Lessons from Nature: Essence

'You are the Salt of the Earth', Jesus says this in the gospel according to Mathew 5:13 (Bible). This statement set me thinking. My imagination!!! (God save me). I imagined myself as a big grain of rock salt, jumping around. I had limbs, pair of eyes, a mouth and no nose. I imagined myself to be that grain of salt and entered into an animated world. If you imagined me in the kitchen with all the other stuff with hands, legs, eyes and mouth then you are on the right path. I suddenly realized that I was scoped with an oversized spoon by a fat lady. The lady from ‘Tom and Jerry’; wears an apron, patched socks, and bedtime slip-on sleepers. Her face is still a mystery to me too. She feared tiny moving objects so she jumped around and accidentally smashed me. Ouch!!!!! (If you don’t know this lady.. just Google – fat lady from Tom and Jerry)

The exciting imaginative adventure with a tragic ending brought me to reality. I began thinking about how salt is made the traditional way. The traditional saltpans flashed before me. Salty water from a river is being diverted to an open field. The whole process of evaporation. And finally, white substance that you see where the river water was once collected. It’s a gradual and tough process. For us human beings to really become 'human', we have to go through this process of evaporation or purification. A process that helps us get in touch with our true essence. Our true essence is to be good, to love and to be loved. We are relational beings we can’t live in isolation, so interaction is very important for us. The degree and kind of interaction may vary but it is needed.

Coming back to what we like the most – food. When the salt in any dish is too much and noticeable it ruins the dish. But if it's in proper quantity no one even realizes that there is salt. We should not forget that salt makes a difference wherever it is present. We must be like salt trying to make a difference in the lives of others without being noticed. The moment we are noticed people will start cursing us, the way you complain to one who cooks for you about extra salt in the food. Or like an ill-mannered wo\man in a restaurant, pushing the plate away and shouting at the waiter.

Moral: Let’s personify salt and imitate it. Make a difference with your presence and your absence felt. 

Love that Inspires

 

That's the truth, You are my sunshine

You love me; despite I don't call you mine

Without you in my life, I doubt I'll be fine

Can't live without you, if I'm the bread you are the wine

 

Hold my hand tight, don't let me go

Sharing with you, I know I grow

You are the reason for my joy, you are my glow

You are my manna, not just refreshing snow

 

My heart vibrates at your very sight

You make even the darkest nights - bright

With you I feel exhilarated, and that feels right

To my wavered path, you are the light

 

These feelings are not just about today

I think of you in noise or silence, rest or play

You give meaning to my life and every single day

I Thirst! For the day when beside you I will lay

 

From deep within, yes I thirst! I thirst every day

For the sacrificial love, Wishing you a Happy Valentine's day

Lessons from Nature: Flexibility

    Reading the title itself must have made you curious. Yes! It’s about flexibility, literally and metaphorically. The next question that arises is, is flexibility here about the yoga asanas or a virtue? Yes, it is about the virtue, I believe like other virtues flexibility too helps us to live better lives and also improve the lives of those around us.

    It has taken me quite a few days to come to the conclusion that you’ll find as you continue reading. Most of my learning or reflections are sudden insights but this has come out of a lot of observation. There are mostly strong winds here at my week-long temporary abode. The mighty winds make even the strongest trees sway according to their tune. The tiny ones are really at the mercy of the wind and are turned and tossed as it commands them. I saw them, pitied them and called them weak. Ironically the next morning they stand tall once again. Later during the day, I saw a man clearing up the wild growth of weeds, but he ignores these tiny plants, firstly because they look beautiful and secondly because they are weak and tiny and anyone could walk past them or trample them easily.  While focusing his attention on the more rough and harsh plants, the man stamped over these tiny plants. When I revisited the place the same evening I saw these plants standing tall again and I was surprised.

    Lightning, thunder and heavy rain all night, the destruction was massive. Huge trees were uprooted and were kissing the ground in the morning when I saw them. The strong flow of water had washed down the soil from the hills and flooded the plains. Though I enjoyed the rain and the cool all night, I was unhappy with the destruction. I came out for a walk more out of curiosity than routine. I saw the tiny plants and the long blades of grass completely flat as the water had found its way over them to nearby ponds and rivers. Finally, everyone succumbed to the pressure of the rain and the wind. I went back as it was still cold and a little windy.

    The sun began shining brightly by 11 am, I came out once again and to my astonishment, these plants with the tiny yellow flowers were standing tall once again, not as beautiful as before but they were standing. These tiny beautiful yellow flowers are wild but they can beautify any garden or bouquet. They shine as the sun shines, sway as the wind blows, grow as the rain pours, and withstand practically anything because they are flexible.

    We need to be flexible to the changes around us. We often make our lives miserable because we always want things to happen and for people to behave the way we want. We sometimes need to bend and bow so that we can stand again. We often are crushed and destroyed because we are not humble enough to accept other person’s points of view and in the bargain, we are sometimes so miserable that we are unable to rise again. Oh gosh! These cows are marching towards me….. they just trampled over these plants. They aren’t broken they are standing once again. These plants are amazing.

    Moral: Let us be flexible so that we can, not just survive but also thrive.

Lessons from Nature: Living together

 

I’m sure we have all seen fish in the aquarium. They are so beautiful; shiny, unique, colourful, fancy and attractive. This aquarium which has inspired me is in a house that is already surrounded by natural beauty; rugged trees, smokey hills, swaying plants, strongly blowing winds, creeping insects, wiggling worms, hoping frogs and crickets and chirpy birds. I had to describe the surroundings because the aquarium gets less attention, unlike the city aquariums since here the ambience is different.

There is something special about this aquarium, it houses a variety of fish – a black aquarium Shark, Kois, Glowing tetras, Black-skirt tetras, Swordtails, Shubunkins, common Goldfish, Fan-tailed Goldfish and even an Angelfish. I observed the aquarium continually because I was surprised by the variety in a single aquarium.

I sat near the aquarium like a great thinker. I felt good about myself and wanted to observe something poles apart that no one has observed and share it with my friends. I was already feeling like the great Isaac Newton and thought that the fourth law of motion will be formulated by me. It was already 15 minutes, nothing unusual yet. I was as bored as the aimlessly wandering lone black Shark in the tank. I felt as useless as the solitary Angelfish. I too wanted to spit bubbles like the Goldfish and clean the pebbles like the Kois.  I would at least be doing something rather than whiling away time. The sudden sprint of the swordtail across the tank disturbed my trend of melancholic thoughts. I realized that the fish though so different were living together. They had no choice but to choose their companions. Similarly, we too are just placed in firms, communities, society, industry, teams, groups, etc. Do we just coexist or do we live well?

These fish are very different with different temperaments, but they are living together. I’m sure they haven’t fought because every fin and tail of every single fish was beautiful and unharmed. Can we take a clue from these fish though unique, living together sharing and caring? The sight in the tank is mesmerizing; the tiny tetras giving way to the impatient Goldfish, the Koi cleaning the huge Shark, and the swordtails making way for the slow and graceful Angel. I’m sure they must have taken time to adjust, but the way they are living together now looks like they have done a course in group dynamics. We rational and social human beings have all the more reasons to live well. Not just tolerate each other but to help, support and adjust so that everyone is happy.

Moral: Even apples can coexist in a basket with mangoes and many other fruits. Let us live together caring for each other and adjusting to make others comfortable.

Lessons from Nature beyond the Background

Isn’t the water lily a grandiose flower? I’m sure many will agree with me as soon as their eyes witness the image that is below. This water lily is growing in a large artificially made pond. It is the highlight of the garden. Its beauty can attract attention from any corner of the compound. Every passerby makes brief stops so that the beauty of this plant refreshes the mind. I did the same and drew nearer. At a closer look, I noticed something. Oh yuck! There are dead guppies (tiny fish) turning white, an ugly greenish-brow frog, a lot of decomposing leaves, and dead insects floating as though there was a Tsunami and that’s not it; these beautiful flowers are growing in some stinky black muck. Sorry for all the unpleasant descriptions, but that’s the reality. More importantly, this description is needed because it created confusion in my mind but that quickly turned into inspiration.

“You become exactly what you surround yourself with, it is a human inevitability that you will be influenced by your surroundings, which is why it is important to choose who you surround yourself very carefully.” This is a direct quote from a research study. Psychology teaches us that we behave the way we behave because of our upbringing and surrounding (but at the same time psychology doesn’t deny human efforts that can make persons totally different despite of his or their surroundings). This water lily doesn’t fit the description, it’s not like the surrounding. You would argue saying that it’s a plant and the research study is about human beings. You are correct, but there is no harm in learning from these plants.

            This water lily is an inspiration and a motivation for those who curse their surrounding for their character or personality. The water lily instead of getting rotten and awful by the stinky surrounding uses it to its advantage. It uses the decomposing leaves and dead fish as manure and springs up rather than getting polluted by it. It doesn’t allow the ugly-looking frog to steal away the show; it outshines it with its beauty. The lush green leaves gloriously float on the dirty black water. The plant grows rapidly and covers up the pond leaving the muck in darkness. This water lily by its efforts to make a difference makes its surrounding more beautiful.

We do not need huge changes. A little inspiration and a lot of determination on our part can change our lives and we in turn can be an inspiration to others. There are so many people in this world who blame and curse their surroundings and upbringing. Some point fingers even at society for their flaws. We have watched movies that portray a robber's son becoming a robber and likewise but some others inspire the world by bringing a change. Research in personality science points to the possibility that personality traits can change through persistent intervention and major life events. We know of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best footballers to have graced the football field has come from a very poor background and had no one in his family who would play the sport. Hard work and determination have made him the best. Let us stop blaming our surroundings and make efforts to stay afloat and prosper.

Moral: Let not our surroundings determine our future, we have the potential to change our life.

 

Lessons from Nature: Protector

          It terrified me! Yes! I was frightened by a rooster that was not even one-fourth my size. It was a sudden unanticipated attack.

      There is always food left over, and kitchen waste in abundance but keeping a pig in a densely crowded educated metropolitan surrounding was not possible, thus we bought chickens. We have a pretty large campus with grounds, gardens, halls and a lot of free space. The chickens are kept in a huge fenced area. To add to the variety on our little farm we also have ducks and geese.

       It’s almost a month now that we have our pet chickens adding to the beauty of our campus with their vibrant presence and sometimes irritating clucking. Being very fond of animals I spend time with my pets, and I did nothing different with the pet chickens too. Every time I observe them I’m in awe to see them and learn from them. One afternoon as I went to feed our noisy poultry something unusual happened. I entered the fenced area with a bowl of rice as I generally do. This is the time I feel good, I feel connected to nature, and I feel like Noah from the Bible. When the fowls follow me, it reminds me of the pictures in the Bible storybooks depicting numerous animals following Noah to the ark. 

        As I moved around, I dropped the rice in three different places so that everyone gets enough and enjoys their treat without fighting. A few bold chickens even dare to eat directly from my hands. As I was feeding two of the chickens I decided to pat them. No sooner did I touch a hen than the rooster just charged towards me and almost pounced on me. I stood up and tried to scare him away. Now as I put words to this incident I laugh, but at that moment I almost suffered a minor cardiac arrest.

      This incident may seem very futile but it made me reflect. I was reminded of an incident that occurred a few months back. Two elderly women were fighting, and instead of separating them people were taking videos, and photos and enjoying the sight. They were causing harm to each other but nobody moved an inch, including me. Comparing these two incidents I felt ashamed of myself. The rooster who is so small in size and so defenseless, without worrying about itself came to protect the other chickens. This little incident points out the harsh reality of how some of us live cowardly life and do not bother about protecting or helping those in need. We are just so indifferent to things around us. We are not bothered until and unless someone does something to us directly.

Moral: Protect your own, and be courageous not for a reward but because you ought to.

Lessons from nature: Rising above the Pain

Wow! It is rainy season once again; freshness, calm and wetness all around me. The garden looked so refreshing with the lush green new foliage. Plants with fresh new shoots, huge trees with new leaves on their old rugged branches, the ground covered with little thriving weeds and all these just make the place more beautiful than it ever was. Among the tinny growing plants, there are weeds as well as some good seasonal blooming plants.  These seasonal blooming plants make their appearance as the rainy season begins and stand strong till winter hits; they just vanish along with the rain.

Walking a little further into the area where the 'veteran trees' rule I noticed new life around them too. There were tiny mango saplings with just two reddish-brown leaves on them, there was a little cluster of jackfruit saplings, (probably because the entire jackfruit ignored by the owners was sprouting) and Jamun saplings were sprouting all over the place. All this was a feast for the eyes, but there was nothing extraordinary about it, what caught my attention was the breadfruit tree.

The breadfruit is a tropical plant which tastes a little like potato and seems to be related to the jackfruit. Though it's a fruit it's mostly consumed as a vegetable when it's raw. The fine crispy fried slices with a little masala and egg make the mouth water. Yaa! This isn't a cooking session or a recipe that I want to tell you about. What amazed me is that new saplings were growing around the breadfruit tree too. Didn't surprise you right? It's probably because like me you too don't know how the tree multiplies or propagates. I was surprised because this was the first time I had seen saplings around the breadfruit tree. All confused and curious I walked to the only wise old lady in the 200m radius of the tree. I greeted her: Mai! (i.e. Mother- but word also used to call out to old ladies with respect in Konkani) and before she could respond I realized I had already blurted out my doubts and queries. She asked me to sit and asked me about my whereabouts.  Looking at the impatience on my face she dramatically but slowly exclaimed, Breadfruit! It's a very interesting tree. It grows from the roots, she said. I querulously retorted, how? Why just now and not all these past years? She patiently continued, the new growth is from the root, and not just any part of the root. The root must have been perhaps wounded or obstructed by something. Looking at my confused face and expectant eyes she continued, when we dig the area where the roots have spread they get cut or hurt and that's where you will see new growth. I was amazed by the knowledge of the old lady, but more so by the breadfruit tree.

The breadfruit tree has taught me a new lesson. When we are hurt or obstructed by someone, something or an episode in our life we curl up and withdraw ourselves. But this is not the case with the breadfruit tree, it rises above the pain and injury, and that's when there is new life and progress. I thanked the old lady with a big smile and returned to admire the breadfruit tree.

Moral: Rise above the Pain, that's when you will experience new life and joy. Lessons from nature: Rising above the Pain