Safety Pin

In teambuilding programs, we give teams a set of air-filled balloons along with a set of safety pins. The team with the maximum number of balloons at the end of 5 minutes will be declared the winner.

When the game begins, some open the safety pins and start bursting balloons of the other teams. Within a minute even the resolute ones are out for revenge as their balloons have been attacked. In less than three minutes there are no balloons with any team.

The activity makes a clear point that it is human nature that we want to stand out and be the only winner. We all can be winners if we all decided to raise our balloons in the air after the game started.

The approach of ‘I win when you lose’ leads to lose-lose situation. In the bargain we turn a ‘safety’ pin into a dangerous thing. Walter Hunt who invented the safety pin, will never have imagined that his creation could have such destructive implications.

Today on International Safety Pin Day, let’s resolve to have positive intentions and aligned actions. Negative intentions and actions lead to a bloodied battleground and ensuing bad blood between persons. Even the best of tools can turn into weapons.

Surely the Safety Pin is a useful invention

Don’t turn it into a weapon of destruction! 

- Pravin K Sabnis

#mondaymuse20thYear #pravinsabnis #since2004 #motivation

 

Pluralism

 In ancient India, diverse views were in constant dialogue and debate with one another. The Jains were active participants in the debates, and among their central tenets was the position referred to as ‘anekantavada’.

 Translated literally, it means ‘no-one-perspective-ism’. It refers to the multiplicity and relativity of views. By this, Jains meant that in the arguments espoused by the various participants in a debate all held some validity… an acceptance of pluralism.

 The promise of pluralism is that it leads to ‘the common good’. Aristotle conceived ‘the common good’ to refer to anything that is of benefit to and shared by all or most. Buddhism refers to it as ‘Bahujan Hitay’ (in the interest of most).

 The philosophy of pluralism suggests that we really can and should ‘all just get along.’ Recognized as an essential element of democracy by philosophers of Ancient Greece, pluralism permits and encourages a diversity of political opinion and participation.

 It is pertinent to note that in today’s world, we find it difficult to get along with diversity of opinions and even suggestions in a discourse. We are hostile to thinking that differs with ours. Hence we see dislike and hatred on the rise.

 Pluralism holds that people of different beliefs, backgrounds and lifestyles can coexist in the same society and participate equally in the social and political process. For the ‘common good’ of all, we must choose the pluralism prism and ‘get along’ with all.

 All of us can surely ‘get along’

By singing the pluralism song! 

 - Pravin K Sabnis

 

Play many parts

 All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…’ – William Shakespeare (from ‘As You Like It’) 

 The Bard’s lines refer to changing roles played across the biggest script of all – LIFE – an account of the highs and lows, of talents and choices, of careers and goals. So often we are mesmerized by self-absorbed dreams and fears of what lies ahead that we are unable to see beyond the illusion.

 We watch the smoke and mirrors and special effects – floods, famines, wars, epidemics - that recur in our world, but we move on playing one track roles within a self-centred comfort zone. We do have the free will to choose at every moment how we will script and play out each scene.

 We determine if the script is going to be a tragedy or a comedy. Every different decision makes a different scenario play itself out. This feature gives us the illusion of chance, chaos, and even fear –components of any good script. After all, the script doesn’t make the actor, the actor makes the script.

 Our attitude toward the roles we play is everything. The best players demand challenging roles. The best performers play many parts that include not only scripting, directing and performing; but also supporting, responding, appreciating and cheering other roles. For the world to be better as larger stage, we must be better at playing many parts. 

 Every stage requires players with a large heart

They adapt and are adept at playing many parts! 

 - Pravin K Sabnis

 

Be Happy

At our home, the bathroom mirror doubles up as a writing board. Birthday wishes, ‘welcome back’ messages, ‘things to do’ are penned down using colour pens. It works very well as the wishes and important messages get seen at the right time – at the start of the day!

One morning, the mirror had a line written by my (then 12-year old) daughter: ‘Make today better than yesterday!’ When I complimented her for the lovely words, she told me that she had read them in a magazine. I asked her as to how could one make today better than yesterday. Her reply was simple yet significant, ‘by being happy!’

Surely, it is as uncomplicated! Life is less about how we make it and more about how we take it. Never mind the mishaps, never find the hurdles and never mind the regrets; it all boils downs to how we respond to the stimuli and the situation.

Nevertheless, an affirmative attitude cannot be a postscript reaction. We have start every day with a resolve to make it a better day. A better day is a matter of choice. We can choose a make a better day or we can choose to make it worse.

We can opt to be happy and proactive or we can opt to be unhappy and reactive or inactive. Of course, being happy does not mean being oblivious of or indifferent to the situation. Instead it is about taking every challenge and situation head on with a positive willingness that is reinforced with an attitude of tolerance and contentment.

If a resolve to be happy is chosen every day

Surely, today will be better than yesterday!

- Pravin K Sabnis

last Monday's Muse 13 March 2023

 NEIGHBOURLINESS

 

A Man Called Otto tells the story of Otto (played by Tom Hanks), a 63-year-old widower, wallowing in grief and scoffing at neighbours who don’t sort their garbage. He no longer sees purpose in his life following the death of his wife.

 

He insulates himself from the people and plots to die by suicide until his plans are interrupted when a lively young family moves in next door. Marisol challenges him to see life differently, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world around. 

 

A heart-warming story about love, loss, and life, it highlights the importance of community and a shared sense of belonging that forces Otto to continue living. It is a lesson in how to bring back neighbourliness into our lives.

 

In an interdependent world, our quest for independence reduces our circle to just immediate family. But there is the larger family that is our neighbourhood. When communities bond together, they are there for each other in good and bad times.

 

It is not in our hands to choose our neighbours. But it is our choice to connect with them. Neighbourliness is the approach of being friendly or helpful to your neighbours. It leads to a kinship that becomes just the support system that all of us need.  

 

To escape the predicament of the isolation stress

Choose the actions of responsive neighbourliness!

 

- Pravin K Sabnis

Colour me right

(on the eve of the festival of colours, Holi, here’s my poem written on 2 March 2018)

 

Colour me now

But colour me right

Not as a mix

Each clear in sight…

 

Clear in sight

Distinct and distinguished

Not as a smear

Where colour is extinguished…

 

Colours extinguished

Turn into an obscure shade

Diversity is felled

When unity is a cutting blade…

 

Blade cuts to divide

But unity tends to expedite loss

Assorted strands ripped

togetherness goes for a toss…

 

The dance of togetherness

Needs different types of moves

For it is only variety

That makes an interesting groove…

 

The groove of merger

For different parts, is a bane

Insistence on uniformity

Forces individualities to wane…

 

None should wane

Each should be in clear sight

Colour me now

But please colour me right!

 

- Pravin K Sabnis

 

#mondaymuse20thYear #pravinsabnis #since2004 #motivation

Thinking

India celebrates February 28, as Science Day. On this day in 1928, C.V. Raman, discovered what is termed as the Raman Effect. He was awarded Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 for his work essentially inspired by his observation of the deep blue of Mediterranean Sea from the deck of his ship.

Before Raman put forward his theory it was believed that the sea was blue because it reflected the blue of the sky. He observed that the Mediterranean appeared blue even when the sky was dull gray. After far-reaching research, he found that the color of the sea changes because of a phenomenon called inelastic scattering of light.

His path breaking finding happened in his humble laboratory in India with no sophisticated instruments or technology available to western scientists. He did not have the money to buy a light source and conducted his experiments using sunlight. He said ‘The essence of science is independent thinking and hard work, not equipment’

The Raman Effect journey started with an observation that generated questioning and unleashed a thinking process backed by testing work. Our attitude of thought is our vital resource. The aids of technology and support of equipment is secondary. We must emulate Raman’s unconstrained thinking and dedicated pursuit of the logical actions that arise from that thinking.

When we involve in unfettered thinking

We find solutions which lie scattering!

- Pravin K Sabnis

#mondaymuse20thYear #pravinsabnis #since2004 #motivation