Deadlines

“Shubh-shub bolo.....” chided the 'elders', when as a kid, I used to explicitly manifest my inquisitiveness to know about that only certainty in our life... Death!

I am glad that now we are more “practical”, dealing with it... We speak about 'dead' lines day-in-and-day-out (yes mostly nights, when techies approach that “Zero” hour! Approaching 'zero' is of tremendous significance to a spiritual pursuer, for he/she knows the unknowability of 'nothingness' except by experience itself!)...

I was simply 'shaken' when that youngster protested “please don't distract me... I am busy working between deadlines...” . I wondered how can a person position oneself “between” two deadlines? A rare phenomenon of stepping aside from time, into timelessness, and yet glancing at the two time frames... simultaneously? ..... As a simpleton, I could only visualise myself approaching two deadlines ahead of me, not able to picturise “me” between a Dead-deadline, and a 'live-deadline'... thinking thus, I blurted out to that youngster “Do you ever find yourself working towards any 'alive-line”?.... “no...” he replied... “in worst-case scenarios... “ (aha! Again anti-shub... or ashub...).. he added “we have that “extended” deadlines....”... 'Okay', I thought, 'as long as you 'maintain' that familiarity with 'dead' you are 'into' spirituality, whether you like it or not!'..... but kept wondering, how it would be if I were to be standing sandwitched between two long deadlines, dead people lying in two long lines, me.... waiting to choose a 'priority' line!!! Maybe, that is why these youngsters of today face 'stress-related' outcomes too often... all the time 'facing' only 'deadlines' not 'life-lines'!

Mercifully, spirituality does not stipulate any 'dead' line... The whole eternity or.... why be miserly, several endless, infinite eternities ... is waiting till we opt to look at the 'life' or 'life-line' of spirituality, our spirit... that is...!!!

psn(21^st February, 2012)

That preachy-stuff... "Turn Inwards"

I Did not even know then, that it did not work!.....

That was the tender age at which the elders around me liberally showered me with this adage....

That 'showering' in my experience can be likened to a hasty father pouring a bucket full of iced water over the lazy son, refusing to get up from sleep, when it is getting late for school...!

It made me feel cold, when I tried to think over 'how to implement' this 'turning inwards'! (Today, eminent psychiatrists are there to teach us, not to give 'abstract' sermons to children... and a famous example is, shouting at a child who is comfortably perched on a tall feeble branch of that tree “Don't fall”.... That kid finds it difficult to 'carry out' how NOT-TO-FALL... instead, the psychiatrists suggests, try telling the kid “Hold Firmly....” (on to the nearby stronger branch till help reaches...).

But, I had a kind of obstinacy. This obstinacy of mine 'stood me in good stead' in many ways in making a 'reasonable' progress on my yet another obstinate pursuit.... that one, ...of spiritual path! I had been wondering what made me admire those 'aghoris' when most people turned their mind away instantly on reading about what they do! Maybe, I too had a mild, crude form of it in my own 'sense' of that obstinacy! As if to confirm, my mind had churned out a blog about 'breaking point' some time ago!

Anyway,.... turning inwards turned out to be a 'nosey' business (oh! Almost literally!)... Nothing spiritual about my experiments trying to 'experience'... but I did notice the oddities about my nose, at an age when it can be said 'you are too young for that.....(too subtle to notice)'... I had been noticing that 'good' cooks found their appetite 'died' after cooking for a large crowd... Their hunger remained, and they satiated it with another couple of rounds of beverages like 'strong' coffee or tea, and used the same dialogue “I feel well fed, when I find the guests have liked the taste'... Elders tried to 'explain' to me that.... maybe, they are too tired to eat ..... I was not to be put of with such 'touch and go' observations. I was a 'nosey' kid, and found that they(the cooks) tested the aroma with their nostrils too often, to avoid any penal deductions from cooking-fee, for lack of taste! How do they guarantee the taste, by just smelling it? The vast examples of bulk of people approving the smell (fragrance) to be the yard-stick, seemed to console me.... Till, .... I tested with a 'precious' condiment... that 'Elaichi' which was used to top-up the sweet dish 'payasam' or sweet-porridge like thing... The rule was to add it only after the dish had reasonably cooled down.... I tested, tasting the grain of elaichi clove , pinch-clipping my nose for a few seconds! The taste became evident only after releasing the nose! That's it.... There could be several dishes we taste only through our nostrils! (some where I had once read that minutely sliced tiny pieces of onion and apple are indistingushable, if tasted, with clipped nose! I don't know for sure, but am inclined to say... maybe....)

This 'nosey' attitude of mine (not that 'obstinate' attitude.... that one was about doing 'what ever it takes' kind of attitude!).... this 'nosey' attitude led me to admire the nose of a blind man who could smell sunset! (Courtesy: Old Hindi Movie: Koshish... that blind man amazed the hero, announcing on a sea beach, that the sun had 'just' set!... They wondered 'how a blind man.....' and he explained... 'I can smell the sunset'!). I learnt that the sense organs can subtitute each other's function in a crisis, or say “outsource” its job, even 'at-will'..... a lesson that helped me to climb at a slightly higher pace when asked to 'perfect' the art of 'naadi-shuddi' through 'sukha-pranayama' , and such other subtle practices to map-the-inward-turning-path!

Next surprise came about 'inside' when they told me the difference between vital organs and important organs! Eyes are important, but not vital to just 'living' (or we may say 'vegetating'), where as, the kidney being a vital one has ample evidence when we frequent a hospital and 'hear' that 'if his/her kidney is not doing well, it is an indication.... time to inform close relatives! Please see, we do not bother about the 'vitality' of our stomach, and pamper the 'importance' (important to us, .... or.. “we”.... the 'impotent'... shall we say :)....inability to 'respond' to 'liveliness of stomach' the headquarters of all ailments!. This inability is not excusable like that 'differently' abled.... it is 'defiantly' abled, an obstinacy that 'need-not-go-unpunished' ...}... importance... of those few centimeters of taste buds with all the junk that we can find at that unearthly hour in the 'metros' and proudly proclaim, 'metro-lives-at-midnight'!!! {So, ... abuse of condiments, impedes the progress on spiritual path also... brahma-granthi... a knotty problem at 'physical' level, retarding us from turning inwards.}

We have a situation now!

“We have a situation now...” The cop says over a mike, in the English Movies (American)... I could grasp the meaning only after hearing it several times!

I was familiar with another usage “I am situated at....” .... I used to hear this often during my school days. Now it is out of fashion. Now, when 'we have a situation'... it also means, the situation HAS us (got us, stuck in it!).

How do we deal with the situation? How do we get out of it? (Cops have to get into 'situation' (their situation is unique, thrilling, risky, dangerous etc).

I had been putting off, the learning 'to ride a bicyle', for too long.... where as, all most all of my classmates used it daily, to commute to school. A very close friend, decided it is time to push me into it, and we had his cycle at stake (his magnanious choice!), and the school ground empty one summer afternoon(we had 'morning' school during hot months). In a matter of about 30 minutes, I could stay on the seat, use the pedal, and keep going straight.... only straight... not yet ready to turn left/right.

Once I got a feel of it, my focus got diluted, and now my future problems cropped up.... Right now the ground is vacant, no sharp turns, no narrow lanes, easy to ride. But what to do when somebody abruptly comes in front of me? I knew the effect of sudden braking. (As if reading my thoughts, that friend of mine took another cycle of a common friend, and deliberately brought it across ..... cutting my path. I banged my cycle into his, and both of us fell. No serious injuries. That friend was giving me a 'feel' of what accidents look like! I got over the fear, and never had any serious accident during 40 years of driving two/four-wheeler autos even!(Experience pays.... I got the concept!)

Sermons(that we get to hear, and a few of them that find an appeal in us) never come really handy when we get into 'situations'! (That is why the 'Kolaveri-di', when we hear the 'preachy' stuff!).... It seems easy to grasp, or even try out the teachings, like the smooth straight ride on an open ground, for a beginner on cycle-riding...... no sooner there is a crowd of problems, chaotic traffic like situation, these sermons seem to further confuse us coming to us(memory recollection), in pairs, with opposite meanings! (Somebody sent me a mail, with pairs of proverbs, carrying a meaning just the opposite of each other!).

So, how to deal with the 'situation'? The first hurdle usually is that our negative emotions overpower us even before we get to understand the situation fully. Even with sufficient practice, chaotic traffic makes us tense, when we are caught in the middle of it, driving a vehicle... Only one category of vehicle drivers seem unruffled by any kind of traffic ... situation, that is...... the youth who got hold of their prized bike, brand new, stylish look, etc.... Not that they do not get into accidents. For that, the worrying part/task, they 'outsource' it to their parents, who are bankers provided by nature! But, they are not tense about the situation. That is the point. (May be they cause tension to others on road). They enjoy riding it, whatever the situation. That is the essence. If somehow, we can get that attitude(remaining joyous in chaotic situation), we would do far better in life-situations, learning each time, evolving faster with each situation, and keep riding / gliding through life, throughout life. Emotions like fear & anger cloud our vision, and the situation appears blurred. We begin to scramble, and if too many around shout, we get further confused!

To make a small beginning, maintaining that breath-awareness might help to retain the calm, joyousness (anyways, we need to keep breathing all the time.... just try to maintain the breath awareness... no big risk, no big task... if it does not work, just drop it!).

(I had just managed learning, to take along somebody(even two people) on bicycle as a pillion rider/s.... I still envy those who could hold the left handle-bar of another bicycle, with their right hand, and ride both, seated on one! They are like Guru's on spiritual path, they can carry even an-other vehicle along, remain stable themselves, and teach others to ride well!)

psn(7^th February, 2012)

Specialisation and Skill

I found, most people use these two terms quite effortlessly, where as, I found great difficulty and was quite often very apprehensive that it is not really so interchangeable!

While it is not my intention to detest or even persuade or provoke others to refrain or restrain themselves from using it interchangeably, I felt it is time to share my own views, and the residual benefit by taking “yet another perspective” (mine, this time, right or wrong)!...

As a simple example, a worker who specialises in brick laying is usually referred to as a skilled labour, where as the helper who fetches the brick does not merit any skill or speciality!

As a bit complex example, a specialist-doctor would demonstrate a skill at surgery! (Whether the patient survives or not, depends upon the amount of skill, and the special knowledge that the doctor carries in his brain, at the time of surgery and before deciding upon the surgery.

Like this we have several examples, and even instances of negative application, like a skilled witness who carries the justice to the wrong side..... Yes, we are at once reminded of the skill of the lawyer who turns the whole case in favour of his/her client!

The confusion occurs where skill and specialisation overlap, or get 'seamlessly interwoven' as the techies skillfully put it! Where specialisation fails them, techies skillfully cut and paste the codes of a program, to tide over the nagging bug! (Please try countering this statement, and I shall feel highly obliged to learn! Yes, some people do 'specialise' in hacking... it is a laudable branch, and specialists are most 'sought-after' by head-hunters, for security, if not anything else! Skill is perhaps required only in camouflaging this specialisation to avoid the prying eye of a competetor. I am not competent enough to elaborate any further please.....).

My doubt is, whether specialisation aims at in-depth knowledge, coupled with extreme sensitivity, alertness, awareness and presence of mind, while skill depends largely on intense practice, effortless ease due to repetitive performance. A car driver needs skill, leaving the area of specialisation as a matter of choice in areas of ambiguity like finding out the right hotel, locating the correct address, sifting the correct place out of similar looking names of location etc...

Now, we come to interpersonal skills..... oh! I blurted out the same 'familiar' words quite mechanically, out of large data-bank of memory of having heard the frequent use of the term! Do we require any 'special' attention to handle relationship, or is it merely enough to have the 'communication-skill' to get into a lasting relationship! Special attention is the perpetual demand of any kind of specialisation (as I see), while skill takes off the need to be alert (a skilled cyclist can ride leaving both the hands... off the handle-bar, a skilled stenographer can take dictation and accurately transcribe any junk (what I mean is, the words beyond comprehension, ... jargon,..... or........ a topic not worth getting at its meaning... like some routine 'report' to higher authorities, statutory bodies etc! .... It is here that I get an old doubt back..... some of my class-mates earned a “good” by repeating the contents of a text book, due to their sheer skill at reproducing the words verbatim, where as I used to struggle to grapple the concept, thereby taking inordinate delay in even securing a just-pass marks!... Somehow, that by-hearting never made a successful appeal to me! It is not that I did lack memory.... At work place, I happened to surprise several colleagues , when I used to reel off numbers from books of accounts, dates of routine transactions, out of multitudes of data!.... All this was not any kind of skill, and I am yet to find out how it crept into my memory, and came out instantly at will, at the appropriate time!).... My chase for specialisation was an unending one, like chasing the mirage on hot sand at mid-day!.... Personally, the gains out of this chase seemed purely 'incidental' and by no means to be considered as a skill (the so called 'gains' I mean..).

I am reminded of a joke (I read it in a 'respectable' magazine, much to my surprise, but never had the courage to share it, out of embarrasment of course.... and even now, I am not sure if the situation justifies it..... only readers have to decide)... The joke was like this.... It so happened that a professor was demonstrating the efficacy of an injectable drug to a group of students, at a veterinary college. The lecture/session was intended to demonstrate induced mating for breeding purpose. The four legged animal did not respond to the injection. The professor became nervous. The keeper of the animal, who never had any access to the book-knowledge, but had adequate experience of the demonstration (several batches of students/professors over several years of his 'unstinted' service) saved the situation by gently pulling out a hair from the genital area of the animal. The response was adequate, and the students were impressed. But, one voice from the rear spoiled the whole show with a remark “Oh! Now I know why my uncle lost all his hair, and became prematurely bald!

(If the joke seems to have an appeal, then it is a 'case' of skill ruling over specialisation.... But if it does not appeal, please, for heaven's sake do not tear apart your hair.... Not worth bald(en)ing... ).

Either ways, time to stop the narrative!

(Spirituality, by itself, does not make any demands either on specialisation or skill, unless we intend to impress others!.... The venerable Masters remind ... that we undertake the 'practices' each time, as if you are doing it for the first time!)

psn(4^th February, 2012)