Then he heard a voice from above: «Unfortunate man, you want to win a large amount of money, but you do not want to understand one truth: to win the lottery, you must first buy a lottery ticket. How do you expect to win without a ticket and complaint that your desire is not fulfilled?»
This story is very relevant these days. Today, people want to «gain with no pain.» They don’t study, are not enlightened, they don’t master any profession, in a word, they don’t want to work, at the same time they want to have a comfortable life, live in prosperity and luxury. And when they can’t achieve this, they declare war on all mankind: everyone is to blame except for themselves.
Almost all the people I deal with have this desire for easy money. You see a young man looking for work. You try to help him. You ask some acquaintance to find him a job. The result is not what is expected, and it makes you feel ashamed. You find yourself in an awkward position in front of your acquaintance. A person does not fulfill the tasks assigned to him, does not want to work, counting on my patronage.
Once I had to ask the director of a large company to employ my friend’s son. He was appointed as a shift supervisor. Well, I decided that I had done a good thing, and breathed a sigh of relief. A week later that young man entered the director’s office and said that he had a diploma and didn’t want to work as a shift supervisor. He wanted to be at least a workshop master, so that he had the prospect of working in future leadership positions.
What kind of psychology is this? What a stupid thing! How can one immediately break into management, not having mastered production, not gaining experience, not improving at the initial stages? Is it possible to begin the construction of the fifth floor without the ground floor?
Sometimes it happens that an applicant aspiring to high goals builds illusions about his happy future instead of preparing for the upcoming exams. He doesn’t open his books, does not attend his tutor, does not test his knowledge on test exams. As a result, he does not gain a sufficient score, and then resents his fate, disappointed in his expectations. It doesn’t have to be that way.
In fact, this young man may say that his family is unsecured and therefore he is forced to earn extra money in his free time. However, one should not forget: whoever wants to achieve something will achieve it at all costs.
You cannot become a university student unless you change your usual daily routine and spend sleepless nights on books. If you cannot get motivation from your efforts, then your dream will remain a dream.
Let’s take, for example, an athlete complaining of bad luck. This athlete is engaged in Greco-Roman wrestling. His comrades tirelessly train, monitor their weight, stick to a nutritious diet, take vitamins, carefully monitor the performances of Olympic champions, follow all the instructions of their coach, read specific literature, in a word, devote themselves to sports. But this athlete only dreams about the championship, and makes plans on how to manage his countless prizes. Of course it brings him nothing; the athlete does not succeed. What can he achieve by blaming inattentive coaches and biased judges? Nothing.
The golden rule of life is: to succeed, you must first prepare the background.
09. Let's Get Acquainted
Dear reader, at this stage I want to make a small digression and talk on another topic. Who am I and what am I doing? What is my life credo? Reading the book, you will get the answer to these questions. You must know your teacher so that you can master your homework well.
Since we first met, dear reader, I want to give information about my homeland. I am an Azerbaijani. I live in the Republic of Azerbaijan, in its capital city of Baku. For a long time, that is, from 1920 to 1991, our republic was part of federation called the Soviet Union, and regained its independence only in 1991. Before we lost our independence, that is, until 1920, we were the first democratic republic in the East and had statehood. I must note that the Safavid empire (XV–XVIII), one of the greatest empires in world history, also belonged to us, Azerbaijanis. This historical Azerbaijani state owned a vast territory of 3,500,000 square kilometers and covered the territories of today's Azerbaijan, Iran, Armenia, Afghanistan, Western Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Eastern Turkey, Northeast India and Uzbekistan, as well as the lands of Arab countries (Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman).
In the history of every nation there are wars with triumph or defeats, falls and rises. In 1813 and 1828, according to the Gulistan and Turkmanchay treaties, the territory of Azerbaijan was divided between the Russian Empire and the Shahdom of Iran. Northern Azerbaijan as part of the Russian Empire is today's independent Azerbaijan in which I live. Currently, about 10 million Azerbaijanis live in it. South Azerbaijan (with Tabriz as its capital), which was given to Iran, does not have statehood until now. Currently, about 25 million Azerbaijanis live there. Many people in the world know only North Azerbaijan, since it is an independent state. Azerbaijan is known as a country with significant oil reserves. Its capital, the city of Baku, which is developing and becoming more beautiful, is called the second Dubai. In Eastern countries, our city is also known as a great place for tourism. In the West, Baku is also known as the city where Formula 1 competitions are held.
Each country has its own «most» and «first». Azerbaijan also has something to be proud of. I mentioned that it was the very first democratic Eastern state, and owned the largest empire in the world. Let’s move ahead. The shores of our country are washed by the Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world. The largest number (over 300) of mud volcanoes on the globe account for our territory. The first and most perfect observatory in the East was created in 1259 by the world famous scientist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi in the Azerbaijani city of Maraga. The first sample of the five «Khamse» poems in world literature was created by the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi (XII century). Oil production from the seabed was first carried out in Azerbaijan in 1846. The first female diplomat in the East was Sarah Khatun, who lived in the Azerbaijani state of Aq Qoyunlu in the 15th century. The first opera in the East was written in 1908 by the famous Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov. The first music academy in the East was created in Azerbaijan in 1920. For the first time, the right of choice to women in the East was granted in Azerbaijan in 1918. The first electric train in the East was launched in Azerbaijan in 1926.
I don’t want to continue this list and put the last point here: Lotf Zadeh, a world-famous scientist, the founder of the theory of fuzzy logic (an attempt to connect mathematics with the intuitive way that people talk, think and interact with the world), a teaching that promotes fundamental changes and breakthroughs in the history of mankind, is also an Azerbaijani!
I think the fact that the greatest world leaders talk about a small country, which declared its independence recently, and write about it on the pages of the most influential world editions, cannot but cause pride among its citizens. We, the Azerbaijanis, are used to being proud of that.
«Baku cannot be compared to any other city. There is a huge seaside boulevard with interesting exhibitions and attractions, as well as the old city, the so-called Icheri Sheher, with its labyrinth streets, convenient cafes and carpet shops. Peerless beaches with golden sands, flickering lights of Absheron, luxurious restaurants and clubs, sparkling palace of Cristall Hall…
The rest of the country is no less fascinating. It’s hard to believe that nine out of eleven climate types fall on the territory of Azerbaijan. „Ancient cave paintings, ski resorts, half of the world's mud volcanoes, salt lakes, burning mountains – all this causes great interest.“»
«You feel comfortable when driving along the wide and beautiful road from the airport to the city. Throughout the way, many beautiful buildings and amazing architectural elements attract your attention. The Heydar Aliyev Center is particularly admirable. Evening Baku is an incomparable experience. The bright lighting of the Seaside National Park, central and nearby buildings, bridges, roads. In different parts of the city you can meet cheerful and carefree young people.
One more detail about Baku: you can play chess with veterans of the Second World War in the Seaside Park if you wish.»
Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany)
In the end, dear reader, since the homeland begins with the