Taken for Granted

Warm rays of sunshine
Beautiful pleasant weather throughout the year
Lush green trees and colourful flowers
Cool breeze around the lake
A feeling of wellness and comfort

Reading a book while lying down in a park
5k walk outside each and every day
Quick meetup with friends
Going out for a nice quick meal
Fun over a sleepover

Mom’s hug
Dad’s pat on the back
Grandparents’ blessings
Mentor’s appreciation
Friends’ company

A cup of filter coffee
A delicious home-made meal
An instant order from Swiggy / Zomato
Craving and getting a midnight treat
Easy access to all the favourite snacks

Impromptu philosophical discussions
A quick word of advice
Fun banter in the cafeteria
Deep discussions over walks
Endless talks over meals

Warm and cozy bed
A window with a view
A desk with our memorabilia
A sense of familiarity
A place where we can just be

A support system
A sense of identity and belongingness
Comfort and peace
People who are our own
A land which is our home

We take so many things for granted
Thinking “now” means “forever”
But when circumstances change,
We realize that the smallest things,
Meant so much to us!

Photo by Skyler Ewing: https://www.pexels.com/photo/textured-background-of-lush-green-leaf-5754225/

Invariants

The world around us,
People, places and things,
Keep changing continuously,
Sometimes gradually,
Sometimes lightning fast.

Clinging on to the changing world is risky.
It can either pull us along,
Or hurl us off its course.
Badly hurting us.

And yet we try,
To grab on to the familiar.
To have some more of it.
In the comfort of the known.
Hoping that it will be different this time.

However, there exist a few Invariants,
People, places and things,
Which are at a frequency, same as ours.
And are just there for us, no matter what!
Their presence matters,
Either directly or indirectly in our memory.

Invariant people,
Are always just a call away,
Understand our words, and our silence.
Accept us completely for who we are.
Fight for us in rooms where we are not present.
And genuinely care about our well-being.

Invariant places,
Are the places which feel like home,
Even thinking about these places,
Brings a sense of peace and calm,
These are the places which nourish our soul.

Invariant things,
Are the things which remind us,
That even in this huge chaotic world,
We are okay!

There is also an Invariant,
Deep down within us,
Which is always guiding us.
We need to discover it,
And listen to what it says.

Invariants are personal,
Each one of us has our own.
Also, they are extremely rare,
To find an Invariant is like finding gold!

Let’s be on the lookout for our Invariants.
And treasure the ones we have.
We can always count on our Invariants,
People, places and things.
To be there by our side,
Supporting us, as we navigate the unknown.

Photo by Neil Thomas on Unsplash

Phases

The moon waxes and wanes,
But by itself, it is always okay.

The waves ebb and flow,
But as the ocean, it is always okay.

We humans too go through highs and lows,
But as our true Self, we are always okay.

IC – Photo by Br Zp: https://www.pexels.com/photo/phases-of-moon-8150395/

GO and BO

The Good One (GO) and the Bad One (BO) live within me.
They pull me in opposite directions in whatever I try to be.

GO and BO are always around, available at a moment’s call.
Both of them have an opinion about everything, big and small.

GO wants me to be the best version of myself.
But BO is like– later, and put things on shelf.

GO wants me to work and complete my todo list on time.
But BO makes me procrastinate till the task is on the line.

GO wants that I go early to bed and early to rise.
But BO distracts me at night and then I miss the sunrise.

GO wants me to exercise, be active and walk / run a 5K.
But BO is a couch potato and will try to lead me astray.

GO wants peace, to calm down my mind and to meditate.
But BO will bring up random thoughts and disturb peaceful state.

GO truly believes in me and trusts that I can do great things.
But BO thinks I’m an imposter and doubts the capability of my wings.

GO makes me feel guilty when I listen to BO.
Whereas BO says just chill when I listen to GO.

Sometimes GO wins and sometimes BO.
Makes me happy and then sometimes low.

Sometimes it’s hard to find peace while being in between them.
Their constant pull in opposite directions can easily overwhelm.

GO and BO keep chattering on and on and pulling my mind.
But apart from both their opinions, the path is mine to find!

IC: Photo by Mario Dobelmann on Unsplash

Self Sea Sun

Imagine that our Self is on a beach. And the collective of our thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotions make up the ocean. These keep coming continuously to the beach in the form of waves. Some of the thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotions are on the surface and are easily evident. While others are deep and hidden and not easily known.

Our Self keeps observing the waves, and almost always, finds a wave of interesting thought, feeling, idea or emotion and chases it into the ocean. Our Self is a proficient surfer and swimmer and it then glides from one wave to another of these thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotions. One wave leads to another, then another and another. Eventually it realizes that it has been in the ocean for too long and then it comes back to the beach. Again it observes the waves and pretty soon another wave catches its attention and it’s back in the deep end! And this cycle continues!

But gradually and hopefully over time, our Self gets less and less attracted and distracted by the waves. The waves which were once distracting are now just music to the ears. An interesting wave is not able to pull the Self to the deep end. The Self acknowledges the presence of an interesting wave but does not chase it or run behind it. The Self is able to peacefully sit on the beach observing the Sun at the horizon while the waves continue their play!

IC: Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

The Witness

Moment after moment, moment after moment,
Moments roll by.
Day after day, day after day,
Days roll by.
Week after week, week after week,
Weeks roll by.
Month after month, month after month,
Months roll by.
Year after year, year after year,
Years roll by.
Lifetime after lifetime, lifetime after lifetime,
Lives roll by.
As long as this loop goes on,
The Self within just witnesses it all.

Image Credits: Photo by Henning Stein on Unsplash

Lessons from Padma Awards

I was looking at the recent Padma awards, and reading the award descriptions, and it was so inspiring! People have been awarded in multiple categories for their contributions in science, medicine, social work, industry, sports, entertainment etc. Every awardee has made a major impact in one of these areas.

Looking at the awardees who are themselves so diverse and have such varied contributions, I noticed that there is one thing which is common among all the awardees (this is true for atleast the recent #PeoplesPadma awards since last few years). And the common feature is that each one of them has worked to make things better for others in the society. And they have done it in their own unique way.

Also, it’s important to note that they didn’t do that hoping to get a Padma award one day, but because they actually wanted to bring a change in some aspect of society. I noticed that each one of them has two main qualities: 1. They are passionate about something and want to improve things in that context in the society and 2. They have faith in themselves. They believe that no matter what the circumstances are, they are capable and they can bring a change.

Most of us operate very differently in our daily lives as compared to the awardees and I guess that’s what makes them special. We take most decisions in our life, the with primary objective to make things better for ourselves or for our family. For example, choosing one job over another just because it pays more or taking up roles because it will look good on the CV or saving up to buy a bigger house or a better car. Most of us operate like that in the world.

On the other hand, there are a few who think differently. For example, they think on the lines like: how can I teach others, how can I do research find a cure of a disease, can I build a company which solves a particular problem faced by society, how can I do something for specific groups of people in society and so on. Their primary objective is to act such that they can best contribute to the society. And the best part is that in the process, they do well enough for themselves and their families (which is the primary aim for most of us). I think another added benefit is the immense satisfaction and peace they must be deriving through the process.

Each one of us is capable of working for a greater good. We don’t even need to drastically change our lifestyle. We just need to change our vision and objective. When making any decision, instead of thinking which act will be best for me, we need to flip it around and think which act will be beneficial for people around me. Instead of focusing on ME we should start focusing on WE (by the way WE includes ME!). And together we can make a much better society for everyone!

Also do read about Harekala Hajabba who sells oranges in Mangalore. From his earnings of Rs. 150 a day he built a primary school in his village! Or about Tulsi Gowda, who never received any formal education but she has planted thousands of trees and is famous as the Encyclopedia of Forest due to her vast knowledge of diverse species of plants & herbs. These stories are so inspiring and show that literally anyone can act for societal good. If we are not acting for the greater good of society, then that’s just an excuse, because truly each one of us is capable. Hope one day, most of us will act primarily for social good rather than our own interests. That day it will be all the more difficult to shortlist people for Padma awards.

Thank You Teachers!

Wrote this 10 years ago as a FB post, thought will also put it up on the blog.

You taught me to read and write
Made my life cheerful and bright
Never ever made me feel alone
Backed me up when I shone

You were there when I needed you
And supported me like a friend too
You motivated me to seek the unknown
Thus you made diamonds from the stone

You guided to be ready for change
To broaden the mind’s thinking range
Inspired me to explore and innovate
And to be positive and optimistic at any rate

Thus numerous lives have changed
You may find this a bit strange.
But I am sure that all will agree
A teacher demonstrates us how to “be”

Some teachers come and some may go
But each one has a new seed to sow
Every seed sprouts up as a new thought
So each one of you is precious of the lot

In my life I may move on and on
But from my heart you will never be gone
Each one of you is special for me
As it’s you who made me as I could be

You will always remain special in my heart
Of my life you are an important part
All of you are the biggest STARS in my view
So today all I can say is a small “Thank You”

Wishing all my teachers a very Happy Teachers’ Day!!!

September 5th, 2011

Tetris

A tetris block moved down and hit the base.
But the game suddenly changed & slowed its pace.
It’s not known when or which block will come next.
How will it position and align and where it will rest.
So now the tetris block waits for blocks to fall unstudied.
To arrange in rows so that the game can proceed.

Image by Comfreak from Pixabay

Book Review: A Life on Our Planet

A Life on Our Planet by Sir David Attenborough

A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A book like this can only be written by someone like Sir David Attenborough. He has not just written about the things elaborated in this book, but he has actually lived and experienced it. And this lifelong vision brings up long-term big picture which is clearly evident in this book.

The key takeaway of this book is that we humankind as a whole are close to the tipping point of long term sustainability and survival. If we continue to act in the way we have in the past with massive deforestation, melting snowcaps, ruining oceans, increasing global temperatures and more, the future is bleak. However, we are smart and innovative and have solved grand challenges in the past and we are capable of doing that now. It is an urgent need of the hour to work in ways such that we can sustainably coexist on the only place we know, our planet Earth!

The book is wonderfully organized. It starts with a section on the experiences of Sir David Attenborough around the planet, of his journeys around the world capturing wildlife on camera so that we could watch it from home. It is like reading NGC / Discovery! However, the adverse effects of exponential unsustainable growth are evident and presented with real-life examples. The next section looks at the future and predicts what will happen if we proceed to act as though everything’s fine. And the picture is definitely scary! Next section is how we the mankind can take steps in order to move towards an alternate version of a more sustainable future with a lot of biodiversity and where everyone can coexist. And it is presented in very well defined indicators. It is almost like a dashboard of key factors on which our survival depends which is called the doughnut model. Final section highlights how building a sustainable future is the greatest opportunity for our generation indeed! We can together build the future we imagine!

Major changes are required in many aspects of our lives, like adopting a plant based diet, recycling every thing that is used, using clean energy, minimizing carbon footprint and in general empowering everyone around the world. And it won’t be sufficient if just some people do it. We need to build a system where it makes sense and is possible for everyone to adopt such lifestyle. Thus everyone including the government, agencies, regulatory bodies and individuals need to come together will a common initiative to build a future we want.

Only when we give back more than we take, can we bring back balance in the ecosystem. In the past, drives for saving a specific species have worked, now it’s time to take steps for the “whole natural world”. We are not “saving the Earth” but rather “saving ourselves” by building a sustainable future.

Profound and highly insightful book! One of my best reads of 2020!

View all my reviews