Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Speaking Tree Website | January 5, 2015

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was an American politician, author and historian who served as the 26th President of the United States of America. A tragic incident occurred in Roosevelt’s life, which has a lesson for everyone.

On February 14, 1884 when Roosevelt was at work in the New York state legislature attempting to get a government reform bill passed, he was summoned home by his family. He returned home to find that his mother had succumbed to typhoid fever. On the same day, his wife died of a severe kidney ailment.

The double tragedy devastated Roosevelt. That day he wrote these words in his diary: “The light has gone out of my life.” Burdened by grief, he abandoned politics and became a cattle rancher in western US. He engrossed himself in raising cattle. But, after a blizzard wiped out his prized herd of cattle in 1885, Roosevelt decided to return to New York under compulsion. He re-entered politics as there was no other option available to him at that time. He kept rising gradually in politics until in 1901, at the age of 42, he became the youngest president of the United States.

Every external loss further stimulates the mind of a person.

There are various such examples where a person experienced a situation of total loss. But, history shows that after the loss, the same person re-started his life and became more successful than before. The following true incident stands as a proof of the above phenomena. The owner of a hotel in a city in India which had witnessed severe communal riots was actually re-built in place of the old building which was completely destroyed during the communal riots. Instead of going downhill after this loss, the owner of the hotel with hard work and struggle was more successful and prosperous than before. What is the reason behind this phenomenon? The reason is that when someone incurs a loss, for him it is an external loss. He loses something that was outside of him. But, what he has inside him is far greater than what he has lost outside of him. It is a law of nature that every external loss further activates the inner asset of a person, which is his mind, given to him by nature.

Do not grieve over destruction, rather plan for re-construction.

A shocking experience leads to brainstorming and enhances a person’s power of thinking. He becomes capable of beginning his work anew with better planning. Consciously or unconsciously, his mind tries to undo the tragedy that he has experienced. It awakens in him the power of determination, which enables him to attain super success. These kind of historical events give us a great lesson—the power of construction is stronger than the power of destruction. Do not grieve over destruction, rather plan for re-construction. Only then, will you emerge as a super-achiever.

These kind of historical events give us a great lesson—the power of construction is stronger than the power of destruction. Do not grieve over destruction, rather plan for re-construction. Only then, will you emerge as a super-achiever.