruits.

It understands its moral duty to impart wood, leaves & fruit to the general life —a perfect model of selflessness.

The violent might not understand this inherent goodness, acting just on impulse, driven by selfish motives.

 

Understanding the Unwise

But a bad person is simply unlearned, diseased, unwise, and insightful only to the small cosmos before him.

He acts crudely out of volition, from a hollow mentality, blind to the World’s grand, encompassing purposes.

For petty gains, he steps into a dangerous world and, unthinkingly, puts himself in danger unknowingly.

Being right is in his best interest, it avoids a bad image marred by unwarranted sins & regrets later.

 

The Responsibility of Role

A person in authority has great duties towards the immediate environment, overseeing many heads and lives.

And must tune them to the system’s requirements, and set the priorities right for collective progress.

Often, we are tempted by whim & fancy to merely command, but must answer to the system's genuine needs.

Ultimately, all systems require good efforts; we must invigorate and inspire our associates, and not sit idle.

 

The Art of Becoming

This world provides us all with some roles; maybe we are not equipped to cope with them immediately.

But with courtesy, we must go to those systems that know that art and learn its fine, delicate nuances.

Also, never lose heart over small failures; we surely learn, grow, and become a more organic, complete being.

So, come forth with an optimistic, smiling face, elevate yourself, and illuminate the lives of others.

 

Pawan Kumar,

21^st September, 2025, Sunday, Time 7.02 P.M.

(From my Berhampur (Odisha) diary, 4th October, 2023)