Temptations that matter

via Daily Prompt: Tempted

Human history and civilizations are built on temptations. The forbidden fruit of the Genesis, the Game of Dice of the Mahabharata, the military expeditions of Alexander the Great, the colonization of the east…there are plenty of incidents in mythology and history that affirm the overwhelming influence of temptations on the destiny of mankind. No living mortal is completely free from temptations. We fight them everyday (my poem The Daily Dilemma is loosely based on this ). An infant is tempted to suckle its finger. A toddler is tempted to walk and fall. And as we grow, our temptations also rise exponentially, often finding their origin in a splendid array of emotions like curiosity, greed, love, lust, anger, etc..

But as much as temptations break a man, it can also make a man (ahem…no other meaning intended 😇 )..For instance, if Darwin wasn’t tempted to ‘run behind beetles’ and sail on HMS Beagle, who would have known that we are the descendants of the primates? (By the way, I’m no incarnation of Darwin, and claim no inheritance of his genius. Nevertheless, I’ve attempted to run behind beetles too, just occasionally though..Don’t believe me? Read The ‘Lady’ Who ‘Bugged’ Me ).

So, in other words, there are temptations that matter.Temptations that should never go unfulfilled. What kind of temptations you ask? Allow me to do the honor of listing a few of them for you:

Temptation to study : Yeah, I know..this is a very strange and unusual phenomenon, which is very much like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If, if ever you feel tempted to hit the books, kindly do so..and make full use of it while it lasts. This can save your brain.. and grades.
Temptation to be honest and to plead guilty : Remember the times when you did a mischief and ended up facing a trial by mom or dad? Those dreadful moments when you were in a state of confusion as to plead guilty or not? My dear..at such times, do not hesitate to give in to your temptation to be honest. This would save your soul.
Temptation to help : Altruism can be an incurable disease. That unbearable urge to comfort a crying child, or to save a dying fellow being..if ever such feelings come to you, don’t neglect them. Such temptations can, at times, save this world.
Temptation to read good books (and blogs) : Dogs may have been given the honor of being the best friend of a person. But good books have the honor of being the best friend of a personality. I cannot resist my temptation to emphasize the word ‘good’. There are plenty of books out there that men and women are so tempted to read, to derive pure pleasure of the senses. But that is not what I mean here. We must not ignore the urge, if at all we are blessed with it, to read substantial books that take us to emotional and intellectual ecstasy. This could save our mind and our morality.
Temptation to be curious about the world around us : No, I’m not talking about gossips. I’m talking about what giants like Darwin did. Giving in to our natural curiosity to ponder about the functioning of this cosmos of which we are nothing but irrelevant minuscules, can go a long way in saving ourselves from ignorance and pointless ego.

And did I mention about temptation to respond to Daily Prompts?

Tempted