In different phases of our life we get influenced and moulded through different institutions and individuals. They might be our school, parents, peers or teachers but the impact they make is something that we carry with us for the rest of our lives. To many of today’s youth living in Sri Lanka and all across the globe the Interact Movement is one such institution that has moulded their lives and made them into the individuals that they are today. It is a movement that has taught and continues to teach many life lessons that each Interactor would treasure for the rest of their lives. Here is a minute drop of the vast number of values that Interact stands for from which any individual can develop and strengthen their character.
Kindness and compassion is something that is highly valued within the movement. We might not be able to stop the devastating wars that have spread throughout the globe, stop world hunger or global warming. But with a small act of kindness like giving a beggar some food or even a kind word of encouragement to one of your peers could go a long way. Being the reason for someone else’s smile is a true accomplishment and you yourself will turn into a better person through that small act. So it’s always encouraged to be as helpful and thoughtful as possible to make your contribution towards a better world and towards a better you.
Respect others
In a world that discriminates people due to their gender, race, religion, or skin colour, respecting each other’s choices and decisions and not clouding your judgement due to internalized prejudices can help you develop as an individual and a member of society. Due to ignorance people in certain situations act in a manner that might hurt another person. So in addition to being helpful and thoughtful, respect towards other individuals regardless of various cultural factors will ensure that you become a better human being. It will at least make a minute contribution towards ending the endless hate and discrimination that plagues human kind in society.
Morally sound
A purpose of Interact that would help every one of us go a long way is building personal integrity.That is being an honest and morally sound individual. It is true that humans can’t help a small white lie at least once in their lifetime. But being honest and truthful in things that matter is an important factor that defines every virtuous human being. Being truthful will not only build towards bettering yourself but also will make you a trustworthy and useful member of society. Furthermore always standing by your principles and ensuring that you won’t get negatively influenced by various trends will help build and strengthen your character.
Another important lesson taught to everyone through Interact is gaining knowledge through various experiences. Gaining knowledge is not merely limited towards books and education. It’s the small incidents that we experience throughout the course of our life. With each experience we add a speck of knowledge to our life that we cannot gain elsewhere. By retaining that knowledge and learning from it we can get a better understanding of not only ourselves but the community and the people that surrounds us, which will in turn lead to acceptance and wisdom.
Seize every opportunity
Last but not least it teaches us to give a hundred percent to anything that we do so that we wouldn’t regret anything later on. Life is full of opportunities; make sure to seize every opportunity that is given to you if you believe that it will lead towards your betterment. Try your best to overcome the fear of failure or the feeling of not being good enough. Everyone fails or makes mistakes at one point in their lifetime but that should not keep you from being the best that you can be. And once you take up an opportunity commit to it to the best of your capabilities so that you have nothing to be disappointed about later.
At the end of the day we might not turn out to be perfect individuals devoid of any fault, but if we do engrave these principles interact teaches into our lives it will not only lead to us being better individuals but it will make sure that we leave a memorable positive impact within society and the people that surround us. So let us make sure to add at least a grain of these qualities into our lives because as the famous Dr Seuss said