WRITE-HABIT

It was on the first Monday of 2004, that yours truly started what is now called the Monday Muse. I was fascinated with the theme – touch to transform – of the then National President of JCI India, Rajesh Chandak. When I shared with him a couple of musings on the theme, he insisted that I mail him one such musing on every Monday. I did so until April 2005, when I succumbed to the pressure of having to write every Monday.

Six Mondays I broke my write-habit, only to realise that my writing was being seriously followed by a few persons whom I held in great esteem. They included my leaders, mentors and trainers in JCI. It was the persuasive motivation by the people who mattered most to me, that Monday Muse continued with a consistency, save for an odd Monday when I would be away in the wild, disconnected from internet connectivity.

Today at the end of the seventh year of this write-habit, I choose to hold a rear-view mirror to look at the learning of the journey. To everyone who wants to write, the way is simple… simply write, without worrying too much about how it will be received. Be open to criticism and make the changes where you agree. Acknowledge sources and never pinch another’s work and pass it off as your own.

But the most important principle is to write as a habit. It is only when one writes consistently, two things happen… firstly, one grows with every creative venture and secondly a unique style of writing emerges. So many poets, writers and others never connect to their fullest potential, only because they do not engage in it as an effective habit. It is good to start something, but to be better we must transform it as a habit.

Keep at the habit and sure we will BE BETTER

Monday Muse shows how, seven years later!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

BASICS

During my school days, I read the story of a King who went on an extensive trip across his kingdom! When he returned back to the luxuries of his palace, he complained that his feet were aching. It was the first time that he had been on such a long trip, and the road that he walked on was uneven and rocky. Yet, as he had enjoyed the travel, he told his courtiers of his wish to travel again.

Immediately the learned court consultant suggested that every road in the kingdom be covered with leather. All the courtiers complimented and applauded the plan. However, the king noticed his court jester smirking. Upon being ordered to speak his mind, the jester said, ‘just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet… spend the money instead on making shoes for everybody who travels on the rough roads!’

It is pertinent to note that situations are better transformed not by attempts to change circumstances superficially, but by empowering persons to tackle those circumstances. The larger lesson is that for planning to be better, it must focus on the traveller rather than the road, on the driver rather than the vehicle, on the farmer rather than the food industry, on existent sustainability rather than vague magnificence.

The story also underlines a valuable lesson of life… of starting with basics. It is all about transforming our own efforts and actions to achieve the desired results. Let us remember that instead of investing too much hope and effort in altering the larger predicament, let’s be better at making basic transformations.

The feet come first, the road comes later…

at starting with basics, we must BE BETTER!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

FULL-ON

Goa Sudharop (a team of Goan Diaspora) along with Fr Agnel College, Pilar organised a 3-day workshop for college students on the theme of ‘Goan Volunteer Spirit’. The resource persons were volunteers working towards positive transformations in different ways. Many a Monday Muse has been inspired by the attitude and approach of these sincere volunteers. Today, we learn from one more of them – Swati Kerkar!

Swati was inspired as a school student by the successful struggle by her villagers against the Nylon66 plant. Many years later she and a handful of youth replicated the campaign against the land grab on the same plateau by a SEZ. They grew to a core team of 80 villagers who built the awareness and solidarity in and beyond the village of Keri.

Swati kept reiterating that their resolve was never reliant on the chances of victory but rather their grit was founded on an unconditional commitment to the cause. Swati and her tribe, persisted in their resistance to stop destructive work at the SEZ site as well as successfully petition the High Court which passed severe strictures against the process and ordered the scrapping of SEZs.

Actually, Swati was insisting that any mission should never be motivated by the probability of success; rather we must always move full-on! The modern term ‘full-on’ refers to holding nothing back. Just look at the way one plays any sport. Real sportsmanship is about playing full-on. It is the same for other passions. Whatever we initiate will be better off, only if we give it our all… if we go all the way, full-on!

May win-prospects never shape zeal, when we take on…

we will always BE BETTER off when we operate full-on!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

MAP

Zen philosophy insists that truth has nothing to do with words. It likens Truth and words to a moon and a finger, respectively. Buddha says that though the finger can point to the moon’s location, it is necessary to look beyond the finger to see the moon.

Being obsessed with the pointer is pointless. More often than not we tend to spend too much time in analysis of the pointer. If we are discussing whether things are better or worse, we generally get stuck in the validity of concepts and models. Surely it would be better to step out and experience something directly.

It is pertinent to note that the map is never the territory. It is just a pointer based on a belief, a perception, an image or a thought process. If the map is right, we may reach our location. But if it is incorrect, we have to discard the map. Most of the time, our map keeps changing depending on the position we are in and our desired destination.

It is okay to have a map, only as long as we know it is a map. It is more important to connect to real territory. Too often, we allow the map to become an addictive restriction. Whether it is our own ego, life purposes or larger community concerns, we would be better off if we move beyond the map and embark on the journey of real experience sans the map.

Let’s step out for the real experience to tap…

and BE BETTER at moving beyond the map!

- Pravin K. Sabnis