Saturday, May 24, 2003

CONTEMPLATING CHANGE...
When does one start to even look at contemplating change.. ? There are both internal and external reasons to it.... Internally one starts contemplating change, when one is trying to find harmony. Externally one starts, when he feels certain void within himself... There is quite a difference between both... In the former, one is more concentrating on the lines of continuous improvements. Externally one approaches change more like a BPR exercise. The change factor is "brought-in" here, unlike in the former method, the change factor is "extracted" or "refined" from the system or the self. I feel it is the former method that is more lasting a change, than the latter one. It is also a paradox, I see, that the harmony that one thus seeks is again one's own definition, which is in turn based on one's own inherited human experience... for which the external factors also aid...!!!

Friday, May 23, 2003

OVER ACHIEVEMENT
What harm can overachievement bring...??? Can it hamper one's sense of achievement ? Or does it promote the achievement drive ? Does "over achievement" really exist ? I believe, we tend to over achieve only limited number of times... Till the time we realise that there's no end to it... The urge for over achievement stems from lack of self confidence... The tendency of self to test one's own limits. One does so because, one is not sure of what he/she is actually capable of... So over achievement becomes a battle with self rather than against the goal or target. In this process one loses the sight of the actual goal... One starts creating another goal which is far different... it may become an utter waste; many a times... Over achievement could also stem out of one's own arrogance...however perceived, it is thus trying to fill a cup which is already full... An utter waste of efforts...!!!
CALLING QUITS...
For Long, this page was blank.... Probably thats whats meant by "Calling Quits"...!!! Looked otherwise, it points at managing change... What Spencer Johnson fondly calls as "Cheese". "Calling Quits" to some scene demands great courage. It is rational when one is doing so, in the process of aligning oneself with his SELF. This would also mean a change in the existing patterns. This is a challenge because, there are lot of fond memories... or even 'not-so-pleasant' ones that keeps the self in the process of contemplation rather than decision...!!! This process continues till one gets literally fed up with the apple (eg. stated in Law of Equimarginal Utility). Then there is a self urge to 'call quits' to some present scene. Once such an understanding comes, One really starts the process of Self-Alignment...

Tuesday, May 06, 2003

WHAT NEXT?
Mahender tells me that it is the ultimate management sutra for success. Viewed otherwise, from a critical stand, this is a terror that nobody wants!!! While it is the lullaby song of all change agents, it is the last sound that everybody else wants to hear… All are so much comfortable with the present, that nobody looks for “a change for the better” or Kaizen. “What Next” is like pursuing Tao… where as searching for “What Next” is Learning… pursuing what next is a complicated process that involves Futuristics; in its entire form. Otherwise, “What Next” becomes a mere exercise for the sake of it. “What Next” should become an essentially EVOLVING process… Only then it will help you to foresee and perceive the unseen. WHAT NEXT thinking thus will lead us to TAO… So powerful is this concept…
THE QUEST
What am I searching for? … Peace? Love? Sex? Or is it togetherness? A life partner? Or (I don’t believe this!!!) GOD??? I’m seeing myself totally engrossed in the PROCESS… than the GOAL… this indeed is disturbing. For, I see myself going in endless circles around the goal (still unclear) than going towards it. Now, I have a choice – between the secured feeling that I get by just being in the process, and the challenging and ambiguous path that leads to my goal. So here I stand… contemplating a SWOT of the situation, of what I want, and also what HE has in set for me… I have to do a comparative SWOT now between all the three. This will tell me as to what I should be doing… its still pending!!!
LONELINESS
Loneliness is in fact a boon. It gives one lot of time for introspection and time to be with oneself… it gives one a sense of “all by myself… one and all” … and sometimes, also a sense of detachment from everything in spite of being in middle of everything. Loneliness will give one a sense of Ultimate Reality… that one is all alone… no matter whenever it is. It is also paradoxically true when it gives one a tremendous sense of unity… with all living beings. It gives one sense of universality, of quite an inseparability with the self… and also a deep and penetrating quietness, peace and harmony… though sometimes it can be very disturbing and demotivation, Loneliness always ends with the individual feeling all the more UNITED… and HAPPY in GRATITIUDE…
COURAGE vis-à-vis HAPPINESS
Happiness is always a choice away. Only concern is whether we have the courage to choose it. We choose sorrow often, because it gives us some edge… over the situations… An edge (an illusion) that we are superior because we suffer… some where, we’ve learnt that the people who suffer and toil, gets the best of everything… even the concept of renunciation, if understood from the peripheral level only conveys the same message. So, we choose to be in pain… because, it gives us the so-called edge, and because we are not bold enough to accept the truth. Or we are not bold enough o leave, shun, our “should’s”… True happiness and freedom comes when we let go… of our should’s… I’ve realised it today and I’m happy now…
MAN’S POSSESSIVENESS (Contd)
Oneself means the relationship of the other with oneself. This is indeed an unwelcome guest; mainly because, the focus of attention here, is oneself and one’s relationship with another. So this is the literal meaning of what possessiveness is… From a higher level, possessiveness gets transformed into a liberating attitude. It is essentially unfolding and not binding because; there the focus of attention is the other person. In this sense, possessiveness may be translated as love, devotion, genuine concern etc… as one pleases. But the fact remains that one is related to another in a mutually beneficial way, in the higher level. It is essentially in tune with the divine will and directed towards evolution through mutual sharing and understanding through LOVE for each other… CONCERN for each other…
SUCCESS
“Success is most desired by those who never succeed,” says an old poem. But is it fully true? Even Bill Gates (still) desires to be successful!!! So, what is real success? Is it achieving what you want? Or is it getting the best you deserve? What are the parameters that define success? Can we think of success as an independent entity, not encompassed by so many ‘should’ and ‘must’ s? When we begin to think thus, a holistic picture will emerge… There we find the true definition of success. SUCCESS IS THE NATURE’S WILL… Her immutable law; There’s nothing called as ‘Achieving Success’… There’s only an outcome of man’s actions vis-à-vis the Will of Nature. And obviously every time, man loses… So, the real Success lies in identifying and accepting the Nature’s Will… She can never go wrong… Whereas man often does…
MAN’S POSSESSIVENESS
It is a direct variant of his relationships to all. Man’s possessiveness to an object or a person is directly proportional to the closeness of his relationship to that person or object. From this point of view, possessiveness is indeed good – “Goodness” depends on the positive features of the object or person, as well as, the positive features of his relationships to them. There is a thin line between possessiveness, jealousy and real concern. Jealousy is essentially prevalent when the relationships mentioned above are of a negative nature. Concern and Possessiveness are actually twin sisters. One cannot be possessive towards a person or a thing if he is having no real concern towards that person or thing. So it is associated with positive aspects. A jealous person will have little concern towards the object or person. However, in possessiveness, one has to have clarity in concern… i.e. ‘Is the concern really towards the other person or towards the self…
TRUE MOTIVATION
The real key to motivation is to look at how far we have come rather than how far we have to go… true motivation is self-motivation... All others are transient… I call this “ Motivation by Introspection”. The best motivation is achieved from within… why? Because, YOU are the key focal point in the whole process- you are INVOLVED in it… this gives more sense of IMPORTANCE, GROWTH & IDENTITY. That’s why I prefer an egg being broken from “inside” rather than “outside”. The former process gives me a chicken that will produce many more eggs and chicks also. By the latter process, I can at best get a single omelette! MBI concept also gives a sense of RESPONSIBILTY to the individual. And once that sense of responsibility comes, the real motivation sets in and the individual charges ahead…
PAIN AND JOY
Pain and joy… they are always two sides of the same coin. When joy comes one forgets the pain… but it is always there… the only thing is, one is so much engrossed in contemplating joy, and when one is so much engrossed in joy he turns away from pain. But when Joy turns its back towards him, he is helpless… because he desperately wants something to hold on… and so he turns towards pain he cannot be, or even think of, a situation where pain and joy are absent… but if he can… if he REALLY can, then he will see, perhaps see, something different altogether… a world where pain and joy arte absent, a world where something else prevails… I cannot, nor am I capable of naming it, but I do have experienced it, it is really unique, at times disturbing, at times elevating, at times… NOTHING!!!
TRUE KNOWLEDGE
It comes from being passive… it comes through assimilation without judgement. It is a very sudden and momentary phenomenon. It comes and goes in a flash. One has to be very alert to watch for it. One has to be above all trivial and transient aspects; one has to elevate oneself to such a point that helps him to grasp the totality (of which one is also a part!)… Only knowing things from all sides and views can give us a more or less true picture of it. and still our perception of it can distort the picture… hence, the importance of an unprejudiced mind… may be this is why 360 degree appraisals works better in organisations, when doing performance appraisal…
PURSUIT OF DESIRES
A very tricky and yet the most necessary task… how? Fulfilment of desires is necessary to be free and for progressing further in life. But the first cousin of desire is pain!!! The real question is, can one afford the pain to gratify one’s desire? If no, how to be free of pain and still gratify ones’ desire? The answer is different for different people. But the acceptance of Divine Will, that Great Law of Compensation, called Karma, can to some extent, atleast, reduce the pain, if not completely eradicate it. By the very act of acceptance, one’s view on desire changes. It becomes a prayer and not a sort of desperate want… Therein lies the secret of achievement and fulfilment of desires without experiencing much of pain…
CRITICISM
What is your reaction towards criticism? Before that, what is criticism? A sort of mirror showed quite unexpectedly before your eyes? Or is it a projection of someone’s fragmented, egoistic psyche? Whatsoever it is, it doesn’t matter… For, it is the way you take criticism that matters. You may shy away or react fiercely to it… but better still, act ACCORDING to it… Action alone counts, not the reaction… Reaction is a waste of time and energy. And, a Leader never reacts… he only Acts. So thank the criticizer for having shown you the mirror. If you see your face in it change accordingly if you have to; if not, forgive him for his ignorance, by this act you are free. And perhaps, it is he who sees his face in the mirror, now, against his face…
REAL SERVICE
Any work or service becomes effective only when we do it in a diligent way with out even once thinking about the result of it. The very act of wanting to see the effect, that very desire to see the consequence of the work or service done, is the biggest limitation in giving a fuller service. The act of service or work is completed only when the doer has withdrawn from the act… just like the act of giving pen is complete only when the hand that gives it is withdrawn… Here, the act of withdrawal, which makes for completion, symbolises desirelessness to see the result of work and absence of the very same thought, which limits our capacity to serve, by diverting our attention partially towards it and not the work…
SELF-ACCEPTANCE
It is an act that requires a great deal of inner strength and courage. A bold step towards transcending the duality that arises from our fragmented thinking. That’s self-acceptance… but requirement of immense courage makes this task very difficult. Acceptance of self, unless already achieved, requires change in the present condition; and due to lack of courage and presence of fear, this challenge of change is seldom met. And so, the theory of self-acceptance becomes absurd!!! But once, its achieved, the joy is unspeakable. Even momentary glimpses of that realisation are enough to rejoice. The duality transcends, and absence of conflict leads to a fuller and greater unfolding on inner faculties at a fast pace due to the coming into existence of “one pointed ness” – in life… in self.
TRUE SURRENDER
Surrendering oneself completely to God or Guru or Higher Self is most essential to progress… To get you going forward on the path… But there in lies a great illusion – What exactly does surrender mean? Does it mean that you should be full of gratitude and then sit simply waiting for things to take its course? It could be right… but I feel even then true surrender doesn’t come. There is still a little bit of surrender left with in which prevents you from ASKING… once you have full gratitude, this last and final hurdle can be over come by asking for help. Then the last wall of pride gets shattered… and then, Rejoice on the gifts that HE gives you… but be sure you don’t lose the Attitude of Gratitude.
KARMA
The law of karma is simply fascinating. It is more and more interesting and equally threatening when you get to know more about it. You may feel that the past has no effect on your future. But I say, there is no past or future. Both are expressions of Eternal Present... Eternal NOW. So your actions and thoughts have a clear effect on you. At times, you are the teaser, hater even a murderer!!! But for the simple fact of neutralisation as in chemical terms, alkalinity can be neutralised only by acidity, you have to become the teased, hated and even the murdered!!! All the debts must be paid off and the balance sheet has to be tallied at the end. So why create more debts and delay the process towards Eternity? And yet, I cannot understand why I’m unable to act fully even when I’ve understood this simple but great Law…
THE HIDDEN DIVINE LAW OF UNIVERSE
Always never go against the divine plan. It has a fixed routine and time for events to happen. Never go about talking quite miserably about obstacles. Obstacles exist to be overcome. Nothing else can assure you progress, for to know the beauty and wonder of light, one has to experience darkness. It is the same with problems and obstacles. The true joy of success can only be felt if one has experienced failure. So the next time you are faced with a problem or challenge, understand that it is a test to prove your ability. And also try getting some bird’s eye view of the problem. Then you begin to realise the intrinsic beauty of the Divine Plan. Very complex, and yet so simple it seems when understood properly!!! Accelerate your progress surrendering to it and let it take its course. OBEY the Divine Law, and never ever doubt its truthfulness.
MEDITAION AND OTHER SELF-HELP METHODS
After having learnt some particular form of meditation or some other particular idea or belief, which when practiced, is supposed to grant you with some new light or a new sort of WAY, always keep it in mind to see for yourself, whether that can be violated before you get on with it. Violation, here, does not mean that you should violate its put forth principles and techniques. It means, to see if there’s any scope for progress, if you pursue this path… to see if there’s anything higher in this way… and most important, to see if this path, with your given code of instructions as direction pointers, gives obstacles to progress… the progress towards becoming not what you dream, but what is in store for you. If your answer is NO, better do not follow the path. That can grant you progress… perhaps…
LOVE
Falling in love is just like getting hit by a large truck, and yet not being mortally wounded. Just sick to your stomach, high one minute, low the next minute. Starving hungry, but unable to eat. Hot, cold, forever horny, full of hope and enthusiasm, with momentary depressions that wipe you out. It is also not being able to remove the smile from your face, loving life with mad passionate intensity, and feeling years younger. Love doesn’t appear with any warning signs. You fall into it as if pushed from a high diving board. Not time to think about what is happening. It’s inevitable. An event you cannot control. A real crazy heart-stopping roller coaster ride that just has to take its course. It just one of those mysteries of creation-some thing you feel but cant explain.
GURU
Always when learning something, do it sincerely and leave the rest to happen all by itself. Above all, bow down to your Guru and seek his consent and blessings, before any venture in any field, whether studies or something else. This may sound ridiculous, but even then the fact remains that, the very feeling, or much better, the very knowledge of the fact or illusion that there’s someone to take care of your venture, no matter whatsoever happens, is a great burden reliever, and can, at many times, promote a tremendous upsurge of positive thinking. “If GOD be for me, then who can be against me?”

Friday, May 02, 2003

Now, on to better things….I chanced upon this beautiful piece the other day at a really unpretentious little bookstore. It’s a piece of poetry written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer , which I happened to have come upon. However, the memory of this poetry stuck on…..and call it serendipity or whatever, I found it again. Here’s to the Invitation……..

THE INVITATION

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.