Fluye como el agua

An ex-IIT professor turned Ganga activist, Prof. GD Agarwal is on a fast unto death to force the Government to take steps to clean up the river Ganges. The Ganges are so much a part of Indian life, that it is symbolic of our nation. Flowing across the heartland of India from its source in Gangotri to its destination in the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges sees our country like no other traveller. Sadly, the pure and holy river is no longer in its pristine form being polluted through the course of its journey by the side-effects of our material prosperity. Industrial waste, construction activity and human callousness combine to turn this pure bustling stream into a meandering menace of a river before it empties itself into the bay. This is much like our lives sometimes, when material prosperity becomes the mainstay and inner peace and tranquility is polluted. The innocent blissful child is corrupted by the similar forces to turn him into a dark shadow of his former self.

If the river is a metaphor for your life, the water is the essence of your inner self. Flow like water, or Fluye como el agua as they say in Mexico. Think about it, water always finds a way. It flows through the hills and the plains. It finds its way past boulders and mountains. It never resists, but finds the path of least resistance. It reaches where it has to, slowly and maybe with a different course than the shortest one, but it never stops flowing. It finally merges with one sea, with one ocean, with one that has the very same essence. Is there a lesson that nature teaches us? Is it that we feel pain and loss because we resist, because of our need to control, because we stop and regress? Is it because we fail to flow in harmony? Is it the river that teaches us the simple principles of living? The principle of living in the present moment and going with the flow. Flow like water, Fluye como el ague!!

Ancient Toltec wisdom draws this allegory, as does Lao Tzu in his spiritual text, the Tao Te Ching. Tao Te Ching states that water is the most fitting metaphor for the Tao, one that resembles the highest goodness. Water quenches the thirst of all, the good, the bad and the ugly. It treats everyone equally and does not differentiate, it recognizes the oneness. Water passes through all terrain, the high, the low and the dirty. It flows without distaste and dislike, it recognizes humility. Water provides equally without expecting anything in return and it flows on. It flows without expectation, it recognizes true and deep caring, it recognizes compassion. Water can take any shape, that of a container or of an ocean. It does not hold on to a fixed image of itself, it recognizes flexibility and adaptability. Water takes any form, be it steam, snow or rain. It recognizes that it has to give itself to the larger design of nature, it's only purpose is to be of service. What better way to recognize our nature, our purpose than to contemplate on the nature of water, as much a part of the grand design as we are. Life is about flowing like a river through pollution, through difficult terrain, but not losing the essence of being. It is about not losing the essence of your inner self. Flow like water, Fluye como el agua!!

The Abundance Story

We have all heard stories that make us smile, the stories that pass on simple practical messages. Remember the royal wisdom from the stories of Birbal, the deeper meaning beyond the comic relief of Tenali Raman, the quiet contemplation provided by the stories of Bikram and Bethal, or the sagacious simplicity of Mullah Nasruddin's outrageous stories. It is always the simple stories that speak to us, that stay with us in our hearts etching it with its little message. I heard one such story this weekend set in the familiar surrounds of my own town, Hyderabad.

We were talking about personalities making it on to the cover of the Time magazine. And my friend says " Did you know that the Nizam of Hyderabad was on the cover of the Time Magazine in the early twentieth century? He was probably the richest man in the world at that time." Really?!! I googled a few hours later and found out that the Nizam did appear on the cover of the edition published on Feb 22nd, 1937. And my friend goes on to relate a story about one of the Nizam's sons or nephews who had a reputation of being extremely miserly. He would shun his royal gowns outside of his courtier duties and dress up as a common man. There is no way he would stand out as a royal prince. At some point, he became a victim of ridicule by the other courtiers for his very simple living. The story spread and it is not only the courtiers but also the sepoys and guards who heard this story. One day, a palace guard spotted the prince walking out in plain clothes jingling some coins in his pockets. As he walked by a small gold coin fell out of his pocket. The prince stopped to pick it up and put it back in his pocket. At this point, the palace guard who was used to seeing grandeur and pomp, laughed at him and said, " O Prince, you stoop down to pick up a small coin. What is that coin worth for you, one who has millions?" To this the prince replied, " I will show you the value of this small coin". He spotted a bullock cart going by filled with groundnuts. He asked the cart man if he would sell him the groundnuts in exchange for that one coin. The poor cart man gladly agreed, amazed at his stroke of luck. The prince then told the guard, divide the groundnuts into fifty separate packs and send it out to all the rich folks in the neighborhood with a note of thanks. The guard did as he was told. Very soon, in return for the prince's gift, the rich patrons send back loads of gold and riches. The prince showed that huge tranche of riches and said to the guard " Here is what that one small coin of gold is worth!!"

This is truly a story of abundance. There are some simple lessons in what is otherwise a funny story. Lesson one : Respect what you have however small that might seem to be. And I am not talking about a little gold coin. The little gold coin is but a metaphor for your talents. Respect it, nurture it and one day it will give back in abundance. Lesson two : Share what you have, and it will come back to you in abundance. Again, I am not talking about money, I am talking about anything you want in abundance in your life. If you want a lot of kindness in your life, be a little kind first. If you want a lot of love, be the love you want in return. If you want lot of peace, share a little peace with your loved ones. This is the wisdom from the little Hyderabadi story. This is the cosmic conspiracy behind abundance. Practice it wisely, enjoy it wisely.

Possessed

Instant inspiration while idling at an airport store watching shoppers and their short-lived excitement.....forgive the man for trying his luck with poetry. Here goes....

For every man with a Rolex
that tells him time is precious
there is a man without a watch
one who wanders freely
One who wanders joyously

For every man with an iPhone
that tells him conversation is important
there is a man without a phone
one who listens attentively
One who connects easily

For every man with a Dior Homme
thats tells him world is tinted
there is a man with no shades
one who sees clearly
One who understands deeply

For every man clothed with a Brioni

that tells him appearances matter

there is a man dressed simply

one who attracts magnetically

One who loves unconditionally

For every man possessed by his own possessions

that traps him in his own illusionary world

there is a man who owns nothing

one who lives carefree, happily

One who lives his life fully

Lost

Last evening at the big temple, many folks descended for their weekly tryst with divinity. Being a weekend, the crowds were probably on the higher side. In that sea of humanity, we meandered through and I noticed a few paces away from me was a little girl. She was probably five years old and seemed to be immersed in her own world. Suddenly, the girl stopped and looked around. She seemed to search for someone with her eyes. Failing to find that person, she called out a name. I stopped and looked around to see who she was calling out to. Many people walked by, immersed in their own thoughts either asking the divine for favours or thinking of some closer to earth mundane matters. No one seemed to take an interest in the little girl. Everyone was doing their rounds of the temple in auto-pilot mode, and the distressed little girl was off the flight path. It was clear to me that the distressed little girl was lost. The little girl was now calling out someone's name loudly and desperation was creeping into her voice. I moved closer to her and heard her say "Appa". My knowledge of Tamil helped. I realized that the girl was looking for her father. I asked the girl if she knew her father's name. My intention was to get that announced on the public address system if there was one. However, she seemed more intimidated by this strange man asking her for her father's name. I pulled in additional resources, asking my wife and daughters to help the identification process. The sight of the girls calmed her and she mentioned her father's name. I walked up to the temple office and started explaining the situation to the person there. Within a few minutes, a lady with an infant in her arms appeared and the little girl's face lit up. She had seen her mother. The mother looked equally distressed and lost. She asked us if the kid had troubled us, about how she had suddenly disappeared and thanked us all in one breath. Her pleading eyes said " Don't judge me. I am not a negligent mother." We saw the pain in her eyes as she hugged her daughter and took her away. As the mother and the girl went away in happy re-union, my daughter remarked "I can still feel the shivers. Imagine getting lost....". 

Yes, imagine getting lost in a sea of humanity. Imagine your fear as indifferent folks look through you and walk past you. Imagine the rush of distressing thoughts as strange people crowd you out. Imagine the feeling of being lost. I recollect my school days when I had moved from a little hill town to the big city. In the little town, I used to walk to school. But in the city, I had to go to school by the crowded local bus. The bus was usually overcrowded and people were hanging out of the open doors. There was usually no way you could get in especially as the bus hardly stopped, it only slowed down at the bus stop and you had to jump on or off. I really felt lost in that big city transition and that bus was just a metaphor for a lot of other adjustments. I remember falling off the bus on my second week and being rather embarrassed by the fall. I felt humiliated, lonely and lost. Today, when I look around I see enough people with their fears and lonely battles. People lost in the social milieu and the humdrum of life, with no one to notice the pain. Everyone has the same fears and pain, the need to be recognized, the need to find their way. Look around and see beyond the facade of indifference. Be it at your workplace or community, there are people needing to be acknowledged. New collegues finding their way around new settings, first time workers understanding the corporate workplace. Can we help them please? Imagine being lost in a crowd. Imagine being lost in a sea of humanity. Imagine being lost in indifference. I can still feel the shivers.

Unlock hidden realms, imagine new realities

If you mix your drinks, you will wake up with a hangover. But if you mix your worlds, you wake up with the imagination of a new reality. The rational mind believes in what it sees, hears, touches. But the imaginative mind sees beyond the clear blue sky. After growing up in a fantasy world of Grimm's fairy tales, after falling asleep to the whispers of mythological stories that are not always that logical, after waking up to the sounds of Alice in wonderland, it is hard to believe that you don't imagine. What if Alice in wonderland was not a fantasy, but a real world? What if we set out on an expedition to find that crack in the world to slip into a different reality? What if? Different writers have explored that notion, Neil Gaiman's dark twist in Coraline or Jules Verne's classic tale of the journey to the center of the earth. They all talk of a hidden realm and we read it like a story and let go. But, what if it was more than a story, what if it was someone's reality?

I came across this book at the airport bookstall last week, this book called "A Step Away from Paradise". I didn't know what to expect but the book called itself a Tibetan Lama's extraordinary journey to a land of immortality. Sometimes, you are not sure what attracts you to a book. But, my casual interest in Tibetan spirituality, my intense love for deep blue skies captured so very well on that book cover and my huge curiosity about all things paradise propelled me to pick up this book by Thomas Shor. I am halfway through the book and so, this is not the point where one would write a book review. But, for me, this is the point where you roll your eyes and imagine the world differently from the one you know. This is where you begin to imagine a new reality. The book tells the story of a crazy Lama called Tulshuk Lingpa, who leads a band of followers to unravel a hidden valley of peace, prosperity and happiness. This  hidden valley is called a Beyul. Tibetan folklore has it that such beyuls, hidden realms exist in this world for believers to retreat to in times of cruelty, plunder and disaster. These beyuls are only unlocked by the right chosen Lama. I am still not at the point in the story to know if the beyul was unlocked or not, but, the beliefs and experiences of a life unlike any we can imagine is beginning to question my sense of reality. Atlantis, Avalon, El Dorado, Shangri-la and all those hidden mystical lands...are they real? America was not real until Christopher Columbus chanced upon it. The earth wasn't round until Magellan went around it. A beyul remains fantasy until some unlocks it? What if there are realms unseen by the eye? What if there are realms beyond the comprehension of a sense conditioned mind? What if you looked beyond the crazy, what if these dimensions were for real?

Knowing only what we know, we are limited by the constraints of time and space. There is a thin line between reality and imagination, the thin line called perception, or as William Blake calls it, the doors of perception. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern" Open your mind, explore the possibility of the unreal....unlock hidden realms, imagine new realities of a borderless, limitless world of peace and happiness.

La Dolce Far Niente

Sometimes, we try too hard. Sometimes, we lose our soul trying too hard. We lose balance in the pursuit of a meaningless goal. It would all be worthwhile if that goal was not purely selfish, if it was purposeful. It would be worthwhile if our goals are not fleeting. Moving targets, one after another, and we chase them without respite.  Sometimes, only to reach a goal and then feel a sense of emptiness. The hollow ring of achievement echoes in an overcrowded marketplace of compliments and no one really hears it. But, there are the few that stand out easily with elegance. There are some folks who are not trying too hard, and yet stand out distinguished. There are some folks who want to step away from the limelight, yet shine out bright. There are some folks who bask in effortless achievement. And you wonder what they do right?

If you have seen the movie "Eat,  Love, Pray", you will be familiar with the protagonist and her Italian friends in the "Eat" section of the movie. It is here that she gets a little taste of Italian Tao. It is here that she learns to "be" without worrying too much about consequences. It is here that she learns to "be" without running around after myriad goals. It is here that she learns the sweetness of doing nothing. La Dolce Far Niente, or the sweetness of doing nothing. Isn't that a lovely phrase? It paints a picture of unhurried lazy action. Contrast that to the hustle and bustle of self-imposed deadlines and overambitious goals. Wouldn't you rather be working calmly and quietly in harmony with others? Achieving in slow motion so that it is captured in the hearts of those you touch.

Today's quick paced life is like running on a treadmill, running hard, breaking a sweat but reaching nowhere. The slow charm and lazy elegance of purposeful action is lost on a generation that needs a metric to rate itself. If there are quarterly revenue targets and cost reduction burdens at work, then you have calorie tracking and weight loss targets at home. Of course, in life you have a few other targets, say, own your car by thirty, your house by thirty-five, and the list goes on. And then depending on your personality type, you have additional targets around marriage and household. Well, you either marry and have children or remain like George Clooney and get arrested over Sudan. And finally, you target to have a mistress by eighty because if Hugh Hefner can, you can too. You feel uncomfortable if you don't have targets to run after. You feel you might not accomplish, you might not achieve but for these targets. So much to achieve in so little time, and it makes you run and trip over the next hurdle. So, wouldn't it be better if you did the little you did very well in an unhurried manner, in harmony. The Tao calls is "Wei Wu Wei" or as I understand it means "Action without Action" or effortless action. Look around and you see effortless action in nature, the earth goes around the sun in 365 days, you hardly notice its movement, but move it does. The river meanders to the sea in an unhurried manner, you hardly notice its movement, but move it does. The mountain changes shape everyday, you hardly notice the change, but change it does. What if the earth, the river and the mountain were in a big hurry? That would cause a cosmic collision or a flood or an earthquake, or something dreadful beyond imagination. So, if they can follow the cosmic laws, why can't you? Why are you in such a hurry? Why don't you experience La Dolce Far Niente?

Angelina's right leg, other OMG's and WTF's

Angelina Jolie's right leg wanted to stand out on its own on the Oscar stage. Well, it is a couple of weeks past the Oscar ceremony, and the right leg is still standing out there on its own in photographs, cartoons and every possible media outlet. So much so that it found its way into my blog now. It gives immense joy to some seeing it make a naked fool of itself. It provides solace to some others that a leg is a leg is a leg, whether it is Angelina Jolie's or some Tom, Dick and Harry's. And it provides teeth to many fashion critics to chew on another tibia bone of contention. 

Now here is a leg that has its own twitter account and overnight, has created a life of its own. Everyone wants to stand out in his or her own way, everyone is looking for their few minutes of fame, everyone is looking to be instantly valued. So, why can't Angelina's right leg do that? But then, it is worth the debate on what one would do to grab that headline and what actually grabs the headline these days. Would you grab a headline at the cost of your happiness and inner peace of mind? In today's extrovert friendly world, there are many folks who wonder if only gimmicks sell in the world? I have heard many colleagues at workplace ask the question if quiet dedication and consistent results working in the shadows is less valued than the suave and bashful headline grabber who is glib and smooth? Are we increasingly in search of the overnight matinee idol when all you need is a good script and fine actors? The world has some collective thinking to do. Elections are being won based on the oratory skills of contestants, not on the dogged hard work of the reformers. News is being sold on the sensationalism of Page 3 stories, not the true heartwarming stories of hoi polloi. And so it begs the question, is this society about Angelina's right leg, other OMG's and WTF's? Or will it reward the consistency of the hard work and toil,  the blood and sweat ?

For an over-"news"-ed yet uninformed society today, it is time to focus on building the solid, the scalable, the lasting. It is time to build that which lasts, it is time to buy that which lasts. I remember in the old days, when my folks were buying, they would look at durability first and everything else later. Today, we are taken in by the fancy and the fleeting, but it's time to change. Jim Collins, the management thinker and Level 5 leader proponent, states in his book, " There is a direct relationship between the absence of celebrity and the presence of good-to-great results." It is time for such leadership in civil society too. Not celebrity, but true defining leadership. It is time for the solid and durable versus the fancy and the fleeting. Don't you think?