Evaluate & Be ~ This week
SALT ~ This week ~ Evaluate
One of my friends is a professor in Dept of Architecture at the local university. Last weekend we were just casually chit chatting when she shared an interesting incident with me. During Diwali the schools and colleges have vacations but in their department some of the professors had actually told the students " Festivals can be celebrated life long... Family and friends can wait. Your careers will not. Please don't waste time in those celebrations. Come to library every day and work on your projects. This will make your future."
I would not say I was surprised for this is what I have grown up listening to throughout my school and college. I am sure each one of us has. - Movies, friends, family, books, hobbies etc all can wait. Your studies cannot. They are all a waste of time. A complete useless activity which will result into nothing fruitful ever.
After growing up like this we start working with the same thought. Everything else can wait, our career cannot. One more promotion, one more hike, one more project - that one more never ends. We put everything else on hold - our personal life, friends, family, relationships, loved ones, children, our passions, dreams.. etc. And the irony is this very set of people then call us materialistic!! Chasing materialistic dreams while loosing out on realities of life. It is so wrong. You brought us up with certain thoughts being drilled into our mind day and night, how can we just erase them and replace with new ones over night.
I wish our education system had equal emphasis on studies and other things. I wish we were taught there is a time for everything. Time to study, time to play, time to sit with family, time to celebrate and even time to pursue your hobby. For it is these things which will fuel your passion to keep running towards your goals. As one of the internet forward reads ," When you are sick your job will not come to be by your side." I would like to add here, yes it wont but then it will surely pay for my medical bills, which clearly means both are important. The emphasis needs to be on both and not only on one. A good job is necessary for survival but so are family and friends. Otherwise it would happen one day that we are far ahead in the race of success, leading but standing there all alone. But when we will look back we would barely see anyone there behind to cheer for us. And that is the moment when we will feel remorseful about all our decisions. Evaluating things and prioritizing them is very important to not end up like this.
Lesson Learnt : Evaluate important things in your life and prioritize them.It should not happen that in chasing one you loose out on the other. Morever there are many lessons of life which are beyond the textbooks we study from. Those lessons life chooses to deliver it directly to us. Be open to that learning as they are some of the most priceless lessons of life.
One of my friends is a professor in Dept of Architecture at the local university. Last weekend we were just casually chit chatting when she shared an interesting incident with me. During Diwali the schools and colleges have vacations but in their department some of the professors had actually told the students " Festivals can be celebrated life long... Family and friends can wait. Your careers will not. Please don't waste time in those celebrations. Come to library every day and work on your projects. This will make your future."
I would not say I was surprised for this is what I have grown up listening to throughout my school and college. I am sure each one of us has. - Movies, friends, family, books, hobbies etc all can wait. Your studies cannot. They are all a waste of time. A complete useless activity which will result into nothing fruitful ever.
After growing up like this we start working with the same thought. Everything else can wait, our career cannot. One more promotion, one more hike, one more project - that one more never ends. We put everything else on hold - our personal life, friends, family, relationships, loved ones, children, our passions, dreams.. etc. And the irony is this very set of people then call us materialistic!! Chasing materialistic dreams while loosing out on realities of life. It is so wrong. You brought us up with certain thoughts being drilled into our mind day and night, how can we just erase them and replace with new ones over night.
I wish our education system had equal emphasis on studies and other things. I wish we were taught there is a time for everything. Time to study, time to play, time to sit with family, time to celebrate and even time to pursue your hobby. For it is these things which will fuel your passion to keep running towards your goals. As one of the internet forward reads ," When you are sick your job will not come to be by your side." I would like to add here, yes it wont but then it will surely pay for my medical bills, which clearly means both are important. The emphasis needs to be on both and not only on one. A good job is necessary for survival but so are family and friends. Otherwise it would happen one day that we are far ahead in the race of success, leading but standing there all alone. But when we will look back we would barely see anyone there behind to cheer for us. And that is the moment when we will feel remorseful about all our decisions. Evaluating things and prioritizing them is very important to not end up like this.
Lesson Learnt : Evaluate important things in your life and prioritize them.It should not happen that in chasing one you loose out on the other. Morever there are many lessons of life which are beyond the textbooks we study from. Those lessons life chooses to deliver it directly to us. Be open to that learning as they are some of the most priceless lessons of life.
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PEPPER ~
This week ~ Be
Couple of weeks ago I had shared one real life incident as a story here. To update on that, things have changed from bad to worse at office post this incident for reasons completely unknown to me. I have been advised by some caring well wishers who witness this to put in a formal complaint for it, quit the job etc etc. But I choose to refrain from doing anything out of the above. I have always maintained that I love my job and I still do. I don't think such trivial issues should make a base for you to quit something you love so much. I have my own reasons for such "stupid" behaviour ( as they call it! ) which I would want to share with you.
During my childhood I had read a story about a scorpion and a sage. The main outline was something like this:
One day a sage saw a scorpion struggling against the current in the river. The sage tried to help it by picking it up. The scorpion stung the sage badly making the sage throw him back. The sage once again picked it up only to be bitten again. The sage continued doing this till he had actually managed to save that scorpion. When asked the reason for his behaviour, the sage simply replied " That was his nature, this is mine. How can I change mine when he cannot his". ( The whole story can be read HERE)
At that time the whole meaning of this never struck me. But it was this story which helped me the most as I faced such people time and again. Every time I would be hurt I would try to be revengeful and spiteful about that person. But gradually I realised it was wrong to think like this. I with all my goodness intact cannot make them like me but they are so powerful that they can make me like them - negative and angry. And who gave them that strength? The answer is simple - Me. I gave them that strength to convert me into their clone.
Nature has sent us on this earth with a particular reason. The way we are is the way we are supposed to be. Like it is said if you pour honey mixed with water every day to a bitter gourd tree it wont make the bitter gourds sweet. Simply because it is their nature to be bitter, they cannot change it. Like ways it is my nature to be good to people and if they dont like my goodness I would rather stop being good than start being bad for it is not my nature to be bad. Perhaps this is the reason I am able to forgive very easily. I hold no grudges against all the people who have hurt me in my past and if tomorrow they would all want to be back in my life I would welcome them with open arms, only because like the sage said "That was their nature, this is mine"
"Be what you are. Never try to become" are beautiful lines shared with me by a friend. I remember them every time I loose my focus and my emotions tend to sway me. I want to be what I am. I don't want to become something what they want me to be. I know it is easier said that done and believe me it took me a lot of time which involved being hurt many times to learn this lesson finally ~ Letting them be and being yourself was the key to a happy survival. I would not want to change anyone or change myself for anyone, rather I would want each one of us to just be and cherish that 'being'.
I am being and not becoming...Are you being or becoming?
Lesson Learnt: Nobody is born evil. Remember how each small child radiates pure joy, love and innocence. That is what we all are at the core. Full of joy, love and innocence. But there is something that God has thought for each one of us and made us like that. There is nothing that we can change about that. So just be what you are and never try to become.
Couple of weeks ago I had shared one real life incident as a story here. To update on that, things have changed from bad to worse at office post this incident for reasons completely unknown to me. I have been advised by some caring well wishers who witness this to put in a formal complaint for it, quit the job etc etc. But I choose to refrain from doing anything out of the above. I have always maintained that I love my job and I still do. I don't think such trivial issues should make a base for you to quit something you love so much. I have my own reasons for such "stupid" behaviour ( as they call it! ) which I would want to share with you.
During my childhood I had read a story about a scorpion and a sage. The main outline was something like this:
One day a sage saw a scorpion struggling against the current in the river. The sage tried to help it by picking it up. The scorpion stung the sage badly making the sage throw him back. The sage once again picked it up only to be bitten again. The sage continued doing this till he had actually managed to save that scorpion. When asked the reason for his behaviour, the sage simply replied " That was his nature, this is mine. How can I change mine when he cannot his". ( The whole story can be read HERE)
At that time the whole meaning of this never struck me. But it was this story which helped me the most as I faced such people time and again. Every time I would be hurt I would try to be revengeful and spiteful about that person. But gradually I realised it was wrong to think like this. I with all my goodness intact cannot make them like me but they are so powerful that they can make me like them - negative and angry. And who gave them that strength? The answer is simple - Me. I gave them that strength to convert me into their clone.
Nature has sent us on this earth with a particular reason. The way we are is the way we are supposed to be. Like it is said if you pour honey mixed with water every day to a bitter gourd tree it wont make the bitter gourds sweet. Simply because it is their nature to be bitter, they cannot change it. Like ways it is my nature to be good to people and if they dont like my goodness I would rather stop being good than start being bad for it is not my nature to be bad. Perhaps this is the reason I am able to forgive very easily. I hold no grudges against all the people who have hurt me in my past and if tomorrow they would all want to be back in my life I would welcome them with open arms, only because like the sage said "That was their nature, this is mine"
"Be what you are. Never try to become" are beautiful lines shared with me by a friend. I remember them every time I loose my focus and my emotions tend to sway me. I want to be what I am. I don't want to become something what they want me to be. I know it is easier said that done and believe me it took me a lot of time which involved being hurt many times to learn this lesson finally ~ Letting them be and being yourself was the key to a happy survival. I would not want to change anyone or change myself for anyone, rather I would want each one of us to just be and cherish that 'being'.
I am being and not becoming...Are you being or becoming?
Lesson Learnt: Nobody is born evil. Remember how each small child radiates pure joy, love and innocence. That is what we all are at the core. Full of joy, love and innocence. But there is something that God has thought for each one of us and made us like that. There is nothing that we can change about that. So just be what you are and never try to become.
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