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Brainstorm |
Homing Pigeons |
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- Sreelekha Bhattacharyya, Career Forum Ltd.
Have you ever woken up to the sounds of chirping birds at
dawn? Have you been fortunate enough to while away some time
to watch the early birds trying to get their first worm? Or,
for that matter have you seen the pigeons on the rooftops
pecking at the grains that people scatter in the morning?
Intriguingly, the pigeons while intermittently pecking at
the grains queue up side by side on the numerous cables that
crisscross atop the roofs. Hypnotized, I have often watched
this act executed with clockwork precision as I sip my morning
cup of tea, and as if spellbound – am rooted. It’s
mesmerizing to witness the flock performing as a troupe, an
act of high flying trapeze on a tight wire. These avians balance
with the help of their tails which they keep tucking in faster
than the ticking of a second hand. The pendulous action of
the wire necessitates the humble birds to single-mindedly
balance themselves to stay on that wire. They comply as if
their very life depended on it, if at all even one of our
feathery friends got dislodged, with a desperate flutter of
wings it did let go only to alight at the next vacant spot
to resume its rhythmic swinging. They imparted a lesson to
me. Learn to balance.
Human nature tends slack off at the very ‘moment’
of our greatest accomplishments. As we become successful,
or strive to attain our goals we need a great deal of self-discipline
not to lose the sense of balance, humility, perseverance
and commitment. Some 2,500 odd years ago, the ancient Greek
tragedian Euripedes said ‘it is imperative to keep
a balance in one’s life’. The need and importance
of maintaining balance in our lives has not changed since,
but the challenges we face certainly have, and they seem
to be growing at an exponential rate at present. There is,
however, no dearth of advice available and a range of tools
and methods that may very well help us find that elusive
state. It certainly explains the way the sale of ‘self-help’
books have soared in the market; there is a ‘Chicken
Soup’ for every ailment even as Steven Covey’s
paperbacks sell like hot cakes. These books strive to improve
equilibrium and productivity in our lives, while focusing
on today’s need to find stability between work and
home life.
If indeed, as Pope John Paul II proclaimed, ‘our
truest obligation is to keep our balance as we embark upon
the precipices of life’, then steadfastness becomes
not something we need to achieve our goals, but a worthy
goal in itself. On November 26, 2008 Indians were reminded
that, we, too, are vulnerable. Our veritable haven had transformed
suddenly into hell. We all at once found ourselves before
a group who had gathered to consider lessons learned, not
only as a collective body, but as individuals; we did well
to contemplate upon the unanimous question – ‘why’?
Probably, contemplating on this will in many ways leave
us feeling more hopeful, less discouraged, despite the fact
that we are struggling not only as a divided nation, but
as a world to maintain our balance.
‘Embark upon the precipices of life’ the Pope’s
words rings a bell. Sometime back during a trek in the Garhwal
region we were scaling a height of almost 4000 metres (nothing
great for most people, but for me it was a challenge), we
gingerly moved on the edge; the mountain wall on the left
and a deep crevasse on the right. The path was covered with
loose rubble and stones, interspersed with boulders too,
the mountain wall was often interspersed with spots where
rocks and stones threatened to slide and occasionally we
did witness debris descend; all the while posing quandaries
unexpected and unfathomed. No amount of knowledge downloaded
from the web or no first hand account of experiences could
prepare us for the reality and truth before us. Balance
of mind over body gently prodded me to take one step at
a time to reach my goal. There was no coming back, there
was no choice of quitting. Perhaps, this is what drives
people in droves to events like the Olympic Games, or to
the Wimbledon? What is it that they find so compelling,
so uplifting about record setters like Michael and Tori,
Federer and Nadal, or Paes and Bhupathi? What is it that
quickens the pulse, and fills us with such pride? In every
acorn there lives an oak forest.
With the ever-increasing demands on our time constantly pulling
us in every direction, is it any surprise that our lives sometimes
feel completely disturbed and out of control? In a likewise
scenario in everyday life it’s then alright to take on
a friend, parent, community leader or spouse’s time to
grade and provide the succor to understand one’s current
state of balance – or imbalance - in our lives. People
with talent are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones’
are rare. After all, while we might never be Olympic athletes,
or even close, but we do have one thing in common. We dream.
Even if we may have packed away our dreams for another day.
Despite our reasons ‘why’ we might not have the
results we might say we want, be it at work, at home, with our
health, our wealth, and amongst our friends, it is in our nature
to dream. Whether we admit it or not, we know we can ‘do
better’. And, we know that to do so, like the gold-medal
winners, we've got to be willing to come to the edges of ourselves
right out there past the limb where we've resided, dust off
our courage, and take a leap of faith.
Thank heaven we are surrounded by people. People you and
I know who are Olympians in ‘coming to the edge’
of themselves, and how they’ve known themselves historically
to be. Because that is what ‘edge places’ ultimately
require.. balancing.
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