M.A.T.

Goa Sudharop, the Goan Diaspora Volunteer organisation, hosted an International Goan Youth Convention on the theme ‘Our Roots, Our Future’. The President of Goa Sudharop, George Pinto set the tone for the convention by sharing MAT: an acronym for Memory, Action and Truth.

‘Memory’ is about knowing one’s roots. To empower our understanding of the multiple layers in our own psyche, we must know where we come from. Being rootless makes us aimless or off-target visionaries.

‘Action’ is about not just being good, but being good ‘for something'. So often, so many of us are busy ‘about nothing’. Trivial pursuits or mundane motivations deny us our own potential to trigger positive transformations by involving in proactive volunteerism.

‘Truth’ refers to the courage of standing up to what one knows is right. It is said so well that those, who do not stand for something, will fall for anything. Integrity is a value but it cannot be an occasional emotion. Truth merits adherence at all times

MAT is a lighthouse template that shows us the way to be worthy as human beings living in an interdependent world. We must seek to be better at connecting to the maze of memory, apt actions and align with the truth.

MAT shows the best way

To BE BETTER every day!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Giver's hands

‘Denaryane det jaave, Ghenearyane ghet jaave…

Ghenearyane gheta gheta, Denaryaneche haat ghyave!’

(May the giver keep giving, may the recipient keep receiving…

May the recipient eventually gain the hands of the giver!)

- from a Marathi poem by Jnanpith awardee Vinda Karindikar

Every day we receive gifts from persons who make life easier for us… the newspaper boy who wakes up before we do… the traffic cop who braves the hot sun to facilitates traffic… the farmer who toils to provide us with grain… the garbage collector who maintains hygiene… the cowherd who gathers our daily milk… these are faces of effort that make our day.

Rarely do we acknowledge the service and generosity of our benefactors… and when we do it is more often in words and rarely in reciprocal actions. We must be better in emulating the attitude and actions of the givers who help us in a greater or lesser way. We must acquire the heart (spirit) and hands (actions) of those who give us so many gifts.

So often, we insist on receiving as if it were our birthright. It would be better to treat ‘giving’ as a fundamental duty. Our worthiness lies in whether our actions result in benefits for others. We must transform from receiving to giving. We must find ways of responding, to ones who provide us with our needs and wants, by acquiring the ‘giver’s hands’.

let’s be better at the attitude to generously give…
acquiring the ‘giver’s hands’ is the way to live !

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Confirm Source

Different persons have been sharing versions of a doomsday scenario for 21 December. They speak about galactic alignment and planet collision. When challenged, they quote NASA to defend their declarations. When asked to forward the referred link, they would sheepishly admit that they were just passing on what they had heard from a ‘reliable’ friend.

Obviously, the ‘reliable’ friend was relying on a source where myth was being flaunted as scientific fact by wrongly attributing it to trustworthy agencies like NASA. But it is pertinent to note that even those, who receive the rumour through the internet, do not visit the cyber space to find that NASA has been consistently debunking all such doomsday rumours.

Dr Carl Sagan had foreseen that ‘pseudo-science and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive.’ Oddly, while we easily accept the incredulous, we do not pay heed to real imminent problems like global warming, pollution, etc, as here too, we do not go to source to confirm reality.

It would be better if we confirm source before we pass on any data that we have received. Whether the rumours are of doomsday scenarios or even personal information, we must always validate the truthfulness of what may seem factual. Otherwise our skill of reasoning will be doomed!

To BE BETTER at evading the rumour vice...
we must confirm the source in a trice!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Expedition

Yesterday, enthusiastic motor bikers rode across the Mhadei River basin. Dr Prithvi Amonkar’s Wildtrek Adventures had organised ‘Bikesscape’ to take adventure enthusiasts on a day long trip through an elegant environment under siege. The bikers discovered the beauty and reality of the hinterland. The experience was refreshing as well as educational.

I suggested to the motor-bikers to watch the film, ‘Motorcycle Dairies’ - the story of a young Ernesto Guevara and his friend who travelled 5,000 miles, on a motorcycle. Exposed to situations and people he would have never met otherwise, the trip planted the initial seed of cognitive dissonance and radicalization within Guevara. The voyage, initially one of youthful indulgence, unfolded into a life defining experience for ‘Che’ Guevara.

We need to move around our world to understand it better. However, just self-indulgent wandering will not suffice. We need to involve a sense of purpose as well. And that purpose will be better served when the experience moves beyond the surface to a deeper and meaningful connect.

The world is full of earnest people but many do not move out of their comfort zones. From the ones who move, very few allow the experience to become substantial because their trips are too short to permit real understanding. Short rides expose us to surface realities, but it is only longer expeditions that can trigger worthy transformations.

To BE BETTER at ensuring transformation,
Our ride has to be a longer expedition!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Lessons of Bhopal

3 December 1984, was a tryst with fatality for people in Bhopal. The Union Carbide plant released methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals, killing nearly 10,000 in 72 hours. Four times the number died from gas-afflicted diseases. Even now, toxic chemicals abandoned at the plant continue to contaminate the ground water in Bhopal and affect its residents.

Sadly the lessons of Bhopal have not been learnt. Hazardous waste from industries continues to be released into air as well as the waters. Manmade disasters are a creation of callous corporate where profits have precedence over human lives. Natural resources and human resource are under attack by the pied pipers of economic prosperity. The appreciation of wealth of a few is resulting in the depreciation of the health of many.

Those, who do not care about the devastating impact of their actions, will always find loopholes in the legal process. Aided by acts of omission and commission by the authorities, the culprits get away. The greatest lesson of the Bhopal case is that when we ignore a crime, it repeats in varied avatars.

It is only to our peril that we may ignore the menace of ‘toxification’ of our ecosystem. Any act that worsens the situation of lives and livelihoods cannot be accepted as development. But plain indignation by the citizens can never suffice. It would be better to treat all manmade disasters as acts of bio-terror and counter them, their promoters and apologists as such.

To BE BETTER at learning Bhopal’s painful lesson,
We must prevent and punish every toxic action!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Quasi Terrorism

My colleague in Trainers’ Association, Zahoor Zaidi speaks often about the threatening trepidation of terrorism. He insists that terrorists are not just those who directly snuff or maim lives, but also those whose diminutive acts led to eventual destruction and devastation. In fact, Zaidi’s analysis exposes even seemingly innocuous acts as paths to peril.

Motorists who ignore speed limit restrictions endanger the safety of bridges they travel on. Citizens, who refuse to align to the responsible management of garbage, trigger a deadly epidemic. Those who carelessly pollute water and environment jeopardize innocent lives. What may seem as casual transgressions toward social responsibility end up akin to quasi terrorism.

Irresponsible behaviour is born of contempt for collective responsibilities.  When narrow motives eclipse the common good, we involve in acts that eventually lead to the endangerment of lives. It is pertinent to note that often, proactive promoters of selfish greed contribute to deadly acts of destruction. Humanism is oft attacked by careless acts of irresponsibility.

To be better at ensuring zero tolerance to acts that lead to quasi terrorism, we must ask ourselves: Do our careless actions violate the common good? Does our self-centredness result in glorious insensitivity to the lives and livelihoods of others? Does our indignant talk result in committed and consistent actions as citizens of an interdependent world?

To BE BETTER at escaping the vice of quasi terrorism…
Let’s respond with responsible acts of humanism!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Struggle

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through a little opening. To help the butterfly, he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly.

When we lift weights in the gym, we experience a lot of pain. However, we know that the harder we push ourselves, the stronger we become. We see the pain is a good thing. Struggle becomes a source of enjoyment and accomplishment; when we take it on voluntarily. To enjoy life’s hardships, we must stop resisting them and stop seeing them as unfair. We must embrace the situation, and take pleasure in the difficulties.

It does not make the pain go away, and life does not become suddenly easy. However, by inculcating that sense of challenge and adventure, we give up that limiting belief that life is supposed to be easy. Instead of pining for something easier, we learn to enjoy the parts that are hard.

To better at living we must give up the dread of pain and hardship. So easily we find something new to worry about or fear. We strive to avoid the struggle, not realising that struggle is inevitable. It is pertinent to note that real strength is acquired through that very effort.

To BE BETTER at taking on every challenge…

Embrace the struggle’s accompanying pain!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Envisage

Last Saturday, we led students of Mustifund Higher Secondary School to an uphill trek, from the 13^th century Tambdi Surla Temple to the majestic Vajra falls. Most of the young trekkers were first timers. The strenuous climb was turned more prickly by the numerous leeches on the way. Every five minutes, a tired voice would inquire, ‘when shall we reach?’

I would inform ‘reaching the destination depends on speed, not distance’ and then add, ‘but when you reach it, it will be worth the effort!’ When I would describe the magnificence of the waterfall, the young enthusiasts would discover a renewed vigour. On reaching the milky cascade, one boy confessed that the description of the destination helped defeat the tiredness of the trek! I admitted that it was the only way to keep up the energy.

So often the journey can turn tedious and weigh us down. As fatigue rises, hope diminishes and doubts get magnified. It is in such predicaments that we can recharge our tired mind by looking forward to the eventual destination that we have set out for. The vision, of the destination that awaits us, will help us revisit the initial intensity of our intent.

The music legends ABBA sung it so well, ‘and my destination makes it worth the while; pushing through the darkness, still another mile.’ To be better at maintaining our passion during a wearisome journey, we must, in our mind’s eye, envisage the desired destination. In fact, the best vision is one that can envisage the entire spectrum of midway experiences as well.

To BE BETTER at every journey that looms large

We must revisit to the end vision we envisage!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Responsive Rage

MONDAY MUSE (29 October 2012)

 

RESPONSIVE RAGE

During our college days, my first impression of Victor Hugo Gomes was of an ‘angry young man’. But the art student’s fury was intertwined with passion. He held the emotion of hope as well as the sentiment of restlessness. Most of our generation seemed consumed by a rebellious rage, but not many were able to make a difference like Victor.

Victor’s passionate rage made him constantly step out of the confines of his boundaries. From putting together music shows to restoring and retrieving a losing heritage, Victor allowed his rage to fuel his progress towards transforming the negative situation. His anger, at the callous and careless attitude towards a diminishing legacy, resulted in the impressive Goa Chitra – a museum of implements, tools and cultural lifestyles of Goans.

Every stimulus can trigger off a wide range of responses. One of the possible responses is anger. So often, the situation is such that the rage seems natural. We get disturbed by the provocation born of dismay, disgust or distress. So easily we respond with rage, but it is pertinent to ask whether our rage is responsive.

Indignation is definitely desirable over indifference and insensitivity. But mere fury is just hot air. However, if the hot air makes a huge balloon rise and takes people along to loftier actions, then the fury turns worthy. We need to be better at ensuring that our rage is not just a reaction... it must transform into a responsive action that can strive to overcome the very cause of that rage... like Victor has!

Let’s BE BETTER at nurturing the seething rage emotion

by renovating the negative through responsive action!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

PRESERVE FIRST

Last week, the Rotary Club of Panaji organised an interactive discussion on heritage. Rajendra Kerkar shared stories of blinkered attitudes towards natural heritage in the tiger habitat in Goa. Prajal Sakhardande depicted the lameness of law in protecting heritage sites. Victor Hugo Gomes shared his pain of seeing the literal burning down of ancient artefacts. Maria de Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodrigues decried the careless maintenance of existing documents due to the shifting focus towards acquiring new ones.

The audience discovered their own heritage unfolded through the passion of the panellists. They were also exposed to the harsh reality of the destruction of age-old heritage treasures. The enduring message was best articulated by Maria who said that ‘preservation is more important than acquisition!’

The statement can spread across a wider spectrum... preserving old treasures is more important than acquiring new riches... preserving existing relationships is more important than acquiring new friends... So often, so easily we move for further acquisitions while losing out on the ones in hand. In the greed to get more, we give up on what we already possess.  

Of course, new acquisitions are not always a bad thing, if we do not lose hold on the earlier collection of assets. Let’s take inspiration from the poem ‘heritage’ by Chidi Okoye who wrote, ‘my past is my life... the mother of my future’. We must place preservation as a priority over acquisition.

Let’s BE BETTER at preserving the existing roots

Instead of senseless acquisition of newer fruits!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Level

A young entrepreneur invested in a state-of-art service station. It was equipped with the latest technology to provide prompt service to the customers. However to his dismay, no customer entered his venture. The young man tried offering fabulous discount offers, but in vain!

Eventually, he hired the services of an expert to identify the reasons for his failure. The expert arrived at the address – a tall impressive building in the city centre. He too seemed bewildered that business was dismal in such a prime location. He looked left and he looked right, but he could not see the service station. Just then, the young man came to receive him and led him to his service station on the fourth floor of the building!!

The above story makes greater sense if interpreted in context of our own behavior with people we meet. We are forever speaking at our own level and plane of thought, when it would be prudent to speak at the level of the ones we are speaking to. Ditto for the way we listen.

We need to look at things from the other person’s perspective. The greatest human quality of empathy is born when we put ourselves in other people’s shoes. To be better at communication we must align to the level of the other person, instead of being stuck in an inconvenient level.

To BE BETTER at effective communication...

Adjust to the other person’s level position!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

LUCKY

Several years ago, at a training program, when asked to name an inspirational achiever, many mentioned Amitabh Bachchan. When asked to identify the primary quality behind the success of the superstar, a majority said that he was ‘lucky’. In response, I shared the following observations:

Amitabh is ‘lucky’ to possess a rare and resonant voice. But the fact remains that he was so ‘lucky’ that All India Radio refused to hire him because they found his voice to be mediocre.

Amitabh was ‘lucky’ to star in so many super hit films that we have lost count of his successes. But the fact remains that he was so ‘lucky’ that his first 11 films fared poorly at the box office.

Amitabh was ‘lucky’ to make such a lot of money... everything he touched was rewarding. But the fact remains that he was so ‘lucky’ that, just ten years ago, his house was to be auctioned by the banks due to bad debts.

Amitabh is a case of ‘pluck’, not luck. As his 70^th birthday approaches, he puts in more hours and efforts than colleagues do at half his age. At every high point in his career, he never sought to relax in his glory. At every adversity, he re-invented himself and attempted risks and challenges.

To be better at living, we must learn to never give up. We need to take failure head-on and not allow it to demoralise us. People, who leave their lives to the vagaries of luck, will not make progress. But those, who respond to daunting challenges with pluck, will endure!

Do not believe Amitabh when he says he is plain lucky

to BE BETTER at anything, we need only pluck… truly!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Mahatma as motivation

"Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever walked upon this earth." Albert Einstein words about Gandhi have turned prophetic! Few believe Gandhi as a real option for modern ailments. How did the Father of the Nation get reduced to just a name for a road, a face for a postal stamp and a statue?

The man who reshaped the lives of many, who continues to inspire mankind, remains more as an idea that sounds nice rather than as a way of life to be imbibed. Virtues like integrity, non-violence, tolerance - that were once the hallmark of a strong moral fibre - are mere resource for orators. They are not reflected in the practices of those who preach them.

Gandhi used to ‘experiment’ new things, deeds, acts in his search for the truth. He believed in following the path of his heart and, where none existed, in making one. He propagated that it is better to try and fail for a cause that you believe in than to succeed in some alien cause. His was a life of walking his talk.

But to be truly motivated by the Mahatma, we must be better at knowing him. It is pertinent to note that those who adore him as well as those who trash him do it based on conditioned perceptions rather than reading Gandhi’s true ideas, reflected in his writings. We need to be touched by the Mahatma’s thoughts before it can transform into motivation.

let’s BE BETTER at discover his life as inspiration…

to truly connect to the Mahatma’s motivation!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

PRAVIN SABNIS conducts UNLEARNING UNLIMITED workshops for corporate & other teams. Since 2004, he regularly writes MONDAY MUSE.  Earlier based on JCI-India President’s theme: Touch To Transform (2004), We Are The Future (2005), Speak Through Action (2006), Develop New Dimensions (2007); since 2008, ONDAY MUSE is inspired by the JCI theme – BE BETTER.

SMS

Ganesh Chaturthi is a major festival in Goa. It is occasion for the extended family to get together. Friends from all communities go visiting those who observe the harvest celebration. Warm wishes, traditional delicacies and humble rituals mark the event. But, over the years, the amount of wishes by SMS has increased while the quantity of visits has decreased.

So often, so many of us reject the option of meeting or speaking. So easily, we convey our wishes through the ‘SMS’ method. Sure, technology makes it easier, convenient and economical to communicate. But, when we use only the ‘SMS’ way, even for close relationships, then we confirm that the easy, trouble-free and cheap option is of greater importance than the worth of our relationships.

Indeed it is a happy experience to have others share our happy moments. It is great to hear Cipriano calling from London. But the neighbours, across the street, may not return the visit, even though I go over regularly. Not even a call, they will use the mechanical SMS. Relationship is a two way traffic that depends on personal touch. The overuse of the SMS can short change it.

It is pertinent to note that those who receive the maximum visitors are those who build their relationships on direct contact. In fact, the ones, who have little money, tend to be better at investing time and effort in visiting the awaiting ones. When occasions call for connecting, we must remember that SMS is a wonderful invention to be used only when real visits and direct calls are not possible or not warranted. Eventually messaging is second to real connecting.

may SMS be the last choice while messaging…

let’s BE BETTER at personal acts of connecting!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Null Set

In algebra, a Null set refers to an empty set. A teacher mentioned the Indian woman astronaut as an example for a null set as until then no Indian woman had become an astronaut. One girl instantly exclaimed, 'Madam, one day this null set will not exist!' The same girl, Kalpana Chawla went on to fill the set!

Like the name she herself chose, Kalpana was a highly imaginative child. Stars captivated her so much that she and her classmates built a physical geography map of India covering the floor of an entire classroom in her school, Tagore Bal Niketan, and covered its ceiling completely with stars -- sparkling dots marked on blackened newspapers! In her drawing class, she would draw airplanes flying in the sky. She loved making models of airplanes during craft classes.

In college, Kalpana was the only girl to opt for the aeronautical engineering course. During admission when asked to state her second option, she replied that she had none! During counseling, teachers tried to dissuade her as aeronautic engineering had limited job opportunities in the country. Most girls had opted for electrical engineering. But, Kalpana stuck to her passion. This was the first step to much greater achievements of India’s first woman astronaut.

Imagination is important, but it is not enough. To be better, it needs to be transformed into a clear vision and backed by a motivated mission to achieve it. Null sets get filled when dreams are empowered by steadfast belief and committed actions. Indeed, it took courage of conviction for a small town girl to become the first Indian woman to straddle outer space. She died abroad the shuttle Colombia on 1 February, 2003 but her inspiration remains immortal.

let’s BE BETTER at achieving every desirable vision

null sets get filled only through committed mission

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Kurien's Solution

In the 70’s, an aluminum card identified the number of milk bottles that one was entitled for. Yet, due to shortage of milk, only one bottle would be given at a time and one had to rejoin the queue for the next bottle. Since the early ones improved their chances of getting more bottles, some would queue up at the booth, as early as 4 am. They would ‘mark’ their position with stones and move on to do other chores. Those who came in later would throw way the stones and ‘usurp’ a better position in the queue.

During those days of early morning fights, at the milk booth, over missing stones; nobody would have believed that it was possible to have as much milk as one required. But, today India is a world leader in the production, distribution and consumption of milk. Today, milk is available in abundance and more importantly at any time of the day, anytime of the year. All this transformation was possible due to the vision of V J Kurien.

Kurien was able to identify that the shortage of milk was not in dearth of collection. The rightful returns to the farmers were denied by middlemen who exploited the marketing and distribution system. Kurien envisioned the need to do away with the middlemen and form milk co-operatives where the farmers turned sellers. Since the success story of the White Revolution in India; neighbours still fight, but not over milk!

Kurien leaves behind a legacy of problem solving: nothing is impossible if we are ready to explore the hidden solution in what seems to be an unsolvable problem. The larger picture of possibilities involves the scrutiny of crucial little details. We need to be better at unscrambling the solution by understanding the real reasons behind the knots in the maze.

let’s BE BETTER by using the Kurien solution

of identifying the real knots in the situation!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Full-on

Last weekend, I was in Chikmaglur for a workshop for young businessmen from Zone 14 of JCI-India. During the inaugural ceremony, the chief guest, B R Sachidananda made an important observation about types of applause. He pointed out that while some do it half-heartedly, there are others whose hands come together, but do not really connect. He put up the pertinent poser, ‘if we choose to do something, why don’t we do it whole heartedly?’

So often, so many of us hold back the fullness of response… the applause is weak… the handshake is feeble… the greeting is mechanical… the smile is a superficial curl… the laugh is a put-on… In the midst of many situations, our response can oft be a careless ritual or a lackadaisical reaction. We so easily hold back, when we must be full-on!

Such apathy leads to a compromised confidence. Being full-on, in every situation, is the way to be better at an uncompromised confidence that can bolster not only self esteem, but also unveil the immense possibilities of our own potential. Doing things in a lax manner has a demoralizing effect and we can catch the bad habit of a put-on response.

Around us, we will find that truly dynamic people are consistently full-on, be it applause or appreciation, smile or mirth, greeting or any other response…  When Sachidananda convinced my participants to clap full-on, the biggest beneficiaries were they themselves. The body language was positive, the eyes were mirroring the enthusiasm and happiness was self imposed. Being full-on proved liberating!

We must ensure that our reaction is never a put-on…

Let’s BE BETTER at responding unequivocally full-on!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Eerie Silence

When faced with reticent response to my posers, I further prod, ‘Itna sannata kyun hai bhai?’(Why this eerie silence?) In the Hindi film ‘Sholay’, the visually challenged Imam queries so of his villagers who turn silent on seeing the body of his teenage son, brutally killed by the dacoit, Gabbar Singh. The legendary line came to the fore, on the passing away of A K Hangal, the actor who played the Imam…

Indeed it is necessary for us to ask the question every time an eerie silence becomes our reaction to a challenging stimulus. In the realm of the disquieting quiet lies the spectrum of fear born of imagined implications. We fear that we could meet an undesirable fate and hence we slink into a silence that submerges our ability to respond.

Silence cannot be golden, when speech is necessary. In the film, the Imam is visually challenged and hence he connects through his hearing ability. The absence of babble buries his receptivity to what is happening around. Conversely for us, often when we shut our mouths, we are actually numbing our senses to the scene that surrounds us.

The poet saint Kabir sung about ‘yeh murdon ka gaon’ (this is the village of the dead). Do we play dead to the brutalization of lives around? Do we stay silent to the crimes against humanity? Do we turn to stone when the need is one of dynamic response? When the questions are of life and verve, is our reaction one of deathly silence? Surely, to be better at living, we need to be responsive. Speaking up is the way to break the eerie silence.

Why the eerie silence? Choose to speak up…

BE BETTER at resisting the urge to give up!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

e-literate

In Mumbai, protestors turned violent, their indignation triggered by information posted on the internet… morphed photos and doctored videos that disproportionately portrayed the clashes between communities in Assam. Rogues had a justification to attack and abuse peace, yet again!

So often, we accept things posted on the internet as the ultimate truth without putting it to the test of basic common sense. A close look at the fake visuals should be enough to discern the reality but it is a fact that we perceive things based on the prejudice located in our mind. Hence we believe the worst things about those who are tainted by our doubts.

Those who created the false visuals are enemies of humanity, but fear and odium was fuelled by others who carelessly forwarded the manipulated fiction leading to a reciprocal irresponsible posting of hate triggers by many more reckless persons. Those who claim ownership of the ability to discern, so easily, succumb to the guile of malicious propaganda. The situation is worsened by their careless forwarding of spiteful rubbish.

My father (who would have celebrated 95 years today) motivated me to read everything that I could lay my hands on. However, he cautioned me that literacy is not only about being able to read and write. He insisted that literacy was when one could read between and beyond the words and lines, lest one be mired in gullible tales of the imaginative or the wicked.

Obviously, we who straddle the internet may not be truly e-literate. We need to read online content critically. Fact manipulation is here to stay, but it is possible to cross check or ‘track-back’ any content on the web. We can be better at e-literacy by stopping the blind acceptance (and forwarding) of everything that is posted on the web. We must investigate every e-word or e-visual to find where it came from. After all, humanity is at stake!

In the web of deceit, do not presume to be e-literate…

BE BETTER at restraint and enquiry of propagated hate!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Dead Habit

Once, a wanderer found a rare manuscript about a touchstone that could turn any common metal into pure gold. It revealed that the touchstone lay on the banks of a remote river, among thousands of pebbles that looked exactly like it. But, while the ordinary pebbles would be cold to touch, the touchstone would feel warm.

The man camped on the riverbank and began testing pebbles. Every time he picked a cold one, he threw it deep into the river. The ritual turned routine: pick a pebble… find it cold… throw it into the water… pick another… Many days later, he picked a warm pebble, but he threw it away before realizing his mistake. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble away that when the one he wanted came along, he threw it away!

So often, a similar story unfolds when we encounter opportunity. Unless we are vigilant, it is easy to fail to notice an opportunity even when it is in hand and it is just as easy to throw it away. Most of us await opportunity to knock on our doors, even if it is standing right before us. We falter in recognizing opportunity as we are numbed by dead habit.

Dead habit happens when we do things mechanically. We give up on maintaining focus on the task at hand. We must break the knotty vice-like grip of every dead habit. We are responsible for the choice that we make… we can be ritually reactive or we can be better off by being continuously and consistently responsive to the prospect of possible opportunity.

To BE BETTER at recognizing the possibility in hand,

We must break every dead habit’s numbed stand!

- Pravin K. Sabnis