RADHICA DE SILVA
Having been booted out of politics by former UNC loyalists seven years ago, political war monger and former prime minister Basdeo Panday says he no longer has a spiteful bone in his body because he has finally found a way to love his political enemies.
Panday was addressing students of his Alma Mater, Presentation College, during their prize giving function in San Fernando on Friday.
Saying he was starting to lose his voice having shouted at people for 35 years during his political career, Panday said when he left politics in 2010 he began searching for the key to happiness. After seven years of studying the writings of the great philosophers, Panday said he has finally succeeded in finding true happiness by removing bitterness, envy, anger, jealousy and hatred from his heart.
“I am quite a different person now. When I left politics or should I say when politics left me I began to think about the purpose of life and I turned to the writings of great philosophers. I found out the cause of unhappiness was unfulfilled desires. Happiness was not dependent on external factors like having material things but the secret lay in the heart and mind.
“How could you be happy if you were plotting revenge? To be happy I had to replace negative thinking with positive thinking,” he said as the audience applauded.
He explained that after much soul searching he took out negativity from his heart and began to diligently find reasons to love those he hated.
“Today I have no enemies and I can truly say that I don’t have a spiteful bone in my body and I have never been happier in my life. If you don’t believe me, then try it,” Panday said to loud applause He also advised students —"Be the best that you can be at whatever you are doing and the future will take care of itself."