"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain" ~ Joseph Campbell
I recently read an article about a young boy, Budhia Singh, born in the slums of India whose mother sold him to a peddler for 800 rupees. Eventually, Biranchi Das (a judo teacher who also runs an orphanage) buys him back. After being sent out on a run by Biranchi, as punishment for his fowl language, Budhia discovers his innate ability to run. By age three, he had already completed six 13-mile half-marathons.
Although, at first read, this sounds like a compelling story of overcoming adversity and strength, it quickly turns into a debate over child exploitation. Being that Budhia is still very young, many people are concerned that he is not living out his dream of being a runner, and that he is being forced by Biranchi Das.
Whether you are on either side of the debate, Budhia Singh, at a very early age, discovered something that he was good at doing. Did he experience joy from running? Was it a time where he could think and release all the negativity he had to face so early on in his life? These are questions that spoke to me during reading this article. Finding a passion, unlocking an inner strength, discovering something that you are good at doing are things that I believe keep us alive and wanting more out of life. If he continues to run in the future or decides that it is something he does not want to pursue, we will just have to wait and see.
As 2011 begins, I am hopeful that this can be a testament to overcoming adversity and discovering one's inner strengths, passions, and living life to the fullest. "And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been" ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Happy New Year, 2011!
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