The lush green grassy fields, in glitering wetness of recent rains exuded freshness and beauty. The wet earthy fragrance permeating in the air brought a whiff of health to the breath. Neat rows of fresh crops showed up for the sweaty toil of the farmers. The glistening wetness all around was a feast to the eyes as the train passed by.
The shine of the pristine untouched beauty of the greyish outline of the mountains, at once wild and inviting, lent an air of mystery and magnificence that captivated me. I felt good about life.
Yet a feeling of unfathomable empitiness and smallness engulfed me. What am I and what was my life in the context of such wonderful creations around me, so majestic, so compelling, forceful, vivid- each fitting into a self-sustaining system, each potent to carry forward the unparalleled, wonderful beauty for millions of years to come?
I was a child lost in a fair, flooded by the buzzing, purposeful life around me, and over-whelmed by the magic of creation. Everything seems to have a role, justification for existence.
What then is my role? Carrying forward the progeny? Amassing wealth? Enjoying material comforts? To what end?
In the context of the Universe that is infinite in space and time, encompassing varied species of creation and systems, ours is a non-existent existence. What are our achievements within the limitations of our talents and capabilities, it is still a drop in the mighty ocean.
Yet doesn’t each drop contribute? Each of us must have a purpose and must fit into the larger sphere of life around. Everyone is like a cog in the giant wheel of the Universe, making the system work. And it is important that it is important that it fits, is well-oiled, smooth and efficient.
So it is imperative that each of us must offer our best contributions, however insignificant and immaterial it may seem, to make the quality of life around us better.
After watching episodes of air crash investigations, one can realize that major disasters occurred not due to major failures, but due to faults in small screws or nuts or negligence in taking care of small details.
If each of us can realize our own importance, though we may be small screws and perceive our place in the fuller picture, we can fathom how our best efforts can make a difference. And the pleasure is always in contributing.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita stressed on performing our karma. This is nothing but perceiving what our’s in the given context is. Arjun was a son, a student and a mentee for elders like Drithrashtra, Drona and Bhishma on the opposition side. But Krishna pointed out to him that he was a warrior first and foremost, once he was in the battlefield. At that time his role was to fight as a brave warrior.
An anecdote narrated in a seminar comes to my mind. Three teachers were asked what they did in their jobs. The first responded, “I teach history”. The second said, “I teach children how to learn from history, lessons for the future”. The other said, “I mould the future of students”.
This speaks volumes about the roles we perceive for ourselves. If we see what we do, not merely as a job but as roles; keeping in view the larger picture, there would be a greater sense of fulfillment and we would be definetly able to comprehend a purpose and meaning for our lives. Perceiving our roles in the larger perspective helps us to love our work and see it not just as a job for monetary gains, but as contribution to a greater cause. It brings out the best in us and we begin to think of creative ideas and solutions in the performance of our work. It then becomes a mission and passion in our lives. There lies the true joy of life.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Don’t quit before the miracle happens..
A study of people who do extraordinary things reveals that they walked the high wire in whatever field they chose; they took risks without looking down at danger. They saw error not as failure but in terms of growth and development. Karl Wallenda, the great tight-rope aerialist once said: “The only time I feel truly alive is when I walk the tight rope.”
Wallenda fell to his death in 1978 in San Juan, Purto Rico, while walking on a 75 foot high tight rope. His wife who was also an aerialist recalled, “Ali Kari thought about for 3 months prior to the tragedy, was ‘falling’. He put all his energy into ‘not falling’ and not walking the tight rope. Wallenda went on to personally superwise the installation of the tight rope making certain that the wires are secure, something he never did before”.
Once while attending an educational seminar come group discussion; I was asked about the hardest decision I had to make in my life till date. I replied that there are no soft decisions in life. All decisions are hard and there is a strong likelihood of failure. One can do only his best of his ability. Worry puts obstacles in the way of clear thinking. Concentrate on victory and not failure because failure has finality and setbacks has possibilities of success in future.
I have this friend of mine whose father is an Architect who said that whenever he tried to influence his expert team in creative designing, it ended in failure. When they were left to their originality and creativity, they produced amazing results. Merely saying, “can’t we do this a little better?” inspires them to rise to the occasion. Great people are like Zen Archer who develops his skills to the point where the desire to hit the target becomes secondary. The archer, bow, arrow, and target become indivisible components of the same process.
Following the ‘blessed impulse’, ‘inner voice’, ‘hunch’ or ‘instinct’ has some divinity in it, because mostly action taken on them becomes right. While in the school, one of my friend was given a part in a drama where she had to cry and she did not know how to do it? The Director said, “Think of a tragedy in your own life and you will get the tears.” She recalled the death of her grandfather, who was very close to her, used to tell her stories, encourage her in her studies and suddenly one day he was no more. The memory brought copious tears in her eyes and it was an effort to stop her crying. We can all do that, because it is the inner emotion locked up that is being released first in a trickle and later in a flood.
Henry James who wrote marvelous Novels wrote in his notebook: “I have only to let myself go. I am in full possession of accumulated resources and I have only to use them to insist, to persist, to do something much more than what I have done. The formula is to try everything, do everything, render everything and the results have to come because there is no other alternative.”
All great achievements require time and tenacity. The last key in the key ring may be the one that opens the door. Hanging on one second longer than giving up could make you a winner. Many people fail in life because they believe in the saying: “ If you don’t succeed, try something else.” Very often, when people stick to what they think is right ultimately bring the desired results. Think of Tyagaraja the great composer of Carnatic music, whose 5 famous compositions took long years to compose and ultimately became famous known as Pancharatnaas. The route to success is always long and crooked!
Bessie Anderson wrote in the book ‘A philosophy for living’, “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and earn the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even a life has breathed easier because you have lived is to have succeeded.”
Life is a gift. What are you going to do with it? You can stuff food, drink and ruin yourself. Life is given not to amuse yourself or run around asking what next? Life is given to make the world a better place to live. It is not what you possess in life that gives you worth, but what you share or pass on to others. So folks….the quest is not to leave your mark but to have done good work, the best you could do. That would be meaningful and purposeful way of living!
Wallenda fell to his death in 1978 in San Juan, Purto Rico, while walking on a 75 foot high tight rope. His wife who was also an aerialist recalled, “Ali Kari thought about for 3 months prior to the tragedy, was ‘falling’. He put all his energy into ‘not falling’ and not walking the tight rope. Wallenda went on to personally superwise the installation of the tight rope making certain that the wires are secure, something he never did before”.
Once while attending an educational seminar come group discussion; I was asked about the hardest decision I had to make in my life till date. I replied that there are no soft decisions in life. All decisions are hard and there is a strong likelihood of failure. One can do only his best of his ability. Worry puts obstacles in the way of clear thinking. Concentrate on victory and not failure because failure has finality and setbacks has possibilities of success in future.
I have this friend of mine whose father is an Architect who said that whenever he tried to influence his expert team in creative designing, it ended in failure. When they were left to their originality and creativity, they produced amazing results. Merely saying, “can’t we do this a little better?” inspires them to rise to the occasion. Great people are like Zen Archer who develops his skills to the point where the desire to hit the target becomes secondary. The archer, bow, arrow, and target become indivisible components of the same process.
Following the ‘blessed impulse’, ‘inner voice’, ‘hunch’ or ‘instinct’ has some divinity in it, because mostly action taken on them becomes right. While in the school, one of my friend was given a part in a drama where she had to cry and she did not know how to do it? The Director said, “Think of a tragedy in your own life and you will get the tears.” She recalled the death of her grandfather, who was very close to her, used to tell her stories, encourage her in her studies and suddenly one day he was no more. The memory brought copious tears in her eyes and it was an effort to stop her crying. We can all do that, because it is the inner emotion locked up that is being released first in a trickle and later in a flood.
Henry James who wrote marvelous Novels wrote in his notebook: “I have only to let myself go. I am in full possession of accumulated resources and I have only to use them to insist, to persist, to do something much more than what I have done. The formula is to try everything, do everything, render everything and the results have to come because there is no other alternative.”
All great achievements require time and tenacity. The last key in the key ring may be the one that opens the door. Hanging on one second longer than giving up could make you a winner. Many people fail in life because they believe in the saying: “ If you don’t succeed, try something else.” Very often, when people stick to what they think is right ultimately bring the desired results. Think of Tyagaraja the great composer of Carnatic music, whose 5 famous compositions took long years to compose and ultimately became famous known as Pancharatnaas. The route to success is always long and crooked!
Bessie Anderson wrote in the book ‘A philosophy for living’, “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and earn the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even a life has breathed easier because you have lived is to have succeeded.”
Life is a gift. What are you going to do with it? You can stuff food, drink and ruin yourself. Life is given not to amuse yourself or run around asking what next? Life is given to make the world a better place to live. It is not what you possess in life that gives you worth, but what you share or pass on to others. So folks….the quest is not to leave your mark but to have done good work, the best you could do. That would be meaningful and purposeful way of living!
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