A Promise

Promises are abundant in this world. There is no dearth of promises at all. They glitter everywhere .How many promises a husband and wife make to each other ? How many promises a liar makes? Many of us make promises ourselves. There is no bar or restrictions on promises . One can have any number of promises with them or one can make any number of promises too. Of course, it is really impossible to make out how many of them are real promises and how many of them are false promises. A promise can be either legal or illegal. A promise is a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. It is a commitment. It is an undertaking. It should be clear. There should be no ambiguity in it. Sometimes only one is legally bound by a promise. A promise can be either oral or written. It can be with or without a consideration. Mostly, it is a moral binding. It can be a pledge or an oath too. Some take a bribe and make a promise also. Sometimes, a promise can be an inducement, or a bait too. It is used to lure others. How a promise will be used, it solely depends on the man who promises. A promise is only as good or faithful as the person who makes the promise. A promise is a tool that can build or mar confidence. It can be used to build friendship even. A promise can be used for a good purpose or a bad purpose. A promise can be used for a legal or illegal purpose. A promise can be an asset and profitable. It can also turn out to be a liability and loss too. Sometimes, a promise can pose a challenge, become an opportunity or create a problem too.A promise appears in various forms. It could not be imagined what the promises would hold. A promise is a dream until it is fulfilled . Most of the promises cannot be taken into account until and unless they are fulfilled.

A promise is always not instantaneous. It is always at a later date. It always has an element of uncertainty . Many a times we do not have any hold over a promise that we make. A promise is sometimes elusive. We promise to meet somebody the next day but unfortunately sometimes that day turns out to be either our or their last day in this world. But a promise is always rosy and indicates cordial good atmosphere.On one or another occasion everyone in this world makes a promise. A promise may either do good or bad. It all depends upon what the promise is. Many a times a promise remains as a promise only. It is not fulfilled at all. There has been no match at any time between the number of promises and the number of fulfillment of promises.

Who does not make a promise? Everybody makes a promise in this world. Nobody is barred from making a promise. Some promises have value and some promises do not have any value.That is the difference. It is easy to make a promise but it is difficult to keep it up. One can promise everything even that which is impossible also. The question is how much promise out of which one would be able to keep up. Habitual offenders, addicts, enemies,and rogues everybody promise. One should be careful while relying on promises. One cannot rely much on many of such promises at all. There are many occasions when promises are made with bad intentions. Some people have an ulterior motive yet they make a promise. But in practice they not only do not keep the promise but do something quite opposite to what they promised. That is known as backstabbing.

It is easy to preach but it is difficult to practice. Generally, this is true with a promise too. I will never do it. I will sit quietly. These are promises only. Sharing a secret, keeping mum without disclosing anything to others is a promise only. Some remain neutral. They do not take any side. It is a promise only. Even non-performing is a great promise many a times. Promises of help come from all quarters but in nick of the moment only a few people turn up and help. Similarly, when appeals are made for donations numerous responses by way of promises come forth but when we go for collection, donations will not be so spontaneous.

Mere promises are of no use. They are not birds on hand, they are birds in the bush. Generally, when one is in trouble, one tries to save one’s skin first then only thinks of a promise or anything else. Fulfillment of some promises is not in the hands of persons who make them. They can only try to fulfill them. During elections politicians make numerous promises. How many of them they will be able to keep up? Unless they make scores of promises, it is impossible for them to win an election. Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river says Nikita Khrushchev. Even people are shrewd they make use of their common sense. They go through past performance, reliability of candidates etc., only if they have the experience of major promises having been met earlier and they believe and vote for that candidate or party. One cannot fool anybody always with promises. Some people have the habit of go on making promises. They do not think whether it is possible to keep up those promises. Those who do not want to displease others even though they are aware that it is very difficult to fulfill some of them make promises. We do not need anything to make a promise except a few or more words. It is easy to make a promise.

Even nature promises. It seems even animals promise. A very popular folk song in my place of domicile tells us how a cow not only made a promise but also kept up its promise. The story of cow is as follows:-

There was a cow called Punyakothi in the livestock of a farmer called Kalinga. It once went to nearby forest for grazing along with other cows. A tiger by name Arbutha lived in that forest. It was very hungry. It was eagerly waiting for a prey. The tiger suddenly attacked the cows. All the cows except Punyakothi escaped from the jaws of death. Punyakothi was the sole prey to the tiger .When the tiger was about to eat Punyakothi, Punyakothi begged the tiger to let it go home for one last time because it had promised its young one to breast feed. Punyakothi promised to the tiger to come back after fulfilling that task unfailingly. The tiger relied on its promise and let it go. Punyakothi after feeding its young one comes back to the tiger to keep up its promise .It offers itself as a prey to tiger. The tiger was amazed with sincerity of Punyakothi. Instead of jumping on Punyakothi, it feels disgusted and commits suicide. It is a very beautiful and emotional story.

The story conveys us how animals are better than human beings at times. Even Shakespeare in his play “Hamlet” says "A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she followed my poor father's body, Like Niobe, all tears: --why she, even she-- O, God! A beast, that wants discourse of reason.Would have mourned longer " Here he feels that human beings are in some respect worse than animals.

Many people have the habit of obtaining a promise. Some people before breathing their last obtain a promise from their descendents for fufillment of their wishes from death bed . When some are insulted ,when they were not able to insult in return and settle the score, they obtain a promise from their children to take a revenge upon those who insulted them without fail before their breathe their last.There are innumerable stories which tell us promises and revenges. Is great epic Ramayana not built on promise of Dasaratha to Kaikeye? Similarly,is it not great epic the Mahabharata centers round Bhishma's promise to remain as bachelor ? What a promise it was. Bhishma not only gave the promise but also kept it. It is impossible to guess even how promises arise or take birth too .

What is needed to keep up a promise? The person who makes a promise is all the important. It is his or her will & integrity play a dominant part in a promise . He or she is as important as a promise itself. What type of a person he or she is? The person who makes a promise must be a man of action and not a man of words. A promise depends on person more than anything else. Whether he or she is reliable? A promise requires no time to make but may require time before to decide whether the person to whom they are going to make a promise deserves it and afterwards they may require time to keep it up also. A promise is based on mutual confidence, faith and trust. These qualities are delicate and how long the chain of promise remains in tact it is difficult to say.The person who makes a promise must be serious while making a promise as well as after making a promise. That person should be determined to keep it up and should be aware that they would lose their credibility if they do not keep up the promise. They need not take a vow or swear even. The question is how many such people we get. A promise should be as good as a demand promissory note. A promissory is note is a promise to pay an amount to somebody or their order for value received. It is enforceable in a court of law. Promise and nature of a person is closely linked. Some people if they feel that it is impossible to keep up a promise, they do not promise at all. They straight away state that it is impossible. Some people if they promise they will try to keep up their promise at any cost. They are even prepared to sacrifice their lives to keep up their promise.One who promises is more important many a times than a promise itself. Generally a promise is made to please somebody to get a work got done or when one is pleased with somebody. If a promise is not kept up it becomes a false promise and one who has promised becomes a liar. It is a breach of trust. There are many people who rely completely upon a promise made to successfully complete their work. If the promise is not kept up they are completely let down. They become angry, dejected, disappointed, and desperate.One cannot promise an impossible. If one promises impossible it cannot be believed. It may be to fool others. But if one promises impossible and keeps it up it is really a miracle.Those who are well placed in life and magnanimous make a promise to help others. That is their great quality. It is voluntary. Here those who get such a promise should deserve it and should be grateful to the generous. The generous should not make delay in keeping up the promise. It should be timely favor. Thus a promise can be a favor too.

If a promise is a reliable and powerful one , it works wonders. Then , one need not do anything, one has to simply give a word of promise. Based on that promise,others successfully complete a work. Thus, a promise increases productivity. It works as an incentive. How well a promise of promotion, a promise of higher bonus, a promise of a transfer works that only those who are employed know. A promise can develop or spoil a relationship. A promise keeps one's hope always alive. A promise makes one optimistic. A promise works as a support. A promise works as a backbone. If a promise is kept up trust increases, bond of friendship develops further. A young can make a promise to an old and an old can make a promise to young. Age does not play any part in promise or promises. Normally a child demands a promise from its dear and near. It wants promise for a toy, chocolates, dress, a movie etc which anyone can easily meet. They are affordable. They are harmless. It is in promises that grown up make to one another all complications arise. One should be careful while making a promise. They can be dangerous also. Here also sometimes promises are voluntary and sometimes promises are thrust upon one. At a death bed some people obtain a promise from their dear and near like that they will take care of so and so ,that they will marry so and so etc. Sometimes it is a promise to take revenge.Then only they die peacefully. Promise brings two souls nearer. He was a drunkard; he gave up drinking because he gave a promise to his mother that he would not drink. He was a chain smoker of cigarettes.He gave up smoking because he promised his wife. Promises affect one’s life in one or another way. Some forget the promises they make due to one or another reason. Sometimes, they are reminded of their promises by incidents that take place subsequently.A prick of conscience can always be found in honest people. They do not rest until they fulfill the promises that they make to others.

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There are various opinions about a promise. Having got fingers burnt their fingers some people hesitate to accept or act upon promises. They demand a guarantee for early fulfillment of a promise made to them . They say otherwise that promise is not reliable. It is always better also if one ascertains and assess the value of a promise before they accept or act upon it. Some feel a promise is a postponement or an excuse or delaying tactics. It is true also that some promises remain as assurances only. Some promises which were made by their near and are kept up by their successors. Some people move heaven and earth to get promises. They know how to get a promise fulfilled. Some people through promises only get their work done.

One can promise a throne and the same person can promise nothing also. The question is not what one promises. The question is whether is it possible to keep up a promise that one makes. Promises are like the full moon, if they are not kept at once they diminish day by day. If a promise is not kept, it is breaking of a promise. It is promising someone to marry but marrying somebody else.It may be due to some compulsion and not intentional.What would be its repercussions we cannot predict. Surely, breaking of a promise affects a promisee a lot. Generally, breaking of a promise amounts to breach of trust and cheating .What makes one furious when a person breaks a promise is besides that person does on contrary something other than what had been promised. Some promise to quit smoking,drugs and drinking d and once again falling prey to such addictions. That also amounts to breaking of a promise only. It does nobody good. It is always better not to make such a promise. At times, the cost of keeping the promise unbroken can be very high. But no matter what is that cost, the breaking of a promise is a bigger sin.By breaking a promise, we hurt the other party.We kill the faith of the other party in humanity and its words. Despite all these facts we find promises everywhere whether it is life, stories or epics. Further, who does not need a promise? Everybody in this world whether one is rich or poor, young or old needs a promise at one time or another in life. Even through dubious means some people obtain a promise.When, why and how the need will arise nobody can forecast. A world cannot run without promises.There are people even in this present day world also who are prepared to lay down their life for the sake of promise that they had made. A promise is always essential . It would remain indispensable even in future also.