Imagine a quill floating in the wind. As the wind changes its direction the quill does a pirouette and dances to its rhythmic cadence. It loses its identify and becomes one with the wind. An expert glider uses this unprecdictability of the wind to do amazing feats in the air. The quill and the glider may be carried to longer distance and greater heights by being in total congruity with the wind. Life is like that. We just cannot predict what is around the corner. We may falter at the biquitous inequities that the life poses. We may fail to reach the altar of success. To keep pace with its subtle nuances and surprises, we need to learn to dance to its tune. Find the rhythm that suits us, do the leg work properly and enjoy the dance.
What does finding our own rhythm mean ? There are a million things in this world which may affect a million people in million ways. For A R Rahman, music is the road to salvation. When he sees a keyboard he sees god. When he touches it, he feels god. But for may others, it will just remain a collage of keys with no significance. A piece of music/a beautiful song is already there in the guitar. Only a maestro can elicit that melody from the six innocuous strings. A true sculptor can see the image/sculpture in a rotund rock, while a nonchalant passer by may blissfully fail to see the creation. Everything depends on the level of resonance that we have achieved with ourselves and the things that surround us. If we listen closely, we can hear our own heart beat. There is a beautiful rhythm to it. When we succumb to the malice and the negativities around us, we can sense the rhythm changing. Finding the perfect rhythm is about knowing our brain, our body our mind and bringing the three into unison.
It is said that when soldiers march over the bridge, they break the rhythm because the resonance they build otherwise is huge enough to destroy the bridge. In a similar way the intonation of the reasonance that we build in ourselves in conjugation with nature is powerful enough to flush out the negativities and usher in a feeling of endearing happiness.
The Sufis dance and spin their way to nirvana. The disciples of Bhagavan Rajaneesh forget their surroundings, when they dance to attain eternal bliss. The rhythm of life is a powerful beat and it instigates us to dance, to sing, to breathe and to be passionate. But we take each step with lot of trepidation. We do not involve fully in the things that we do. We give, but with compunction. We learn, but without conviction.
We need to learn the rhythm of life as we grow. We need to feel/listen to the rhythm of other people, the rhythm that nourished our parents, our grand parents, our ancestors down the ages and understand their stories and the struggles to give shape and purpose to our own dance. As we start experiencing our own rhythm, we will find the beauty of the rhythm in others – other individuals, other cultures, other traditions and realize that the rhythm of life is a cosmic ballet in which we all play a tiny but immensely integral part.
:::::::::::::::::::::
-Jai Prakash Pandey
Director,
SBI-RSETI, Umaria
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.
The train is coming and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way ?
Let us take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make..
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place ?
Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.
The great critic Leo Velski Julian as well as Sourav who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train’s sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track. Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the tack, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake. And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.
While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realise that hasty decisions may not always be the right one
“REMEMBER THAT WHAT IS RIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS POPULAR..AND WHAT IS POPULAR IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT.
EVERYBODY MAKES MISTAKES, THAT IS WHY THEY PUT ERASERS ON PENCILS
-JAI PRAKASH PANDEY
Director,
SBI-RSETI, Umaria
The train is coming and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way ?
Let us take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make..
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place ?
Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.
The great critic Leo Velski Julian as well as Sourav who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train’s sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track. Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the tack, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake. And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.
While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realise that hasty decisions may not always be the right one
“REMEMBER THAT WHAT IS RIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS POPULAR..AND WHAT IS POPULAR IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT.
EVERYBODY MAKES MISTAKES, THAT IS WHY THEY PUT ERASERS ON PENCILS
-JAI PRAKASH PANDEY
Director,
SBI-RSETI, Umaria
MANAGING STRESS AND VIEWING LIFE HOLISTICALLY
Stress – what ?
Simply put ”stress makes us sick”. Slow accumulation of stress, leads to diseases. Factors like meeting deadlines, inadequate sleep, emotional turmoil, psychological characteristics, etc., can affect us physiologically and psychologically. Heart strokes, diabetes, ulcers, cholesterol etc., are the results of psychological and physiological events. It requires physiological adaptations and excellent stress response mechanism to survive in extremely stressful situations.
Lack of sleep and heart diseases – some research findings:
* Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentration of high sensitivity, C- reactive protein – the strongest predictor of heart attacks
* Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body and they increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
* Sleeping for less than 5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease
Sleep is composed of two stages:
REM – (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM. The former helps in mental consolidation while the latter helps in physical repair and rebuilding. During the night, we alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times. The earlier part of sleep; is mostly non-REM. During that period, our pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair our body. The latter part of sleep is more of REM type.
Situations, when people get cumulative ill effects of stress (few examples)
* Feeling of getting forced to meet deadlines very frequently
* Lack of sleep, for many days
* Lack of work-life balances for long
* Unmanaged and long duration of worries, frustrations, negative emotions like, jealousy, anger, depression, hopelessness etc.
* Lack of “feel-good factor”
Conclusion:
We need to have a holistic view of life. We can ask few pertinent questions to ourselves, like for how many years, I am going to live, what is the purpose of my life, how would I like to be remembered by people around me or the world after die. If we sincerely probe ourselves with these questions, we are going to get very useful answers and have “balance in life - between professional, family and personal”, as mentioned in The Gita. Then only the poem of Rabindranath Tagore – “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high” – will make sense to us.
::Excerpts from “Strress-from burnout to balance” by Vinay Joshi.
-J.P.PANDEY
SBI-RSETI,
Umaria
Simply put ”stress makes us sick”. Slow accumulation of stress, leads to diseases. Factors like meeting deadlines, inadequate sleep, emotional turmoil, psychological characteristics, etc., can affect us physiologically and psychologically. Heart strokes, diabetes, ulcers, cholesterol etc., are the results of psychological and physiological events. It requires physiological adaptations and excellent stress response mechanism to survive in extremely stressful situations.
Lack of sleep and heart diseases – some research findings:
* Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentration of high sensitivity, C- reactive protein – the strongest predictor of heart attacks
* Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body and they increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
* Sleeping for less than 5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease
Sleep is composed of two stages:
REM – (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM. The former helps in mental consolidation while the latter helps in physical repair and rebuilding. During the night, we alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times. The earlier part of sleep; is mostly non-REM. During that period, our pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair our body. The latter part of sleep is more of REM type.
Situations, when people get cumulative ill effects of stress (few examples)
* Feeling of getting forced to meet deadlines very frequently
* Lack of sleep, for many days
* Lack of work-life balances for long
* Unmanaged and long duration of worries, frustrations, negative emotions like, jealousy, anger, depression, hopelessness etc.
* Lack of “feel-good factor”
Conclusion:
We need to have a holistic view of life. We can ask few pertinent questions to ourselves, like for how many years, I am going to live, what is the purpose of my life, how would I like to be remembered by people around me or the world after die. If we sincerely probe ourselves with these questions, we are going to get very useful answers and have “balance in life - between professional, family and personal”, as mentioned in The Gita. Then only the poem of Rabindranath Tagore – “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high” – will make sense to us.
::Excerpts from “Strress-from burnout to balance” by Vinay Joshi.
-J.P.PANDEY
SBI-RSETI,
Umaria
SURVIVE TO SERVE
“Survive to serve” was the clarion call. Prejudice comes only from the side which you do not know. It is fear of making a mistake that makes prejudice. Get rid of this fear if you wish to serve. Asserted the speaker
One of the common drawbacks in us is our reluctance to accept our ignorance. We don’t agree that we don’t know.
What causes sorrows ? Dr Rudran clarifies “that which is loved, will not cause you anxiety. Anxiety arises because of not loving. If any conflict arises, it tends to create stress, and when your views are not accepted it leads to sorrow and irritation.
What then is the way out ? Quoting the saying of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, the speaker clarified that life is like tongue amidst 32 teeth. It requires enormous skill, endurance and tactics to live amongst evil forces. We cannot get rid of them, instead we must learn to live with them tactfully. The concept is based on Ramayana, where Vibheeshana is seen to be leading a noble the amidst many asuras. Compromise is not absolute. In fact, it is misnomer. Compromise should be renamed as accepting the presence.
-Jai Prakash Pandey,
Director
SBI-RSETI,Umaria
One of the common drawbacks in us is our reluctance to accept our ignorance. We don’t agree that we don’t know.
What causes sorrows ? Dr Rudran clarifies “that which is loved, will not cause you anxiety. Anxiety arises because of not loving. If any conflict arises, it tends to create stress, and when your views are not accepted it leads to sorrow and irritation.
What then is the way out ? Quoting the saying of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, the speaker clarified that life is like tongue amidst 32 teeth. It requires enormous skill, endurance and tactics to live amongst evil forces. We cannot get rid of them, instead we must learn to live with them tactfully. The concept is based on Ramayana, where Vibheeshana is seen to be leading a noble the amidst many asuras. Compromise is not absolute. In fact, it is misnomer. Compromise should be renamed as accepting the presence.
-Jai Prakash Pandey,
Director
SBI-RSETI,Umaria
TEAM WORK
We may all have heard the story of the Hare and the Tortoise. The moral of the story was “Slow and Steady wins the race”
The hare which was disappointed at losing the race did some thinking. He realised that he had lost the race only because he had been over confident, careless and lazy. Had he not taken things for granted, there is no way that the tortoise could have beaten him. So, he challenged the tortoise for another race. This time, the hare ran without stopping from start to finish and won the race.
The moral of the story now stands modified to “While it is good to be slow and steady, it is better tobe fast and consistent”
It was the turn of the tortoise to do some thinking. The tortoise realized that he could not beat the hare in the race the way it was formatted. He did some thinking and challenged the hare to another race but on a slightly different route. The hare took off and ran at top speed, in keeping with his self commitment until he came to a river. The finish line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river. The hare sat wondering what to do. In the meantime, the tortoise reached the river, swam to the opposite bank and finished the race. The moral of the story will now be “First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency”
By this time, the hare and the tortoise became good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that they could race for mutual advantage
So, they decided to run the race again, but this time, as a team. Thus, they started off with the hare carrying the tortoise till the river bank. Then, the tortoise took over and swam across the river with the hare on his back. On the opposite side, the hare again carried the tortoise and together, they reached the finishing line. They both felt a great sense of happiness, satisfaction and success. The final moral of the story is – “It is good to be individually motivated and to have skills/core competencies, but, unless you are able to work as a team and harness each others’ core competencies, you will always perform below par”
In short it can be said – working together works.
While all employees in an organization work as a team, harnessing the skills/competencies/potentials of each other to perform is found better.
-Jai Prakash Pandey
SBI-RSETI,
UMARIA
The hare which was disappointed at losing the race did some thinking. He realised that he had lost the race only because he had been over confident, careless and lazy. Had he not taken things for granted, there is no way that the tortoise could have beaten him. So, he challenged the tortoise for another race. This time, the hare ran without stopping from start to finish and won the race.
The moral of the story now stands modified to “While it is good to be slow and steady, it is better tobe fast and consistent”
It was the turn of the tortoise to do some thinking. The tortoise realized that he could not beat the hare in the race the way it was formatted. He did some thinking and challenged the hare to another race but on a slightly different route. The hare took off and ran at top speed, in keeping with his self commitment until he came to a river. The finish line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river. The hare sat wondering what to do. In the meantime, the tortoise reached the river, swam to the opposite bank and finished the race. The moral of the story will now be “First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency”
By this time, the hare and the tortoise became good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that they could race for mutual advantage
So, they decided to run the race again, but this time, as a team. Thus, they started off with the hare carrying the tortoise till the river bank. Then, the tortoise took over and swam across the river with the hare on his back. On the opposite side, the hare again carried the tortoise and together, they reached the finishing line. They both felt a great sense of happiness, satisfaction and success. The final moral of the story is – “It is good to be individually motivated and to have skills/core competencies, but, unless you are able to work as a team and harness each others’ core competencies, you will always perform below par”
In short it can be said – working together works.
While all employees in an organization work as a team, harnessing the skills/competencies/potentials of each other to perform is found better.
-Jai Prakash Pandey
SBI-RSETI,
UMARIA
TENSION
The moment you are in tension
You will lose your attention
Then you are in total confusion
And you will feel irritation
Then you will spoil personal relation
Ultimately you won’t get cooperation
Then you will make things complication
Then your BP may also rise caution
And you may have to take medication
Instead, under the situation
And try to think about the solution
Many problems will be solved by discussion
Which will work out better in your profession
Don’t think its my free suggestion
It is only for your prevention
If you understand my intention
You will never come again to tension
:::::::::
-Jai Prakash Pandey
Director
SBI-RSETI,
Umaria
You will lose your attention
Then you are in total confusion
And you will feel irritation
Then you will spoil personal relation
Ultimately you won’t get cooperation
Then you will make things complication
Then your BP may also rise caution
And you may have to take medication
Instead, under the situation
And try to think about the solution
Many problems will be solved by discussion
Which will work out better in your profession
Don’t think its my free suggestion
It is only for your prevention
If you understand my intention
You will never come again to tension
:::::::::
-Jai Prakash Pandey
Director
SBI-RSETI,
Umaria
THE WINDOW
Two men, both serially ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm and amid flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the bank he could see it in his mind’s eye as that gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head. Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything ? It did not seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window – and that thought now controlled his life.
Late, one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help;. Listening from across the room,he never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped along with the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence – deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window,she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away- no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window
The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up one one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
Life is all about perception. For some a gentle breeze can invoke lot of happiness but for some others even the costliest gift in the world fail tobring a smile on their face. It works wonders if we are able to assimilate the brighter aspects of life and discard the inequities. The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice..it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. It is something that we consistently need to practice and work towards, to usher in that obscured happiness into our lives.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey
Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviours; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
+++++++++
-Jai Prakash Pandey
rudseti- Umaria
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm and amid flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the bank he could see it in his mind’s eye as that gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head. Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything ? It did not seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window – and that thought now controlled his life.
Late, one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help;. Listening from across the room,he never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped along with the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence – deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window,she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away- no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window
The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up one one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
Life is all about perception. For some a gentle breeze can invoke lot of happiness but for some others even the costliest gift in the world fail tobring a smile on their face. It works wonders if we are able to assimilate the brighter aspects of life and discard the inequities. The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice..it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. It is something that we consistently need to practice and work towards, to usher in that obscured happiness into our lives.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey
Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviours; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
+++++++++
-Jai Prakash Pandey
rudseti- Umaria
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