The ongoing debate over destiny over effort is always
an intriguing one; to what extent can we shape outcomes, personalities, events,
and on the other hand to what extent are these innate, pre-programmed, with minimal room to maneuver. As the information age continues to deepen, learning sources continue to increase,
which can be useful. It can also be dangerous as the sources of information can
be flawed. Nature however, is a timeless and perfect teacher, it is
self-evident reflects an unquestionable sense reality. In the juncture between
winter and spring natures spectacles can be so beautiful. Trees whose leaves
had fallen, whose bark had become dark and tainted, unbelievably begin to show
signs of life. One tree around 30 feet
high, towering and with some glimpses of green at the top, however nothing
lower down, exhibiting a very dry crusty bark in its trunk stood out. In
between the puzzle-like lockings of bark, a fresh green leaf around 2 inches
long struck in huge contrast to the faded darkish tone brown. The leaf was part
of a twig, which was fairly robust and there were other small leaves about to
sprout also. In an unlikely position, the leaf was beginning to blossom to an
eye-catching level.
Revelations of Time
Back in the office, in the lead up to the forthcoming
Indian elections, a number of Banks are hosting sharing sessions with officials
to give an idea of forecast, outlooks and insights on expectations and impacts.
Receiving a request, I made the relevant connections back with the Consul-General
in Hong Kong on the topic and connected with our India heads. Within no time,
contacts were shared to the extent of “here’s the details, feel free to reach
out.” We had a task, we wanted to get it done, and we went about it. It was
refreshing. It is Asia, it’s growing and there is ample opportunity for those
who want to take it. Market saturation is an interesting stage in the cycle. In
places where there are too few spaces, and too many takers, a culture of
protectionism, lack of confidence in ability, and greed can lead to people not
sharing openly, owning relationships due to the risk of being exploited by
others. The case to share and not to share can be argued quite easily. Either
way, it isn’t optimal, because the situation is not of abundance but
saturation. The saving grace is, brilliance will find a way to shine. In the
story of Genghis Khan, whose Mongolian Empire was famous or infamous for having
conquered in the Asian subcontinent more than any group until his, the
beginnings are very telling of this principle. As a small child, in an
environment where invasions and consolidation of villages, towns, and countries
were a commonplace, Khan’s family was killed in front of his eyes. In one
depiction of the scene, there is an ancient Chinese quote which describes how
one should not take advantage with a baby tiger for when they grow older,
nothing will be able to stand in its way. The extent of Genghis Khan’s vengeance
was unprecedented, he could not be held back with anything that generation and
a few more, could come up with. Similarly we see leaders who have experienced
bad treatment, they have emerged through many tussles and turn to be victorious
in what their nature and ambition led to them doing over time. In this way,
time and consistency in outlook will prove over time the extent to which our
resolve is fixed.
Brilliance Can’t Hide
In the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic, there is a
description of the Pandava brothers who were heirs to the throne. They were
ousted by their cousin brothers the Kauravas from the kingdom on a number of occasions,
due to ambition to sit on the throne. Dressed not in royal clothing, but in
simple cloth with matted hair in locks, the Pandava brothers were enroute to a royal
ceremony, and tried to stop by the banks of the River Ganges, the celestial
being who was bathing there stopped them saying that they are not royalty, nor
celestial, and therefore had not right to share the waters with him and his
consorts. Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers refuted and said the waters didn’t
belong to the celestial and therefore he will bath in them. The celestial
quickly became angered and picking up his weapon charged at Arjuna. Arjuna
quickly dispatched of him in an embarrassing fashion. Later in the same journey,
a King approached the large-framed brothers and said whilst they are trying to
disguise themselves, it is self-evident that they are extremely powerful and of
an entirely different constitution to even the average Kings in the area. The
Pandavas worked tirelessly, continued to refine their skills, meeting new
teachers and acquiring more celestial weapons. They did not rely on their
destiny and natural constitution alone. But it did play a part. Growth requires
effort, the same way the leaf from the bark required nutrients, and resilience
in order to grow, however it’s growth was inevitable. If we pay attention, there
is certainly in our journeys understanding this perpetual interwoven
relationship and reconciliation of effort and destiny in this world.
Ultimately, reality, including brilliance of mediocrity will not be able to hide
for long.
"Whether it be night, day or twilight, who can bar others from the ocean, the sides of the Himalayas, and this river? O ranger of the skies, whether the stomach be empty or full, whether it is night or day, there is no special time for anybody to come to the Ganges. As regards ourselves, endued with might, we care not when we disturb thee." Arjuna to the celestial Angaraparna, Chaitraratha Parva, Mahabharata
