When

An earnest student approached a Zen master, ‘If I work very hard with diligence how long will it take to learn Zen.’ The Master replied, ‘Ten years.’ The student then said, ‘if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast, how long then?’ Replied the Master, ‘twenty years.’ ‘But, if I really, really work at it. How long then?" the student persisted. ‘Thirty years,’ replied the Master.

‘I do not understand,’ said the disappointed student. ‘Each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why?’ The Master replied, ‘when you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.’

So often, when we seek to learn something, we keep worrying about ‘when’ we would ‘reach’ the destination, instead of focusing on the purpose of the trip. The approach to learning needs an attitude of patience. Time, it is said, seems to fly slower to the one whose main occupation is to watch its flight.

More importantly, when we are obsessed with the length of the road we tend to let go of the exciting experiences during the journey of learning. We subject ourselves to an additional load on our mind which results in the creation of unnecessary stress that further clouds our visibility on the learning curve. It is prudent to ponder on ‘how’ rather than on ‘when’.

Do not fret for ‘when’ of end of road

‘unite to impact’ learning sans load!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Prevention

A door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman pushed his way into a woman’s home. ‘This machine is the best ever’ he insisted, whilst pouring a bag of dirt on the carpet, ‘If this machine doesn’t remove all the dirt completely, I’ll personally eat the remainder.’ The lady stepped back and said, ‘Well I hope you've got a good appetite, because they cut off my electricity this morning.’

This old joke was shared by yours truly to student volunteers who had joined the initiative by ‘One World’ to clean up a small portion of the beach in a small but significant way. The point being pointed was the folly of dirtying up our world believing in the guaranteed capacity to clean up later. It was about restating the old saying, ‘prevention is better than cure’.

Indeed, while cleaning up the trash is commendable, it would be better to prevent trash from piling up. In fact, responsible and responsive life habits can ensure that we prevent garbage creation by being prudent in our use of resources and whatever is unavoidable is segregated at source to prevent unnecessary complications.

In other spheres of life too, prevention of the compounding of the problem can guarantee that we are not dependent on discovering solutions. We must envision the impact of every little act and unite our resolve to impact the result by choosing to prevent the dumping of dirt, in the arrogant belief that we can clean up later. For the connection may well go dead.

‘unite to impact’ little acts to thwart the dirt elevation...
The pile is less daunting when we choose prevention!

- Pravin K. Sabnis
Goa, India.

Still Another Mile

And my destination makes it worth the while

Pushing through the darkness, still another mile’
- from the song ‘I have a dream’ by ABBA

Sometimes, trekking rookies despair about the distance of the destination. The old hands use two ways to motivate the tenderfoot… First, the dejected are reminded about the worth of the endeavour, by describing the charms of the destination. Next is the time tested motivation, ‘we are almost there’

In fact, the veteran’s auto suggestion will be - ‘still another mile’… not just to cover the distance; but to go beyond the distance. The difference between ‘just one mile to go’ and ‘still another mile’ is exactly the distinction between a smaller, immediate goal and the larger destination of our dream…

In the real world, an important principle of success in all walks of life, in all professions and all undertakings is the compliance of ‘going the extra mile’. Search as much as you will for a single sound argument against this principle and you will not find it, nor will you find a single instance of enduring success.

We must ask ourselves: Do I do more than what I am expected to do? Do I render a better service than that for what I am paid? Do I walk the extra mile to my larger destination of my bigger dream?

While it is good to honour commitments, expectations or targets; it is greater to move beyond the limits we have set ourselves. For it is these very extra miles, that will unite to impact our performance with our true potential.

Extra efforts ‘unite to impact’ to make it worth the while...

Not just the distance, walk beyond… ‘still another mile’!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

INVITING ROADS

If a student, recollect the first days in college. If a teacher, rewind to the early days of the new career. If working, recall the memories of fresh employment. If in business, envision the start-up to entrepreneurship. If in an organisation, reconnect with the immediate emotions when you were inducted. If in a relationship, remember when it all began!

Early days on every path are ones of happiness and hope. The happiness is born of the recognition that the opportunity is a true privilege. The hope arises of the vision of walking the path to the dreams that beckon. We are seized by the emotion of excitement because we look forward to the new challenges, fresh experiences and varied team members we will bond with.

However, more often than not, for the most of us, when we come back to the present moment, we find that excitement missing. The reason is obvious. The road seems less inviting because we have lost sight of the original invitation that the road offered us. Tediousness has set in by the mechanical approach to plod the path but lose sight of the real invitation.

In the early days, the invite was clear in all its multiple hues: the attitude of gratitude... the sensing of opportunity... the desire to acquire fresh knowledge and skills... the passion to measure up to challenges... the resolve to better the previous best... the willingness to team up with fellow travellers. The diverse dimensions of the inviting road would unite to impact our approach.

To reclaim the same excitement, we need to see that same invite, again! Then, the same emotions will revisit bringing along the original hope and happiness... the earlier resolve and willingness... the similar passion and vision... the past positives influencing the present to progress on the path to see delight in every challenge, every load!

Reclaim the earlier dimensions of the inviting road...

‘Unite to impact’ them to see delight in every load!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Together Apart

And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart

– from the prophet by Khalil Gibran

The pillars stand apart but still they support the same roof. There is space, distinctiveness, and yet there is a union and combination because they are supporting the same roof. It is pertinent to note that two pillars standing apart can carry a longer beam than if they were placed touching each other.

The feet run faster when they are not tied to each other. Two hands clap better when they move apart to come together and create the momentum for the sound of applause. Two persons find it easier to carry a big box if they hold on to separate ends. Large platforms stand on props that stand apart

It is the same for human relationships. Space is needed for each to increase the capacity of the partnership. It is necessary that one is not under the other’s shadow. Otherwise, the relationship will be restrictive in allowing each to grow and glow. Bonds turn sustainable by ensuring the required space that will nurture true togetherness.

We must understand that togetherness flourishes when partners stand together, but not too near together. They unite to impact not by their proximity, but by the resolve to permit the spaces in their togetherness. After all, the maximum possible potential of any relationship lies in the fulfilling of the potential of each partner.

It is not proximity that defines closeness...

Spaces ‘unite to impact’ togetherness!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Pile-up

I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart.

– from ‘Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome

So often, so many of us keep staring at the ever increasing pile of things that keeps building up as we allow it too. It seems to be wedded to the place where it rests. Eventually the pile-up rises to such proportions that we seem helpless in having any control over it.

Proactive persons never permit a pile-up. They keep doing things on time, thus ensuring that many small things don’t end up contributing to a big heap of many little things that have been ignored for remedial action. It is prudent to ensure that the pile-up never happens by ensuring continuous actions to tackle even the most insignificant task.

For instance, ones who clear their desk, of tasks as well as clutter, will seldom be facing a pile-up that seems menacing. Those who regular monitor the maintenance of their vehicle will seldom have to deal with major repairs. Those who keep involving in regular actions, to tackle tasks as they spring up, will eventually see them unite to impact the defeat of the pile-up, even before it has begun.

We must take on every tiny task on timely nick...

to ‘unite to impact’ the rout of the pile-up peak!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Bell the Cat

In a very famous fable by Aesop, the mice gather to come up with moves to outwit their predator - the cat. Someone makes a wise suggestion, 'Let's tie a bell to the cat so that we will be forewarned of its proximity and we can flee to safety.' Everyone applauded the innovative proposal. But an old mouse interjected, 'who will bell the cat?' Everyone looked at one another and nobody spoke.

So often, so many of us can so easily propose simple solutions to the problems facing us or others. Nevertheless, the most creative solution is useless unless it can be used. Brainstorming that does not lead to norming that ensures performing is just a thinking exercise. It is pertinent that the possibilities, of implementation of the idea, should be explored before it is seen as viable.

Each imaginative solution should be further developed to identify who, how, where and when will implement what has been imagined. The idea though crucial needs to move beyond being a plan to becoming a clear, focussed plan of action with clearly defined roles for everyone including the proposer.

Since we stray from taking ownership for the actions, we end up making sterile suggestions. It is easy to suggest the cooking of a exotic dish, but it is important to suggest only that for which we ourselves can procure ingredients. It is easy to say 'bell the cat' without seeing whether we ourselves can do it. If we can, obviously others can too.  

Not just the idea, imagine self-implementation

to ensure we ‘unite to impact’ a true solution!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India

CONSISTENT

Pedro did not like the response ‘sometimes’ or ‘most of the time’ when he expected a recurrent consistency. Pedro would use his strange but apt analogy: ‘you are either pregnant or not! There is no degree of pregnancy... You can’t be somewhat pregnant or sometimes pregnant!!!’

Last week on various social networking forums, there was indignation at suggestions to have a noise-free and pollution-free celebration of the Festival of Lights... a few friends asked why only ‘our’ traditions are being questioned... ‘What is wrong’, they demanded to know, ‘in letting go of pollution worries, and noise concerns, once in a while?’

So often, so many of us believe that exceptions must be excused. But, true character is seen in the consistency in actions, never mind the circumstance. Commitment to certain values and beliefs cannot be occasional emotions. Those who waver at certain junctures are likely to succumb at more situations. There are no degrees in consistency. We either are or we are not consistent.

We must ensure that consistency of steadfast actions unites the impact on the situation. Rather than become competitive and insist on comparative commitment, we must dedicate ourselves do progressive actions that are focussed on the common good.  

May we maintain consistency in positive actions

Let’s ‘unite to impact’ the negative situations!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Cheers!

Some people say ‘cheers’ instead of saying ‘thank you’ or ‘goodbye’. But, the most common use is to raise a toast while tipping drinking glasses. I had once asked my father the reason behind this practice. He told me that he had heard that it sought to unite the five senses. The drink was touched, seen, smelt, tasted and the sense of hearing was added by saying cheers! 

Indeed, the uniting of all five senses adds to the overall impact of the indulgence. In fact it completes the entire scope of experience. It is pertinent that we can in many ways unite to impact the activity or encounter by adding the involvement of more than one sense.

So often when we listen, we indulge in only hearing or seeing and thus are subjected to an incomplete exposure. However, if we use both, our ability to fathom the other person’s mind would be enhanced. In intimate relationships, touch will add substantially to the understanding that is necessary.

In fact, sensitive people go around using a combination of senses to empower better connections with the situation or the person facing them. They will refer to the receipts defined by these multiple senses to come to a truly balanced interpretation of the situation. They use the right permutation from uniting senses to lead to that success that can be underlined by saying ‘cheers’!

The combination of senses brings success near

Let’s ‘unite to impact’ the triumph, say Cheers!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Daan Utsav

India’s festival of giving began in 2009. The ‘Joy of Giving Week’ is celebrated across India for seven days starting 2 October – the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. To take the initiative from urban centres to across India, a name that would be understood by all, was coined - ‘Daan Utsav’. The ‘joy’ and celebration, inherent in a festival are captured in the name. 

In Goa, Amey Hegde initiated a discussion on a trainers group about being part of the Daan Utsav. Many trainers offered to train for free. People came up to support two free learning events. The one in Margao – called Udaan – is taking place today. The one in Panaji – called Rainbow – takes place today. Senior trainers like Les Menezes, Vaman Gaitonde, Atul Shah are part of the 15 trainers who will facilitate free learning.

As organisers, we experienced the real joy that comes from seeing generous support for propping up the event. In fact, big sponsorship was easily coming in. But we chose to ask for smaller contributions in terms of money. The need was to reach out to those who need the learning event most. To identify deserving participants, we needed many volunteers. And it was so easy to get enthusiastic support from social organisations as well as individuals.

The Daan Utsav confirms that people can generously give the gift of their time, only if they come together! The trainers, volunteers, social organisations as well as institutions have so easily joined hands. The united efforts have ensured the impact. This year, it is two free learning events. Next year we will reach out further across more communities on all seven days. For we have discovered the joy of giving that comes from coming together for a cause.

It is easy to experience the purpose of our living...
every time we ‘unite to impact’ the Joy of Giving!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Waste

A municipal councillor and her team were inspecting the underground drains near the Panjim market. They opened up the lid of a manhole, surrounded the area with safety markers and went to the next manhole in that line. In less than five minutes when they returned, they found the open chamber filled with all sorts of trash. Somebody must have started it and the rest followed.

The next incident happened during an outbound training program conducted on a beach. Despite our pleas to dump the garbage in the bins, the beach was littered with water bottles and paper napkins. My team was cleaning up the waste, when their CEO joined us. Immediately, all senior managers joined and eventually everyone tagged along. The CEO started and the rest followed.

Two different occasions... One common lesson... We have it in our genes to ape the influencer. If many influencers unite to involve in positive proactive initiatives, the impact will be wider and deeper on the predicament we find ourselves in. We have to embrace the powerful possibilities of a united impact on the stakeholders of the situation.

In trekking, we learnt the rule of not just carrying our own garbage to the bin, but also the rubbish we found on the way. The newcomers would tend to say ‘that’s not my waste.’ One of the seniors would calmly pick up the piece of rubbish and confide, ‘but it is our path’. The circle of influence is widened when the preachers practise what they preach.

Hence we need to ask ourselves whether we are aligned to the expected behaviour we wish of others. We need to rededicate ourselves to not only doing the right things but to joining the positive projects that others initiate to further common good. There are many who want to the right stuff. If we all unite, the impact will never go to waste!

It won’t go to waste when right things happen together...
‘unite to impact’ the influencers to make it even better!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

BAI’S KISMOOR

My sister’s mother-in-law, who we called ‘Bai’, passed away ten days ago. Amidst many lingering memories of her extroverted nature were her culinary skills. But what remains strong in my musing is the excellent ‘kismoor’ that Bai served. Kismoor is a Konkani delicacy which is a mixture of ingredients like onions, chillies, coconut oil, chopped coconut and other garnishing with dried and fried mackerels or prawns or shrimps or even pappads.

While the mixture of Kismoor is always very tasty, the overall flavour is diminished if the onions and mackerels (or shrimps or prawns) are not crisp. Bai’s Kismoor was coveted as it was not ever premixed. Only when the person started to have the meal, Bai would open her many covered containers, each having the ingredients separately prepared. The mixture was served immediately with its aroma and taste intact.

So often, so many of us are in the method of the premix that takes away the freshness of each ingredient that makes the mix. It is important for them to unite to impact by coming together at the right time, appropriate context and in justifiable portions arising from the needs and wants of the situation.

Let’s look at an analogy. If you want to give a good speech, it is best to go prepared with a bunch of crisp quotations, a set of properly edited anecdotes or wit; well focussed main points, etc. Impact orators will mix the ready ingredients only a few minutes before making a judgement based on the audience, time, etc. Orators who come with premix speeches end up being longwinded and often oblivious of the impact on the audience.

It is said so well that well begun is half done. Well begun is to be well prepared with all sub-tasks and necessary arrangements. However, even if well begun, premixing before time can result in the undoing of the impact. Whether it is putting together kismoor, a speech or many a plan, the tolerance, to wait for the right time to mix, is crucial to the impact of the union of various elements.

Be it Kismoor, speech or plan that combines elements...
ensure that they ‘unite to impact’ at the right moment!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

PRAVIN SABNIS conducts UNLEARNING UNLIMITED workshops for corporate & other teams. Since 2004, he has been writing MONDAY MUSE. He can be contacted on unlearning.unlimited@gmail.com and 91-9422640141 or 91-8698672080

Carpe Diem

In wake of the tragic news of the demise of actor Robin Williams, a movie that comes to mind is 1989's ‘Dead Poets Society’. Williams plays maverick English teacher John Keating who gets his class of male students to step close to a photograph of achievers from a previous generation... and whispers in the background:

‘You've walked past them many times. I don't think you've really looked at them. They're not that different from you, are they? Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope, just like you.

Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen. Do you hear it? Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary.’

‘Carpe diem’ is a Latin maxim from a poem in Odes by Horace. The phrase ‘carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero’ is translated as ‘Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow (the future)’. The verse says that the upcoming is unforeseen and that one should not leave future happenings to chance, but rather one should do all one can today to make one's future better.

The phrase is used by some to justify reckless behaviour. However the gist of ‘carpe diem’ as used by Horace is not to ignore the future, but rather to skip procrastination and do things on time. In the film, Keating urges his students to follow their heart and break free from indecision. He inspires them to unite passion with timely actions related to a set of purposeful goals. This Muse is dedicated to that inspirational union of Horace, Keating and Williams.

Carpe Diem... do not get caught in procrastination...
 ‘unite to impact’ passion, purpose and timely actions!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

ENDOWMENT

What really is endowment? Can a girl with flair for dance be described as endowed with talent? Surely not until an audience applauds her act! When we speak about somebody’s endowment we are obviously talking about a proven performance, not about a covert value. And hence a positive attitude along with skill-development will determine what can be endorsed as endowment.

Among young children, it is easy to notice an inherent flair for singing, drawing, story-telling and dancing. With inspirational nurturing, natural flairs can be developed into skills. But competitive comparisons with the performances of other children often results in a lack of belief. And hence adults often declare that they cannot sing or draw or dance!

Endowment is often buried under the minefields of low self esteem and lack of belief in one’s own potential. Many of us give up on our own passion and the possibilities that lie aligned to the actualisation of that passion. Endowment is like a seed that germinates when nurtured as needed. It is pertinent to note that endowment is synonymous with self-confidence that comes from various factors that unite to impact promise and translate into performance.

Earlier 'endowment' referred to expertise or achievement of a pre-determined objective. Today 'endowment' denotes broader nuances of leadership potential, abilities to straddle varied functional areas, cultures and geographic boundaries - all in a seamless manner. Real endowment needs the development of soft skills, steadfast values, the ability to work in teams, to think out of the box, and importantly, the willingness to learn and share.

Endowment oft is distant from detection
 ‘unite to impact’ the nurturing actions!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

FAILURE

Thomas Edison tried thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, ‘All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing.’

Edison replied very confidently, ‘Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.’

The acumen of learning from failure is unassailable, yet it is extraordinarily rare. This gap is not due to a lack of commitment to learning. The real reason is thinking that failure is bad and that learning from it is pretty straightforward: reflect on what we did wrong and avoid similar mistakes in the future. These widely held beliefs are misguided.

First, failure is not always bad. It is sometimes inevitable, and sometimes even good. Second, learning from failures is anything but straightforward. Once we learn from failure, we can persist and come back stronger, more tolerant and disciplined, more successful, more flexible, more willing to take risks and be open-minded, and happier as a result of these experiences!

Rather than be a perfectionist, we must opt to be an optimalist. A perfectionist focuses on the outcome with goals that may be overly grand and unattainable. He is afraid of failure, less of a risk taker, assumes an all-or-nothing approach. The optimalist focuses on both journey and outcome, accepts failure. He sees it as feedback; tends to take risks and steps outside the comfort zone.

We must unite the experiences we learn from various failures and find value or a lesson and satisfaction in a less than perfect performance. It is said that ‘it is only a failure if we don’t learn something.’ We must forget the shame that comes with failure. It is the journey and not just the end result that matters.

The feedback, the challenge, the risk and the resolve
 ‘unite to impact’ lessons that from failure evolve!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

UBUNTU

The term appears in the epilogue of the Interim Constitution of South Africa (1993): ‘there is a need for understanding but not for vengeance, a need for reparation but not for retaliation, a need for ubuntu but not for victimization’.

Nelson Mandela would explain Ubuntu with an analogy: A traveller through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food and attend him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu, but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?

Ubuntu is an idea from the Southern African region which literally means ‘humanness’ and is often used to mean ‘the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity’. Ubuntu induces an ideal of shared human subjectivity that promotes a community's good through an unconditional recognition and appreciation of individual uniqueness and difference.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as individuals separated from one another, whereas we are connected and what we do affects the whole World. When we do well, it spreads out. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that we can't exist as a human being in isolation. We can't be human all by yourself, and when we have Ubuntu, we are known for our generosity.

 A person with Ubuntu is open and does not feel threatened that others are able and good, based from a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. When appropriated by many, Ubuntu will unite to impact attitudes and actions towards a responsive and responsible world where spontaneous communities will involve in collaboration for the common good.

Indeed, we are bound together in an interconnected way
let’s ‘unite to impact’ the attitude of Ubuntu, each day!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

DISTRACTIONS

A man was complaining to Pedro, ‘my child is perpetually distracted’.  Pedro queried, ‘positive distractions or negative distractions?’ The man stopped playing with his mobile and said, ‘what did you say?’

A distraction is something that takes your attention away from what you are supposed to be doing. If you cannot keep from checking your social networking forums every ten minutes, that's a distraction that's going to interfere with your other priorities – family, work, passions, people.

However a distraction can also be a refreshing change. If you are worried about your presentation tomorrow, watching a mindless show on TV may be a welcome distraction that helps you relax. Actually the word comes from the Latin dis(apart) and trahere(drag). So distraction is when you're dragged away from your task or from your worries.

Positive distractions divert you from negativity and help you emerge refreshed to take on priorities. These include choices like going on a trek, playing sports, attending dance or singing classes, watching entertainment, pursuing some hobby or even talking with friends and family. Social networking sites, television, gadgets can easily turn negative distractions when done in excess. However, when indulged in moderation, they can be refreshing too.

Each one is a multi-layered individual. We play many roles and cope with varied challenges and pied priorities. The key to happiness and success is to involve in multiple positive distractions. If we do not choose positive distractions, we will tend to be attracted to negative distractions and allow them to turn into bad habits that take focus off our task.

We must identify what makes us happy and at the same time it does not estrange us from the people we love or distance us from the things we really want to do. We must unite these positive distractions to impact our focus on our own chosen priorities. Then, we would not have time and space for worries or negative distractions to intrude, except moderated indulgences.

Hobby, leisure, relationships are positive distractions
‘unite to impact’ the focus on priorities sans tension!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Passion

Every moment is a gift, when we stay open to what is appearing now

 – Janet and Chris Attwood

On Sunday, nearly 400 Goans attended Janet Attwood’s workshop on her simple yet profound – Passion Test. The event was organized by the GEMS Trust (Goa Entrepreneurial Mentoring Services Trust) to share valuable ways to empower passion amidst students and parents, educators and artists, entrepreneurs and youth.

Janet showed full evidence of her own passion in her animated expressive style. She got everyone to list ten passions and then used her successful template to help identify top five passions and evaluate them further as per the ‘Passion Test’. But the biggest learning was in her suggested power of three – intention, attention and no-tension – to define apt markers for each passion.

Janet explained that we are constantly creating the circumstances that surround us by the virtue of the beliefs we hold to be true. In fact our results always match our true intentions. But the intention will come to nought if we do not focus our attention on it. Often this attention will bring to fore fears and worries. Hence we need to acquire the simple, easy, effortless process of no-tension to align perfectly with our passion.

We can connect to true happiness when we connect to our passions. They reside in our mind alongside logic that seeks to dilute, defeat or demean them. Janet’s formula of uniting intention, attention and no-tension is the best way to impact our passion and happiness quotient. It is the effortless path to discovering our life purpose.

True intentions, focussed attention and no-tension
must ‘unite to impact’ each purposeful passion!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Human Dignity

Due to Murlidhar’s fearless stand against a Britisher’s abuse of an Indian bride, Mahatma Gandhi had called him as ‘Abhay Sadhak’ (seeker of fearlessness). However one night, when he saw a leper - a mass of flesh with no trace of fingers and sores in place of eyes and nose - he fled! Later, feeling ashamed he returned, picked up the leper, gave him food and took care of him until he died.

Murlidhar went on to grow in his fearlessness as Baba Amte. He devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, even allowing his body to be used for experiments to grow leprosy germs. However, he would say, ‘I have cured the leprosy of the body, now I must cure the leprosy of the mind.’

The sad reality of prejudiced fear has been seen once again. In a school in South Goa, parents are insisting on the removal of HIV positive orphans. The reasons for such inhuman demands are many. Lack of proper information about the dreaded disease has been further damned by wrong information by a few who are supposed to allay fears. But most pertinent is the trepidation that we feel for the one who we identify as someone like us.

The late Baba Amte would have articulated the need ‘to cure the HIV of the mind’! We know that the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) may or may not lead to AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) - a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition. However, the HIV of the mind will lead to the death of humanity itself.

We can overcome the fear by uniting many ways. The first is to have the right facts. Secondly, deliberated reason must challenge the notion of the afflicted person being condemned by fate. To empathise with the person and their family, all we need to ask is, ‘what if it was us?’ But most importantly we need to remind ourselves of our duty towards the survival of human dignity.

Facts, reason and empathy will ensure human dignity
when they ‘unite to impact’ our true sense of duty!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Missing

Once, we went over to a relative’s place for a birthday dinner. We were three: my wife, my daughter and me. The hosts were three: husband, wife and daughter. The other guests were again a family of three. All in all, we were just nine persons for dinner. Imagine our shock, when we reached the dining room to see an over-laid dinner spread waiting for us.

There were two salads, at least five preparations of fish, two of chicken, one of mutton and three different preparations of vegetables; besides of course two types of rice and three varieties for dessert. While I was making a mental note of what to eat and what to skip, the other guest exclaimed, ‘Sol Kadi naa?’ (Konkani for a popular brew made from coconut milk and kokum). The poor hosts rushed to prepare the ‘missing’ item.

Indeed, I was bewildered at the ability of the person to note exactly what was missing. In fact, ‘sol kadi’ is my favourite too, but in the lavish spread, my choice was limited to pick a few preferences from within them. With so much around, I was least bothered about identifying what was missing.

It was unfair to the hosts to point out a flaw in their menu when they had far exceeded the requirement of a decent meal. But my sympathies were for the man who could only see what was missing. At the best of restaurants, he would be unhappy to find his ‘sol kadi’ missing. I could imagine his plight at his home dinners when he would consistently complain, ‘Sol Kadi naa?’

So often, we notice what is missing even when we are offered a plateful. Instead of being content with what we have, we crave for what we don’t have. That day, the host had given us their time, their space, their love and of course loads of food. It was pertinent to look at the many things we received and unite those receipts to impact our gratitude to what we got, rather than what we missed. How could we complain, ‘Sol Kadi naa?’

Look what lies on the plate, not what’s missing...

The receipts must ‘unite to impact’ thanksgiving!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.