Monk Wisdom Series ; Fun in Science

I started the Science Club in 2004 to help my son and a bunch of friends understand the extensive,amazing and distinct character of learning about the matter around us.

It had seemed to me then, that we spent entirely too much of our education on the accumulation of unusable and disjointed facts. I felt our goal should not be knowledge for academic sake but develop the skill of using knowledge to solve problems, to spend our early years of education learning “how to think” and not “what to think”.

I have approached my mission with tools and the passion I have. My own passion for continuous learning and a sense of giving back to the kids around us sparked my interest. I am still grateful for these tools my teachers helped me shape. As I still learn and continue to make so many mistakes, that a sense of humility is sometimes all that stands between me and the vast ocean of knowledge that exists around us. Today, technology has helped us see how minuscule we are in this vast ocean.

The guiding principles or credentials for my FUN Science Club are many and extremely different from what one might expect from a mainstream educational perspective.

I want my Science Club to represent those who do not thrive in traditional school settings. Having studied in India in a traditional school where mugging up and memorizing was the hallmark of a bright kid, I want FUN Science Club to be the pool of knowledge where kids can touch and feel the marvels of this universe.

My vision for the FUN Science Club is to continually amaze even the most cynical educators with its ability to create an enthusiasm to learn that empowers even the most reluctant children.

Kids love to learn. This is no secret. The idea of Fun Science Club is to get them excited and then we get out of the way.

Learning is what our species does and does well. Some kids love it, the way they engage, some others are constantly trying to find new ways to engage. Our job as educators is to find them the right engagement model

What the Science Club will do is to remind kids how much fun it is to figure stuff out. Any stuff. Not just science but history, and literature and social studies as well.

My statement is "Science is a FUN way of approaching the unknown” can be applied to approach any subject.

I have heard all of the lamentations about the miserable state of our
Economy and its impact on education. Impact on education is an impact on our children. I am personally seeing and smelling the decay in many of our schools.

And yet I remember the story of the little boy in Indonesia who, after the recent Tsunami wandered out onto the desolate beach and discovered the shore strewn with the still live bodies of millions of starfish that had been stranded there to die. The boy reached down and flung one into the safety of the water and then another and another. When a old man approached him and kindly offered the wisdom of son you will never be able to save all these poor starfish the boy paused looking at him and then replied, no sir I guess I can’t but I can save this one and returned to his task. The old man said nothing and joined the boy in returning the creatures to the sea.

Soon others joined them, then hundreds until all of the starfish had been rescued. Like that little boy I have no concern of the magnitude of the project I am only concerned with what I can do..http://funscienceclub.webs.com/

The disciple opened his eyes and saw the amber skies from far away slowly descending over him as the dream faded and reality dawned. He saw the Master in his amber suit disappearing into the horizon.

Monk Wisdom Series: Past Perfect, Present Tense

The disciple was sitting staring at the horizon. ‘Sounds’ were mere adjectives, ‘Colour’ the verb and the resultant picture was the noun. Approach of the night was greying the environment, silence was setting in and his eyes were watching the scene change.

Change had always intrigued him and as he thought about it, his mind kept following his eyes. Every change was being registered. His eyes were the medium of collection. Collection of the events. And as he collected he imagined the present slowly becoming the past. Time had very little reference. Every time he registered an event he was experiencing the creation of memory. In a sense, memory was history he concluded.

Then he imagined: every moment he was living there were changes happening - gradually and slowly. No two moments were the same. There was no choice. In a wakened state you ‘will’ experience change. Some notice,others take a while. Seeing is not in a space of time, it is instant. That’s the present - then and there. There was beauty in all this – a beauty that cannot be expressed in words, it is an experience. This experience was pure, there were no thoughts, just observation. Every change we look at in a space of time is contaminated by our consciousness. The inner movement validates every move, every change and every moment. It then adds its version as we age.

At this time he had no questions, no answers….He just enjoyed the experience. Soon the moon came over and provided company to his isolation. Every moment that passed was Perfect, every experience at that moment was Tense and he knew nothing about his future….

Monk Wisdom Series: What's in a Name

In this age consumed by materialism, I am attempting to usher in some profound wisdom through my monk stories to the reader. There exist some possibilities for personal transformation through an exploration of alternate realities.

These stories are not very difficult to follow, but they are what most of us believe, but fail to deliver at that moment. To understand wisdom we have to first drill down into the meaning of ‘Wise’. There are many meanings to it; erudite, learned, enlightened, extensive information so on and so forth. Of what use is all this if you make no use of it?

Hence, making due use of knowledge; discerning and judging soundly concerning what is true or false, proper or improper and delivering the message is of prime importance. What these stories or anecdotes try to provide us with is a subtle message. Some of us will identify with it, some others will be critical about it. When we do that we touch philosophical barriers.

“Our mind is like a monkey” the monks say, constantly at work, hopping from one topic to another. Do you have control over it? Your memories, your wills, your sensations, your perceptions,your future and the list keeps going on and on.

Here is the story for today:

The monastery was quiet. It was serene at dawn and the young apprentice was sitting on the boulder facing the hills. The birds flew back in an orchestrated way. The amber light filled the depth in front of him. The view he had from the top was overwhelming. The village far down in the valley was beginning to retire. Electricity had not reached the village. The light was pure, no adulteration.

He had to come up with a name for himself for the baptism into the monastery. What should he be known as? What should be the name? Is it important? His mind was swelling with questions. The Master saw the young face glowing in the light. The mind was reflecting!!! Moving slowly towards him, he perched and sought his attention. The boy twitched his eyebrows and asked the Master.

‘What's in a name?’

‘Oh! It does not mean anything in isolation, it is about what the ‘subject’ is all about. You are not known by your name but your character and your deeds,' he said and then he went on to tell this story:

A Jackal once went to the naming ceremony in a dog's family. All the members of the dog's family were there. They were the grand-dog, the grand - bitch, the father, the mother and few siblings to celebrate the occasion. The question was what should be the name of the newborn dog? It was very simple. Every one had a suggestion. This went on and on, there were many suggestions. No one was impressed with any of the names. The jackal was the quiet observer. He was watching all the fun and thought - that these dogs can never change. He opined to himself: individually they can be masters but as a collection, they are a nuisance. A dog can be the man's greatest friend and considered intelligent but he saw them how they behaved in a group. To be one up dooms us all.

And then the moment arrived. Seeing the commotion one of the dogs looked up at the Jackal. Then another one, and then another. Soon they all looked at the Jackal and started to suggesting the names awaiting an approval. It was commotion once again; this time with their heads up in the air looking at the Jackal. The Jackal was no mood to end the party. He thought over and said: ' You guys are fighting over the name, when
you have it written on your tails. Every dogs tail has the name of their new family member written on their tail. You just have to look at it and name him.'
'Whoever reads it first will get to name him', he continued. Without wasting any time the dogs started turning round and round……in order to see the name in their tails, and they went on and on……

The Jackal was watching all this, smiled and proceeded to next dogs party…. Even today you see sometimes dogs trying to catch their tail.

Master then looked at the disciple and said while ‘some parents spend some time’ to nurture the child and to be 'known' good, others spend on cosmetics to 'look' good. We start to look for names way before they are born, rarely thinking about how we will raise them.The objective I feel is lost some where in the Trivia'

Monk Wisdom Series: Love Failure

It was another day, another moment.A tiring day both physically and mentally.Today he could not sleep. It was pitch dark and the ambiance of the crickets seemed to bother him. Normally silence drew him into contemplation. "Interesting" he said to himself,when my mind is at rest this same ambiance puts me to sleep. Today my mind is filled with thoughts and it is disturbing. He reminisced the situations in life prior to him joining the monastery. Failed at work on his project , lousy investments, failed businesses, ditched by his beloved parents after few misunderstandings, soon the world changed and everyone considered him a loser. It was this disturbance that drove him to seek the inner meaning of existence. And now the thoughts were haunting him...

The breeze was flowing from the westerly direction and his robes were fluttering as if they were speaking to him. It was quiet and serene, between the noise of the wind. He never realized when his Master had joined him. He turned around and their their eyes met. He said helplessly “I am so disturbed by my failures. My thoughts are so suicidal. Please help me, Master”

Master had this calm and still look that soothed the disciple for the moment as he listened to this story from the Master…

The jungle was all praises for this little monkey. He was the star of the colony. Excelled in everything and success was at his feet every day. The mother was all praises about her son and bragged about his achievements. She created opportunities for him to excel everyday. In her own way she was pushing him to greater heights. The other parents felt the heat. Their children could not just keep up with the progress of their peer. Days went by and the little monkey went from strength to strength. Everyday the measure of their success was the fruits they plucked for the colony. Our little monkey always had the most exotic fruits and the most filled basket. One day things changed, it rained heavily and all the fruits had fallen and washed away. That day when he returned with his booty, he saw the another fellow monkey with just one leg had more fruits than he did. He was shattered. After this incident, he never achieved or performed like before. Just one failure was enough!!!! His mother never thought it was important to teach him; how to deal with failure. This was because he was always motivated on his achievements. However this time failure overpowered him.The young monkey began to lose hope and in despair fell in bad company. One instance of failure was enough….

The father of the monkey was a keen observer to all of this. The flamboyance of the kid, the showing off of his mother and the mindless celebrations of petty achievements. The heady behavior of the kid was causing him concern. On a rainy day the monkey, as he sat there scratching his belly, the father slid next to him and asked, “Son why are you no longer competitive, why don’t you hang around with the rest of the kids?” . “Oh!, I am no good, dad. Leave me alone” said he with mixed emotions.

“You never knew what failure was. Your problem was you gained because the others were no better than you. As you grow you will if you wish to be in good company, you will have to be choose the ones better than you. Embrace failure, learn from it and you will be more stronger. Life is not measured by successes in tasks and achieving milestones. It is the legacy that you leave behind in the hearts of others. Sometimes we pay more dearly for our triumphs than for our defeats. Those who do not strive will never fail”. The words echoed the sulking monkey. The next moment he sprang up and joined his friends in their favorite past time. “Scratching each other’s back!!!”

The Master moved slowly and perched on the boulder facing the disciple, while the he was still immersed in the message. The Master said in all his profoundness “ Do not brood on your failure, learn to love failure and learn from it. Success will eventually find its way to you”

The twilight dawned and the morning sun was making its warmth felt. The golden light signaled as if the disciple was enlightened. He looked behind to thank the Master and saw him walking towards to the monastery. He just smiled to himself and followed him.

Monk Wisdom Series: Winning is ...... picking the right battle

Days passed by in the Sangha. Sangha was how they addressed the monk community. He learnt about the legacy, of a religion. Buddhism was attributed to a noble man who existed 2600 years ago. The man who was to become the Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama .HE existed as a Prince of a small territory near what is now the Indian-Nepalese border. He learnt how he was raised in splendid comfort and style, enjoying aristocratic status. But for this young man these pleasures remained useless. No amount of material pleasure could satisfy the curious and profound nature of the young man. It appalled to him how at such an young age of 29 he left palace and family to search for a deeper meaning in the secluded forests and remote mountains of North-East India. After studying the wisest literature, religious teachers, and philosophers of his time, he took a path of self- mortification, taking that practice to the extremes of asceticism.

It was just the beginning of another beautiful night. The sun was just beginning to find its way behind the mountains far way. The moon on the other hand was overjoyed with the all the space to itself. The clouds slowly shifted their loyalties from the sun to the moon. The transformation in their color said it all. The wide and strong river was flowing undisturbed down below. The water was mindless of the transformation up above. It flowed carelessly oblivious to nature. The disciple had his eyes fixed on the flowing water as he ruminated with his newly gained knowledge. The moon was coming up fast from behind the hills as it was in a hurry . Seeing all this seeded the thought of relationship in his mind. What a relationship he thought. One has to go before the other has to shine. The full moon had the aura of a winner and in its generosity flooded the earth as if it owned it.

These thoughts flashed like a movie in his mind. Winning, he thought. What is the meaning of all this? Does anybody win? Why is winning so important? Nodding his head in disagreement, he once again looked up. Not far away he saw a silhouette approaching him. The flowing robes gave away the personality of his master. Bowing in respect he asked the Master “Is winning so important in life?” The master was kind of expecting a question, took a deep breath and said “depends on what how you consider it. Sometimes you win to lose, while in some other situations you lose to win.” As usual, he saw the now familiar confusion in his disciple’s eyes.

Here is a short story to illustrate it. The two rats were always arguing who was the fastest amongst them. They would have race at every excuse and always it was undecided. This went on for days. They grew up like true rats and never matured. Winning the race always ruled their mind. It was raining heavily in the forest and food had become a scarcity. After several hours of scavenging, they found a bounty. Their find was a bunch of worms and mushrooms stacked by some other animal. Along with the rats there was a tortoise also when they found it. This led to a heated argument to decide who will eat it. They argued for hours. Finally, they hit on a plan. They decided to have a race. The tortoise said, "I know you both are very fast, but we will all race to the other side of the river. Whoever reaches to the other side first gets the food". The rats were game. At the count of three, they were off to a start. The tortoise ambled for a short while and saw the rats shoot into the water. Smartly, he conceded the race, walked back and made sure he had enough food for the next few days. Later he learnt that the rats drowned themselves in water.

Smiling to himself, he thought, “If you win the rat race, you're still a rat.” Winning is not everything, picking up the right battle to win is wisdom

Monk Wisdom Series: Is Absolute Silence...possible ?

Is absolute ‘Silence’ possible……? the disciple wondered sitting on the perch...staring at the the horizon.The birds were coming back home and the getting back into their cozy nests. Mars was shining bright and bold up above amongst the stars. Moving hips decorated the fields far away as women carried the days work back with them. The tormented mind could not make sense of anything at this time. The large pond was brightening up as it reflected the stars and a portion of the moon. By virtue, if there is noise around there must be silence he thought. But again...Does ‘Silence’ really exist ? Can there be ‘Silence’ at all?

Sitting alone and the night hurrying in was becoming worrisome for the disciple with all this confusion in his mind. The mind was giving away to the madness and he desperately swung his eyes in search of the Master. The familiar ochre robe was nowhere to be seen. The path to the monastery looked deserted and was punctuated by a few cows grazing the healthy grass. Then all of a sudden, he saw the silhouette arriving, with an aura of the setting sun following him. His heart leapt in anticipation. He needed an answer to silence his mind. Can you silence your mind? He thought again. At this point he was hopelessly confused.

The Master acknowledged the bow from his disciple and said “ Isn’t it so quiet and peaceful here?”. The disciple had no clue what he was saying. His mind represented a hung state with numerous unanswered questions.

“Is it possible to even experience absolute Silence?” asked the disciple impatiently.

The Master with his usual exuberance answered “Sound is a function of the brain and a subset of your mind. A tree falling in the forest doesn’t make a sound until the acoustic energy or sound waves hit an ear drum whereby a signal is sent to the brain and becomes sound for that entity. Sound to me is just an idea”.

He continued “So absolute silence can be thought of as a quiet mind. An empty mind void of content and when the awareness having nothing happening. To be aware of just nothing !!!! this is Internal Silence. Then you have the happening around you, outside that you have no control on. Everything keeps constantly changing. External Silence is therefore just a theory. To quote the ancient philosopher, Heraclitus, he maintained that everything is in a state of flux. Nothing escapes change of some sort; it is impossible to step into the same river”.

To me it never exists, because you cannot touch it, feel it, imagine it, taste it, dream about it……To say you cannot hear Silence, is an oxymoron, it's like saying 'Thinking about Nothing.'

The disciple just understood a part of it. He decided to challenge the Master again some other time. For now he just believed, Silence is elusive and looked forward to empty his mind of all other confusion.

Once he did that, he saw the beauty of nature with the Moon painting the landscape with its golden rays illuminating the dark cloud. As the clouds moved, the perspective changed and he hoped that as he matured in the monastery his perspective would change as well. Jerking his shoulders…Sigh(lence)…followed…

Romance in the Train

In college and living away from home can be lonely. Every quarter I enjoyed my visit back home. Traveling by train was challenging, but in your teens, can be romantic and exciting.

Several trips later, I was enjoying the time of my life - alone excited that I will be meeting friends and family. Once in a while, I missed the warmth that seemed to exude from this small family. I wasn’t lonely really, I had done so many visits back and forth that when I sat in the train I was used to seeing things from a bit of a romantic point of view during my journey. Don’t really know why, but that was the case with me. As I was seated, I was always seeing so many things I wanted to share with someone. I just didn’t have that someone to share with.

For an instant, that young girl across, looked at me making eye contact. I froze. I remember being still like a deer in the headlights. She seemed to be seeing right through me, as if to say she knew my heart,thoughts and desires. We looked at one another for a moment then she looked away. When she did, I felt something had been taken away from me, something I needed very much. I quickly finished the cola and wandered back to my top berth for a short nap. As I passed the young family I looked down and she looked up and smiled a smile I will never forget. What a beautiful embracing smile.

The nap was great and I woke up refreshed. I could smell the food. I was getting hungry after the nap. I don’t know why I was as hungry as I was? I had done nothing all day, but staring at people. The sun had already set, the coach was beautifully lit, lit by old smoky lights everywhere. It created such a romantic mood; I had a moment of remorse about being by myself. There was music coming from a violin like instrument, but more hoarse…that was being played at the far end of the coach by two beggars who I assumed was of some Gypsy decent. The girl was tall slim and wore a tight fitting black dress with black lace that dripped to her feet. The top was low cut exposing some flesh, enough to generate curiosity. The music was good but not soothing for me and it did spoil my mood and the ambiance

I ordered my meal, as the young family, was seated in front of me. I saw her eyes motioned to her father that she wanted to sit in a specific chair that faced me. As she sat down she looked at me and gave me a radiant smile, one that would melt any man's heart. I blushed red and quickly looked elsewhere as if not bothered by that look. I blushed because of the thoughts that engulfed me. The thoughts during the day, the romantic atmosphere, the lights everything had to be blamed.

I was thinking about her before taking my nap. If I thought she was pretty, she was beautiful at dinner. She had a body that I would describe as perfect. Slim and beautiful with she had smartness dripping all around to cause flood on the coach.

I tried to concentrate on food all the while trying to catch another glimpses of her in between without her seeing me. She noticed me twice looking straight at her and she responded with that beautiful smile. She slowly crossed and uncrossed her legs and I was sure I had soup dribbling down my chin. Then she began to swing her legs up and down in constant motion.

Those legs were enough to stop my heart. My station was fast approaching and I knew I had to talk to her at least once. With the family around I was still apprehensive. Biting nails and moving my fingers through my hair , I was thinking harder and harder…People stood up around me to alight. I had to get up too. I knew it was coming to an end. Another journey over. Thousand images filled my mind from the past 24 hours. Each one had her in them…

Then the inevitable happened. Still punching the keypad on her father’s phone, she came across to me and with her elbow brushed my hip and drew my attention…”Finally”…. I thought, I am going to leave and she wants my attention. Smiling at me with a little mischievous grin, she winked and said “Uncle , can you help me with this game?”. Her father returned and I excused myself standing realizing this small interchange with this little girl had kept me occupied for as long as I was awake.I nodded negatively at her and went towards the door, smiled and alighted and went my way..

As I lay on my bed that night I thought of how beautiful kids are. It does not matter if you know them or not, they are a treat to watch.. as a bundle of selfless thoughts, unbiased, pure reflection of God. How appropriately someone said “Kids are the most valuable natural resource in this world”

Words Worth

My Facebook wall screams,yet very few read:

Words are like autumn leaves, everywhere. Thoughts are like your garden, beautiful. Focus on your thoughts..nourish & nurture them...because they are truly yours...

What about words, they are all around us. And for me if it is out there it is mine.It does not matter if Wordsworth wrote it or Einstein. Everything I hear or see, I make them my own. I can take anything,anytime from anywhere and make them mine.

All this said, I have only one thing more to say :

Thoughts are mine and only mine.Words bring happiness to my thoughts. When happiness crawls in like it does now; I write and say "Thank You" to those words around me..

Listening In

Listening is one of the most profound compliment you can ever give some one. We think living couples need to engage in healthy conversations to have a healthy relationship. I have a different angle to it. Like the rhythm of waves, conversations have to be embedded with Silence. Silence is one of the powerful gestures we have to be able to show or indicate respect,care,empathy,profoundness and contemplation. Often times we are guilty of processing internally while we are talking.

Periods of silence gives us the ability to Listen.Being heard is deeply fulfilling to every partner.There is drama, emotion and intelligence in listening. It plays a role of alchemy in a relationship that helps you discover the elixir of togetherness.Along with listening comes the art of asking good questions, that makes the act of listening 'divine'. Several days back as I was waiting to get my Chipotle, across the room, along the window I could see a father and daughter engaged in a conversation. She was so engaged there was beauty and eloquence to it. I could see her disengaged with her inner self.And I guess that is the key to effective listening.

You have to be outside yourself, unaware, calm and unconditional to make listening effective.

True and Honest relationships are silently built on true conversations and True conversations are those where listening is not merely an act, but deeper awareness.

Aging with a Perspective

Growing old, is an age old experience. An experience that is real and realtime, provided we recognize it.We gain perspective once we open up to the understanding, and the profoundness of life will blow us away. It’s like the air we breathe, unless we are conscious about it - we will not recognize it.

As we grow older, lots of things change and every change is a new experience.One thing everyone knows well? Well, Aging. You grow older and soon you realize people close to you start dying. Friends, Family, Relatives and so on…Death is the ultimate giver of perspective. Then there is the other end. Birth. Your children, their kids, your friends kids and so on…These events provides you with a different emotion…
As time flies, you appreciate little things more than before. Everything comes with experience and as a result – with a perspective. Suddenly you don’t complain about your childhood. You are happy with the pocket money you received while you were a kid, enjoyed all the stories you read, all the books, the games, the clothes…your appreciation never ends…when you talk to your kids. Your perspective has given a new meaning and provided you with the richness of the life you had as a child. More importantly, it also dawns on you that, despite of all the wrong things parents have done, they have got a lot of things right too, in fact many….

With a perspective - I can’t complain about my childhood, as I grew up in a decidedly middle-class suburb in living a decidedly middle-class life. While I may have not gotten everything I wanted (for some reason, some of those memories never seem to leave us), I most certainly got everything I needed. Even if it was often a pair of hand-me down clothes from one of my older cousins. At least I had something different to wear.

My dad was the giver…

Not sure when my dad ever took some rest. Family, relatives, friends,kids,wife in that order was the center of his existence. He left by the morning train everyday bright and cheerful, like a man on a mission and came back late evening with some goodies.

My dad always seemed so very proud when one of his kids came to visit him in the office. He’d take us around and introduce us to his co-workers and boss, and he always seemed to lighten up and be very proud of us. My dad was inherently a kind, gentle soul who has a very social and engaging personality. But when growing up, neither us kids or my mom often didn’t see this side of him.

It felt like my dad worked hard at his job, because I don’t remember a lot of interactions with him after work. He seemed tired a lot, and after dinner he would retire to bed. I blamed the job for that, not him, and vowed that I will never to work in a boring office job, sitting at a desk all day and not interact with my kids. (Yes, I get the irony.)

But as a child, we simply take our parents for granted. We don’t know much about them or their personal lives, and understand only a small part of their personality and background. As we grow up, we start learning more and more about them.
As I aged.. many of my friends would remark to me, “Wow, your dad is really great”. “He knows so many people and has such fantastic memory” and I always thought to myself, “Really? My dad??!...and I would be secretly proud.”

I’ve spent far more time with my dad making new memories now I think about it, than I did as a kid, and for that time and those memories, I am eternally grateful.
I’m thankful for my dad, for providing for us early on, allowing us to have all of the things a family needs in order to feel safe, secure and cared for. He provided us not only with the meaning of family, but also with a never-ending supply of love and pride of a dad for his sons and their achievements over the years. I try to appreciate every moment I spend with him now, as such moments dwindle. To all the dads out there, there is hope. Every moment with your kids today will bear fruit someday

As I placed a rose beside my dad’s photo, what bothers me most today, is that I did not write this blog when he was still alive….Happy Fathers Day!!!!!

Kites

Last night a stray cough woke me up and kept me disturbed. The allergies were at work again. Sleep was around but not near my eyes. It was dark and quiet... my mind was wandering. Again, not sure if I was dreaming or awake.

Then suddenly the scene changed and I was staring at the golden sky almost like liquid gold, decorated with a kite. Ah! yes, it was a kite. As it soared it transported me back to those evenings in my early teens. Kite flying was my passion. It was a constant game of control. Each day ended with a new challenge.No video games, no television, no internet, no girls, no movies could tie me down like the kite did.I dreamt to set free like the kite. There was a burning desire to rise above and soar to explore the medley of the golden clouds

Life's lessons were learnt through this passion. Anyone who's flown a kite knows they don't typically go up in a straight line. They meander left and right--even in loops. Life's journey can feel like this. There are times when I become complacent. I think I have mastered the angles and become disenchanted. But then the wind shows up!

Kite flying, and "Life Walk", continues but lacks heart sometimes. Things can fall because I am not paying attention.Like in kite flying, catching the wind is tricky business, as it is about faith in yourself. The force of a gentle breeze gentle breeze or strong blast cannot be seen. The outstretched flag or swaying trees prove that the wind exists because they have been touched. Eh! like we need to prove God's existence.

Sometimes the wind, without warning, seems to disappear completely, and the kite falls. Quick tugs on the string may reconnect it to the wind. Other times a full-scale sprint in the opposite direction is necessary. Sometimes nothing can be done to alter the course. Some other times,it can be frustrating.

The wind, like God's presence, can seem to be everywhere except where I am. Others seem to be sailing along effortlessly. These are times I must return to the beginning. I need to check my position, angle, speed, then wait again at the prepare -string stage.

But then when the kite returns to the air, I'm filled with wonder and hope.

Noise in Silence

Silence, Still and rising like the Sun
Silence, Still and strong between sounds
Silence, Still and permanent around us
Silence, Still and music at night
Silence, Still and flowing like the Ganges
Silence, Still and shining like the Moon

Silence, Still not lost and is the Essence of Life

Degree of " Experiences"

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give” – Khalil Gibran

There are many ways one can “give yourself” for eg. providing food to homeless, DVD players, clothes, helping at the zoo, donate money, working with seniors etc. I chose to give time, and work with special kids, because I find very few understand them. To me working with Jeena is about experiencing life with gifted kids . I say gifted, because they have unique abilities…

Somewhere along the line we view these kids inability to conform to certain behaviors as willful disobedience. We see their inability to focus and complete school work as laziness and unwillingness to try. We were expecting them what they cannot give. We have to realise it is not they - but we are inflexible. We are selfish to see them with a common perspective.

We view our kids through the eyes of the world. The world expects them to behave and learn in the typically accepted manner…except they can't…and we are suppose to know better!!!! Through the exhaustion, frustration and stress involved in parenting a child, we give up on them…much like the world, which does not understand them. I see every parent at Jeena understand their kids. They love them. Unconditional Love!! Believe me, each one is under their blanket of love…
I have enjoyed working with kids of all ages. Every day, kids say something that triggers a little 'teachable moment'. In volunteering at Jeena for Rotation Respite, it gives me that exact opportunity to learn more from these specially gifted kids. They teach you about finer points of life, things you have taken for granted and more importantly they make you aware and realise about them.

My hope with every conversation with these kids is not about knowledge, but about seeing their world with their biases. It gives me great pleasure to hear their opinion or perception of something and see it from a different perspective. To reframe the situation in the truer, newer light.

I won’t forget the day when a friend of mine introduced me to Jeena website and I instantly signed up to jeena-friends group. Since then, I have enjoyed every moment and every opportunity I have had in working with these kids and their parents at Jeena.

Finally a lesson I have learnt : is to be constantly look for, the “combination” that will work for that child. An “opportunity” that will ignite that spirit, that one “thread” that will best connect that young kid to the civil society, a “way” they will be able to contribute to its success for them and for the society.
In Jeena I see an University for continuous learning, not for academic degrees but for gaining what I call it “Degree of Experiences” to make a difference to myself and to this World!!!!

..............written for Jeena's Annual Magazine - JEENA YAHAN 2009

Order in Chaos

Its been there for several thousand years now - We now know what seemed obvious back then. That the basic nature of the universe is its extreme complexity and inexplicable disorder. That mysterious, tangled magnificence popularly known as Chaos exists. The poetic Hindus believed the universe was a dreamy dance of illusion or sometimes referred as Maya. Maya is this mysterious Chaotic existence..

I consider Chaos to be one of the many basis for creativity & innovation.What amazes or intrigues me, is the randomness within Chaos that creates a mystery in our relationships with others and things around us. For e.g. what I see and how I perceive a scene will be totally different from another person. There are so many perceptions and in a chaotic sense, they are all floating around. I believe that your mind then connects with that one and you have your perception. Anyways, as complicated this may seem, for those who see the brighter side, it brings freshness and surprise to us all the time..

For several years now, scientists began to study the complexity within the human brain . When we talk about Chaos, as an example, it turns out that the brain is a galactic network of a hundred billion neurons. Each neuron is an information system as complex as a mainframe computer. Each neuron is connected to ten thousand other neurons. Each of us is equipped with a universe of complexity that is inscrutable to our alphanumeric minds.

This brain power that helps us perceive,feel and think is at once the most humiliating fact about our current ignorance, and the most thrilling prospect of our potential divinity;

To me Chaos provides us with Infinite opportunities. With every bit of chaos comes Order. It just needs the application of our mind. Music for instance seems like noise until you find the pattern. This is also why at times after repeated listening to the same song, makes you like it. Once your reach the state of familiarity there is no more chaos in your mind!!!

We often think we should be able to understand everything about a piece of music on the first hearing. If we don't, then there is either something wrong with us, or with the music. I admit that when I first start listening to some piece of music I somewhat loathe to spend much time on one track. But when I listen to this at least 10 times or more familiarity sets in, order takes its place the brain likes it and associates it with thoughts and feelings...Finally, I love the music.

These repeated listening allows us to memorize...slowly I start having a fabulous time, following the various shifts in motives, harmonies, keys, rhythms, and general characters. Fifteen minutes of doing the dishes had never passed so quickly...

Order inconspicuously rides on Chaos. I have learned to enjoy that state!!!

Creativity

It's been a while I came back to take a look at my blog.Today it is. After a tiring day, I am inspired by the way people think. How tough times bring the best out of us. We find ingenious way to survive, thanks to our creativity...

Certainty keeps creativity at bay
Abundance keeps creativity away

Need brings creativity in play
Challenges provide creativity a new way

American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor Oscar Levant said once "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line"

I see "in every creativity there is hidden insanity" or even better " Insanity is hidden in every creativity"