My father used to tell us bed-time stories. How well I understood them was not his problem. And I was myself a problematic kid even then, so quite a few of them did work or wove into funny ways, conjuring up funny ideas into my little head. One of such stories stayed within me for too long a time. The reason was the questions it raised.
This story had two characters. One was an aged Namboodiri, belonging to what was regarded as an orthodox, sacred and pious type of people. The other was his very close friend , a Christian priest! I realized later during the adulthood, that this story was quite true, and did happen! But the names of the places, where these two people hailed was too complex, beyond my ability to even repeat, so no way to remember. Names of people and the places they live in, get almost welded like those gas-welding of metals! When I asked about such complexity in names, my father narrated a small joke: It seems there was a Nair, whose first name was Raman. Now there are dozens of “Raman Nair’s” all over the village. So people identified him with a herbal shrub “Kanjhara” beside his house. So he became ‘Kanjhara Raman Nair”. After this name stuck too hard to him, he felt irritated, because it diminished his own grandeur, his family, its house etc, and gave some silly undue importance to a stupid shrub. People even called him for short ‘Kanjhara’ and so on. One day he simply chopped the shrub, at its trunk, leaving just a barren stub. But, the name now simply became “kanjhara-kutti-Raman-Nair” ! ‘Kutti” means a ‘stub’ or a short pole. He now got really annoyed, and uprooted the stub, right from below ground level, not sparing even the roots. Now, his anger, annoyance, and stubbornness was quite visible, when people passed by, noticing a deep hole in the earth where that innocent shrub had once stood. But by now, people had got so much used to addressing him with that ‘Kanjhara’ prefix that, they simply added that pit-hole, to make it as ‘Kanjhara-kutti-kuzhi-Raman-Nair’ !! Yes, you don’t need to be told the meaning for the word ‘kuzhi’!
Sorry, for leaving the main story with just titles. Our Namboodiri friend was once afflicted very badly with some kind of serious skin ailment. No doctor could find a cure. He tried all types of known concoctions in ayurveda! Then he turned to his friend the Christian priest, and asked him if he could do something. Very peculiarly, this Namboodiri maintained a ‘safe’ distance on every aspect from this Christian priest, because of their diverse religious faiths. Yet, this Namboodiri could never pluck out the friendship and love that he ‘naturally’ felt for this priest. The priest in turn, respected the other’s sentiments, understood very deeply the other’s love for him, and never became a cause of concern to ever reduce the heart-level-intimacy, though proximity was always at an arms-length! Namboodiri knew that this priest had medical skills too, but came to him only as a last resort, just because he was very hesitant about physical examination by him! But now the ailment had aggravated and spread around visibly enough. The priest prescribed a medicine, which included some python’s fat as an ingredient. Our Namboodiri was visibly annoyed at such ridiculous suggestion, knowing fully well, that his religion rigidly prescribed strict vegetarianism, this priest had the audacity to suggest a snake-fat for consumption! Namboodiri retorted “to hell with your medicine, your friendship and all. I shall go to my last resort now, my faith in my prayer, my God.” Having said thus, the priest did not turn up for the joint-morning-walk, they usually had together, and the only time they nourished the friendship each day. After a few weeks, the Namboodiri got cured! He now felt his first duty to be to storm into that priest’s place and declare with emphatic proof that his own faith was good enough to cure! The priest smiled calmly. He then humbly and politely asked what exactly the Namboodiri did by way of rituals, to merit this benediction. “Oh!” said the Namboodiri, cutting the story short, ‘nothing much, I used to get into the river water up to waist level, chant incantations, sip holy water several times, in between, and invoke divine blessings. I did this for few hours each day, as a rigorous penance’ he added. There was nothing more to probe into this miracle, felt our Namboodiri. The priest now politely requested ‘do you mind taking me to the very place where you performed this ritual?’. The Namboodiri proudly marched his friend to the very spot along the river banks. The river was small, with some modest flow. The priest took a look, and now suggested that they walk a little further, along the flow, upwards. Very soon, they reached a spot where the water was flowing out of a narrow gap between two huge rocks. Somehow a very large python had got trapped between these two rocks, leaving them to even guess as to how it died. But it was quite visible, that it had remained there for a few weeks, trapped, undisturbed, and the flow of water over its huge and long body ensured that did not rot in dry humid air. Now it was the Priest’s turn to explain. He said ‘My good friend, with due respect to your faith, it was also the very same snake-fat, but in larger and raw doses that did the work!’ The rest of the story does not matter.
This is how concept works sometimes!
Concepts are usually too subtle. So what good could a ‘concept-about-concept’ do to us, to be easily understood first? I found a chapter(‘Concept Formation’) in one of the books by a renowned author, ‘Ayn Rand’ where she describes ‘concept of concepts’ in the book, entitled ‘Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology’. I cannot but help quoting one sentence I loved, in it : “… In this sense and respect, perceptual awareness is the arithmetic, but conceptual awareness is the algebra of cognition”. I would not even venture to go any further about that. But yes. Each is left to one’s own concepts about everything. Some scientific concepts are thrust upon us in school text books, and we are fortunate that nobody challenges us about it at degree level or ever thereafter!
Somehow, I have a feeling that most of us are now very reluctant to look at simple things with the ‘respect’ it deserves! Perhaps that is why those simple rituals, simple traditions, got scoffed at and got lost into oblivion over a period of time. The more complex a gadget is, that we have, more the respect it fetches to us! Complex solutions have some kind of instant magical appeal! That is what made me think about those old-fashioned concepts, the two liners that the ancient simple saints and sages sang for their disciples, what we call as ‘Kabeer’s doha’, Vemmanna’s Padyamu, etc. Oh! Is it that what we ‘perceive’ is going to become what we conceive, and the concept? Then, it is verily our perception levels that decides as to what and how we perceive, and in turn we then ‘conceive’ it. Perhaps exactly, just like it is described in biology text books, only one in million sperms get a chance for human womb to get ‘conceived’ with it! No wonder even that process is made far too complex and costly too, for us now!
Psychiatrists invariably make lot of money, when we love to get addicted to complexities and complications! Oh! It all started when I looked at the ‘best’ answer for a very simple question in ‘Yahoo Answers Forum(How can u memorize easily?), and then I too inadvertently got trapped into forwarding it as a ‘worth’ reading mail to a few of my young recipients! I don’t know whether it was my laziness or what, that I told myself, ‘Oh! Mercifully, it is any way not for me now, at this age!’
My collection of concept says, not to make this too long now, so I give just the web link to the question, only for those who like to take a look at it.
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhAODhQRJYXbmc_QEx_iWQaRHQx.;_ylv=3?qid=20090523001631AAT8ple&show=7#profile-info-3e8fFRCIaa
Conceptually yours,
Psn (25th May, 2009)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The LED, let it remain ON!
Most gadgets that we use today, have those LEDs to tell us the power is on. Including the one to which we run up to when we have doubts if there is a power failure—the “mains” switchboard that ‘houses’ the LEDs.
I have a small weakness or a problem. Right from the childhood. Teachers in my school used to caution us saying “Please close all your physics text books! Please switch off the physics from your mind, that was the previous period…. Now it is Maths!”….
Like all other students, I too obeyed the teacher, about closing the text book. But, switching off the mind from that topic abruptly was a problem. It still is. Then, it used to raise funny questions, like, I ask myself (in my ‘unswitched’ mind, ofcourse), why does not the flame-tongue of a candle go horizontally, if we hold the candle horizontally instead of vertically?
It is only very recently I discovered that there is a small advantage of not switching off!
And then I just refined (or I just fine tuned myself)….
LEDs do not consume much power. Just a very small glow. That is why we have cheaper torches now, that do not eat up battery cells like it used to.
All I did was to look at that “on” position in my little head as an LED , the alertness!
Most of my good friends who used to respond that innocent childhood liveliness during my school days are now busy with long brooding faces! May be they forgot to switch off the main power supply to the incessantly rotating motor of the hard-disk in their brains! They hardly manage to get out one problem out of their heads, while ten more newer problems tend to creep in, and now even their dual-core-processors struggle ! I am left gaping, when I wonder how they forgot to switch off their mind from one problem to attend to another, like they used to when switching off physics, and turning on to Maths!
How I became an odd fellow, too is a funny phenomenon. During the black and white film days, even flash was an ‘use-and-throw’ bulb. During marriage functions, the flash-photographer really used to struggle to get that precious picture on celluloid. The film was too slow. Most importantly, the sanctum area was slightly ‘out-of-bounds’ for him. And many a times, the picture of the ‘crowning’ moment showed only the ‘tuft’ of the priest! That fellow would suddenly lean forward to reach the groom, to hand over the holy water, sprinkle it on his palms, or something like that! This character, the priest was an odd man of sorts! In the whole gathering, he is the only one exempted from ‘code-of-conduct’ (like those election-period code of conduct, switched on after notification of election dates, and switched off after results are ‘formally’ handed over to President). Our priest does not need to wear even a banian, while it is mandatory for all men and women to be in their new, best and only silk dresses! He can shout whenever he pleases, order anybody to do anything! A reverse code of conduct! I don’t know if my funny brain assumed such positions, to get along being an odd fellow!
I do not blame the teachers at all for asking the students to switch off their physics etc. They had their own constraints. I happened to notice that teachers scheduled all their classes to happen within the first three quarters of the day. It was the Saaars—not czars, mind you (male teachers are always ‘Sir’ here!). So, most of the last periods of the day are manned by Sirs, while most first few periods are ‘wommenned’ by teachers. So, there was no need to look at the sequence of classes from the point of view of ‘promoting’ cohesive or progressive sequence, the consequential intelligence for the students. Those who continued to attend the ‘classes’ during their deputation for ‘training’ at work place would at least agree, what happens in the class during the post-lunch sessions!
It is when I learnt of an interesting session (about a methodology at IIMs) that I happened to re-look at my own LED! It seems, the management trainees were asked to solve a tough problem in a group discussion. After some time, they were asked to re-group differently, and spend just about 5 minutes to solve another puzzle, leaving the problem for a while. After ‘failing’ at the puzzle-group, they got back to their original problematic groups, and continued attempting the problem-solving. Then, after a while, the entire class was asked to turn their chairs, leaving the groups, problems and puzzles unsolved, to now face the lecturer. The lecturer explained, that the problem and puzzle, both were deliberately made tough. The idea of the session was to enable the candidates to EXPERIENCE and not just theorize or opinionate the phenomenon that happened in their brains. One set of brain cells were engaged incessantly to solve a problem. When they turned to look at puzzle, another set of brain cells were now engaged, leaving the former problematic-fatigued cells to rest & recoup. When then returned to problem, leaving the puzzle, they were expected to experience of their own, some freshness in their capability to look at the old problem. The theme was that if we refuse to put down the tumbler and hold it in our hands for too long, the hands would ache torturously! I looked at it, also as, not to switch off the LED, the alertness of mind, in the name of taking rest from brain-storming sessions, in our daily life. Perhaps, our mind-LEDs take a lot of time to ‘restart’ like those thermal power stations!
If it will not be too much of a strain, I am tempted to narrate a small ‘session’ I happened to devise for a kid of 8th class. This kid, I felt, might have some rigidities about me, due to age gap, and the ‘template’ in his mind that ‘elders have to be obeyed’ choicelessly. Where as, my aim was to help him to see that it was Okay to keep mathematics ‘on’ while looking at an experiment of physics, to be able to co-relate both cohesively, and also to understand the logic in a deeper way.
This was what I asked him to read, and act ‘as he wished to’, upon it.
Quote:
No compulsion . ONLY IF YOU WILLINGLY WISH TO TRY!
SPEND A MINUTE TO BECOME CALM IN MIND
Now, read the following sentences, only one at a time. After reading one sentence please wait…….
See if you are able to agree completely.
If “yes” , then, there should be no problem in visualizing it! Try maximum CLARITY, details in the image (the visuals) like we try for more PIXELS & resolution in the Monitor/Printer images.
THE SENTENCES:
What is the shortest distance between two points ‘A’ & ‘B’? A straight line. Yes?
Light travels in a straight line. Yes?
Shortest distance between the upper tip of the flame of a candle light and a pin hole in a card board placed a little away vertically.
Now, extend the same straight line through the pin hole till it touches another card board placed similarly, with the same gap of distance, beyond pin hole card board.
Repeat 3 & 4 for another ray of light traveling from lower tip of the flame towards the same pin hole.
The image of the flame HAS TO BE inverted (on the 2nd card board)
Now, what about the Human eye? What about the image that WE see?
(children are FOND of bending down and looking backwards between their knees!) Are they trying to press the “UNDO” button of their brain ? ? ! ! !
Unquote:
There was a joke, I heard from a friend who had returned to India, after a long time. His son, who was brought up in a concrete jungle, in that foreign country was in for a big surprise when they walked out of the airport. Everything was strange for that kid. He happened to see a buffalo being goaded, by the milkman, walking ahead of him. Suddenly, he tugged his father’s hand and said “Babuji , See, it couldn’t wait” !!! My friend turned to look at what the kid was trying to say. He saw that the buffalo was dropping the dung even as it was walking!
Usually, when I happen to conjure up something out of 'my' idiot box, I try it out with somebody around, to see if it was worth mailing. But this time, even I feel, “I couldn’t wait”, like that poor buffalo!
Illuminatingly yours,PSN(20th May, 2009)
I have a small weakness or a problem. Right from the childhood. Teachers in my school used to caution us saying “Please close all your physics text books! Please switch off the physics from your mind, that was the previous period…. Now it is Maths!”….
Like all other students, I too obeyed the teacher, about closing the text book. But, switching off the mind from that topic abruptly was a problem. It still is. Then, it used to raise funny questions, like, I ask myself (in my ‘unswitched’ mind, ofcourse), why does not the flame-tongue of a candle go horizontally, if we hold the candle horizontally instead of vertically?
It is only very recently I discovered that there is a small advantage of not switching off!
And then I just refined (or I just fine tuned myself)….
LEDs do not consume much power. Just a very small glow. That is why we have cheaper torches now, that do not eat up battery cells like it used to.
All I did was to look at that “on” position in my little head as an LED , the alertness!
Most of my good friends who used to respond that innocent childhood liveliness during my school days are now busy with long brooding faces! May be they forgot to switch off the main power supply to the incessantly rotating motor of the hard-disk in their brains! They hardly manage to get out one problem out of their heads, while ten more newer problems tend to creep in, and now even their dual-core-processors struggle ! I am left gaping, when I wonder how they forgot to switch off their mind from one problem to attend to another, like they used to when switching off physics, and turning on to Maths!
How I became an odd fellow, too is a funny phenomenon. During the black and white film days, even flash was an ‘use-and-throw’ bulb. During marriage functions, the flash-photographer really used to struggle to get that precious picture on celluloid. The film was too slow. Most importantly, the sanctum area was slightly ‘out-of-bounds’ for him. And many a times, the picture of the ‘crowning’ moment showed only the ‘tuft’ of the priest! That fellow would suddenly lean forward to reach the groom, to hand over the holy water, sprinkle it on his palms, or something like that! This character, the priest was an odd man of sorts! In the whole gathering, he is the only one exempted from ‘code-of-conduct’ (like those election-period code of conduct, switched on after notification of election dates, and switched off after results are ‘formally’ handed over to President). Our priest does not need to wear even a banian, while it is mandatory for all men and women to be in their new, best and only silk dresses! He can shout whenever he pleases, order anybody to do anything! A reverse code of conduct! I don’t know if my funny brain assumed such positions, to get along being an odd fellow!
I do not blame the teachers at all for asking the students to switch off their physics etc. They had their own constraints. I happened to notice that teachers scheduled all their classes to happen within the first three quarters of the day. It was the Saaars—not czars, mind you (male teachers are always ‘Sir’ here!). So, most of the last periods of the day are manned by Sirs, while most first few periods are ‘wommenned’ by teachers. So, there was no need to look at the sequence of classes from the point of view of ‘promoting’ cohesive or progressive sequence, the consequential intelligence for the students. Those who continued to attend the ‘classes’ during their deputation for ‘training’ at work place would at least agree, what happens in the class during the post-lunch sessions!
It is when I learnt of an interesting session (about a methodology at IIMs) that I happened to re-look at my own LED! It seems, the management trainees were asked to solve a tough problem in a group discussion. After some time, they were asked to re-group differently, and spend just about 5 minutes to solve another puzzle, leaving the problem for a while. After ‘failing’ at the puzzle-group, they got back to their original problematic groups, and continued attempting the problem-solving. Then, after a while, the entire class was asked to turn their chairs, leaving the groups, problems and puzzles unsolved, to now face the lecturer. The lecturer explained, that the problem and puzzle, both were deliberately made tough. The idea of the session was to enable the candidates to EXPERIENCE and not just theorize or opinionate the phenomenon that happened in their brains. One set of brain cells were engaged incessantly to solve a problem. When they turned to look at puzzle, another set of brain cells were now engaged, leaving the former problematic-fatigued cells to rest & recoup. When then returned to problem, leaving the puzzle, they were expected to experience of their own, some freshness in their capability to look at the old problem. The theme was that if we refuse to put down the tumbler and hold it in our hands for too long, the hands would ache torturously! I looked at it, also as, not to switch off the LED, the alertness of mind, in the name of taking rest from brain-storming sessions, in our daily life. Perhaps, our mind-LEDs take a lot of time to ‘restart’ like those thermal power stations!
If it will not be too much of a strain, I am tempted to narrate a small ‘session’ I happened to devise for a kid of 8th class. This kid, I felt, might have some rigidities about me, due to age gap, and the ‘template’ in his mind that ‘elders have to be obeyed’ choicelessly. Where as, my aim was to help him to see that it was Okay to keep mathematics ‘on’ while looking at an experiment of physics, to be able to co-relate both cohesively, and also to understand the logic in a deeper way.
This was what I asked him to read, and act ‘as he wished to’, upon it.
Quote:
No compulsion . ONLY IF YOU WILLINGLY WISH TO TRY!
SPEND A MINUTE TO BECOME CALM IN MIND
Now, read the following sentences, only one at a time. After reading one sentence please wait…….
See if you are able to agree completely.
If “yes” , then, there should be no problem in visualizing it! Try maximum CLARITY, details in the image (the visuals) like we try for more PIXELS & resolution in the Monitor/Printer images.
THE SENTENCES:
What is the shortest distance between two points ‘A’ & ‘B’? A straight line. Yes?
Light travels in a straight line. Yes?
Shortest distance between the upper tip of the flame of a candle light and a pin hole in a card board placed a little away vertically.
Now, extend the same straight line through the pin hole till it touches another card board placed similarly, with the same gap of distance, beyond pin hole card board.
Repeat 3 & 4 for another ray of light traveling from lower tip of the flame towards the same pin hole.
The image of the flame HAS TO BE inverted (on the 2nd card board)
Now, what about the Human eye? What about the image that WE see?
(children are FOND of bending down and looking backwards between their knees!) Are they trying to press the “UNDO” button of their brain ? ? ! ! !
Unquote:
There was a joke, I heard from a friend who had returned to India, after a long time. His son, who was brought up in a concrete jungle, in that foreign country was in for a big surprise when they walked out of the airport. Everything was strange for that kid. He happened to see a buffalo being goaded, by the milkman, walking ahead of him. Suddenly, he tugged his father’s hand and said “Babuji , See, it couldn’t wait” !!! My friend turned to look at what the kid was trying to say. He saw that the buffalo was dropping the dung even as it was walking!
Usually, when I happen to conjure up something out of 'my' idiot box, I try it out with somebody around, to see if it was worth mailing. But this time, even I feel, “I couldn’t wait”, like that poor buffalo!
Illuminatingly yours,PSN(20th May, 2009)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Opinion
Yes, it is about opinion itself, from me, not just an opinion! Whether it is still an opinion (by me, for you…), though about opinion, is a matter of your opinion, again depending upon how heavily opinionated you are!
We all know why that “Opinion” poll was prohibited until at least all the phases of voting for election was over! Perhaps, the politicians are themselves scared of their own weaponry!
That is the power of Opinion!
People who were very impressed by that “Gandhi-giri” (Lage Raho-MunnaBhai Movie), were even eager to try it out! But they might be too shy to talk about or admitting it if it failed. The reason as to why Gandhi-giri did not happen to work for them is not too far to seek. It works only if it is accompanied by a “public opinion being mobilized”.
Showing another cheek if slapped on one, should be only in full public view ! Policemen actually specialize in trace-less slapping in a closed questioning-room, during investigation, and ‘showing the other cheek’ is no more a matter of choice there! Does it work!
Shaheed Bhagat Singh was not the only one to be hanged during freedom struggle. But he did understand the power of ‘public-opinion’ and it was indeed a Gandhi-giri style (being hanged for just non-violently exploding a bunch of leaflets in full public view, right inside the parliament premises!)
I wonder if those who are staunch followers of non-violence would really show the other cheek to a mosquito which lands upon one cheek to bite, or would they inadvertently slap themselves and then ‘claim’ that it was a part of non-violence too, to slap their own faces!
The present day generation is flooded with opinions of all kinds. Most of the time, we are led by opinion. Even psychiatrists seem to try that “auto-self-suggestion” as a technique, because, may be, when we tell the same thing many times to ourselves, it becomes like a public opinion to us , (public is after all “many”, so many times could be ‘equal to’ public!)
Some time or other we might have wondered, as to why we are unable to ‘hang’ on to a resolution, a decision, a determination, which we feel is needed to improve ourselves! I am tempted to look at that decision as an ‘opinion’, that is why perhaps it did not work. Opinions by themselves do not ‘perform’. The subtle nature of ‘opinion’ reminds me of that cotton-ball type of sweet candy or so which just loses it size when ‘chewed’, though it initially teases our cheeks, trying to stick on! I am voluntarily ready to disclose that the mythological character “Hanuman” gains his power not out of any opinion by onlookers, but by being “reminded” of the truth, that he did possess enormous powers (Hanuman was to remain under a spell/curse, that unless reminded, his powers were to remain latent). So it not a psychiatric ‘suggestion’ to Hanuman that worked. Suppose we lost some heavy amount by way of pick-pocket, when that amount was badly needed to save the life of a near & dear one, then we have learnt a lesson. Now we do not need a resolve, borrowing it as a dependable opinion that “it is good to beware of pick-pockets”. But, not all are depending on such hard lessons. For example intellectuals, scientists, etc can easily foresee the harm of mis-handling a hazardous material, and know of their own wisdom, that abundant care is needed. It we the ‘common’ men who find it convenient to float on opinions, instead of taking the efforts to swim across decisively to a goal!
Spirituality does not support, unfortunately, any kind of dependence on opinion. Even if a spiritual practice is done sincerely, but is ‘driven’ by an opinion, the benefits could be just incidental, physical and quite attractive, but not a lasting one, in spiritual terms.
Marketing techniques are at its best, from results point of view, when an opinion is created first, and then a product is marketed. Day in and out, we are choicelessly showered upon with opinions, and therefore what else would we become, over a period of time… “Man is but a bundle of opinions”?! All the time, we are worried about “what 4 people will say?” (that was the joke, when the Indian-language-version was translated).
Now, it really calls for “own” opinion, “original” opinion, or shall we say, a “well considered” opinion (that brain-storming, nerve-wrecking session), if at all someone is inclined to respond? No problems. I know, what it takes for a response to ‘snow-ball’ into an opinion, if we feel it safe that way, before we attempt to sincerely respond.
Opinionatively yours,
Psn (18th May, 2009)
We all know why that “Opinion” poll was prohibited until at least all the phases of voting for election was over! Perhaps, the politicians are themselves scared of their own weaponry!
That is the power of Opinion!
People who were very impressed by that “Gandhi-giri” (Lage Raho-MunnaBhai Movie), were even eager to try it out! But they might be too shy to talk about or admitting it if it failed. The reason as to why Gandhi-giri did not happen to work for them is not too far to seek. It works only if it is accompanied by a “public opinion being mobilized”.
Showing another cheek if slapped on one, should be only in full public view ! Policemen actually specialize in trace-less slapping in a closed questioning-room, during investigation, and ‘showing the other cheek’ is no more a matter of choice there! Does it work!
Shaheed Bhagat Singh was not the only one to be hanged during freedom struggle. But he did understand the power of ‘public-opinion’ and it was indeed a Gandhi-giri style (being hanged for just non-violently exploding a bunch of leaflets in full public view, right inside the parliament premises!)
I wonder if those who are staunch followers of non-violence would really show the other cheek to a mosquito which lands upon one cheek to bite, or would they inadvertently slap themselves and then ‘claim’ that it was a part of non-violence too, to slap their own faces!
The present day generation is flooded with opinions of all kinds. Most of the time, we are led by opinion. Even psychiatrists seem to try that “auto-self-suggestion” as a technique, because, may be, when we tell the same thing many times to ourselves, it becomes like a public opinion to us , (public is after all “many”, so many times could be ‘equal to’ public!)
Some time or other we might have wondered, as to why we are unable to ‘hang’ on to a resolution, a decision, a determination, which we feel is needed to improve ourselves! I am tempted to look at that decision as an ‘opinion’, that is why perhaps it did not work. Opinions by themselves do not ‘perform’. The subtle nature of ‘opinion’ reminds me of that cotton-ball type of sweet candy or so which just loses it size when ‘chewed’, though it initially teases our cheeks, trying to stick on! I am voluntarily ready to disclose that the mythological character “Hanuman” gains his power not out of any opinion by onlookers, but by being “reminded” of the truth, that he did possess enormous powers (Hanuman was to remain under a spell/curse, that unless reminded, his powers were to remain latent). So it not a psychiatric ‘suggestion’ to Hanuman that worked. Suppose we lost some heavy amount by way of pick-pocket, when that amount was badly needed to save the life of a near & dear one, then we have learnt a lesson. Now we do not need a resolve, borrowing it as a dependable opinion that “it is good to beware of pick-pockets”. But, not all are depending on such hard lessons. For example intellectuals, scientists, etc can easily foresee the harm of mis-handling a hazardous material, and know of their own wisdom, that abundant care is needed. It we the ‘common’ men who find it convenient to float on opinions, instead of taking the efforts to swim across decisively to a goal!
Spirituality does not support, unfortunately, any kind of dependence on opinion. Even if a spiritual practice is done sincerely, but is ‘driven’ by an opinion, the benefits could be just incidental, physical and quite attractive, but not a lasting one, in spiritual terms.
Marketing techniques are at its best, from results point of view, when an opinion is created first, and then a product is marketed. Day in and out, we are choicelessly showered upon with opinions, and therefore what else would we become, over a period of time… “Man is but a bundle of opinions”?! All the time, we are worried about “what 4 people will say?” (that was the joke, when the Indian-language-version was translated).
Now, it really calls for “own” opinion, “original” opinion, or shall we say, a “well considered” opinion (that brain-storming, nerve-wrecking session), if at all someone is inclined to respond? No problems. I know, what it takes for a response to ‘snow-ball’ into an opinion, if we feel it safe that way, before we attempt to sincerely respond.
Opinionatively yours,
Psn (18th May, 2009)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Political awareness
Recently, I was persuaded to join a web-page forum, by a youngster from USA. I was hesitant, initially, being aware of my ignorance about politics, like any other lay person. But he somehow managed to persuade me, with his sincere appeal in his mails.
I was all along wondering as to how I could be of help, in ‘active’ participation, in discussions on that forum. I never had an occasion to focus on ‘discussing’ politics with a concerted effort. Yet, living for so long amidst a society, which is renowned globally for being the largest democracy, with most number of political parties, and those parties with multi-dimensional ideologies, all this emanating from the very nature of fabric of the nation, its culture, heritage, long history, secular nature, multi-religious people etc., I was naturally exposed to observing the unique nature of politics. It is therefore not surprising that even the structure of syllabus for politics taught as a ‘science’ in our Universities seems to evade that comprehensive edifice! The fallout of this phenomenon is that there are more number of less literate people who head politics more successfully than the people who attempted to study it first in a structured manner. Practical real life experience remains the better tutor!
So, I managed to put forth my views on awareness about politics, from a lay person’s view point.
The forum too presents navigational teething-troubles to me, since it is managed by expert youngsters of that highly computer-literate country!
I had to ask very basic questions like:
a). Whether it is worth at all for publishing as a ‘post’ for discussion
b) If it is worthy, then, to which section (topic) does this appropriately fit in
c) Or, regardless of the contents being worth publishing whether the topic “Discussions on Need for improving the level of awareness about politics amongst citizens” warrants a new section (like that “36th (new) Chamber of Shaolin” !).
Before I proceed with the topic, I would like you to know that I would be awaiting your kind comments/views/feedback/response/criticism etc with an open mind!
Now the topic:
Political awareness
An increase of just 2 inches in the ocean’s water level would have a tremendous impact on the ecological balance due to the incalculable quantity of incremental water! Almost similar is the rate of progress of a nation, if the general public, the vast spread citizens of a nation happen to become a little more aware than previously, if they learn about the ingredients of ‘what constitutes to make a good politician/political party’ that would enable the nation to progress well.
I would therefore try to look at it from a ‘lay-man’s’ view point, rather than involve in the ‘scientific’ type of study of politics (for which there are numerous and more competent universities everywhere!).
Basically, a good politician needs to be
1. an all-rounder, a ‘jack of all trades’ as they say, to be able to take political decisions which would not adversely affect any particular section of the society.
2. A person who extends the idea of ‘personal’ integrity, honesty, ethics, values etc beyond oneself, to reach all the sections of the society, to act as a conscience keeper of the society. For example, the vast powers that a political head acquires when elected, would weaken his ability to withstand the temptations to use it for vested interests! The present crisis due to recession is perhaps a typical example. It is a cumulative effect of unbridled ‘liberalization’ accorded to certain vested interests, in the name of ‘free-trade’, democratic freedom to pursue any business in a ‘free-for-all’ open competition, etc. The principles of free trade, liberalization etc, by itself is laudable. It is the implementation allowed ‘legally’ that has suffered lack of foresight! There are very many laws which proclaim social security, health, financial support etc to the very same citizens, who in turn have impliedly submitted to abide by the law-makers, law-keepers and law-administrators (the three main wings of a democracy)! It needs a very shrewd politician who places the welfare of others as a priority, well above self, or a limited section of people, to consider the side-effects of such ‘free-trade’ etc!
3. A person, who is assisted by trusted experts around him/her, who would ‘specialize’ in in-depth study of any and all aspects of events happening around, even globally, and in that nation in particular. For example, scientific progress and industrialization cannot be withheld in any progressive nation. There was a time when means of transportation was using carriages drawn by horses, bulls etc. Now, an automobile gets invented and drastically reduces cost of transportation. It is very good for the nation as a whole. But, overnight, if licenses are issued to a large number of bus-operators, it would throw lots of poor horse-driven carriage owners out of business, and leave their families and dependents on the brink of starvation! It is here that a politician has to take a great ‘risk’ of incurring the wrath of scientists, bus-manufacturers, bus-operators etc, and manage an amicable and healthy compromise, to afford a very smooth transition into industrialization, within the shortest possible period of time!
4. A person who can ‘step out’ of one’s own religious sentiments, sense of loyalty, impact of cultural mannerisms due to environment that has affected the upbringing. To explain this, we can look at an example. Japan is a country, whose agriculture is mainly in sea waters. Its land does not support agriculture to the extent possible in other countries. Its people have to ‘trade to live’. They have to work hard to import raw materials, convert it into finished goods, export it at a competitive profit, and use the earnings to buy, or even import, many of the basic necessities of life. Over a period of time, this kind of life naturally imparts great capabilities like team-spirit, nation-spirit, enduring hard and long hours of labor, etc. Many experts from Japan have now ended up heading giant multi-national corporate firms even in USA. Their presence would naturally have a sizable impact on the market conditions in that country. Now a politician in USA has to ‘visualize’ as to how these decision making chief executives would view any major political decision, or policy, would be viewed by these executives, who hail from a country of diverse culture, and therefore are bound to carry with them their unique sentiments, sense of priority etc.
5. (The list is endless, and requirements do keep changing according to the evolvement in social structure!). So, to make it brief, just one more significant aspect of a good politician, to be mentioned here is that, a person needs to be well evolved emotionally! A good human being is well balanced, with emotions and logic! Emotions are manifest forms or more tangible forms of intuition. Absence of negative emotions like fear, hatred, jealousy, anger is a basic requisite. Otherwise, decisions made out of a mind driven by such negative emotion would adversely or even at times irreversibly affect the nation! It is here that racist tendencies and factors lurk as a suspicion and doubt in the minds of a few sections of the society, when they are unable to ‘decide’ about whether to vote for a particular candidate! Awareness is the only tool available to arrive at a well considered decision. This awareness helps a common citizen to understand the constraints of a honest politician, when a tax is hiked, or levied, due to exigency! For example, a political head of a very small island nation is suddenly faced with a survival problem. Some pirate has tried to park a huge oil container along the coast of this tiny island nation. And accidentally, the vast oil tanker spills on its coast, polluting the marine sea life. And if that nation depends entirely on fishing on its coast for food as the primary occupation, there is a sudden extinction threat to its citizens. The political head cannot plead with any court or sue against that international pirate! And time is against the head-politician. Some harsh decisions have to be taken, restricting the luxuries of rich people, to tax them, to ensure the survival of the majority poor! Recession is somewhat similar to this. The financial markets are like polluted sea waters, suddenly refusing to support fishes and fishing industry! Cleansing the water takes time. It cannot be like blood transfusion. An emotionally unstable politician would perhaps waste efforts in vengeance on wrong-doers, and spend the precious time in wasteful efforts. Improvising the laws to prevent wrong-doers, bringing them to justice etc is equally important, but not at the cost of efforts to ensure survival of innocent victims! Emotional balance ensures optimization of human resources.
Electing a good politician has always been an elusive problem globally all-over. This is simply because of the unique and ironical situation where, non-experts, the common citizens are required to ‘award’ the title of ‘political representative’ to an expert! The solution lies in striving to improve the general awareness about politics and politicians.
I sincerely wish that forums such as this would work towards achieving this goal, and its contributors derive the invaluable self-satisfaction for having selflessly contributed, volunteering their efforts and precious time.
With best wishes,
“Spiritualseeker”
(P.S.Narayanan)
13th May, 2009, (Incidentally, the final-phase-day of 5-year general elections-2009 to Indian Parliament!!)
I was all along wondering as to how I could be of help, in ‘active’ participation, in discussions on that forum. I never had an occasion to focus on ‘discussing’ politics with a concerted effort. Yet, living for so long amidst a society, which is renowned globally for being the largest democracy, with most number of political parties, and those parties with multi-dimensional ideologies, all this emanating from the very nature of fabric of the nation, its culture, heritage, long history, secular nature, multi-religious people etc., I was naturally exposed to observing the unique nature of politics. It is therefore not surprising that even the structure of syllabus for politics taught as a ‘science’ in our Universities seems to evade that comprehensive edifice! The fallout of this phenomenon is that there are more number of less literate people who head politics more successfully than the people who attempted to study it first in a structured manner. Practical real life experience remains the better tutor!
So, I managed to put forth my views on awareness about politics, from a lay person’s view point.
The forum too presents navigational teething-troubles to me, since it is managed by expert youngsters of that highly computer-literate country!
I had to ask very basic questions like:
a). Whether it is worth at all for publishing as a ‘post’ for discussion
b) If it is worthy, then, to which section (topic) does this appropriately fit in
c) Or, regardless of the contents being worth publishing whether the topic “Discussions on Need for improving the level of awareness about politics amongst citizens” warrants a new section (like that “36th (new) Chamber of Shaolin” !).
Before I proceed with the topic, I would like you to know that I would be awaiting your kind comments/views/feedback/response/criticism etc with an open mind!
Now the topic:
Political awareness
An increase of just 2 inches in the ocean’s water level would have a tremendous impact on the ecological balance due to the incalculable quantity of incremental water! Almost similar is the rate of progress of a nation, if the general public, the vast spread citizens of a nation happen to become a little more aware than previously, if they learn about the ingredients of ‘what constitutes to make a good politician/political party’ that would enable the nation to progress well.
I would therefore try to look at it from a ‘lay-man’s’ view point, rather than involve in the ‘scientific’ type of study of politics (for which there are numerous and more competent universities everywhere!).
Basically, a good politician needs to be
1. an all-rounder, a ‘jack of all trades’ as they say, to be able to take political decisions which would not adversely affect any particular section of the society.
2. A person who extends the idea of ‘personal’ integrity, honesty, ethics, values etc beyond oneself, to reach all the sections of the society, to act as a conscience keeper of the society. For example, the vast powers that a political head acquires when elected, would weaken his ability to withstand the temptations to use it for vested interests! The present crisis due to recession is perhaps a typical example. It is a cumulative effect of unbridled ‘liberalization’ accorded to certain vested interests, in the name of ‘free-trade’, democratic freedom to pursue any business in a ‘free-for-all’ open competition, etc. The principles of free trade, liberalization etc, by itself is laudable. It is the implementation allowed ‘legally’ that has suffered lack of foresight! There are very many laws which proclaim social security, health, financial support etc to the very same citizens, who in turn have impliedly submitted to abide by the law-makers, law-keepers and law-administrators (the three main wings of a democracy)! It needs a very shrewd politician who places the welfare of others as a priority, well above self, or a limited section of people, to consider the side-effects of such ‘free-trade’ etc!
3. A person, who is assisted by trusted experts around him/her, who would ‘specialize’ in in-depth study of any and all aspects of events happening around, even globally, and in that nation in particular. For example, scientific progress and industrialization cannot be withheld in any progressive nation. There was a time when means of transportation was using carriages drawn by horses, bulls etc. Now, an automobile gets invented and drastically reduces cost of transportation. It is very good for the nation as a whole. But, overnight, if licenses are issued to a large number of bus-operators, it would throw lots of poor horse-driven carriage owners out of business, and leave their families and dependents on the brink of starvation! It is here that a politician has to take a great ‘risk’ of incurring the wrath of scientists, bus-manufacturers, bus-operators etc, and manage an amicable and healthy compromise, to afford a very smooth transition into industrialization, within the shortest possible period of time!
4. A person who can ‘step out’ of one’s own religious sentiments, sense of loyalty, impact of cultural mannerisms due to environment that has affected the upbringing. To explain this, we can look at an example. Japan is a country, whose agriculture is mainly in sea waters. Its land does not support agriculture to the extent possible in other countries. Its people have to ‘trade to live’. They have to work hard to import raw materials, convert it into finished goods, export it at a competitive profit, and use the earnings to buy, or even import, many of the basic necessities of life. Over a period of time, this kind of life naturally imparts great capabilities like team-spirit, nation-spirit, enduring hard and long hours of labor, etc. Many experts from Japan have now ended up heading giant multi-national corporate firms even in USA. Their presence would naturally have a sizable impact on the market conditions in that country. Now a politician in USA has to ‘visualize’ as to how these decision making chief executives would view any major political decision, or policy, would be viewed by these executives, who hail from a country of diverse culture, and therefore are bound to carry with them their unique sentiments, sense of priority etc.
5. (The list is endless, and requirements do keep changing according to the evolvement in social structure!). So, to make it brief, just one more significant aspect of a good politician, to be mentioned here is that, a person needs to be well evolved emotionally! A good human being is well balanced, with emotions and logic! Emotions are manifest forms or more tangible forms of intuition. Absence of negative emotions like fear, hatred, jealousy, anger is a basic requisite. Otherwise, decisions made out of a mind driven by such negative emotion would adversely or even at times irreversibly affect the nation! It is here that racist tendencies and factors lurk as a suspicion and doubt in the minds of a few sections of the society, when they are unable to ‘decide’ about whether to vote for a particular candidate! Awareness is the only tool available to arrive at a well considered decision. This awareness helps a common citizen to understand the constraints of a honest politician, when a tax is hiked, or levied, due to exigency! For example, a political head of a very small island nation is suddenly faced with a survival problem. Some pirate has tried to park a huge oil container along the coast of this tiny island nation. And accidentally, the vast oil tanker spills on its coast, polluting the marine sea life. And if that nation depends entirely on fishing on its coast for food as the primary occupation, there is a sudden extinction threat to its citizens. The political head cannot plead with any court or sue against that international pirate! And time is against the head-politician. Some harsh decisions have to be taken, restricting the luxuries of rich people, to tax them, to ensure the survival of the majority poor! Recession is somewhat similar to this. The financial markets are like polluted sea waters, suddenly refusing to support fishes and fishing industry! Cleansing the water takes time. It cannot be like blood transfusion. An emotionally unstable politician would perhaps waste efforts in vengeance on wrong-doers, and spend the precious time in wasteful efforts. Improvising the laws to prevent wrong-doers, bringing them to justice etc is equally important, but not at the cost of efforts to ensure survival of innocent victims! Emotional balance ensures optimization of human resources.
Electing a good politician has always been an elusive problem globally all-over. This is simply because of the unique and ironical situation where, non-experts, the common citizens are required to ‘award’ the title of ‘political representative’ to an expert! The solution lies in striving to improve the general awareness about politics and politicians.
I sincerely wish that forums such as this would work towards achieving this goal, and its contributors derive the invaluable self-satisfaction for having selflessly contributed, volunteering their efforts and precious time.
With best wishes,
“Spiritualseeker”
(P.S.Narayanan)
13th May, 2009, (Incidentally, the final-phase-day of 5-year general elections-2009 to Indian Parliament!!)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Impact of Global Recession/Meltdown or 'Economic Tsunami' on savings of Individuals.
A very close person, recently asked for my views on how this ‘recession’ would impact on savings of individuals.
This person is close to me in many ways. Just to cite an instance, it is the ‘galaxy’ of close people around him (relatives & true well wishers) that I could see at one place when I too was invited for a religious function in his family. Never had I seen some 150 brilliant people assemble at one place to participate with this much intensity and thorough knowledge of what they were expected to really do, when they were invited to ‘bless’ a child during a religious ceremony! Half of them were leading & renowned chartered accountants and the other half were eminent lawyers. There were some 5 to six Judges, the retired judges remained un-noticed, while two of them were accompanied by ‘security’ personnel, its vehicles, which made their eminence quite ‘visible’. Otherwise, the persons by themselves, had been able to easily keep aside their ‘name-tags’ so effortlessly and mingled with the purpose and people around! I consider myself very fortunate to be able to even ‘witness’ live, such an occasion! I could mentally feel grateful to the practices that I was fortunate to be initiated into, to be able to feel the ‘charge’ of energy these people had created conducive enough to enhance the possibility of the happening of ‘initiation’ of that child at its best!
Needless to add, this person also happens to be a chartered accountant. But, unlike other professionals, who get stuck in the commercial aspect of even relationships, its emotional values etc, he effortlessly is able to apply ‘balancing’ of accounts & review the spiritual aspect of life, beyond the commercial values!
To hasten with the topic, I simply love to quote the ‘audited’ balance-sheet he gave me.
Balance sheet of Past generation:
Assets
1.Joint family-Each having 7-8 children.
2.Intangible Assets
-Goodwill
-Patent/copy rights(Knowledge & Creativity)
3.Real Assets(Appreciating)-Acres of Land, Gold etc(Next 2 generation can survive)
Liabilities
'Black sheeps' within the family-Head aches only
Net Assets - '+'ve
Balance sheet of the Present generation:
Assets
1.Nucleal family-Each having max.2 children.(no external connection, diff. community)
2.Intangible Assets-NIL
3.Real Assets(Depreciating)-Consumer Goods
Liabilities
Diseases requiring Major surgery
Net Assets - '-'ve
Unquote:
When we see individuals bearing the brunt of ‘global’ effect of recession, we look for its reasons, etc.
Why this ‘joint’ family came into focus, when looking at effects of recession on individuals is that, we seldom find such ‘joint-families’ struggle or get affected to dire situations like poverty-death etc like small family.
Why this joint-family system fail/break-down is also a question.
But how did we get into this joint-family system would be a better option to look at first, especially if we are keen to now re-discover the ‘hidden’/ latent / intangible benefits!
Primitive human beings would have life by themselves, and unto themselves obviously, so tells us our common sense.
The evolved ones got themselves clustered for better ‘insulation’ from unforeseen situations like vagaries of nature. Here is the clue. Individual strength does not sustain during massive-effect-situations. In a storm, a group of people holding themselves together would survive better, from being swept away. But, this grouping is not feasible after the storm has ‘commenced’ its business operations!
Please see, when people evolve, their perceptions, judgments, actions etc get deeper and subtler. It takes either similar capabilities to understand, or some TRUST(without bothering about ‘capabilities) to benefit from their knowledge!
We had an ‘evolved’ lot, of generations, who held on to that joint-family concept.
Benefits:
When I attempt to briefly put forth the ‘benefits’ , I am painfully aware of the constraints of limiting myself to only those benefits which would ‘appeal’ to present day ‘logical’ minds, and that too commercially-oriented(if that word ‘commercially’ hurts too much, let us say ‘practical’!).
a) Strength of that sheer number (man-power) for any situation that requires effort.
b) Each individual can focus on ‘specializing’ in fewer aspects and very intensely to derive the productivity at peak levels.
c) Cost effectiveness at basic needs being fulfilled.
d) Okay, the list can go on thus…. Suffice it to give a demonstrable example. A small branch of a Bank can handle only a small crowd of customers, and when it grows into a large branch, the diversified aggregate business that it can handle is not just directly proportional, but many more times over, because of single focused repetitive tasks that specialized individual perform, and their productivity getting enhanced over a period of time.
e) We know, as in a computerized networked environment, a system administrator is better equipped to maintain the network at a ‘proximity’ than when the network is sprawled at distant locations. When an only son of a couple is re-located far away, and needs some help for medical nature, it is impractical for either father or mother to give the physical care and attention, leaving the other spouse alone at that advanced age. Simple kitchen remedies for small ailments go beyond reach(physical and memory resources too) and invariably aggravate over a period of time end up as a chronic-acute & costlier-to-treat-ailments.
f) The list seems endless….
The reasons for ‘how we broke up’ are not too difficult to seek.
It perhaps started with that lure for ‘social-status’ (a concept brought in during British rule… They were liberal in giving attractive titles to individuals, who got tempted to enjoy being looked upon as something ‘better’ than simple looking commoners! Even now it WORKS! Fancy titles are given to lure youngsters for doing simple jobs, like “sales executive” for salesman, health-environment-coordinator for sweepers etc.) Once we take fancy for being looked upon as unique, distinct, class-apart etc, we tend to break away from ordinary-looking-group. It is safer to stay alone, than staying with a brother who is doing ‘nothing’ at home! It takes a lot, to extend the idea beyond our own body to our blood relations, the idea that, when our left hand does nothing much, and our right hand does most of the work, we continue to love both our arms ‘equally’ and that they belong to us! May be, we try to recover faster from any injury to right hand. But we also do not mind ‘taxing’ the right hand more even when it is yet to fully recover from an injury, while, the left hand would have been ‘pampered’ to recover at its ‘leisure’! (I cannot resist the temptation to at least make a mention here that India is the only country where we have a very long history of having given ‘free’ meals to unproductive-LOOKING people, who just sit & meditate , namely the sadhus, Bhikshukas, sanyasis etc! Again it takes a lot, for the present day mind, to really understand & accept that when elderly people are just present physically, there is a ‘dynamic’ but latent/hidden effect of their presence, though they seem dull, idle & unproductive. That is why the present day elders are shunted away to old-age-homes!).
When that commercial ‘concerns’ collapse (due to recession), the lack of ‘insulation’ becomes glaringly evident. A ‘live’ child’s face (so easily seen in a joint-family, because there is always a young couple ), is much more re-assuring, refreshing, promising during gloomy moods. But in isolated small family, even that grown up child is too far way. TV, video-phone, etc do not provide that emotional comfort beyond a point! I need not elaborate the benefits of ‘pooling’ of resources, to survive longer during a crisis. But when it is DISTRUST that has separated us, how do we re-build the mutual trust, to benefit from ‘joint-effort’ ? Creating a deep trust is itself an arduous task. But once it is lost, re-building a trust is much more difficult. Essentially, it is LOSS of trust that has triggered this recession. And the effect is baffling! A whole of country, that ‘Iceland’ is said to have become ‘bankrupt’! The bulk of savings of small individuals there was with three or more major banks in USA, which collapsed. So, for no apparent fault of theirs, the entire nation, all the ‘individual’ citizens, collectively became bankrupt. Can we not at least learn something from it? Individuals amongst us too, found it convenient to TRUST the western modern culture, fashion, ideals, materialistic outlook, social lifestyles etc, and invest our very lifestyle, forsaking our traditional values etc. There is nothing wrong in using modern technologies, but only after careful consideration. Take a look at the lifestyle we had about 8 decades ago. We cannot make out whether a person is rich, brilliant, etc by merely looking at their physical attire. All were similarly simple-dressed. It was a need-based attire. That dress style can survive any type of recession. And thus we can compare endlessly. I can use a simple instance out of one of my own day-dreaming sessions. I was wondering how this world would look like, when archeological experts excavate the earth surface after some 200 years. The present day surface would show lots of ‘junk’ and non-biodegradable garbage pile, to ‘show’ how we lived, and what we considered as wealth! And, we know from our present archeological experts, that they discovered ONLY biodegradable materials plus mineral WEALTH like gold coins etc of eternal value. Perhaps, Mother Nature had decided to “charge-sheet” us! And industrial-labour-law insists that a charge-sheet should be in “a language understood by the employee”! So, since we the present generation, speak only ‘commercial’ language, “economic/financial/materialistic” recession is the only way, a charge sheet can be served on us! If this seems acceptable, then who would volunteer to be the first fool to begin being simple? Maybe, the economic meltdown gives some ‘socially-valid’ excuse to adopt simple lifestyle at least for some time. Let all others around us reform themselves first. We would ‘wisely’ wait, to first see if really works, and then very safely, join the queue in the last, to adopt a simple lifestyle. Less of gadgets, less of consumer use-and-litter goods means more savings(see, already some people are wise, and prices of gold, the only TANGIBLE-TRUSTWORTHY thing left, is soaring so fast) , and safer future. Perhaps a paradigm shift in our basic attitude could help. If we try to ‘act’ as ‘Trustees’ to what we possess, instead of that ‘ownership’ oriented possessive outlook, the rest would happen a bit more effortlessly. All the needed things to minimize the impact of recession on individuals, reducing that ‘burdensome’ feeling, would take shape by itself. We would perform better as responsible ‘trustees’ to hand over what we possessed and improved upon, to the next generation.
There is a ‘silver-lining’ to this crisis. We are forced to now contemplate, about what we did with our lives, and then what we propose to do (of course, in the given situation). There are several instances where dreaded terrorists, get reformed in confinement when isolated in single cell prisons, where they re-look at their past, without that brain-washing-influence of politically oriented fundamentalist-mentors of theirs. We are fortunate that we do not have to carry that negative-tag when we decide to reform. Any reformation from within would culminate into a ‘transformation’ for Good.
We can begin our journey ONLY from where we are at present, and not from where we would like to have been.
Psn (17th April, 2009)
This person is close to me in many ways. Just to cite an instance, it is the ‘galaxy’ of close people around him (relatives & true well wishers) that I could see at one place when I too was invited for a religious function in his family. Never had I seen some 150 brilliant people assemble at one place to participate with this much intensity and thorough knowledge of what they were expected to really do, when they were invited to ‘bless’ a child during a religious ceremony! Half of them were leading & renowned chartered accountants and the other half were eminent lawyers. There were some 5 to six Judges, the retired judges remained un-noticed, while two of them were accompanied by ‘security’ personnel, its vehicles, which made their eminence quite ‘visible’. Otherwise, the persons by themselves, had been able to easily keep aside their ‘name-tags’ so effortlessly and mingled with the purpose and people around! I consider myself very fortunate to be able to even ‘witness’ live, such an occasion! I could mentally feel grateful to the practices that I was fortunate to be initiated into, to be able to feel the ‘charge’ of energy these people had created conducive enough to enhance the possibility of the happening of ‘initiation’ of that child at its best!
Needless to add, this person also happens to be a chartered accountant. But, unlike other professionals, who get stuck in the commercial aspect of even relationships, its emotional values etc, he effortlessly is able to apply ‘balancing’ of accounts & review the spiritual aspect of life, beyond the commercial values!
To hasten with the topic, I simply love to quote the ‘audited’ balance-sheet he gave me.
Balance sheet of Past generation:
Assets
1.Joint family-Each having 7-8 children.
2.Intangible Assets
-Goodwill
-Patent/copy rights(Knowledge & Creativity)
3.Real Assets(Appreciating)-Acres of Land, Gold etc(Next 2 generation can survive)
Liabilities
'Black sheeps' within the family-Head aches only
Net Assets - '+'ve
Balance sheet of the Present generation:
Assets
1.Nucleal family-Each having max.2 children.(no external connection, diff. community)
2.Intangible Assets-NIL
3.Real Assets(Depreciating)-Consumer Goods
Liabilities
Diseases requiring Major surgery
Net Assets - '-'ve
Unquote:
When we see individuals bearing the brunt of ‘global’ effect of recession, we look for its reasons, etc.
Why this ‘joint’ family came into focus, when looking at effects of recession on individuals is that, we seldom find such ‘joint-families’ struggle or get affected to dire situations like poverty-death etc like small family.
Why this joint-family system fail/break-down is also a question.
But how did we get into this joint-family system would be a better option to look at first, especially if we are keen to now re-discover the ‘hidden’/ latent / intangible benefits!
Primitive human beings would have life by themselves, and unto themselves obviously, so tells us our common sense.
The evolved ones got themselves clustered for better ‘insulation’ from unforeseen situations like vagaries of nature. Here is the clue. Individual strength does not sustain during massive-effect-situations. In a storm, a group of people holding themselves together would survive better, from being swept away. But, this grouping is not feasible after the storm has ‘commenced’ its business operations!
Please see, when people evolve, their perceptions, judgments, actions etc get deeper and subtler. It takes either similar capabilities to understand, or some TRUST(without bothering about ‘capabilities) to benefit from their knowledge!
We had an ‘evolved’ lot, of generations, who held on to that joint-family concept.
Benefits:
When I attempt to briefly put forth the ‘benefits’ , I am painfully aware of the constraints of limiting myself to only those benefits which would ‘appeal’ to present day ‘logical’ minds, and that too commercially-oriented(if that word ‘commercially’ hurts too much, let us say ‘practical’!).
a) Strength of that sheer number (man-power) for any situation that requires effort.
b) Each individual can focus on ‘specializing’ in fewer aspects and very intensely to derive the productivity at peak levels.
c) Cost effectiveness at basic needs being fulfilled.
d) Okay, the list can go on thus…. Suffice it to give a demonstrable example. A small branch of a Bank can handle only a small crowd of customers, and when it grows into a large branch, the diversified aggregate business that it can handle is not just directly proportional, but many more times over, because of single focused repetitive tasks that specialized individual perform, and their productivity getting enhanced over a period of time.
e) We know, as in a computerized networked environment, a system administrator is better equipped to maintain the network at a ‘proximity’ than when the network is sprawled at distant locations. When an only son of a couple is re-located far away, and needs some help for medical nature, it is impractical for either father or mother to give the physical care and attention, leaving the other spouse alone at that advanced age. Simple kitchen remedies for small ailments go beyond reach(physical and memory resources too) and invariably aggravate over a period of time end up as a chronic-acute & costlier-to-treat-ailments.
f) The list seems endless….
The reasons for ‘how we broke up’ are not too difficult to seek.
It perhaps started with that lure for ‘social-status’ (a concept brought in during British rule… They were liberal in giving attractive titles to individuals, who got tempted to enjoy being looked upon as something ‘better’ than simple looking commoners! Even now it WORKS! Fancy titles are given to lure youngsters for doing simple jobs, like “sales executive” for salesman, health-environment-coordinator for sweepers etc.) Once we take fancy for being looked upon as unique, distinct, class-apart etc, we tend to break away from ordinary-looking-group. It is safer to stay alone, than staying with a brother who is doing ‘nothing’ at home! It takes a lot, to extend the idea beyond our own body to our blood relations, the idea that, when our left hand does nothing much, and our right hand does most of the work, we continue to love both our arms ‘equally’ and that they belong to us! May be, we try to recover faster from any injury to right hand. But we also do not mind ‘taxing’ the right hand more even when it is yet to fully recover from an injury, while, the left hand would have been ‘pampered’ to recover at its ‘leisure’! (I cannot resist the temptation to at least make a mention here that India is the only country where we have a very long history of having given ‘free’ meals to unproductive-LOOKING people, who just sit & meditate , namely the sadhus, Bhikshukas, sanyasis etc! Again it takes a lot, for the present day mind, to really understand & accept that when elderly people are just present physically, there is a ‘dynamic’ but latent/hidden effect of their presence, though they seem dull, idle & unproductive. That is why the present day elders are shunted away to old-age-homes!).
When that commercial ‘concerns’ collapse (due to recession), the lack of ‘insulation’ becomes glaringly evident. A ‘live’ child’s face (so easily seen in a joint-family, because there is always a young couple ), is much more re-assuring, refreshing, promising during gloomy moods. But in isolated small family, even that grown up child is too far way. TV, video-phone, etc do not provide that emotional comfort beyond a point! I need not elaborate the benefits of ‘pooling’ of resources, to survive longer during a crisis. But when it is DISTRUST that has separated us, how do we re-build the mutual trust, to benefit from ‘joint-effort’ ? Creating a deep trust is itself an arduous task. But once it is lost, re-building a trust is much more difficult. Essentially, it is LOSS of trust that has triggered this recession. And the effect is baffling! A whole of country, that ‘Iceland’ is said to have become ‘bankrupt’! The bulk of savings of small individuals there was with three or more major banks in USA, which collapsed. So, for no apparent fault of theirs, the entire nation, all the ‘individual’ citizens, collectively became bankrupt. Can we not at least learn something from it? Individuals amongst us too, found it convenient to TRUST the western modern culture, fashion, ideals, materialistic outlook, social lifestyles etc, and invest our very lifestyle, forsaking our traditional values etc. There is nothing wrong in using modern technologies, but only after careful consideration. Take a look at the lifestyle we had about 8 decades ago. We cannot make out whether a person is rich, brilliant, etc by merely looking at their physical attire. All were similarly simple-dressed. It was a need-based attire. That dress style can survive any type of recession. And thus we can compare endlessly. I can use a simple instance out of one of my own day-dreaming sessions. I was wondering how this world would look like, when archeological experts excavate the earth surface after some 200 years. The present day surface would show lots of ‘junk’ and non-biodegradable garbage pile, to ‘show’ how we lived, and what we considered as wealth! And, we know from our present archeological experts, that they discovered ONLY biodegradable materials plus mineral WEALTH like gold coins etc of eternal value. Perhaps, Mother Nature had decided to “charge-sheet” us! And industrial-labour-law insists that a charge-sheet should be in “a language understood by the employee”! So, since we the present generation, speak only ‘commercial’ language, “economic/financial/materialistic” recession is the only way, a charge sheet can be served on us! If this seems acceptable, then who would volunteer to be the first fool to begin being simple? Maybe, the economic meltdown gives some ‘socially-valid’ excuse to adopt simple lifestyle at least for some time. Let all others around us reform themselves first. We would ‘wisely’ wait, to first see if really works, and then very safely, join the queue in the last, to adopt a simple lifestyle. Less of gadgets, less of consumer use-and-litter goods means more savings(see, already some people are wise, and prices of gold, the only TANGIBLE-TRUSTWORTHY thing left, is soaring so fast) , and safer future. Perhaps a paradigm shift in our basic attitude could help. If we try to ‘act’ as ‘Trustees’ to what we possess, instead of that ‘ownership’ oriented possessive outlook, the rest would happen a bit more effortlessly. All the needed things to minimize the impact of recession on individuals, reducing that ‘burdensome’ feeling, would take shape by itself. We would perform better as responsible ‘trustees’ to hand over what we possessed and improved upon, to the next generation.
There is a ‘silver-lining’ to this crisis. We are forced to now contemplate, about what we did with our lives, and then what we propose to do (of course, in the given situation). There are several instances where dreaded terrorists, get reformed in confinement when isolated in single cell prisons, where they re-look at their past, without that brain-washing-influence of politically oriented fundamentalist-mentors of theirs. We are fortunate that we do not have to carry that negative-tag when we decide to reform. Any reformation from within would culminate into a ‘transformation’ for Good.
We can begin our journey ONLY from where we are at present, and not from where we would like to have been.
Psn (17th April, 2009)
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Blessing or benediction
I received an invitation to attend a wedding. It was in Hindi language, since the host was from a traditional north Indian community, and steadfast about ancient values.
The words requesting the invitee’s presence was “Aap Saha parivaar upasthith hokar nav-dampathi ko subh Aasheervad pradaan kar hamein anugrahit karein”
I struggled to translate the two words “Aasheervad & Anugrah”. The nearest I found was Blessing & benediction!
Before I delve into details, another sentence in the same invitation card surprised me pleasantly! It was..”Preethibhoj samaaroh (date) raat 8 bajey sey AAP KE AAGAMANTAK” (meaning the gathering for dinner is on (date) , from 8 pm UNTIL YOUR ARRIVAL!!
I instantly called him over long-distance-phone-call, to verify as to how he happened to choose these two set of sentences. He explained that he picked up the best suited one from various ‘proforma-models’ that the printers usually kept in an album for customers.
The translation for the former sentence roughly means “You are requested to bestow a benediction on us (the hosts, the bride’s parents) by your presence and blessing the newly wed couple”.
Benediction is also used to signify that ‘grace’ at the dinner table, before or after meals.
Blessing seems to have a deeper significance. I am not sure whether English language attempts to attribute so much magnitude of difference as the Sanskrit language, when it uses “Aasheervad” and “Anugrah”.. Benediction, seems closer to ‘benefit’. Similarly, “anugrah” seems closer to “anukool” (favourable, beneficial etc).
Curiously enough, in Kerala, ‘anugraham’ is more frequently used than ‘aasheervaadam’ in Malayalam language (which has the maximum number of Sanskrit words, compared to any other language. Hindi too ranks perhaps second to Malayalam, in this aspect, and it is therefore that Malayalees find it easier than other south Indians, within the non-Hindi belt to learn Hindi faster!). Despite such liberal use of Sanskrit words, I was wondering how they happened to use “anugraham” even in places where “asheervadam” would have been appropriate!
To me, things seem to fall in its place! Kerala is known as “God’s Own Country”(so, Blessing ought to be Gross, Whole-sale, and like a benediction)! The spiritual Giants of ancient times in Kerala used ‘Tantra’ as a ‘tool’ of evolving spiritually, whereas towards north, ‘Mantra’ was preferred. Mantra requires mastery over sound form. Whereas Tantra depends on a Yantra (a tantric design, a gross physical object). If we get caught up due to a ‘judgemental-attitude’ we may tend to take sides, forclosing the possibility of further theories percolating into us. A person seeks only what he lacks. For example, we on earth spend most of our energy in trying to ‘get out of’ the clutches of gravity. My spouse, abruptly asked me recently, if I could get up from the floor without placing the palms on the floor, to prop-up my weight. She had started to ‘feel’ the age, when her legs requested the help of arms to get up from squat-seated position on floor.
It then occurred to me, that she would not have ‘challenged’ my agility, if we were on moon (at least until another 6 times our present age. No basis for this “6” times , except that I read somewhere that Moon’s gravity is 1/6th of that on earth, so roughly our wear and tear is delayed by six times…. Please bear with my crude calculations! ). But essentially, if we were dwelling on a ‘zero’ gravity planet, our energy would be to ‘ground’ on the surface of that planet, rather than trying to pull away from the surface like on earth, in most of our routine physical activities. Lifts (if at all needed) would not be compulsory, if the building is more than 4 floors! (the only contrast might be that the phrase ‘Oh Shit! ‘ would be used all-the-more commonly, since it would float everywhere if we do not take care! So like this grave-gravity problem, perhaps, Kerala is ‘blessed’ with capability to pass on, as a benediction, a topography which naturally supports spirituality. Once in a spiritual plane, people tend to float (like at zero gravity atmosphere), and they have to ‘ground’ themselves with efforts. That seems to explain the ‘preference’ of Yantra, and earthly-looking-physical form. Many things seem to support this theory that the topography naturally ‘supports’ spiritual evolvement. The very soil, the porous stones, coming out of ‘belly’ of deep volcanic under-surface, carrying with it rich rare minerals which cause mystic radiations, affecting human brains neurologically a lot! The ancient Namboodiris of Kerala were experts in chess, but with a unique distinction! They used the ‘chess-men’ out of the similar-looking material, the banana-stem, making out the difference between pawns, king, queen, bishop, rook etc, only by the slant-cuts at the top of the banana stem. Everyday, fresh pieces had to be made since banana stem decays overnight! Half the brain of our present-day chess players would be ‘diverted’ to distinguish the pieces ( I admit here, that the rare-breed of blind-chess experts are an exception). The brass-alloy-cooking vessels are sold at an extra- premium, because of certain rare minerals found embedded, when melted. The mud-packs used when these vessels were moulded, after that wax models were emptied, might have contained the mineral wealth from the volcanic soil! Certain mountain tops, also considered as holy, are ‘warning-zones’ for low flying aircrafts, because of some kind of magnetic effect! Such is the terrain, with lots of rare herbs, curative properties, magnet-therapy-oriented mountains etc! Ayurveda system of medicines flourishes most here even today! Certain ayurveda medicines are said to contain high doses of mercury (considered as lethal, by allopathic system, but liberally used by expert physicians, under their direct supervision, very successfully, to cure even cases of ailment ‘abandoned’ by allopathic systems!). Such is the power of other ingredients, out of herbs grown in Kerala! We may have to perhaps wait, till that nano-technology develops adequately, to ‘scientifically’ understand as to how these wonder herbs work miraculously, blending the harmful-looking ingredients as a catalyst, to cure the internal negative-life form, and then quietly disappear, when the parasite-growth is arrested. Something like that ‘Terminator’ getting ‘self-destructed’ after a successful mission!
There are many such ‘mystic-looking’ aspects about Kerala! No wonder people are very particular to ‘hold’ even a bit of land here (fragmentation & sub-division of land is more here, so also is the per-acre population!). I am only attempting to discover if they need the benediction(anugraham) more than blessings(aasheervadam). Literacy rate is high, despite poverty, unemployment etc.
It would be nice, if we could somehow learn how to bless! All we know is to just show the palm over the head of the person bowing to us. What ought to happen while doing so is still very elusive! A few centuries ago, the touch on the head was deeply understood by our people, and it was adapted in a unique way to symbolize the ‘marital-knot’ by ancient Telugu-speaking people in Andhra (again a unique culture that learnt to look at life in a subtle & beyond-sensory-level of perception!). When I look back, I feel very fortunate to have had a glimpse of their ancient rituals, it’s brilliant & highly evolved cultural heritage, when I had my schooling amidst classmates who hailed from traditional families there! Some things that we happened to notice experientially, might look to far-fetched, if I dare to narrate here! I feel ‘blessed’ to have had been amongst a group, that spent our leisure hours to discuss, and experiment with such traditional values, it’s hidden or mystic aspects!
So, I request you to favor me with an ‘anugraha’ by your response, clarifying the difference between “aasheervad” and “anugraha”, while also simplifying with a “how to bless—for dummies” (like those computer books for dummies!). Right now, to me I can only look at it in a very primitive way, like, for example, I think that a being like that Dracula cannot ‘Bless’ somebody, he can at the most grant ‘benefit’(a favor, if anugraha means so,) by sparing a few of his close followers, from his fang bites, for serving him loyally(the only service he might need is ‘supplying’ innocent victims by seducing them, like in those ‘Dracula’ movies.
Yours “favorably”
Psn (5th May, 2009)
The words requesting the invitee’s presence was “Aap Saha parivaar upasthith hokar nav-dampathi ko subh Aasheervad pradaan kar hamein anugrahit karein”
I struggled to translate the two words “Aasheervad & Anugrah”. The nearest I found was Blessing & benediction!
Before I delve into details, another sentence in the same invitation card surprised me pleasantly! It was..”Preethibhoj samaaroh (date) raat 8 bajey sey AAP KE AAGAMANTAK” (meaning the gathering for dinner is on (date) , from 8 pm UNTIL YOUR ARRIVAL!!
I instantly called him over long-distance-phone-call, to verify as to how he happened to choose these two set of sentences. He explained that he picked up the best suited one from various ‘proforma-models’ that the printers usually kept in an album for customers.
The translation for the former sentence roughly means “You are requested to bestow a benediction on us (the hosts, the bride’s parents) by your presence and blessing the newly wed couple”.
Benediction is also used to signify that ‘grace’ at the dinner table, before or after meals.
Blessing seems to have a deeper significance. I am not sure whether English language attempts to attribute so much magnitude of difference as the Sanskrit language, when it uses “Aasheervad” and “Anugrah”.. Benediction, seems closer to ‘benefit’. Similarly, “anugrah” seems closer to “anukool” (favourable, beneficial etc).
Curiously enough, in Kerala, ‘anugraham’ is more frequently used than ‘aasheervaadam’ in Malayalam language (which has the maximum number of Sanskrit words, compared to any other language. Hindi too ranks perhaps second to Malayalam, in this aspect, and it is therefore that Malayalees find it easier than other south Indians, within the non-Hindi belt to learn Hindi faster!). Despite such liberal use of Sanskrit words, I was wondering how they happened to use “anugraham” even in places where “asheervadam” would have been appropriate!
To me, things seem to fall in its place! Kerala is known as “God’s Own Country”(so, Blessing ought to be Gross, Whole-sale, and like a benediction)! The spiritual Giants of ancient times in Kerala used ‘Tantra’ as a ‘tool’ of evolving spiritually, whereas towards north, ‘Mantra’ was preferred. Mantra requires mastery over sound form. Whereas Tantra depends on a Yantra (a tantric design, a gross physical object). If we get caught up due to a ‘judgemental-attitude’ we may tend to take sides, forclosing the possibility of further theories percolating into us. A person seeks only what he lacks. For example, we on earth spend most of our energy in trying to ‘get out of’ the clutches of gravity. My spouse, abruptly asked me recently, if I could get up from the floor without placing the palms on the floor, to prop-up my weight. She had started to ‘feel’ the age, when her legs requested the help of arms to get up from squat-seated position on floor.
It then occurred to me, that she would not have ‘challenged’ my agility, if we were on moon (at least until another 6 times our present age. No basis for this “6” times , except that I read somewhere that Moon’s gravity is 1/6th of that on earth, so roughly our wear and tear is delayed by six times…. Please bear with my crude calculations! ). But essentially, if we were dwelling on a ‘zero’ gravity planet, our energy would be to ‘ground’ on the surface of that planet, rather than trying to pull away from the surface like on earth, in most of our routine physical activities. Lifts (if at all needed) would not be compulsory, if the building is more than 4 floors! (the only contrast might be that the phrase ‘Oh Shit! ‘ would be used all-the-more commonly, since it would float everywhere if we do not take care! So like this grave-gravity problem, perhaps, Kerala is ‘blessed’ with capability to pass on, as a benediction, a topography which naturally supports spirituality. Once in a spiritual plane, people tend to float (like at zero gravity atmosphere), and they have to ‘ground’ themselves with efforts. That seems to explain the ‘preference’ of Yantra, and earthly-looking-physical form. Many things seem to support this theory that the topography naturally ‘supports’ spiritual evolvement. The very soil, the porous stones, coming out of ‘belly’ of deep volcanic under-surface, carrying with it rich rare minerals which cause mystic radiations, affecting human brains neurologically a lot! The ancient Namboodiris of Kerala were experts in chess, but with a unique distinction! They used the ‘chess-men’ out of the similar-looking material, the banana-stem, making out the difference between pawns, king, queen, bishop, rook etc, only by the slant-cuts at the top of the banana stem. Everyday, fresh pieces had to be made since banana stem decays overnight! Half the brain of our present-day chess players would be ‘diverted’ to distinguish the pieces ( I admit here, that the rare-breed of blind-chess experts are an exception). The brass-alloy-cooking vessels are sold at an extra- premium, because of certain rare minerals found embedded, when melted. The mud-packs used when these vessels were moulded, after that wax models were emptied, might have contained the mineral wealth from the volcanic soil! Certain mountain tops, also considered as holy, are ‘warning-zones’ for low flying aircrafts, because of some kind of magnetic effect! Such is the terrain, with lots of rare herbs, curative properties, magnet-therapy-oriented mountains etc! Ayurveda system of medicines flourishes most here even today! Certain ayurveda medicines are said to contain high doses of mercury (considered as lethal, by allopathic system, but liberally used by expert physicians, under their direct supervision, very successfully, to cure even cases of ailment ‘abandoned’ by allopathic systems!). Such is the power of other ingredients, out of herbs grown in Kerala! We may have to perhaps wait, till that nano-technology develops adequately, to ‘scientifically’ understand as to how these wonder herbs work miraculously, blending the harmful-looking ingredients as a catalyst, to cure the internal negative-life form, and then quietly disappear, when the parasite-growth is arrested. Something like that ‘Terminator’ getting ‘self-destructed’ after a successful mission!
There are many such ‘mystic-looking’ aspects about Kerala! No wonder people are very particular to ‘hold’ even a bit of land here (fragmentation & sub-division of land is more here, so also is the per-acre population!). I am only attempting to discover if they need the benediction(anugraham) more than blessings(aasheervadam). Literacy rate is high, despite poverty, unemployment etc.
It would be nice, if we could somehow learn how to bless! All we know is to just show the palm over the head of the person bowing to us. What ought to happen while doing so is still very elusive! A few centuries ago, the touch on the head was deeply understood by our people, and it was adapted in a unique way to symbolize the ‘marital-knot’ by ancient Telugu-speaking people in Andhra (again a unique culture that learnt to look at life in a subtle & beyond-sensory-level of perception!). When I look back, I feel very fortunate to have had a glimpse of their ancient rituals, it’s brilliant & highly evolved cultural heritage, when I had my schooling amidst classmates who hailed from traditional families there! Some things that we happened to notice experientially, might look to far-fetched, if I dare to narrate here! I feel ‘blessed’ to have had been amongst a group, that spent our leisure hours to discuss, and experiment with such traditional values, it’s hidden or mystic aspects!
So, I request you to favor me with an ‘anugraha’ by your response, clarifying the difference between “aasheervad” and “anugraha”, while also simplifying with a “how to bless—for dummies” (like those computer books for dummies!). Right now, to me I can only look at it in a very primitive way, like, for example, I think that a being like that Dracula cannot ‘Bless’ somebody, he can at the most grant ‘benefit’(a favor, if anugraha means so,) by sparing a few of his close followers, from his fang bites, for serving him loyally(the only service he might need is ‘supplying’ innocent victims by seducing them, like in those ‘Dracula’ movies.
Yours “favorably”
Psn (5th May, 2009)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Buy one, Get one free!
We are now, more or less, very much used to these types of offer. In fact, we are even not ready to look at ‘straight-forward’ deals! Simple transactions seem insipid! And now with the recession driving away consumerism from people, restoring confidence through stimulus packages, has to contain some kind of offers, freebies, or ‘get-way-with-it’ sort of deals!
When we get ‘one’ free, what do we get in the bargain? Just the free-bee? Is it trouble-free, or is it troubles itself for ‘free’? Because, there is a saying “Nothing comes free in life”… (so, there could be trouble too, accompanying that ‘free’ item, in disguise?!)…
But that “nothing” if taken in a deeper sense is the space for everything (that comes from pioneers/founders of the concept and term “lateral thinking” or that ‘out of box thinking’.
So, if we are not prepared for “everything” and anything, it is perhaps trouble indeed, and for free! Karma?? (winks!)
In a lighter vein, those who like to seek win-win situation, would like to sign of ‘deals’ like this…
(imaginary conversations, fictitious instances)
Example-1
A prospective Borrower: Sir, I am interested to know about various types of loans you offer.
Banker: What types of loans are you specifically interested in, sir?
Our prospective borrower: Sir, all those types of loans which are covered under your “Loan Waiver Schemes”..
Banker: ? ? ? ? (blinks!)
Example-2
A would-be bridegroom: Ah! At last, after a lot of girl-seeing, searching, seeking, person-to-person chats, e-chats, etc, I have found out a bride that suits me well!
Our groom’s friend: Oh! That’s great!
Our groom : what’s Great about it?
Friend: you see, you are sooooo gooood at ‘grating’ others, and then blending them to suit you, to then weave them ‘seamlessly’ into your type! A good techie that you are at that!
Our groom: Oh no! This time, it is not about grating you see. So, I am really not that Great! It is just that I found this girl to be good at Logic. So it is very easy to ‘buy’ a divorce, from her,… just in case….. you see….. without much hassles….. you know what I mean….. Oh! Gone are those days, when they stick like those blood sucking leeches, thrust upon us by primitive surgeons. Now it is laparoscopy , a simple key-hole surgery, even leaving no scar at all!
Fiend (Oh! Pl forgive my mis-spelling, it should be ‘friend’ in need, in deed too!): Yeah! I now get it. A perfect match, is just that! A mutual benefit scheme, a win-win situation.
(The friend hums the old song “Kya yahi pyaar hai…”, our groom joins in duet-chorus “Hahn yahi pyaar hai”)….
Now, I wonder, “kya yahi out-of-box thinking hai”……
Logically yours,
Psn (23rd April, 2009)
When we get ‘one’ free, what do we get in the bargain? Just the free-bee? Is it trouble-free, or is it troubles itself for ‘free’? Because, there is a saying “Nothing comes free in life”… (so, there could be trouble too, accompanying that ‘free’ item, in disguise?!)…
But that “nothing” if taken in a deeper sense is the space for everything (that comes from pioneers/founders of the concept and term “lateral thinking” or that ‘out of box thinking’.
So, if we are not prepared for “everything” and anything, it is perhaps trouble indeed, and for free! Karma?? (winks!)
In a lighter vein, those who like to seek win-win situation, would like to sign of ‘deals’ like this…
(imaginary conversations, fictitious instances)
Example-1
A prospective Borrower: Sir, I am interested to know about various types of loans you offer.
Banker: What types of loans are you specifically interested in, sir?
Our prospective borrower: Sir, all those types of loans which are covered under your “Loan Waiver Schemes”..
Banker: ? ? ? ? (blinks!)
Example-2
A would-be bridegroom: Ah! At last, after a lot of girl-seeing, searching, seeking, person-to-person chats, e-chats, etc, I have found out a bride that suits me well!
Our groom’s friend: Oh! That’s great!
Our groom : what’s Great about it?
Friend: you see, you are sooooo gooood at ‘grating’ others, and then blending them to suit you, to then weave them ‘seamlessly’ into your type! A good techie that you are at that!
Our groom: Oh no! This time, it is not about grating you see. So, I am really not that Great! It is just that I found this girl to be good at Logic. So it is very easy to ‘buy’ a divorce, from her,… just in case….. you see….. without much hassles….. you know what I mean….. Oh! Gone are those days, when they stick like those blood sucking leeches, thrust upon us by primitive surgeons. Now it is laparoscopy , a simple key-hole surgery, even leaving no scar at all!
Fiend (Oh! Pl forgive my mis-spelling, it should be ‘friend’ in need, in deed too!): Yeah! I now get it. A perfect match, is just that! A mutual benefit scheme, a win-win situation.
(The friend hums the old song “Kya yahi pyaar hai…”, our groom joins in duet-chorus “Hahn yahi pyaar hai”)….
Now, I wonder, “kya yahi out-of-box thinking hai”……
Logically yours,
Psn (23rd April, 2009)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A Litmus test for Trooo Love?
At the very look of it, it appears to be a contradiction. The title I mean. “Litmus test is a logical, scientific method to have a sort of ‘fool-proof’ result, or atleast a testing methodology (until somebody disproves it)!
When contradiction occurs (to us, at least), check the basic premise, says the logical objectivism.
Well, what if somebody chooses to ‘Love only the logical way’ to ‘deal’ with anything about life? When somebody loves anything too much, defying even logic, there is a saying in hindi “Dil lagi hai Gadhee par, tho pari kya cheez hai!?? (meaning, when the heart has chosen to lean towards a Donkey, what is after all even a fairy, nymph ?)
Ah! Here again, a contradiction. Love to be only logical? Love is emotion, and prone to defy logic itself. (Then, it could be that a person chooses to remain
‘being logical’ …. Or has that person turned into a “logical being” …. Well, only people who like being logical and hence are logical beings only know better!
“Man is a bundle of contradictions” is a saying that gives us some consolation.
I, for my part, am not the first person to create a ‘precedent’ for not correcting myself. Gurudev, too had chosen not to correct it, when an Englishman politely pointed out an error in a placard at Shantiniketan, which read “tea is served on backside” !! Just that Gurudeva liked to preserve the humor, and the truth that even he is not infallible!
Trying to ‘evaluate’ somebody’s love in a logical way seems a bit illogical. But if we ourselves are keen to know if we truly love(or not,) somebody close to us …..? There have been many people, who try to find out what is “true” love, just because they find something inside them nagging “am I capable at all to love truly?”
I came across a small scene in a very routine type of TV serial. Just the scene seemed really good. Perhaps, this well scripted screenplay could be a ‘chance’ occurrence, where a better person (a sub-junior director) was asked to supervise due to the pre-occupation of main director, and also since the scene was very ordinary (so any fool could handle it!). Otherwise, all other scenes would have been really good, making the whole serial good!
Well, the scene was like this: A small girl, about 5 years old, gets up in the middle of the night and keeps watching at her mother’s face. The mother happens to get up suddenly, and noticing the child just sitting and watching, is stupefied, and asks “what are you doing, instead of sleeping?” . This child just puts across the truth… “ I was watching you sleeping”… to which, the mother asks again, this time a more pointed question,” haven’t you seen me before, that you are so keen to watch me as if for the first time ?”
The girl, now says “Every time I look at you, I experience as if I am looking at you for the first time….mom”
I gave full marks to the director (the inadvertent sub-junior, or who ever)! Even the mother was shown ‘gloating’ over this dialogue of the child, grossly missing the truth, like any other mother! Getting stuck in emotions too takes a toll, depriving us from learning what even a child could have taught us so easily! No wonder we humans end up as ‘bundle’ of contradictions…. First we have to un-bundle, and then re-bundle the very same, to be able to balance the burden on both the shoulders equitably (logic and emotion).
Now, the problem is, if we try to straight-away try to apply this ‘test’ our mind refuses to give a straight-forward reply! Of course, I do troooly love that person, or else, why do I struggle so much to put up with all that nonsense by that person, why else do I ‘sacrifice’ all my time, money, even pieces of mind for that person?(logically fragmented pieces, preventing that simple ‘peace’)… .. so says our mind, not ready to succumb that easily. So, why not use a negative test….
When we see our enemy (the person whom we dislike most), how do we see them? Do we take a fresh look? Or our firm strong judgment about them comes first like that loud screaming security siren and the stiff faced commandoes of VVIPS, and then we do not even get a glimpse of that VIP, and are left with an old copy of the past image within us.
Now, any where on a scale of 1 to 10, we have to attempt a honest look within, as to how fresh a look are we capable, when we see our loved ones each time. Okay, some small hints about how to go ‘about it’….
Remember, when waiting for that ‘potential’ beloved, at the bus-stop, when that person arrives, our look was always a fresh look at them!
At least, some time we happen to eat only after we are really hungry (not that fill in the blanks at appointed hours!). When we eat on that hungry stomach, does our image, our memory of the past ever interfere with our experience of eating afresh? Even the food may not be fresh! But we do experience that ‘fresh’ satiation of hunger (the love for food, or whatever name we wish to give!)
Oh, have I raked up a very sensitive issue…. I shall try to avoid a fresh look, when I happen to meet you next, so that I shall be a bit prepared to receive the blows!
The only alternative is to deliver them via mail-response. The blows, I mean for having poked into the soft ego… (what to do, I “failed badly” when I tested myself…. Again a potential contradiction… Oh no.. bye for the time ‘being’)
Regards,
Psn(23rd April, 2009)
When contradiction occurs (to us, at least), check the basic premise, says the logical objectivism.
Well, what if somebody chooses to ‘Love only the logical way’ to ‘deal’ with anything about life? When somebody loves anything too much, defying even logic, there is a saying in hindi “Dil lagi hai Gadhee par, tho pari kya cheez hai!?? (meaning, when the heart has chosen to lean towards a Donkey, what is after all even a fairy, nymph ?)
Ah! Here again, a contradiction. Love to be only logical? Love is emotion, and prone to defy logic itself. (Then, it could be that a person chooses to remain
‘being logical’ …. Or has that person turned into a “logical being” …. Well, only people who like being logical and hence are logical beings only know better!
“Man is a bundle of contradictions” is a saying that gives us some consolation.
I, for my part, am not the first person to create a ‘precedent’ for not correcting myself. Gurudev, too had chosen not to correct it, when an Englishman politely pointed out an error in a placard at Shantiniketan, which read “tea is served on backside” !! Just that Gurudeva liked to preserve the humor, and the truth that even he is not infallible!
Trying to ‘evaluate’ somebody’s love in a logical way seems a bit illogical. But if we ourselves are keen to know if we truly love(or not,) somebody close to us …..? There have been many people, who try to find out what is “true” love, just because they find something inside them nagging “am I capable at all to love truly?”
I came across a small scene in a very routine type of TV serial. Just the scene seemed really good. Perhaps, this well scripted screenplay could be a ‘chance’ occurrence, where a better person (a sub-junior director) was asked to supervise due to the pre-occupation of main director, and also since the scene was very ordinary (so any fool could handle it!). Otherwise, all other scenes would have been really good, making the whole serial good!
Well, the scene was like this: A small girl, about 5 years old, gets up in the middle of the night and keeps watching at her mother’s face. The mother happens to get up suddenly, and noticing the child just sitting and watching, is stupefied, and asks “what are you doing, instead of sleeping?” . This child just puts across the truth… “ I was watching you sleeping”… to which, the mother asks again, this time a more pointed question,” haven’t you seen me before, that you are so keen to watch me as if for the first time ?”
The girl, now says “Every time I look at you, I experience as if I am looking at you for the first time….mom”
I gave full marks to the director (the inadvertent sub-junior, or who ever)! Even the mother was shown ‘gloating’ over this dialogue of the child, grossly missing the truth, like any other mother! Getting stuck in emotions too takes a toll, depriving us from learning what even a child could have taught us so easily! No wonder we humans end up as ‘bundle’ of contradictions…. First we have to un-bundle, and then re-bundle the very same, to be able to balance the burden on both the shoulders equitably (logic and emotion).
Now, the problem is, if we try to straight-away try to apply this ‘test’ our mind refuses to give a straight-forward reply! Of course, I do troooly love that person, or else, why do I struggle so much to put up with all that nonsense by that person, why else do I ‘sacrifice’ all my time, money, even pieces of mind for that person?(logically fragmented pieces, preventing that simple ‘peace’)… .. so says our mind, not ready to succumb that easily. So, why not use a negative test….
When we see our enemy (the person whom we dislike most), how do we see them? Do we take a fresh look? Or our firm strong judgment about them comes first like that loud screaming security siren and the stiff faced commandoes of VVIPS, and then we do not even get a glimpse of that VIP, and are left with an old copy of the past image within us.
Now, any where on a scale of 1 to 10, we have to attempt a honest look within, as to how fresh a look are we capable, when we see our loved ones each time. Okay, some small hints about how to go ‘about it’….
Remember, when waiting for that ‘potential’ beloved, at the bus-stop, when that person arrives, our look was always a fresh look at them!
At least, some time we happen to eat only after we are really hungry (not that fill in the blanks at appointed hours!). When we eat on that hungry stomach, does our image, our memory of the past ever interfere with our experience of eating afresh? Even the food may not be fresh! But we do experience that ‘fresh’ satiation of hunger (the love for food, or whatever name we wish to give!)
Oh, have I raked up a very sensitive issue…. I shall try to avoid a fresh look, when I happen to meet you next, so that I shall be a bit prepared to receive the blows!
The only alternative is to deliver them via mail-response. The blows, I mean for having poked into the soft ego… (what to do, I “failed badly” when I tested myself…. Again a potential contradiction… Oh no.. bye for the time ‘being’)
Regards,
Psn(23rd April, 2009)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Jaane Kya tune kahi, Jaane kya Maine suni, Baat kuch ban hi gayee!
I did find a person who seems to fit into the purpose of my blog….. to inspire others to the very best of my abilities!
I saw his question on Yahoo answers Forum,
And loved to respond.
And, I do not have any hesitation to reproduce the question and my response here:
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090419215212AAkUVqp
Why am I always thinking about something? My mind is always racing with thoughts?
For as long as I can remember I have always had a very active mind. So active it can actually be problematic at times.
When I try to read a paragraph for a school assignment or a few pages of a book I always start thinking about something else. Sometimes it feels as though I read it but I don't follow what it is saying. Because of this I have a really hard time following directions and learning from reading.
When I listen to my professors lecture I try to listen but I always get off track. I hate this because I love to learn and understand... I just can't focus, and the things I think about are usually not important at all.
Also, when I am having a conversation with someone I am almost always thinking about something else, but act as though I am listening... in reality I have no idea what they said. I think I just don't care what they are saying?
I try to pay attention but always end up thinking about something else, it is almost like I am talking to myself but in my head... if that makes sense.
I have noticed a personality change as well. I am not as social perosn. I don't really try to socialize anymore either, I stay at home a lot.
I am not talkative person.
I really do enjoy people though. Throughout my life I have had A LOT of friends. I feel like I have distanced myself from them. I feel as though I am not exciting as I once was. I don't like going to parties or bars or being around a lot of people.
I am just not interested in most peoples conversations. I have found most talk to be unnecessary and full of lies and exaggerations and it just bugs me now.
Has my personality just changed?
My response:
• If what you say really matches the experience you had, then it is just a 'transition'. Very rarely one get to become a "witness" to the thought process (not to confuse with 'knowing' or 'remembering' the actual thoughts! So, the thought-process, the thoughts itself..)
Now, the mention of 'disinterest' is a supporting evidence to this inference.
Very importantly, please do not look at this as a 'personality' change.
It is 'dropping of the personality' (when it is not really needed at all times! Like, a policeman removes his uniform, when at home, and wears another uniform of that of a parent, brother, son, neighbour etc).
Again, very few are able to get rid of such name tags given by society (it creates lot of ego problems, when can't keep tags aside, and we spend incredible energy to maintain such tags at wrong places! ha ha!)
This transition will actually do a lot of good.
It would be very nice if there is a very good, genuine, knowledgeable guide around to facilitate a smooth, successful transition. No struggle, or side-effects, or even a change in the life style need happen. In fact the handling of 'material' aspects of life becomes very very effortless for handling!!
You have only a 'feel' of having distanced from friends. That is the clue. The true inner nature is really free, independent, and not 'attached' or stuck to anything 'gross'. Not even close friends. It actually helps to get close and love friends etc quite "unconditionally" ! And TRUE love is about being unconditional! No expectations of rewards or recognition, gratitude etc! The very capability of being a loving person is 'self-rewarding' and greater than any external reward!
My very best wishes! Good going.
And a deep gratitude and many thanks for sharing this wonderful experience!
I saw his question on Yahoo answers Forum,
And loved to respond.
And, I do not have any hesitation to reproduce the question and my response here:
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090419215212AAkUVqp
Why am I always thinking about something? My mind is always racing with thoughts?
For as long as I can remember I have always had a very active mind. So active it can actually be problematic at times.
When I try to read a paragraph for a school assignment or a few pages of a book I always start thinking about something else. Sometimes it feels as though I read it but I don't follow what it is saying. Because of this I have a really hard time following directions and learning from reading.
When I listen to my professors lecture I try to listen but I always get off track. I hate this because I love to learn and understand... I just can't focus, and the things I think about are usually not important at all.
Also, when I am having a conversation with someone I am almost always thinking about something else, but act as though I am listening... in reality I have no idea what they said. I think I just don't care what they are saying?
I try to pay attention but always end up thinking about something else, it is almost like I am talking to myself but in my head... if that makes sense.
I have noticed a personality change as well. I am not as social perosn. I don't really try to socialize anymore either, I stay at home a lot.
I am not talkative person.
I really do enjoy people though. Throughout my life I have had A LOT of friends. I feel like I have distanced myself from them. I feel as though I am not exciting as I once was. I don't like going to parties or bars or being around a lot of people.
I am just not interested in most peoples conversations. I have found most talk to be unnecessary and full of lies and exaggerations and it just bugs me now.
Has my personality just changed?
My response:
• If what you say really matches the experience you had, then it is just a 'transition'. Very rarely one get to become a "witness" to the thought process (not to confuse with 'knowing' or 'remembering' the actual thoughts! So, the thought-process, the thoughts itself..)
Now, the mention of 'disinterest' is a supporting evidence to this inference.
Very importantly, please do not look at this as a 'personality' change.
It is 'dropping of the personality' (when it is not really needed at all times! Like, a policeman removes his uniform, when at home, and wears another uniform of that of a parent, brother, son, neighbour etc).
Again, very few are able to get rid of such name tags given by society (it creates lot of ego problems, when can't keep tags aside, and we spend incredible energy to maintain such tags at wrong places! ha ha!)
This transition will actually do a lot of good.
It would be very nice if there is a very good, genuine, knowledgeable guide around to facilitate a smooth, successful transition. No struggle, or side-effects, or even a change in the life style need happen. In fact the handling of 'material' aspects of life becomes very very effortless for handling!!
You have only a 'feel' of having distanced from friends. That is the clue. The true inner nature is really free, independent, and not 'attached' or stuck to anything 'gross'. Not even close friends. It actually helps to get close and love friends etc quite "unconditionally" ! And TRUE love is about being unconditional! No expectations of rewards or recognition, gratitude etc! The very capability of being a loving person is 'self-rewarding' and greater than any external reward!
My very best wishes! Good going.
And a deep gratitude and many thanks for sharing this wonderful experience!
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Idiot Box Addiction
This time, I have to start of with an humble acknowledgement. The theme-idea came as a sort of responsive-inspiration to what I tried to paint under “visualization”.
The linguistic decoration is done by me to what was contributed by my sister.
“Elders find fault with children, when they spend too much time watching TV”
But, the elders are sometimes unable to explain as to what is EXACTLY wrong with watching TV?
Advantages of TV comes to the mind…..
1. News channels—information.
2. Educative channels—knowledge.
3. Children’s story/cartoon channels—heroism inspiring with entertainment.
4. Etc.
Now,
To put it in a simple way,
We find that ‘excessive’ dependence on pocket calculators takes away the ability to do simple additions, multiplications etc , mentally! Another example, the Bank staff, now being used to ‘core-banking’ software on computers, would find it too cumbersome to even write simple domestic income-expense accounts! During the very brief parallel run period of manual ledgers and stand-alone computerized book-keeping in banks, a power-shutdown did not affect much the customer-service. But now the Banking activity comes to a stand-still even when there is a ‘system’ failure! No thought is given to do any spade-work even during the brief intervention period. No pacifying talk to customers even. Dependence on electronic gadgets affects everybody’s attitude. Just that the children are more vulnerable!
Once addicted to TV or even computer games, children find inanimate printed text books to be too dull. Even a blank word file or worksheet does not seem to attract them to try on some creativity! These gadgets by itself fail to ‘evoke’ strong visualization capabilities! All this happens only over a period of time, like some slow poison!
A new set of educational-video CDs have started appearing. Science lessons etc on Audio-Visual CDs. But they did not get the “expected” levels of popularity. People try to draw some ‘false’ consolation saying that very few can afford, that is why it is not so popular. But that does not seem to be so. Amongst those who did afford, the frequency of use is far below optimum. The teacher’s dependence on CDs tends to dull that human-emotional-touch & intense involvement, without which, the creativity-instincts of the child do not get really fired.
We remember the ‘sound-track’ of film on All India Radio. We could almost ‘visualize’ the films we never saw. We could see the heroes, heroines, and their emotions, listening to that sound track, eyes closed!
Video CDs do help a lot, but not as a ‘replacement’ to human involvement in teaching, but only as a supplemental support.
After all, powder milk or baby food can only supplement, but can NEVER replace mother’s milk!
Epilogue:
Has this visualization skill got something to do with communication skills? Or is it because of TOO MUCH of the present day pattern of multiple-choice-answers/objective-type test examinations, that the children mostly tend to give a “mono-syllable” reply (Hmm, yep, nope, etc) when replying to queries from their parents/elders?
Psn(9th April, 2009)
The linguistic decoration is done by me to what was contributed by my sister.
“Elders find fault with children, when they spend too much time watching TV”
But, the elders are sometimes unable to explain as to what is EXACTLY wrong with watching TV?
Advantages of TV comes to the mind…..
1. News channels—information.
2. Educative channels—knowledge.
3. Children’s story/cartoon channels—heroism inspiring with entertainment.
4. Etc.
Now,
To put it in a simple way,
We find that ‘excessive’ dependence on pocket calculators takes away the ability to do simple additions, multiplications etc , mentally! Another example, the Bank staff, now being used to ‘core-banking’ software on computers, would find it too cumbersome to even write simple domestic income-expense accounts! During the very brief parallel run period of manual ledgers and stand-alone computerized book-keeping in banks, a power-shutdown did not affect much the customer-service. But now the Banking activity comes to a stand-still even when there is a ‘system’ failure! No thought is given to do any spade-work even during the brief intervention period. No pacifying talk to customers even. Dependence on electronic gadgets affects everybody’s attitude. Just that the children are more vulnerable!
Once addicted to TV or even computer games, children find inanimate printed text books to be too dull. Even a blank word file or worksheet does not seem to attract them to try on some creativity! These gadgets by itself fail to ‘evoke’ strong visualization capabilities! All this happens only over a period of time, like some slow poison!
A new set of educational-video CDs have started appearing. Science lessons etc on Audio-Visual CDs. But they did not get the “expected” levels of popularity. People try to draw some ‘false’ consolation saying that very few can afford, that is why it is not so popular. But that does not seem to be so. Amongst those who did afford, the frequency of use is far below optimum. The teacher’s dependence on CDs tends to dull that human-emotional-touch & intense involvement, without which, the creativity-instincts of the child do not get really fired.
We remember the ‘sound-track’ of film on All India Radio. We could almost ‘visualize’ the films we never saw. We could see the heroes, heroines, and their emotions, listening to that sound track, eyes closed!
Video CDs do help a lot, but not as a ‘replacement’ to human involvement in teaching, but only as a supplemental support.
After all, powder milk or baby food can only supplement, but can NEVER replace mother’s milk!
Epilogue:
Has this visualization skill got something to do with communication skills? Or is it because of TOO MUCH of the present day pattern of multiple-choice-answers/objective-type test examinations, that the children mostly tend to give a “mono-syllable” reply (Hmm, yep, nope, etc) when replying to queries from their parents/elders?
Psn(9th April, 2009)
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Recession Remedy!
It really sounds too elusive. And what baffles us is that we have no dearth of great economists, financial wizards, experienced experts all over the globe, and they all are intensely and sincerely busy trying to ‘fix’ the problem. And yet, the more they try to fix, it becomes more grave!
And non-experts like us too are trying to at least figure out what it is all about! It does not spare even people who have been ethical in the conduct of their business for years, and successfully too!
I am definitely not going to attempt suggesting any ‘solution’ or remedy. But I try to see if there is any benefit to be derived out of the situation, or atleast try to pacify ourselves with something that seems to be a marginal or minimal advantage to be derived. The very experience of going through the ordeal should be a benefit. Only if we choose to look at it as a lesson (though a hard & tough one!). Even students find their career expectations crashing even before they take off!
While viewing the TV, I happened to listen to something inspiring. I thank the famous politician Shri L.K.Advaniji for mentioning that interesting information. It seems, Chinese language does not have alphabets. Instead they have characters. The spelling for the word “crisis” in Chinese language is said to contain two characters. One character means “danger” & the other one means “opportunity”.
So, if we consider this Economic recession as a crisis, there should be an opportunity too, in it. I was interested in the opportunity part of it. Obviously, when the crisis is severe the opportunity cannot be a mere ‘cake-walk’. That opportunity if grasped has to give a longer-term benefit.
I used to observe babies being fed that baby food somewhere during the 6th month, where the mother’s milk is gently withdrawn. The mother has to give it at the right time, not by a time-schedule. The baby has to give out signals that it is hungry. Sometimes, it so happens that the baby starts crying and after a while, the cry becomes too intense. The baby goes breathless, eyes bulge, and the mother is now really scared. It is risky to feed the child when it is crying loud and incessantly. The food might get diverted into the wind pipe and choke the lungs! The mother tries to pacify in all the languages, tones, songs etc known to her. And the child would close both its eyes firmly and spend every ounce of energy in crying intensely. Even to get the attention of the child seems near improbable!
Our recession seems to create somewhat similar situation. No bail out package seems to work. No way to extract more taxes, no way to extract more produce, manual-productivity, etc. People simply refuse to trust anything, any gimmick. Investor-confidence, customer confidence etc seem to be getting eroded further day-by-day! All along language was a mode of effective communication to win peoples’ trust, confidence, votes, and what not. Now any effort, if through the same language though with different set of words, seems to put them more on a defensive. The very currency on which “trust” was declared on the highest power in the universe is now only second to the most sought after and more trusted form of wealth, namely Gold. How to bring back the trust in authorities, is the root of the possible solution. When there was complete trust any inadequacy in communication would have a smooth sailing. But when trust is lost, dexterity in linguistic skills scares all the more!
The mother now waits patiently to thrust a harmless quantity of that baby food through the corner of the mouth of the child, just enough to reach the taste buds, through finger tips. And if luck permits, for a split second the child’s attention is drawn towards the taste of the food, and if it starts reaching out its tongue towards the edge of its lips, the mother does not lose a single moment to replenish with little more! The trust starts re-building, bit by bit, morsel by morsel, at a painstakingly slow pace! Once out of anxiety, the mother could even choose to shower a mock ‘scolding’ at the child, only to now evoke an innocent but mischievous giggle as a retort from the child.
Perhaps, the remedy for recession, by any type of structure, design or plan, would have to be based on “Trust” re-building process. And only practical and realistic gestures, not words would now work. And restoring a lost trust is more complex and very difficult. Such actions have to be one-sided to begin with, without any pre-conditions, any strings attached, or any counter expectations. It is the most trusted, oldest, mightiest financial institutions that have collapsed. Who would accept any ‘guarantee’ from a lesser entity? A financial wizard is a ‘wizard’ after all! Why risk trusting him/her.
When the heads of a large joint family suddenly decide to part ways, the small children start wondering why they miss the proximity, joy and pleasure of playing together, for no fault of theirs. Common man also finds similarly crushed under the consequences of recession. Job loss, business loss, revenue loss, turnover loss, loss of avenues of finance etc.
This recession has side effects too. The depression reaches homes too. At least the psychological part of it. It would be good to keep the mutual trust within the family members firmly intact. Leave no loose ends any where. Like they about “charity begins at home”,.. now re-building global trust, also could begin at home, then permeate across street, city, nation etc. There is no law and no way to ‘enforce’ trust. Offer it , then wait patiently for a possible reciprocation. This exercise has long term benefits. We did not really ask for it. But having got stuck into it, let us try to make the most of it.
psn (6th April, 2009)
And non-experts like us too are trying to at least figure out what it is all about! It does not spare even people who have been ethical in the conduct of their business for years, and successfully too!
I am definitely not going to attempt suggesting any ‘solution’ or remedy. But I try to see if there is any benefit to be derived out of the situation, or atleast try to pacify ourselves with something that seems to be a marginal or minimal advantage to be derived. The very experience of going through the ordeal should be a benefit. Only if we choose to look at it as a lesson (though a hard & tough one!). Even students find their career expectations crashing even before they take off!
While viewing the TV, I happened to listen to something inspiring. I thank the famous politician Shri L.K.Advaniji for mentioning that interesting information. It seems, Chinese language does not have alphabets. Instead they have characters. The spelling for the word “crisis” in Chinese language is said to contain two characters. One character means “danger” & the other one means “opportunity”.
So, if we consider this Economic recession as a crisis, there should be an opportunity too, in it. I was interested in the opportunity part of it. Obviously, when the crisis is severe the opportunity cannot be a mere ‘cake-walk’. That opportunity if grasped has to give a longer-term benefit.
I used to observe babies being fed that baby food somewhere during the 6th month, where the mother’s milk is gently withdrawn. The mother has to give it at the right time, not by a time-schedule. The baby has to give out signals that it is hungry. Sometimes, it so happens that the baby starts crying and after a while, the cry becomes too intense. The baby goes breathless, eyes bulge, and the mother is now really scared. It is risky to feed the child when it is crying loud and incessantly. The food might get diverted into the wind pipe and choke the lungs! The mother tries to pacify in all the languages, tones, songs etc known to her. And the child would close both its eyes firmly and spend every ounce of energy in crying intensely. Even to get the attention of the child seems near improbable!
Our recession seems to create somewhat similar situation. No bail out package seems to work. No way to extract more taxes, no way to extract more produce, manual-productivity, etc. People simply refuse to trust anything, any gimmick. Investor-confidence, customer confidence etc seem to be getting eroded further day-by-day! All along language was a mode of effective communication to win peoples’ trust, confidence, votes, and what not. Now any effort, if through the same language though with different set of words, seems to put them more on a defensive. The very currency on which “trust” was declared on the highest power in the universe is now only second to the most sought after and more trusted form of wealth, namely Gold. How to bring back the trust in authorities, is the root of the possible solution. When there was complete trust any inadequacy in communication would have a smooth sailing. But when trust is lost, dexterity in linguistic skills scares all the more!
The mother now waits patiently to thrust a harmless quantity of that baby food through the corner of the mouth of the child, just enough to reach the taste buds, through finger tips. And if luck permits, for a split second the child’s attention is drawn towards the taste of the food, and if it starts reaching out its tongue towards the edge of its lips, the mother does not lose a single moment to replenish with little more! The trust starts re-building, bit by bit, morsel by morsel, at a painstakingly slow pace! Once out of anxiety, the mother could even choose to shower a mock ‘scolding’ at the child, only to now evoke an innocent but mischievous giggle as a retort from the child.
Perhaps, the remedy for recession, by any type of structure, design or plan, would have to be based on “Trust” re-building process. And only practical and realistic gestures, not words would now work. And restoring a lost trust is more complex and very difficult. Such actions have to be one-sided to begin with, without any pre-conditions, any strings attached, or any counter expectations. It is the most trusted, oldest, mightiest financial institutions that have collapsed. Who would accept any ‘guarantee’ from a lesser entity? A financial wizard is a ‘wizard’ after all! Why risk trusting him/her.
When the heads of a large joint family suddenly decide to part ways, the small children start wondering why they miss the proximity, joy and pleasure of playing together, for no fault of theirs. Common man also finds similarly crushed under the consequences of recession. Job loss, business loss, revenue loss, turnover loss, loss of avenues of finance etc.
This recession has side effects too. The depression reaches homes too. At least the psychological part of it. It would be good to keep the mutual trust within the family members firmly intact. Leave no loose ends any where. Like they about “charity begins at home”,.. now re-building global trust, also could begin at home, then permeate across street, city, nation etc. There is no law and no way to ‘enforce’ trust. Offer it , then wait patiently for a possible reciprocation. This exercise has long term benefits. We did not really ask for it. But having got stuck into it, let us try to make the most of it.
psn (6th April, 2009)
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Visualization
I have a cousin.
He happened to mention during a casual conversation, that he considered himself very fortunate in being able to effortlessly ‘visualize’ when asked to do so, as a part of some training exercise etc.
We usually end up (or rather begin, to be more precise), with such abstract looking topics of discussion, soon after the brief preliminaries, when ever we meet. And over a period of time, I find that our lack of proximity did not dull our intimacy in the least. On the other hand, we find ourselves having transcended the need to remind ourselves being ‘cousins’ to each other!
I therefore learnt that as far as humans are concerned, proximity is not a ‘must’ for intimacy. And intimacy at subtler levels, are of greater refinement in quality, and obviously therefore, add to deeper experience of relationships!
When he told thus about visualization skills, it led me to wonder if it is really true that some others are not so fortunate to have those skills, when they seem to struggle to visualize! If they do not have even the potential, how come dreams occur to almost everybody? Then it is merely a question of converting the potential into a ‘capability’!
And to what purpose? Well, intuitive skills ‘lean’ a bit on those ‘visualization’ skills, if I may venture to infer. Those who are fairly ‘well settled’ in life may try to ward off this skill saying that they are able to manage ‘life’ even without it. But not really so. It takes some effort to discover this newer dimension of ‘conscious’ living to decide or abstain to ‘choose’ how to live. ‘Out of box thinking’ can come handy to almost anyone, in daily life situations too. For that we need to step out of our mind’s box (the ‘set’ attitude or style of thinking). That reminds me, if “sentiments” have something to do with that out of box thinking! Visualization skill is an integral part of ‘out of box thinking’ since there has to be a ‘design’ or lay-out, for something that is being tried out for the first time as far as an individual is concerned. Students need no further emphasis regarding use either of these.
Perhaps, simple tasks that we perform in our daily life, can be tried first out as ‘visuals’ , at least a few moments ahead of our physical performance. This really requires not great effort, leisure etc. On the other hand it would enhance better focusing abilities too. And with sustained efforts, those simple tasks which look like a drudgery, or fatigue causing could turn up to be energizing ones instead! Because we are now at a game, trying to match the visuals and its actualizations! As an example, if we look at words in a sentence, each group of words has a ‘picture’ associated with it. If we try to ‘create’ that picture, the very words seem to sink a bit deeper into us, and memorizing would seem a bit easier. Students who seem to struggle with memorizing exercise could benefit from this simple technique. But this cannot be a ‘last-minute’ deal. Initially it takes time to acquire this skill, so some planning is needed for optimizing the time management.
Our ancients had that ‘story-telling’ sessions during bed-time, for children. This took care of converting the potential into a capability. Now, only ‘good’ schools seem to think about allotting some sessions towards this!
The mention of ‘sentiments’ might have raised serious doubts, regarding its relevance in the subject of discussion. May be it has not much to do with visualization skills. Basically, what we call as ‘sentiments’ is something that has crystallized out of a pattern of emotions. We actually ‘grow’ into what ever kind of sentiment that we seem to carry. It does not happen right from birth itself. May be there is some ‘polarization’ due to birth reasons. Sentiments seem to distance itself from logic. They come closer to emotions. We at times, ‘drop’ our logic, and oblige to somebody’s request, when they ‘touch’ our sentiments with a bit sensitive use of words! But again, not all emotions are some sort of sentiments. We have that ‘family’ sentiments, ‘caste’ sentiment, racial sentiments, patriotic sentiments, religious sentiments, social sentiments, etc etc…. Even the belief in ‘superstitions’ is a very strong & personal sentiment! And also what we have ‘conveniently’ named as ‘negative’ sentiments. Negative to whom and why is debatable! I tried to find an ‘exact’ matching word in other languages, for that word ‘sentiment’. English dictionary itself attempts to give only a ‘feel’ of the word, leaving it to the readers to ‘grasp’ its true meaning from contextual use etc. My limitation is the proximity that I have to ‘other’ languages, that is just the Indian languages. But this limitation seems to offer a ‘blessing’ in disguise. The difficulty in extracting an exact word, leads me to wonder if our ancient people chose, not to pamper any kind of ‘sentiment’. I am tempted to give some credulity to this theory because, sentiments of any kind seem to cause some kind of obstacle to spiritual evolvement. So, at some time or other, one has to get out of the shackles of these sentiments to be able to climb further into spiritual path. The crude practices of ‘aghora’ yoga seem to substantiate the urgency we find in their effort to ‘drop’ such strong sentiments!
Even in intimate relationships, if there is a ‘clash’ of mismatching sentiments, the quality of relationship is at stake! Even if one person is sentimental about something, and the other is not, it is a fight of logic versus ‘illogical’. And when we are trying to deal with something ‘illogical’, we ourselves cannot deal in an illogical way. We have to logically understand and accept the fact that we have only few choices. Put up with the other persons sentiments, compromise, avoid confrontation, etc. The last choice would be to help the other person to come out of such sentiments. Last, because it the toughest one, time consuming and painstaking too, effort-wise.
So, I felt that sentiments do tend to curb the freedom to visualize, to some extent. We find some kind of ‘rigidity’ with people who carry too many sentiments. There is nothing wrong with sentiments. We cannot unite unless we have a ‘spirit’ of patriotism. The spirit of self-sacrifice is usually boosted or ‘fuelled’ by some of the ‘good’ sentiments, or shall I say ‘healthy’ sentiments! Personally I would like to have all my sentiments well under my control, to be invoked ‘at will’! Oh! , if that does happen, then, I wonder if such items will have to be taken ‘off’ the list of ‘my’ sentiments? Here I spin the web of confusion around myself! I wonder if I am tooo sentimental about sentiments itself, or whether I lack the ‘visual’ skills to imagine the difficulty & discomfort I cause to readers, who therefore abandon any possible inclination to even send a feedback or response!
Regard fully yours,
Psn (5th April, 2009)
He happened to mention during a casual conversation, that he considered himself very fortunate in being able to effortlessly ‘visualize’ when asked to do so, as a part of some training exercise etc.
We usually end up (or rather begin, to be more precise), with such abstract looking topics of discussion, soon after the brief preliminaries, when ever we meet. And over a period of time, I find that our lack of proximity did not dull our intimacy in the least. On the other hand, we find ourselves having transcended the need to remind ourselves being ‘cousins’ to each other!
I therefore learnt that as far as humans are concerned, proximity is not a ‘must’ for intimacy. And intimacy at subtler levels, are of greater refinement in quality, and obviously therefore, add to deeper experience of relationships!
When he told thus about visualization skills, it led me to wonder if it is really true that some others are not so fortunate to have those skills, when they seem to struggle to visualize! If they do not have even the potential, how come dreams occur to almost everybody? Then it is merely a question of converting the potential into a ‘capability’!
And to what purpose? Well, intuitive skills ‘lean’ a bit on those ‘visualization’ skills, if I may venture to infer. Those who are fairly ‘well settled’ in life may try to ward off this skill saying that they are able to manage ‘life’ even without it. But not really so. It takes some effort to discover this newer dimension of ‘conscious’ living to decide or abstain to ‘choose’ how to live. ‘Out of box thinking’ can come handy to almost anyone, in daily life situations too. For that we need to step out of our mind’s box (the ‘set’ attitude or style of thinking). That reminds me, if “sentiments” have something to do with that out of box thinking! Visualization skill is an integral part of ‘out of box thinking’ since there has to be a ‘design’ or lay-out, for something that is being tried out for the first time as far as an individual is concerned. Students need no further emphasis regarding use either of these.
Perhaps, simple tasks that we perform in our daily life, can be tried first out as ‘visuals’ , at least a few moments ahead of our physical performance. This really requires not great effort, leisure etc. On the other hand it would enhance better focusing abilities too. And with sustained efforts, those simple tasks which look like a drudgery, or fatigue causing could turn up to be energizing ones instead! Because we are now at a game, trying to match the visuals and its actualizations! As an example, if we look at words in a sentence, each group of words has a ‘picture’ associated with it. If we try to ‘create’ that picture, the very words seem to sink a bit deeper into us, and memorizing would seem a bit easier. Students who seem to struggle with memorizing exercise could benefit from this simple technique. But this cannot be a ‘last-minute’ deal. Initially it takes time to acquire this skill, so some planning is needed for optimizing the time management.
Our ancients had that ‘story-telling’ sessions during bed-time, for children. This took care of converting the potential into a capability. Now, only ‘good’ schools seem to think about allotting some sessions towards this!
The mention of ‘sentiments’ might have raised serious doubts, regarding its relevance in the subject of discussion. May be it has not much to do with visualization skills. Basically, what we call as ‘sentiments’ is something that has crystallized out of a pattern of emotions. We actually ‘grow’ into what ever kind of sentiment that we seem to carry. It does not happen right from birth itself. May be there is some ‘polarization’ due to birth reasons. Sentiments seem to distance itself from logic. They come closer to emotions. We at times, ‘drop’ our logic, and oblige to somebody’s request, when they ‘touch’ our sentiments with a bit sensitive use of words! But again, not all emotions are some sort of sentiments. We have that ‘family’ sentiments, ‘caste’ sentiment, racial sentiments, patriotic sentiments, religious sentiments, social sentiments, etc etc…. Even the belief in ‘superstitions’ is a very strong & personal sentiment! And also what we have ‘conveniently’ named as ‘negative’ sentiments. Negative to whom and why is debatable! I tried to find an ‘exact’ matching word in other languages, for that word ‘sentiment’. English dictionary itself attempts to give only a ‘feel’ of the word, leaving it to the readers to ‘grasp’ its true meaning from contextual use etc. My limitation is the proximity that I have to ‘other’ languages, that is just the Indian languages. But this limitation seems to offer a ‘blessing’ in disguise. The difficulty in extracting an exact word, leads me to wonder if our ancient people chose, not to pamper any kind of ‘sentiment’. I am tempted to give some credulity to this theory because, sentiments of any kind seem to cause some kind of obstacle to spiritual evolvement. So, at some time or other, one has to get out of the shackles of these sentiments to be able to climb further into spiritual path. The crude practices of ‘aghora’ yoga seem to substantiate the urgency we find in their effort to ‘drop’ such strong sentiments!
Even in intimate relationships, if there is a ‘clash’ of mismatching sentiments, the quality of relationship is at stake! Even if one person is sentimental about something, and the other is not, it is a fight of logic versus ‘illogical’. And when we are trying to deal with something ‘illogical’, we ourselves cannot deal in an illogical way. We have to logically understand and accept the fact that we have only few choices. Put up with the other persons sentiments, compromise, avoid confrontation, etc. The last choice would be to help the other person to come out of such sentiments. Last, because it the toughest one, time consuming and painstaking too, effort-wise.
So, I felt that sentiments do tend to curb the freedom to visualize, to some extent. We find some kind of ‘rigidity’ with people who carry too many sentiments. There is nothing wrong with sentiments. We cannot unite unless we have a ‘spirit’ of patriotism. The spirit of self-sacrifice is usually boosted or ‘fuelled’ by some of the ‘good’ sentiments, or shall I say ‘healthy’ sentiments! Personally I would like to have all my sentiments well under my control, to be invoked ‘at will’! Oh! , if that does happen, then, I wonder if such items will have to be taken ‘off’ the list of ‘my’ sentiments? Here I spin the web of confusion around myself! I wonder if I am tooo sentimental about sentiments itself, or whether I lack the ‘visual’ skills to imagine the difficulty & discomfort I cause to readers, who therefore abandon any possible inclination to even send a feedback or response!
Regard fully yours,
Psn (5th April, 2009)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Debatable or Controversial?
Debatable or Controversial ?
“Masjid mein jam peeney dey jahid,
Warna woh jagah bathaa dey jahan Khuda na ho !”
(Allow me to enjoy drinking right inside this mosque or else, show me a place where God is not present!)
Not just this famous quote, its author also too, was considered controversial!
I am not too sure! (I didn’t get a chance to ‘wrestle’ against him! ) Really speaking, there is no big controversy or even something debatable! It is just about choosing to live ‘in’ the moment or ‘for’ the moment.
This genius took pleasure in confusing people around, like for instance, when he asked “Do the meaning of my Rubaiyat (couplets) undergo any change if written with a sword-point dipped in Blood?”
As a kid, at school, I used to wonder what my elder people mean when they said that something is highly debatable, or refer to a person as ‘non-controversial’! I found my own brain caught in a controversy when we were asked to choose to speak ‘for or against’ a topic to participate in a debating competition. “Science is good or bad for mankind” was a topic often repeated. ‘Watching Movies(good or bad)’ was another. I used to wonder why our teacher could not choose a topic that was more palatable or within our reach. Science was a compulsory subject, and movies were well out of our reach then. The teacher could have asked us to choose “Hostel life better, or life at home with parents” or still more precisely, “Life with parental control or without it”. I was sure, there would have been a long queue to support that “without control!”. I used to create a whole(some) mini-world of entertainment, visualizing such extended ideas and rehearsing its happenings during my day-dreaming-sessions!
Even as adults, we find that we are ‘scared’ of debating about many things, fearing controversy! One excuse we seek is lack of time. We have a fast life, full of tension, BP, stress, strain etc, leaving very less scope to indulge in even a ‘healthy’ debate. Why argue about anything when there is scope to ‘leave’ it to ‘their’ choice? We prefer to settle down to an acceptable repetitive ‘routine’ rather than explore the possibility of ‘colourful’ variations. Even petty things like placing furniture in a drawing room, matching colours of dress, TV channels , etc evoke controversies instead of healthy debates! At workplace, every thing is a potential threat to end up in a controversy, including moving up the table or chair by a few inches!
I do agree, people are at times quite unpredictable and could land us in a great predicament. Like, we try to merely ‘mention’ the weather, to a co-passenger in a train, to pass the time a bit more pleasantly, instead of staring at each other for the whole length of the journey. This, harmless and innocent looking gesture, the ‘mention’ of weather, could turn into a debate and before we realize, end us up into a deep controversy about who caused this ecological imbalance which has resulted into an irregular climatic cycle, affecting our economy when we are ‘already reeling’ under recession! Oh! Now even the carefully packed delicious home food has turned insipid due to ‘bad weather’ right inside the train compartment!
Once it happened to me thus… (the narrative of this instance is a bit long, and I shall cut ‘n’ paste the rest of it at the end, for those who are eager to wind up early).
The culture of teaching “Tarka-Shaastra” as a skill, has faded out. Now the head-hunters find the ‘out-of-box’ thinkers to be ‘out-of-stock’ during campus-recruitment-processes.
No wonder, topics which are very pertinent to handling basic issues of life even, fail to evoke any kind of response, though conveyed through that safe-distanced & convenient e-mails! I really wonder if it is even controversial to try and debate as to how to classify ‘issues’ as debatable or controversial! Perception is the Preceptor to decide whether to precipitate issues or not!
Regards,
PSN(21st Feb, 2009)
Post-script: (pre-planned though….. like that ‘wise’ mother who mentioned in her post script quote: “P.S : Beta, I was going to send you some money but by the time I realized, I had already sealed off this letter.” )
It happened to me once in a train. We were returning from Kerala, having attended a marriage function. A group of youngsters who got organized to represent the interests of rubber cultivators, were busy discussing strategy to effectively argue the case at Delhi with the political leaders. The youngsters were followers of communist ideals & principles. The innocent farmers were victims, left in the lurch, when Tyre manufacturers decided to switch over to ‘synthetic’ rubber, relocating their units away from amidst rubber plantations of Kerala. The youngsters were a bit primitive and crude (yet-to-be shaped into full-fledged politicians). They were ill equipped with weak arguments to counter the politicians who were past-masters, and more importantly, were also ‘patronized’ by rubber Barons. A clear fight between capitalism & communism. I was keenly observing the mannerism, strong accent of local language when they were trying to formulate appropriate phrases in English (the only medium available to them to converse with north Indian politicians!). My family saw no harm in ‘allowing’ me to listen to them. The trouble started quite unexpectedly when one of them sought my opinion on the ‘strength’ of their case! I should have confined myself to suggesting cohesiveness in language, phrases, brevity etc, to squeeze the case to comprehensively fit in the brief ‘time’ slot allotted to them while ‘meeting’ the political leaders. My very opening remarks were inadvertently very potential to brew trouble. I suffered a temporary loss of memory of the fact that politically inclined groups were a potential threat to common man anywhere, anytime, in our country!
I said “You farmers fail to learn lessons from the past! Sometime ago, multinationals had set up Cocoa factories in Kerala, and offered very tempting & lucrative amounts to switch over from traditional crops, and convert the cultivated lands into Cocoa plantations. Then, one fine morning, they moved their factories to ‘greener’ pastures. Farmers became penniless overnight. And this time, it is rubber”.
At once, a revolution was seen in the offing, and I became their lonely “Tsar”, remaining to be vanquished! I too felt a slight tremble inside me, like having stirred a hornet’s nest. The women folk of my family quietly stashed away the just-opened-ready-to-eat-snack-pack. Prepared now, for the ‘worst’! The leader turned to me and lashed out “You are quite ignorant of the basic principles of communism, its social benefits, protective outlook towards common man. Maybe you are fortunate to be slightly above poverty line, educated enough to slog under your capitalist bosses for a reasonably handsome assure-monthly-salary! (etc)”
I allowed a pause, to tone down the aggressive tendency and then told them, “Look, communism has failed even in countries which had adopted it, pursued it en-mass. You talk of basics. Yes, basics were adopted & propagated with errors. That is why it perhaps failed to ‘deliver’.”
When I stressed ‘basics’, the youngsters felt a little hesitant and paused. I didn’t wait. I continued—“Do you know where from this communism originated?” ……. “More than thousand years ago…?” I added. Now, they were stupefied. History wasn’t their cup of tea. All I needed to was to substantiate with irrefutable ‘logic’ to substitute a historic ‘evidence’.
“Not by the name ‘communism’. But the ‘basic’ principle, in a very sacred manner & with strict adherence” I said. By now, I had turned them into receptive listeners.
“The basic principle is that decision makers do not hold administrative powers, to avoid vested interests creeping into resultant corruption. That is what a Politburo is all about, isn’t it?”
The idea of ‘Power’ corrupts had an instant appeal. And now the reference to ‘corroborative’ historical evidence. “The ancient Rishis (ascetic spiritual persons engaged in penance) were your ‘Politburo’ members. Very intelligent, away from worldly desires, with meager possessions, and very much concerned about ‘common man’. They periodically visit the king at the latter’s request, counsel him on administrative matters, and leave for the recluse of forest to continue their penance. The King had no trouble implementing the ‘decisions’ by ‘politburo’ Rishis, quoting their wisdom, reassuring the subjects that the King was never an autocrat or dictator, but an obedient public servant, taking instructions from wise, meditative, saintly person whose integrity was proven beyond doubt. No wonder, the system of King as a ruler sustained for many centuries. It failed only when rishis became extinct! In today’s communism, the members of politburo are very much a part of the same society, and hence very much ever vulnerable to normal human weaknesses and temptations!”
We reached the station where I had to alight with my family.
To this day, I am not very sure as to what really helped me in extricating myself from a controversy—
The train reaching my destination or
The time taken by those youngsters to ‘digest’ the new angle of their basic concept or
The very ‘merits’ of the concept I had happened to put forth!
I now had invariably learned a lesson. Not to drift from a discussion into even a debate, for, a controversy is not far behind!
“Masjid mein jam peeney dey jahid,
Warna woh jagah bathaa dey jahan Khuda na ho !”
(Allow me to enjoy drinking right inside this mosque or else, show me a place where God is not present!)
Not just this famous quote, its author also too, was considered controversial!
I am not too sure! (I didn’t get a chance to ‘wrestle’ against him! ) Really speaking, there is no big controversy or even something debatable! It is just about choosing to live ‘in’ the moment or ‘for’ the moment.
This genius took pleasure in confusing people around, like for instance, when he asked “Do the meaning of my Rubaiyat (couplets) undergo any change if written with a sword-point dipped in Blood?”
As a kid, at school, I used to wonder what my elder people mean when they said that something is highly debatable, or refer to a person as ‘non-controversial’! I found my own brain caught in a controversy when we were asked to choose to speak ‘for or against’ a topic to participate in a debating competition. “Science is good or bad for mankind” was a topic often repeated. ‘Watching Movies(good or bad)’ was another. I used to wonder why our teacher could not choose a topic that was more palatable or within our reach. Science was a compulsory subject, and movies were well out of our reach then. The teacher could have asked us to choose “Hostel life better, or life at home with parents” or still more precisely, “Life with parental control or without it”. I was sure, there would have been a long queue to support that “without control!”. I used to create a whole(some) mini-world of entertainment, visualizing such extended ideas and rehearsing its happenings during my day-dreaming-sessions!
Even as adults, we find that we are ‘scared’ of debating about many things, fearing controversy! One excuse we seek is lack of time. We have a fast life, full of tension, BP, stress, strain etc, leaving very less scope to indulge in even a ‘healthy’ debate. Why argue about anything when there is scope to ‘leave’ it to ‘their’ choice? We prefer to settle down to an acceptable repetitive ‘routine’ rather than explore the possibility of ‘colourful’ variations. Even petty things like placing furniture in a drawing room, matching colours of dress, TV channels , etc evoke controversies instead of healthy debates! At workplace, every thing is a potential threat to end up in a controversy, including moving up the table or chair by a few inches!
I do agree, people are at times quite unpredictable and could land us in a great predicament. Like, we try to merely ‘mention’ the weather, to a co-passenger in a train, to pass the time a bit more pleasantly, instead of staring at each other for the whole length of the journey. This, harmless and innocent looking gesture, the ‘mention’ of weather, could turn into a debate and before we realize, end us up into a deep controversy about who caused this ecological imbalance which has resulted into an irregular climatic cycle, affecting our economy when we are ‘already reeling’ under recession! Oh! Now even the carefully packed delicious home food has turned insipid due to ‘bad weather’ right inside the train compartment!
Once it happened to me thus… (the narrative of this instance is a bit long, and I shall cut ‘n’ paste the rest of it at the end, for those who are eager to wind up early).
The culture of teaching “Tarka-Shaastra” as a skill, has faded out. Now the head-hunters find the ‘out-of-box’ thinkers to be ‘out-of-stock’ during campus-recruitment-processes.
No wonder, topics which are very pertinent to handling basic issues of life even, fail to evoke any kind of response, though conveyed through that safe-distanced & convenient e-mails! I really wonder if it is even controversial to try and debate as to how to classify ‘issues’ as debatable or controversial! Perception is the Preceptor to decide whether to precipitate issues or not!
Regards,
PSN(21st Feb, 2009)
Post-script: (pre-planned though….. like that ‘wise’ mother who mentioned in her post script quote: “P.S : Beta, I was going to send you some money but by the time I realized, I had already sealed off this letter.” )
It happened to me once in a train. We were returning from Kerala, having attended a marriage function. A group of youngsters who got organized to represent the interests of rubber cultivators, were busy discussing strategy to effectively argue the case at Delhi with the political leaders. The youngsters were followers of communist ideals & principles. The innocent farmers were victims, left in the lurch, when Tyre manufacturers decided to switch over to ‘synthetic’ rubber, relocating their units away from amidst rubber plantations of Kerala. The youngsters were a bit primitive and crude (yet-to-be shaped into full-fledged politicians). They were ill equipped with weak arguments to counter the politicians who were past-masters, and more importantly, were also ‘patronized’ by rubber Barons. A clear fight between capitalism & communism. I was keenly observing the mannerism, strong accent of local language when they were trying to formulate appropriate phrases in English (the only medium available to them to converse with north Indian politicians!). My family saw no harm in ‘allowing’ me to listen to them. The trouble started quite unexpectedly when one of them sought my opinion on the ‘strength’ of their case! I should have confined myself to suggesting cohesiveness in language, phrases, brevity etc, to squeeze the case to comprehensively fit in the brief ‘time’ slot allotted to them while ‘meeting’ the political leaders. My very opening remarks were inadvertently very potential to brew trouble. I suffered a temporary loss of memory of the fact that politically inclined groups were a potential threat to common man anywhere, anytime, in our country!
I said “You farmers fail to learn lessons from the past! Sometime ago, multinationals had set up Cocoa factories in Kerala, and offered very tempting & lucrative amounts to switch over from traditional crops, and convert the cultivated lands into Cocoa plantations. Then, one fine morning, they moved their factories to ‘greener’ pastures. Farmers became penniless overnight. And this time, it is rubber”.
At once, a revolution was seen in the offing, and I became their lonely “Tsar”, remaining to be vanquished! I too felt a slight tremble inside me, like having stirred a hornet’s nest. The women folk of my family quietly stashed away the just-opened-ready-to-eat-snack-pack. Prepared now, for the ‘worst’! The leader turned to me and lashed out “You are quite ignorant of the basic principles of communism, its social benefits, protective outlook towards common man. Maybe you are fortunate to be slightly above poverty line, educated enough to slog under your capitalist bosses for a reasonably handsome assure-monthly-salary! (etc)”
I allowed a pause, to tone down the aggressive tendency and then told them, “Look, communism has failed even in countries which had adopted it, pursued it en-mass. You talk of basics. Yes, basics were adopted & propagated with errors. That is why it perhaps failed to ‘deliver’.”
When I stressed ‘basics’, the youngsters felt a little hesitant and paused. I didn’t wait. I continued—“Do you know where from this communism originated?” ……. “More than thousand years ago…?” I added. Now, they were stupefied. History wasn’t their cup of tea. All I needed to was to substantiate with irrefutable ‘logic’ to substitute a historic ‘evidence’.
“Not by the name ‘communism’. But the ‘basic’ principle, in a very sacred manner & with strict adherence” I said. By now, I had turned them into receptive listeners.
“The basic principle is that decision makers do not hold administrative powers, to avoid vested interests creeping into resultant corruption. That is what a Politburo is all about, isn’t it?”
The idea of ‘Power’ corrupts had an instant appeal. And now the reference to ‘corroborative’ historical evidence. “The ancient Rishis (ascetic spiritual persons engaged in penance) were your ‘Politburo’ members. Very intelligent, away from worldly desires, with meager possessions, and very much concerned about ‘common man’. They periodically visit the king at the latter’s request, counsel him on administrative matters, and leave for the recluse of forest to continue their penance. The King had no trouble implementing the ‘decisions’ by ‘politburo’ Rishis, quoting their wisdom, reassuring the subjects that the King was never an autocrat or dictator, but an obedient public servant, taking instructions from wise, meditative, saintly person whose integrity was proven beyond doubt. No wonder, the system of King as a ruler sustained for many centuries. It failed only when rishis became extinct! In today’s communism, the members of politburo are very much a part of the same society, and hence very much ever vulnerable to normal human weaknesses and temptations!”
We reached the station where I had to alight with my family.
To this day, I am not very sure as to what really helped me in extricating myself from a controversy—
The train reaching my destination or
The time taken by those youngsters to ‘digest’ the new angle of their basic concept or
The very ‘merits’ of the concept I had happened to put forth!
I now had invariably learned a lesson. Not to drift from a discussion into even a debate, for, a controversy is not far behind!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Hammer it out !
One of the meanings of “Hammer” is ‘to teach by frequent and energetic reiteration’; ‘to contrive by intellectual labour, to excogitate(with in or into). ‘hammer home’—to impress (a fact) strongly and effectively on someone.
Something like this was sought to be done when a strong-willed ‘Satyam’ employee decisively said ‘I need to FIX this guy’s THOUGHT PROCESS’!
Another news item (‘The Hindu’ dated 4th Feb, 2009) , “Life at Minus 24 degree Celsius” (Russian Winter) also seemed to highlight, indicatively though, the same need—to hammer, or FIX the thought process! While Britain was “paralyzed” by 15 cm of snow (Jan, 2009), NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS at Moscow, with Minus 24 degree C! It was a British student who observed thus—“We have a culture(in Britain) of people LIKING TO MOAN”!
Spiritual growth demands this ‘fixing of thought process’ a bit more severely! Zen Masters are good at hastening the process, and obviously, they sound a bit more crude. Indian Masters are too liberal, gentle and possess tons of patience & compassion. So, here the ‘drop-out’ rate is very high. Both the methods have exclusive advantages and hence do not warrant any comparison. The choice has always been with the student, seeker or the disciple!
But, Nature, gives us no choice. It is known as the ‘best’ teacher! It also gives the ‘TEST’ first, and then the lessons! So, when the Indian Masters ‘seem’ to be lenient, they are merely ‘referring’ the ‘case’ to another Great Teacher—the Mother Nature! Oh! Perhaps, to me, the Zen Masters seem preferable! All we need to do is just FIX our thought process about it too!
A freebie : That “peace-of-mind’ , which is so basic and very common to even animals!
The other way is, choosing to just to remain a ‘hammer-head’(meaning is given as ‘dull in intellect, stupid)! It has its own advantage—it needs no repairs or replacements even! It lasts longer than A lifetime!
Regards,
Psn (4th Feb, 2009)
References:
1) “Satyam” (an inspiring e-mail): This is an interesting mail which was forwarded to me was from one of Satyam employee has mailed. I wish to put this for the group.
------------ --------- --------- ------------ --------- ----------------
Dear All,
I am deputed at client location and came across a very interesting conversation in cafeteria yesterday. One of my co-worker, also deputed with the same client through some lesser known two room company, mustered guts to ask me sarcastically in front of entire team,
So, Satyam is gone! What are you guys planning to do now? In normal circumstances, I have a habit to not to reply to lose talks, but in front of entire team.... I thought I need to fix this guy's thought process. I asked him, as my military training has imbibed in me the habit to fight till last breadth,
Who says Satyam is gone when I am very much alive here and committed to create value on behalf of my company? . He shot back, Hello Mr., your chairman has resigned, you guys are facing financial turbulence and you still have a face to say that Satyam is not gone!
At this juncture, I thought of replying to this guy in his own language. I asked him, Tell me, what will you do and where will you go if our country India was not there?
He was not prepared for this level of thought and asked back, What a stupid question, How can India be gone, it is a country? I asked him back.,
Country! What makes a country? Land? Economy? Our Prime Minister? Our President? Our Geography? Or the PEOPLE? If our PM resigns, will you say India is gone? If our economy faces a slowdown, will you say India is gone?
But yes, if the people of a country are lost for any reason, we will say that country has no meaning. Who cares of vast land of Antarctica today which has just one permanent resident, Father Georgy? Which country does it belongs to? Why does not it has any government? Why does not it has any economy?
Or, how many countries were there when humans used to hunt for food in pre-historic times? Countries, Wealth, Infrastructures and booming economies are nothing but creations of efforts of PEOPLE, and they do not have any existance on their own.
And the final blow was, When one man can create Satyam as an organization of 53,000 people, why not 53,000 committed people can rebuild one SATYAM?
By now, I saw my point was well placed and he stood up and shook hands with me and murmured, Yaar, when I used to hear from my roommate who work in Satyam that EVERY SATYAMITE IS A LEADER, I used to laugh it off. Now, I know why! "
Beauty is His footprint showing us where He has passed – Aurobindo
2) “The Hindu” (dt. 4th Feb, 2009) “Russian Winter” Life at -24 degree Celsius. “Even as Britain is paralyzed by heavy snow, life is normal in Moscow which has much harsher weather—Luke Harding. Moscow: While Britain was paralyzed by 15 cm of snow, Russia was working normally. People traveling to offices and schools encountered no serious problems—despite the fact residents in Moscow woke up to a temperature of -24 degree C.
On the streets, commuters muffled in large hats and fur coats strolled along the icy pavements. Moscow’s major airports functioned without delay. The metro worked. All of this raises the obvious question: why are Brits so hopelessly inept when it comes to a bit of a chill?
Tourists and locals conceded that it was a bit parky in Moscow, but said this was no reason for the country to collapse. “most of my body is fine. But your face just freezes up,” said Frederick Bernas, a 21-year-old student at Bristol University, studying Russian in Moscow.
He added: “If you don’t talk for a while it is quite hard to pronounce things. Your mouth basically freezes”. Asked why Britain was unable to deal with milder conditions, he said:” We have a culture(in Britain) of people liking to moan.”
Russians, of course, are used to snow. Typically, it snows in Moscow from late October. It carries on snowing until March or April. It’s even been known to snow in May. Spectators watching the traditional Soviet Union victory parade on May1 sometimes watch nuclear missiles roll past with snow on them. This year, after an unusually tropical November and December, Russia is at last experiencing a real winter, with translucent blue skies and very low temperatures—the “magical days of frost and sunshine” evocatively described by Pushkin. Some weather experts say there is worse to come. They predict -38 degree C for Moscow by the weekend.
Something like this was sought to be done when a strong-willed ‘Satyam’ employee decisively said ‘I need to FIX this guy’s THOUGHT PROCESS’!
Another news item (‘The Hindu’ dated 4th Feb, 2009) , “Life at Minus 24 degree Celsius” (Russian Winter) also seemed to highlight, indicatively though, the same need—to hammer, or FIX the thought process! While Britain was “paralyzed” by 15 cm of snow (Jan, 2009), NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS at Moscow, with Minus 24 degree C! It was a British student who observed thus—“We have a culture(in Britain) of people LIKING TO MOAN”!
Spiritual growth demands this ‘fixing of thought process’ a bit more severely! Zen Masters are good at hastening the process, and obviously, they sound a bit more crude. Indian Masters are too liberal, gentle and possess tons of patience & compassion. So, here the ‘drop-out’ rate is very high. Both the methods have exclusive advantages and hence do not warrant any comparison. The choice has always been with the student, seeker or the disciple!
But, Nature, gives us no choice. It is known as the ‘best’ teacher! It also gives the ‘TEST’ first, and then the lessons! So, when the Indian Masters ‘seem’ to be lenient, they are merely ‘referring’ the ‘case’ to another Great Teacher—the Mother Nature! Oh! Perhaps, to me, the Zen Masters seem preferable! All we need to do is just FIX our thought process about it too!
A freebie : That “peace-of-mind’ , which is so basic and very common to even animals!
The other way is, choosing to just to remain a ‘hammer-head’(meaning is given as ‘dull in intellect, stupid)! It has its own advantage—it needs no repairs or replacements even! It lasts longer than A lifetime!
Regards,
Psn (4th Feb, 2009)
References:
1) “Satyam” (an inspiring e-mail): This is an interesting mail which was forwarded to me was from one of Satyam employee has mailed. I wish to put this for the group.
------------ --------- --------- ------------ --------- ----------------
Dear All,
I am deputed at client location and came across a very interesting conversation in cafeteria yesterday. One of my co-worker, also deputed with the same client through some lesser known two room company, mustered guts to ask me sarcastically in front of entire team,
So, Satyam is gone! What are you guys planning to do now? In normal circumstances, I have a habit to not to reply to lose talks, but in front of entire team.... I thought I need to fix this guy's thought process. I asked him, as my military training has imbibed in me the habit to fight till last breadth,
Who says Satyam is gone when I am very much alive here and committed to create value on behalf of my company? . He shot back, Hello Mr., your chairman has resigned, you guys are facing financial turbulence and you still have a face to say that Satyam is not gone!
At this juncture, I thought of replying to this guy in his own language. I asked him, Tell me, what will you do and where will you go if our country India was not there?
He was not prepared for this level of thought and asked back, What a stupid question, How can India be gone, it is a country? I asked him back.,
Country! What makes a country? Land? Economy? Our Prime Minister? Our President? Our Geography? Or the PEOPLE? If our PM resigns, will you say India is gone? If our economy faces a slowdown, will you say India is gone?
But yes, if the people of a country are lost for any reason, we will say that country has no meaning. Who cares of vast land of Antarctica today which has just one permanent resident, Father Georgy? Which country does it belongs to? Why does not it has any government? Why does not it has any economy?
Or, how many countries were there when humans used to hunt for food in pre-historic times? Countries, Wealth, Infrastructures and booming economies are nothing but creations of efforts of PEOPLE, and they do not have any existance on their own.
And the final blow was, When one man can create Satyam as an organization of 53,000 people, why not 53,000 committed people can rebuild one SATYAM?
By now, I saw my point was well placed and he stood up and shook hands with me and murmured, Yaar, when I used to hear from my roommate who work in Satyam that EVERY SATYAMITE IS A LEADER, I used to laugh it off. Now, I know why! "
Beauty is His footprint showing us where He has passed – Aurobindo
2) “The Hindu” (dt. 4th Feb, 2009) “Russian Winter” Life at -24 degree Celsius. “Even as Britain is paralyzed by heavy snow, life is normal in Moscow which has much harsher weather—Luke Harding. Moscow: While Britain was paralyzed by 15 cm of snow, Russia was working normally. People traveling to offices and schools encountered no serious problems—despite the fact residents in Moscow woke up to a temperature of -24 degree C.
On the streets, commuters muffled in large hats and fur coats strolled along the icy pavements. Moscow’s major airports functioned without delay. The metro worked. All of this raises the obvious question: why are Brits so hopelessly inept when it comes to a bit of a chill?
Tourists and locals conceded that it was a bit parky in Moscow, but said this was no reason for the country to collapse. “most of my body is fine. But your face just freezes up,” said Frederick Bernas, a 21-year-old student at Bristol University, studying Russian in Moscow.
He added: “If you don’t talk for a while it is quite hard to pronounce things. Your mouth basically freezes”. Asked why Britain was unable to deal with milder conditions, he said:” We have a culture(in Britain) of people liking to moan.”
Russians, of course, are used to snow. Typically, it snows in Moscow from late October. It carries on snowing until March or April. It’s even been known to snow in May. Spectators watching the traditional Soviet Union victory parade on May1 sometimes watch nuclear missiles roll past with snow on them. This year, after an unusually tropical November and December, Russia is at last experiencing a real winter, with translucent blue skies and very low temperatures—the “magical days of frost and sunshine” evocatively described by Pushkin. Some weather experts say there is worse to come. They predict -38 degree C for Moscow by the weekend.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Prickly Perks!
Perquisites haunt us in one form or other. High profile jobs abound them. But even those who feel ‘deprived’ of any such perquisite are feeling so, only in relative terms!
I do not intend to ‘dwell’ upon perks. Nor do I propose to evaluate them. But I was curious to look at how they affect our psyche!
I found myself to be a very bad example in dealing ‘appropriately’ with such perks right from childhood. Oh yes! At times, we do get that sumptuous offer even as a kid, when somebody offers chocolates, sweets etc with “Have as much as you like”. While most kids eat mouthfuls, and then fill up all the available pocket pouches, I was content with the normal quota of just one or two. Somehow, it stayed that way, throughout! Not that it did not occur to me, to make ‘full use”, of the rare chances available. And, I did not even find anything wrong when people utilized it fully. I did not find any need or scope to probe further. (In fact, I tried out that exercise of ‘maximum’ utilization of freebies, when I stood on the banks of Ganges, where the precious sacred water flowed in abundance. How much can I drink, and how much can I store! When I visited some grand hill station the fresh air filled my lungs, the landscape filled my eyes. Again, I found my limitations not even worthy of mention!). But, as I grew, I was bemused when people lament, having lost some ‘sick leave’ being unable to avail it prior to their retirement. It is called as ‘preparatory-leave’ though employers have named just three types of leave, casual, privilege & sick leave. This preparatory-leave is just to exploit the left-over of all the three types. And then, there are medical facilities, free food, beverages at work place, flights, etc. We have that ‘justification’ (not mere consolation) that free food during flight is ‘included’ in the air-fare. But, I had a rare chance to witness a well amplified contrast, when I happened to attend the Annual General Meeting of a prominent company and a private marriage reception on the same day. I chanced to see a few common faces at both the places. Refreshments were offered at the AGM as a routine feature, and the shareholders knew it well. As a ritual, people rushed to ‘occupy’ a seat in the dining hall adjacent to the conference hall, to ensure that they got the ‘quota’ of all the varieties of dishes provided. If they delay, the second or third round of serving may consist of just the bare essential dishes. The company had to keep the doors firmly closed, at least till the formal chairman’s report was declared as ‘deemed to be read’ and the dividends formally approved by show of sufficient number of raised hands! The contrast was when I saw a few of the very same faces at the marriage reception in the evening; they patiently awaited the ritual of being invited to partake the dinner offered to guests! I still hold on to the view that, I find nothing wrong in either of the mannerisms.
What baffles me is that people innocently forego another great perquisite that is ever available for them to ‘exploit’ to their ‘heart’s’ content. Literally! And it is very healthy for the heart too! The joy of smiling, the joy of sharing pleasantries, humour etc! It costs nothing to put forth a view in a graceful appealing manner. It costs nothing to mention an heartfelt gratitude for a kind act even from a close person. This perquisite of extra togetherness available at such close proximity (thanks to overcrowded cities) often goes un-noticed. We drift into our own worlds in no time, and then feel that loneliness too often. One has to just stand still for a few minutes at the pavement of a busy road to observe the faces of the people who pass by (either on foot or vehicles). Right from early mornings, the faces are a bit ‘long’, worry stricken. Only that towards the evening, the long faces also appears tired. That smile, that cheer is totally absent. Even the costly make-ups that women wear, failed to light up the faces. Now they have an additional worry, to retain the make-up till they reach home (the inmates at home never seem to have deserved the ‘beautified’ face! Women seem to insist upon maximum contrast when at home, as regards dress, hair-do and make-up when at home, with rare exceptions of course). Children, on the contrary, always retain that bright cheerful face! They are the ones who really enjoy this perquisite of inner joy to the fullest extent. When a train is late by say 4 hours, the adults painfully suffer the entire length of 4 hours, tied to their luggage on the platform, where as their children literally dance around (the whole length of the platform) while the 4 hours just fly past and the train seems to arrive so soon, when they had just begun to have fun! It is not just about the far sight of consequences of train’ delay, etc. It is about acceptance of inevitable, and then a conscious choice to make use of that ‘perquisite’ of extra spare time that we can seldom afford by choice! I don’t know whether it is always a coincidence that a cheerful person finds much easily than a worried and hurried person, while searching for some object. Wearing that worried look simply engages the alertness of the mind. The relaxed face affords better alertness. Cumulatively, this perquisite does and should matter a lot, even in logical sense, in terms of benefits of all kinds, rate of return, dexterity, productivity, mental and physical health etc! I am really not very sure, if there is a disadvantage too! A person could find losing that ‘grip’ over the inclination to look for small material freebies over a period of time. The inner joy might cloud the ‘logical’ mind, unless a situation warrants making use of some ‘freebie’. Obviously, we do not spit into all of the spittoons provided at the railway platform just to make full use of the ‘free’ provision, and despite the words being inadvertently, and too briefly mentioned, displaying “spit here”!
I do find it a privilege that I wish to ‘exploit’, in extending a warm invitation to your responses, feedbacks, brickbats etc!
Psn(13th Jan, 2009)
I do not intend to ‘dwell’ upon perks. Nor do I propose to evaluate them. But I was curious to look at how they affect our psyche!
I found myself to be a very bad example in dealing ‘appropriately’ with such perks right from childhood. Oh yes! At times, we do get that sumptuous offer even as a kid, when somebody offers chocolates, sweets etc with “Have as much as you like”. While most kids eat mouthfuls, and then fill up all the available pocket pouches, I was content with the normal quota of just one or two. Somehow, it stayed that way, throughout! Not that it did not occur to me, to make ‘full use”, of the rare chances available. And, I did not even find anything wrong when people utilized it fully. I did not find any need or scope to probe further. (In fact, I tried out that exercise of ‘maximum’ utilization of freebies, when I stood on the banks of Ganges, where the precious sacred water flowed in abundance. How much can I drink, and how much can I store! When I visited some grand hill station the fresh air filled my lungs, the landscape filled my eyes. Again, I found my limitations not even worthy of mention!). But, as I grew, I was bemused when people lament, having lost some ‘sick leave’ being unable to avail it prior to their retirement. It is called as ‘preparatory-leave’ though employers have named just three types of leave, casual, privilege & sick leave. This preparatory-leave is just to exploit the left-over of all the three types. And then, there are medical facilities, free food, beverages at work place, flights, etc. We have that ‘justification’ (not mere consolation) that free food during flight is ‘included’ in the air-fare. But, I had a rare chance to witness a well amplified contrast, when I happened to attend the Annual General Meeting of a prominent company and a private marriage reception on the same day. I chanced to see a few common faces at both the places. Refreshments were offered at the AGM as a routine feature, and the shareholders knew it well. As a ritual, people rushed to ‘occupy’ a seat in the dining hall adjacent to the conference hall, to ensure that they got the ‘quota’ of all the varieties of dishes provided. If they delay, the second or third round of serving may consist of just the bare essential dishes. The company had to keep the doors firmly closed, at least till the formal chairman’s report was declared as ‘deemed to be read’ and the dividends formally approved by show of sufficient number of raised hands! The contrast was when I saw a few of the very same faces at the marriage reception in the evening; they patiently awaited the ritual of being invited to partake the dinner offered to guests! I still hold on to the view that, I find nothing wrong in either of the mannerisms.
What baffles me is that people innocently forego another great perquisite that is ever available for them to ‘exploit’ to their ‘heart’s’ content. Literally! And it is very healthy for the heart too! The joy of smiling, the joy of sharing pleasantries, humour etc! It costs nothing to put forth a view in a graceful appealing manner. It costs nothing to mention an heartfelt gratitude for a kind act even from a close person. This perquisite of extra togetherness available at such close proximity (thanks to overcrowded cities) often goes un-noticed. We drift into our own worlds in no time, and then feel that loneliness too often. One has to just stand still for a few minutes at the pavement of a busy road to observe the faces of the people who pass by (either on foot or vehicles). Right from early mornings, the faces are a bit ‘long’, worry stricken. Only that towards the evening, the long faces also appears tired. That smile, that cheer is totally absent. Even the costly make-ups that women wear, failed to light up the faces. Now they have an additional worry, to retain the make-up till they reach home (the inmates at home never seem to have deserved the ‘beautified’ face! Women seem to insist upon maximum contrast when at home, as regards dress, hair-do and make-up when at home, with rare exceptions of course). Children, on the contrary, always retain that bright cheerful face! They are the ones who really enjoy this perquisite of inner joy to the fullest extent. When a train is late by say 4 hours, the adults painfully suffer the entire length of 4 hours, tied to their luggage on the platform, where as their children literally dance around (the whole length of the platform) while the 4 hours just fly past and the train seems to arrive so soon, when they had just begun to have fun! It is not just about the far sight of consequences of train’ delay, etc. It is about acceptance of inevitable, and then a conscious choice to make use of that ‘perquisite’ of extra spare time that we can seldom afford by choice! I don’t know whether it is always a coincidence that a cheerful person finds much easily than a worried and hurried person, while searching for some object. Wearing that worried look simply engages the alertness of the mind. The relaxed face affords better alertness. Cumulatively, this perquisite does and should matter a lot, even in logical sense, in terms of benefits of all kinds, rate of return, dexterity, productivity, mental and physical health etc! I am really not very sure, if there is a disadvantage too! A person could find losing that ‘grip’ over the inclination to look for small material freebies over a period of time. The inner joy might cloud the ‘logical’ mind, unless a situation warrants making use of some ‘freebie’. Obviously, we do not spit into all of the spittoons provided at the railway platform just to make full use of the ‘free’ provision, and despite the words being inadvertently, and too briefly mentioned, displaying “spit here”!
I do find it a privilege that I wish to ‘exploit’, in extending a warm invitation to your responses, feedbacks, brickbats etc!
Psn(13th Jan, 2009)
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