You Are Special: Uncrushed, Unbroken, Unchanged

 

You Are Special: Uncrushed, Unbroken, Unchanged

A renowned motivational speaker once began his seminar in an unexpected way. Instead of opening with a long introduction, he quietly held up a crisp ₹1000 note and asked the audience, “Who would like to have this?” Instantly, hands shot up across the room. Smiles spread. The desire was obvious. Everyone understood the value of what he was holding.

Then he paused and said, “I will give this note to one of you—but first, let me do something.” He slowly crumpled the note in his hand until it was wrinkled and misshapen. Holding up the crushed currency, he asked again, “Who still wants it?” Without hesitation, the same hands remained raised. The crowd was certain: its worth had not changed.

But the lesson was not over. He dropped the note to the floor and pressed it into the ground with his shoe, grinding it into the dust. The once crisp note now looked dirty and worn. He lifted it up and asked once more, “Now, who wants it?” Again, the hands stayed up. Not one person withdrew their interest.

Looking around the room, he smiled and said, “You have just learned something powerful. No matter what I did to this note—crushed it, dirtied it, stepped on it—you still wanted it. Why? Because its value never decreased. It is still worth ₹1000.” The audience nodded, beginning to understand the deeper message behind the simple demonstration.

He continued, “Life often treats us the same way. We are pushed down by failure, rejected by others, and sometimes burdened by our own poor decisions. We may feel broken, embarrassed, or unworthy. Circumstances can wrinkle our confidence and stain our self-belief. In those moments, it is easy to think we have lost our value.”

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But just like this note,” he said, holding it firmly, “your worth does not disappear because of what happens to you. Difficult seasons do not reduce your importance. Mistakes do not erase your identity. In the eyes of the One who created you, you remain priceless—clean or dirty, whole or crushed.”

He concluded with a gentle reminder: “Your value is not defined by achievements, applause, or approval. It is rooted in who you are, not merely what you do. Never allow temporary setbacks to convince you that you are permanently diminished. You are unique. You are irreplaceable. You are special—never forget that.”.

After the Roses Fade: When Love Becomes Yours

The week dedicated to love has quietly passed. Bouquets are beginning to droop, restaurant tables are no longer fully booked, and social media timelines have shifted back to everyday updates. The familiar parade of roses, proposals, chocolates, and grand declarations has gently folded itself away. For many, this is where Valentine’s Day concludes. Yet perhaps this is precisely where its deeper meaning starts to unfold. When the spectacle subsides, a thoughtful question lingers: what did we truly celebrate?

The historical roots of the day tell a story far more courageous and tender than modern routines suggest. In third-century Rome, love was not seen as romance but as a risk. Emperor Claudius II believed single men made stronger soldiers. Marriage, in his view, created emotional bonds. Bonds created hesitation. And hesitation threatened power. In such reasoning, affection interfered with ambition. Commitment became inconvenient.

Amid this climate, a priest named Valentine chose a different path. Without speeches or rebellion, he quietly conducted marriages in secret. He did not challenge the empire with noise; he defended love through action. His resistance was gentle but firm—the belief that two people had the right to belong to one another. For this conviction, he was imprisoned and later executed on February 14.

Legend holds that before his death, he signed a note to a young woman he had befriended in prison with a simple phrase: “From your Valentine.” Those words endured long after his voice was silenced. Civilisations are often shaped not by grand declarations, but by small sentences that carry profound meaning. “Your Valentine” transformed love from an abstract idea into a personal bond.

Love, when spoken about in poetry, feels universal. In philosophy, it stretches across humanity. But it becomes life-changing only when it becomes specific—when it moves from “everyone” to “someone.” Ancient wisdom traditions often speak of the journey from the vast to the intimate, from the cosmic to the personal. Meaning deepens when it turns inward, when it is experienced rather than admired from a distance.

To call someone “yours” is not about ownership. It is about shared presence. It is the quiet acceptance of responsibility for another heart. It is choosing to witness someone’s story so closely that their happiness brightens you and their pain touches you. Loving one person deeply becomes a doorway to understanding people more compassionately.

Over time, history has layered celebration over sacrifice. What began as an act of conviction has become a global ritual of gifts and gestures. Flowers follow supply chains. Chocolates arrive in curated boxes. Affection is often expressed through transactions. This evolution is not entirely negative; markets respond to what societies value. Yet while commerce can amplify gestures, it cannot replace meaning.

At its core, love remains a daily decision. It is not sustained by one week of celebration but by repeated choice. To choose someone again and again in an age of endless alternatives is a quiet act of courage. To remain attentive in a distracted world is radical. Loyalty, curiosity, and patience have become subtle forms of rebellion.

Now that the week of festivities has passed, the invitation feels clearer. Love is not meant only to be displayed—it is meant to be practiced. Not merely declared, but lived. The true philosophy of Valentine’s Day rests in one powerful shift: love becomes real the moment it becomes yours.

IF HE EXIST

I drive joy there was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting 7 precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting 7 minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste 7 minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 7minutes joy that I derive 4m.-

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