The Pacificatory Touch

Ejected

The Winter of 2004 saw an unanticipated inaugural trip to India during my final year at King’s College London, taking me out of the mental momentum of years of intense academic study. After decades, being sucked out of this academic pressure cooker in London, where the name of the game was “competition”, whether you wanted it or not, where the big questions were, will you do justice to the educational investment made in you since your primal years? Where will you rank? How quickly will you “make it”? How bright can your achievements shine? The sudden family trip to India was not only unintended, but it was highly unwelcome for me. About to sit final year exams with the highest weighting in the degree, and being a creature of habit, with an affinity to surroundings that exude authority and stability, the prospect of the trip to India for three weeks filled me with anxiety. I had heard of run down living conditions, animals on the streets, and uncertainty on day-to-day basics like hot water supply. This was the last thing I needed as I went into my final semesters. The chaos at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji airport, finding where the driver would be, was not something I was familiar with since my much earlier childhood trips to Africa. Seeing cows on the street side, and indeed on the main road too, wasn’t welcome in my mind, as I wanted stability and predictability at a time I had a lot on my mind. As the days went by, I became attuned to the expectation of food, the possibility that my stomach may get very upset, and the fact the place simply cannot meet my needs. Adopting a practical survival based mindset, I quickly began to count down the days. Without expounding on exactly what happened, subconsciously, there were things I appreciated within the chaos; the level of surrender to circumstance, destiny, whatever one likes to call it, was very evident in the people that lived there. The level of faith people had, which tied simplicity to devotion, found a special place in my subtle consciousness. I didn’t want to be like that, like them, but I valued it, I respected it, and I saw great potential in it.

Sides of London

Returning to the lecture theatres of London, a sense of “this isn’t the only reality” permeated my mind having experienced India for the first time. Quickly getting back into the exam routine, having found a deeper bond with the music I’d listen to, my contemplations were becoming broader on a sub-conscious level. Hurrying to a job offer as a natural progression after completing a masters degree, I found myself on day one in London Bridge after the graduate training programme. Standing outside the office on a brisk, sunny, summer morning in August, I could feel the energy of the City of London in a different form to the “academic London” I had grown so familiar with. Academic London was historic, it comprised vintage old buildings next to  beautiful old churches and towers. The final exams were in the Royal Horticulture Halls in Westminster. Academia had a more benevolent quest for knowledge, and excellence in this quest, it involved study for not necessarily a selfish purpose. The corporate London was different, a profit-driven quest attracted people of a different stature.  My broader contemplations and questions of conscience, weren’t so much at peace in corporate London. Always liking to be punctual, waiting outside the office, catching the atmosphere as the rush hour was about to begin, I felt more and more unease, which made me quite emotional and dejected about joining “corporate London.” We had some fantastic teammates, who really questioned the ethics behind certain things the firm did from a completely blue-sky perspective. “What do you have to say about X?” and as soon as the teammate would get an answer, he would immediately challenge again “Yes, but that doesn’t justify Y, does it?” It was clear that the ethics of business sometimes didn’t add up, especially back then. It reinforced my intuitive feelings, and made me less and less comfortable.

Evolution

I needed to find something in the firm which would bring a “pacificatory” touch to the sharp-edged razor corporate culture that permeated the district. At the LSE, we had begun doing food distributions to the homeless that slept in Lincoln’s Inn Fields just next door to the Supreme Court of Justice. If I could engage in, and even lead collaborations in this space, it would be a concessionary fulfilment of the more contemplative, broader part of my conscience. After meeting some senior folks who saw my enthusiasm as a graduate for making it happen, over the years much was mobilised. Driving it all was truly the need for this pacificatory touch that stemmed from being popped out of the academic pressure cooker, to India in 2004. The mental need to be regularly pulled out of a corporate-serving, impersonal  work environment will vary from individual to individual; their thresholds will be different based on their mental make-up, priorities, what period of life, or phase one is going through, peoples’ understandings of benevolence and balance, and so on. People are willing to engage at different levels, in different ways. Some are only mentally committed but rarely make it happen, whilst some will almost literally discover themselves in such causes beyond the call of domestic corporate duty.  As I spend longer in the corporate environment, more wonderful it is to see when people sincerely commit as seriously to causes beyond themselves, as they do to their work. Great is the feeling of freedom when we help others. Great is the feeling of expression when we put ourselves aside for others who need it. And great is our self-discovery of truly reality when we engage our minds in not putting ourselves in the centre.

Domesticity 

Almost two decades on since the trip to India, and the embezzlement and confusion over whether to even engage with corporate London, having used years of experience in CSR initiatives to try to continually renew commitments to causes that are needed on the part of beneficiaries, but more importantly for the layers of the coming generations since they will be the ones whose consciousness shall shape the world. Towards the end of the Mahabharata, there is a dialogue over the relative merits of renunciation (or giving things up) through higher realisation, or to lead a life of domesticity (continuing the hard grind of daily work life). The conclusion the dialogue leads to is that the merits of domesticity outweigh those of renunciation, whilst not admonishing the role of renunciation. The rationale of this conclusion is that lives of domesticity, provide the lifeblood of society, they provide structure to the lives of people through which they can develop and learn in multiple vocational and spiritual paths. So to continue to stay engaged on all fronts, to excel in what we do, and to keep in mind benevolence in the bigger picture, becomes a prime governing factor in what we do and what we prioritise.

“Leading lives of domesticity and thoroughly devoted to their own duties, they behaved equally towards all creatures and were endued with perfect sincerity. Contentment was theirs.” 

Kapila Muni, Section CCLXX, Shanti Parva, Mahabharata

Hyena Kings

Qualification or privilege? 

What comes first. As the saying goes, deserve and then desire. In that order. To desire something, without deserving it is false entitlement, that is often known to the individual. As the prizes that the world has to offer subtly evolve, this question comes up once again. It isn’t new, it is re-cycled to a new context. Books on working a 4-hour week, propose the lure of a shortcut to success. The advent of social media and multiple new mediums of reaching people have opened an avenue to “get rich, quick.” Privilege without qualification is an interesting topic. What is the ask of the day? If you can meet it innovatively, you’ll have success. This is indeed one of the foundational principles of capitalism which keeps freshness in the innovative markets.  Success spurs power.  Power then requires nurturing and preservation.  It requires work, to ensure it is in the hands of the worthy.  Who wants power?  A lot of people do.  What are the qualifications of those who want power?  It is that they should be more interested in the interests of others over themselves.  But such people generally aren’t attracted to power.  This explains precisely why in most cases, power ends up in the wrong hands.  Power is mostly sought after by people unqualified to posses it.  This is precisely why, those who have power and have a genuinely benevolent intention, should guard it and never succumb to the dictate of others who want power for themselves, under the guise of so many things.

Snatch

This principle is perfectly illustrated in the Mahabharata, a body of Vedic teachings that forms the backbone of its most essential teachings.  The timelessness of principles is a standout.  The ever-moral and righteous Pandava brothers are direct heirs to the throne when their Father passes away.  The throne is ascended by their Fathers brother, Dhritrashtra.  His children, seeing their Father is King immediately assume the throne is next theirs.  Meanwhile the Pandava brothers are kept at bay.  The Pandava brothers, born of the gods, with godly qualities, and a fierce desire to protect virtue and morality for the benefit of all, are always slightly side-lined by the royal order given the absence of their Father since childhood.  Those in positions of power are perfectly cognizant of the situation and entitlements.  Yet, turning a collective blind eye, the right of the Pandavas is subconsciously side-lined.  As the two sets of brothers grow, it becomes very evident through display of qualities and personalities, which set of brothers would make more righteous rulers; the Pandavas.  Through a display of a multitude of qualities, they are the obvious choice.  Not for some.  Not for those who want power; the Kauravas, who despite having external power, are bereft of moral values, and are given to vices and the ills of being tormented with a deep desire for total dominance.  Knowing perfectly well that they lack these credentials, they try to find their path to success.  The 4-hour work week approach, to compensate for a lack of virtues and leadership qualification, through deceit.  In a rules-based system where qualification as good, strong leaders, they know they are weak, even in duel with the Pandavas, they have proven time and again to be weaker; they know this approach will not bring success.  So resorting to vile means, through inviting the Pandavas to a gambling match, the medieval ‘4-hour work week’ approach, they manage to banish the Pandavas and delay their ascent to the throne.  Just as a leopard by its hard work, and careful weaving chasing its prey, begins to climb the tree, and is ravaged by hyenas and its hard worked for prey taken away by the hyenas.  The hyenas often don’t have the speed or talent to chase the gazelle themselves, but they can bully the leopard holding the prey.  By hook or crook, the unqualified in this way seek power; they seek dominance, and the privilege of the deserving.  Whose consent did the Kauravas need to get this power?  This is another interesting part of the equation.  The group they needed the consent of, included elder and very powerful stakeholders, whose hands were bound by vows, and economic allegiance to the throne; this is easy to manipulate and work with.  If you can somehow coerce the innocent to comply, or at least not revolt against your 4-hour ascent, you could be onto something.  And indeed they were onto something.  By creating huge dilemmas of the hearts of those elders; tearing them between what they knew was the right thing to do verses what would be loyal to the throne which had served them for so many years; the Kauravas cunningly built a scheme to evade a game a rule-based system to their favour.

Responsibility

On many levels, the Pandavas were absolutely not compelled to tolerate this scheming.  On many a juncture were there legitimate voices in the Pandava camp to expose the evil plans of the Kauravas immediately, and claim what was rightfully theirs, and proceed to establish a righteous rulership, which they knew they were capable of.  They had been reassured of their righteousness and ability by the likes of Narada Muni and Lord Shiva amongst others.  However, many reasons were given to procrastinate a path of immediate action to correct wrongs.  On one notable occasion, Bhima as well as Balarama pledged to march to Hastinapur where the Kauravas resided, and immediately seize the kingdom in light of the happenings; this would’ve been in line with the rule-based order; a trail of arms, where the more powerful would rule the kingdom.  This option was pushed back by the leadership of the Pandavas, in the name of tolerance and good will towards elders.  Instead, there was a long, drawn out process of failed negotiations, compromise of rules, further insults, and the alignment against some aspects of their wills of the elders who were part of the royal order.  This culminated in a war with multiple divine interventions by Krishna.  The key point here being that when the righteous, who are qualified to lead, accept the “4-hour working week” hyenas, or those who are not qualified, to dominate, then there is an organically created imbalance.  This imbalance continues to get bigger, and eventually gets to the point where only through external influence, can it be set back in motion.  This external influence in this case, was the ultimate Lord of morality, Krishna.  Krishna made sure the scores were re-balanced, indeed this was one of the core purposes of his descent.  Krishna didn't want the hyena kings, he wanted a worthy king, and would act for it, in emphatic decisive ways.  In conclusion, it falls on us to question our role in the equation; what are our motives, what are our abilities and qualifications, as well as disqualifications, and accordingly what role are we playing in the world.  To what extent should we think vs act? There may be case for both; introspection of this will result in a fine-tuning and awareness of ourselves and whatever ambitions we might have.  Before we desire, we must deserve.

yatra yogesvarah krsno

yatra partho dhanur-dharah

tatra srir vijayo bhutir

dhruva nitir matir mama

“Wherever there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.”

18.78, Bhagavad Gita

Nature: The Unrepresented Shelter

The most one-sided equation

On a morning walk today to explore a new part of Singapore, it occurred that whilst there aren’t acres and acres of free land, there is a very rich biodiversity in the tranches of land that are guarded and kept as nature would have it. Singapore ranks number 1 in the world on the MIT Green View Index, which is a measure of tree concentration. It’s name as the Garden City certainly something it continues to live up to. ~50% of Singapore is “green” in the sense of being trees, lakes or other greenery. On the walking path today I saw a complete cross-section of the two, one moment in depths of nature with aquatic animals and lizards, and within just ten minutes, back in the typical concrete urban set up. Singapore is a good, or great example of how a City should have its “nature v man-made” ratio managed. Who sets the ratio? Who bargains? Who are the actors, or stakeholders? Well, on the one side there is the “non-human” composition of Earth, and the other side is the human. When the human, full of desire and self-serving ambition decides to “go get”, where can they get anything from? Of course, it’s the non-human Earth. Gems, oil, and other natural resources form the bedrock of the “real economy”, and are the means to humans achieving what is in their eyes, their potential. So the ambitious human, needs to get something. If I wanted a building from another human, I can’t simply walk in and own it, I need to bargain. Have I got the credit line? Am I a worthy owner? After this, the owner may or may not decide to let me buy the premises. It comes with a price tag. On walking out of the mangroves this morning, I was reflecting that it should be appreciated that the designers have given a much greater bandwidth for nature that most other places. But who bargained? Did nature name a price? Did nature check the credit line? Or the worthiness of the human race to exploit it like it’s being exploited all over the world? Nature is silent; there will be no protest.

Opinions & Perspectives

Between 1946 and 1958 the United States conducted nuclear testing off an island called Bikini Atoll. They exploded 23 nuclear bombs in the sea, 42.4 TNT of explosive power; this is more than Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bombs combined. Prior to the tests, the natives living on the island were gathered some for testing. They were told that the work the United States were doing was for furthering the will of God, Jesus Christ. The natives firstly not knowing any better, and secondly being helpless in the midst of US power, just tried to stay as clear as they could, but of course ended up deformed for multiple generations. It was the perspective of the US that US hegemony was the way to go. The other perspectives clearly would have varied, or at least been up for debate. Were these means to stop further aggression from Imperial Japan, and the Nazis, and keep such things at bay? Certainly many “facts” were disclosed at the time to support this. Just as they were before the assassination of Sadam Hussain. Or were these things not absolutely necessary, but things you can do when you have power, just because you can? We’re only discussing this now since the United States revealed under the Clinton administration in the 1990s the secret initiatives they were undertaking since it is part of their rules. If not, we would not even know of this. 

There is no doubt that so-called facts and evidence can be engineered, manipulated, in order to meet specific ends. Lessons from history, and stories of vice and virtue can help illustrate that the recent phenomena of fake news, misinformation, is anything but new; it might be using new tools, but as the Bible says, there is nothing new under the Sun. In the Mahabharata, the devious and deceptive cousins the Kauravas had schemed to send the Pandava brothers to the forest for 12 years, plus one year in disguise, such that if they were recognised in the last year, they would have to go again for 12 years. In the last year, the Kauravas sent an army to a kingdom called Matsya where there was word that the Pandavas were hiding. The elder Kurus who hastily went to support the Kauravas on their request, they wanted to sit on the fence as they didn’t want to openly support the righteous Pandava brothers out of fear of being locally reprimanded, or have their income and support stopped from the kingdom since they were ruling. They had a soft spot for the virtuous Pandavas, but were effectively silenced. When the eldest Kaurava, Prince Duryodhana asked the elders to confirm that if the Pandavas are recognised at this time, then it would mean they would need to be exiled again. Kripa, a priestly teacher said that it is not entirely clear whether identifying them would qualify or not to send them back again. Bhishma, a more outspoken Kuru, said that it was very clear for him that identifying them now was too late as their 13th year is already finished based on the location of the planets. Duryodhana disputed this, claiming that what he says is the truth, simply by virtue of him saying it, although he had no other basis for it. In this way, you have three different views on the “truth”, which were all being contested by different parties. They had different agendas, priorities, and needs. Kripa didn’t want to burn a bridge either side. Duryodhana clearly wanted the kingdom at any expense. The most impartial could be argued to be Bhishma since his opinion was also least likely to be self-serving, but Duryodhana and his team also picked holes in it saying that he is always partial to the Pandavas from the beginning. So there will always be these three things; opinions and perspectives.

Reality is One

On an absolute level, there was a definitive answer to whether the Pandavas had really completed the due term of their exile. There was also a definitive answer to the threat that Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany posed. The issue that clouds these, are agendas, mostly selfish, some ideological, and then on top of this our imperfect ability to see the reality due to the reasons discussed last week on our several shortcomings in perception. The mainstream certainly take full advantage of our somehow inherent inability to perceive truth due to preoccupation with self-interest. Therefore, what we connect with must not be linked to this selfish side of humans. The safestay, is therefore nature. The innocence of the flows of water, the soaring swift birds gliding hundreds of meters high barely visible to the eye, the morning dew simmering in the renewed rays of sunlight. These are our safestays. We must remember that nature didn’t come to the bargaining table, but it is ever-existing. It is deeply connected with us in ways we do not have the perception to understand. Indeed we are made of it, we are part of it, and we would do ourselves well to better understand it. This connection is not serving propaganda, or other self-interests, but is serving our best interests, which are inextricably interwoven with the planet. Coming from this perspective, we will develop opinions that are aligned with the reality, and aligned with truth. 

“In valour Rama is comparable to Vishnu, and in his looks he is attractive like the moon, he equals the Earth in his forgiveness.”

Narada Muni to Sage Valmiki, 1.1.18-19a, Bala Kanda, Book of Youthful Majesties, Ramayana

Why Trump Lost

“This is my...”

A quite senior and distinguished professional was once explaining to me how he was in a restaurant sat eating in Hong Kong, when an middle-aged American man came in with someone who seemed to be someone who worked for him. The American man in a loud voice such that the entire restaurant can hear, began explaining “This is how my management style works..” “I don’t like it when people do this..” “I want people to…” The conversation wasn’t really a conversation, it was a monologue. It was very annoying to anyone who could hear it. A bar brawl is far more likely to be started by someone who is egostic, out-there, and a ‘trouble-maker’, who might run into someone else like that, than an introverted, quiet silent person sitting in the corner sipping a quiet drink on his own. The lion doesn’t look like some docile, harmless creature; it has a tongue that is razor sharp and can scrape off an animals skin, what to speak of a human’s skin. When we see a crocodile, just by it’s physical features; we are automatically on-guard to the risk it might pose; especially in today’s society where humans and animals don’t really live together. It is human nature at an instinctive, or “gut-feel” level, therefore to associate external features with potential behaviour, and flag it as a risk. It’s what we call our ‘radar’ where alarm bells start going off based on certain things we see. We are setting an expectation based on previous experience or awareness. The issue with this is, it isn’t always accurate. Many ‘home-grown’ terrorists in England are extremely unassuming, they become brainwashed with ideology, and become a dire threat to hundreds of people. They could be the quiet guy, the introvert, etc, and cause far more harm than the ‘loud mouth in the bar.’ The COVID-19 virus is a bug, it cannot even be seen, it is a far greater threat than the lion. It doesn’t have sharp teeth, nor teeth that can grind through bone. It is a tiny micro-particle, which is now responsible for the deaths of one and a quarter million people within a year. Sometimes we are absolutely right in associating a wild and scary appearance with a wild and scary being, but equally we sometimes fail to see the threats of the “quiet guy”, and the “unseen” things. In this sense we are prone to making associations that may or may not be correct.

Politeness, Humility & Respect

When we observed the external behaviour, the speech, and conduct of President Barack Obama, it was absolutely pleasing to see. Gentlemanly in his dealings, polite to address sometimes even impolite people and reporters, and also humorous at the appropriate times. He blew everyone away. We saw similar with Tony Blair in the U.K. young and fresh Oxford graduate and politician, he was a breathe of fresh air for many in a country after years of consecutive Conservative Party rule. Tony Blair went on to agree to a war against Iraq which was unfounded, and grossly harmful both to the people of Iraq, and also to thousands of British troops made to fight there, many of whom died, and many of which returned with less limbs, a very sad sight. He later went on to admit the mistake and circumstance that gave rise to the decision, however it was grossly lamentable; people cannot be bought back from the dead in concession of a mistake, nor can people’s limbs be the same as they were. The ‘deep’ values are what drives one to make benevolent decisions over the fate of thousands, or even millions of peoples lives. The ‘superficial’ or surface level eh values are what make people feel pleased in interacting with you. The superficial values can take you a long way. Why? Because it is what people see. It is what people have to deal with. It carries an energy, and it will easily affect people. Rudeness is not something many people like. Noone can stand a bully who shouts and yells, doesn’t care for public humiliation of another. It just doesn’t resonate with most of us, and rightly so. The Mahabharata has the character of Shakuni. His sister married the King of Hastinapur, the ruling dynasty, who was physically blind and she voluntarily put a veil over her eyes so that she could experience the same thing as her husband. Being displeased with this situation and the sacrifice she was undergoing, her brother decided to do all he could to enact the demise of the kingdom. He worked on the crown princes, to cause internal friction with their cousins who also had claim to the throne. Sewing these seeds of division, he always tried to come across smiling and laughing courteously so that he would not be held in so much suspicion by the more rigorously truthful elders, he tried to hide his deep values through superficial ones. The Pandavas, on the most part had robust deep values, and would act with external respect and in a manner giving dignity to others also. Some of the brothers, most notably Bhima had very little regard for superficial values, manners etc. Of course he would be very respectful to the elders who were honourable to him, however to those who weren’t Bhima had no qualms in expressing his disgust, and abrasively. Indeed he made the famous promise when his wife Draupadi was attempted to be disrobed, that he would rip open the chest and drink the blood of Dushashana, and went on to do so. He also chastised his elder brother Yuddhishitra many times saying it was not necessarily his ‘deep’ values, but weakness of heart that stopped him from seizing what was rightfully theirs. Yuddhistira and Bhima were generally at different extremes in approach and sometimes at odds with each other as a result, but were aligned in their cause. Yuddhistira tried to be perfect in both deep and superficial values. Bhima gave priority to deep values. And Arjuna tried to break a balance of the two, seeking the counsel of Krishna where he was unsure. Yuddhistira is still regarded as Dharmaraj, or guardian of dharma, or truth. Bhima isn’t really given much praise. Arjuna of course is always regarded as the supreme hero. Good people generally like to see good values in a demonstrable way and it is pleasing to them. Often this is actually on the surface only. We don’t have the time or inclination to lift the bonnet. Nor is it possible. We do not observe the private lives of leaders, nor is there perfectly accurate accounts of them. So we rely on what we can see; it is only natural, just like if we are in a forest and we see in bushes orange fur with black stripes, we will tend to have alarm bells ring. The Mahabharata, and Bhagavat Gita tell us to go deeper with values, not stay superficial. Deeper values are what are truly defining. They do not hinge on being black, or white, or well-spoken; but they define the substance of what you do, not how you come across.

Values, and Not Individuals

In one sense we cannot be entirely sure what someones deep values really are; this is linked to their motive, which is not tangible, it is subtle. We also do not know what leaders are doing as discussed already. We also seem to be very fixed that once we have deemed a leader to be a certain way, that they cannot change. Change of nature is very difficult, and unlikely, however change of motivation is very possible. One day we may have a big investment in one country, and the next day in another country. This will totally change a persons outlook and interest in that country. Therefore alignment with individuals is a very dangerous thing. The famous saying that all that glistens isn’t gold comes to mind. Am fairly convinced that the rationale for a lot of people not liking Trump is because of the way he manages his external or superficial values; he has no regard or care about how he comes across. For many, it can be extremely irritating to see someone with such lack of care about how he comes across. Most people were very certain, especially given the US’ history of starting wars in various places in the world, that there was a major risk of a global conflict. It didn’t happen. Once people noticed his mannerisms and certain tendencies, the hole only began to bigger for them, since certainly didn’t fundamentally change. This made it a very easy choice for many after this feeling had been exacerbated over 4 years. Trumps abrasive approach challenging many global business in the way they operate, also didn’t win him much support from those engaged in the pursuit of profit. Globalism is profitable for the corporate, and this is something Trump was adding many conditions to. This came at a price. Corporates control the plumbing, and so having them against you will never work so well. In conclusion, what can we learn from this election, Trump & Biden aswell as predecessors? Never attach yourself to an individual, but only values. It is the energy that flows that is important, not who is holding it at the moment. The passing of the olympic torch from country to country is very beautiful in that sense. The country holding the flame is an important a detail, but light is more important. So here is to the preservation of deep values as leadership changes hands once again.

“A conditioned soul is hampered by four defects: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to become illusioned, he has a tendency to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect. Consequently we have to take direction from liberated persons.”

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Purport, Śrimad Bhagavatam 4.18.5

To Unify or Diversify?

Nature Sports Both

Swathes of leaves a kind of neutral green, of trees of a similar height, with similar branch structures, pivoted at a similar angle all over the mountain side. As each torrent of wind blew, the trees and their leaves moved in synchronicity. A kind of telepathy, creating a beautiful movement along the mountain path. Pleasing to the eyes in a way that penetrated to depths of consciousness, leaving memories that would never fade, but become more sacred. Such was the nature of walks along the path towards Mui Wo, in Lantau. On a different tract of mountain, this time towards Cheung Sha, in the opposite direction, a different dynamic had been laid to play out over the past decades, and perhaps longer. This time tropical palm trees standing high. Below them, a layer of trees that looked almost like slightly taller bushes, sporting the beautiful plumeria flowers of yellow and white hue. In between them, medium sized pineapple trees, with fruits and their spikes. To their left jackfruit trees, with huge sized jackfruits. As the breeze whistled through, the impact on each plant so different. Some remaining resolute and not moving at all, whilst others, the palm trees with their huge leaves swaying in a slow motion. The beauty of the unified, with synchronisation pleasing to the eyes in a matter so different to the diversity of the latter with a range of at least six different types of vegetation that formed the backbone of the landscape. Nature has beauty in standardisation, and a different kind of beauty in diversification. The environment has everything to do with the make-up of it’s composition. If the environment makes it impossible for certain design to coexist, then naturally it will be unified. It is cactus plant that survive and unify in the dry heat of the dessert. Spending time working in Norway, I recall the stretches of coastal conifer forests, a breathtaking sight to behold, but that’s all there was, coastal conifer and very little else. The rich biodiversity in the topics caters for a different standard of diversification once again. Composition is a product of environment. Nature set the precedent, and follows suite by producing the composition.

Respect The Unknown

Familiarity breeds contempt so they say. The opening minutes of bout between two fighters almost invariably consists of a minute or more of “feeling out”, or vetting. Once something is known, attacks can begin. Once strengths and weaknesses are known then they can be exploited by the opponent. It begins with respect, of the unknown. Once things are seemingly known, this opens up the avenue of disrespect. If someone knows your language, your priorities, your habits, your routine, they’re naturally in an easier position to exploit. On a recent visit to Little India, Singapore, I noticed an individual dressed rather scantily, standing in front of the temple though it was closed, with his shoes taken off, and his hands in prayer. He was serious and stout in posture and clearly absorbed despite of the commotion all around. An individuals faith is something that cannot be understood very well, as it is unique and sometimes serious. Singapore is a country that has grasped and accommodated for this aspect holistically by providing places of worship, public holidays to respect these individual needs. If someones faith is causing clear harm to others, as we have seen in France recently, then absolutely this is not the kind of respect we are talking about. We are talking about the natural tendency to respect the unknown. Recently in a wildlife preservation initiative, they had robots observe the behaviour of lions in a semi-controlled compound. The lions reaction to the robot was peculiar. It was cautious, it tested the robot. Was the robot reactive to it? Was the robot going to attack it? Was the robot afraid? There is a natural tendency of living beings to show caution or respect to the things they realise they don’t know so well. This is non-different to the workplace, and global business. In an environment where every single person is different there will be less of a tendency to impose one culture over another, to look down at anothers’ ability to grasp a language or the “in thing.” Appreciating difference creates respect. To believe we are superior is to fall trap to illusion rather than interact with reality. When we say narrow-minded, this means that rather than respect the unknown, to presume you are superior to all aspects of it. The robot could have lethal bullet being discharged from it. The lion must be cautious. Similarly, we may not know what destruction we are causing on a subtle level by disrespecting others we do not know. Ultimately we do not ever harm anyone except ourselves. Imposing superiority complexes on others distorts the extent to which we are in touch with the truth, so it is ultimately those disrespecting that are harmed.

We Decide Our Environment

The Srimad Bhagavatam, the ancient Vedic scripture, in Canto 5 talks of a mountainous region called Jambudvipa, which has dwelling regions for different groups of people, who are segregated in tern by mountains, which it cites are boundaries that would not encourage mixing of different groups. It is not always that diversity was encouraged by the scriptural injunctions, sometimes there was an abundance of diversity in the case of Lord Rama’s army for instance, and everyone worked harmoniously towards the goals set, and other times there was uniformity in the societal structure like where Jambudvipa separates the various varshas, or races, with physical formations or mountains in order to maintain harmony. Like the forest ranges on the Hong Kong mountains, some with trees almost identical for miles, and then others with complete diversity, there is rarely ever a ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer. The composition is determined by the environment. The environment in the case of trees is set by nature, as is the composition given its loom by nature. Whether it be countries, or corporates, or businesses we may be running, the environment is set by the leaders. The example leaders set is key in defining culture. Why? Because we live in a result-orientated world. If someone is capable of getting results, they are respected, and they will be accepted as leaders. If they don’t get results, they won’t lead for so long. This is the law of survival aspect in our psyche; whether consciously or subconsciously, it is something we play by. Leaders therefore need to think about what it is they want to achieve, and how. This will shape the environment, and in tern be a cause for it’s composition. How conscious we are in doing this can vary, and it is in our power to choose this. 

"Existence and non-existence, pleasure and pain, all have Time at their root. Time createth all things, and Time destroyeth all creatures. Time alone is awake when all things are asleep. Time is incapable of being overcome."

Sage Sauti to King Janamejaya, Adi Parva, Mahabharata

Fast Food Education

 Fast Food Education

The recent lockdown has led to a substantially greater number of people cooking and eating at home and not restaurants. I noticed some interesting psychological inter-play when doing this. The process of purchasing, preparing, cooking, and presenting a meal forces so much mental involvement in the process, that it continually distorts and diminishes the sensation of hunger. Therefore, we often find when we are hungry, if we take time to cook, we may not have the same urgent sense of “I must eat, now!” Which is very different to when we know our meal simply awaits us devouring it. What can we learn from this? A culture of consumption as opposed to proactive engagement in process takes many forms. I recently prepared a relatively simple toasted vegetable sandwich, and the process of firstly choosing the salad, inspecting the leaves with your fingers, then seeing the water droplets cleanse the leaves, then later chopping cucumbers and seeing the soft seeds inside contrast against the relatively thick green skin, then applying the various spreads and sauces to add taste - this process gets you in touch, it conditions the mind to become familiar with the meal. It is also comparable with a warm up before sparring in martial arts. It helps acquaint you with your body and its condition, its movement, the feeling of your muscles when handling different challenges, and gets the senses geared up. After spending time preparing the meal, bites will inevitably be more conscious and appreciative. The fast food culture trivialises the process. Instead of making it a conscious process, it creates desensitisation. The same principle will be scalable for many things. A leader who is very disengaged from the workings on the ground is another good example. If there is a factory that is suddenly taken over by someone with little experience in the field and with such environment, it automatically creates a disconnect. If however, we build up the familiarity of looking at the cucumber seeds, we will appreciate more when we taste it. If we walk the floors, talk to people, we will appreciate more the output. If we appreciate the individual journeys, we will value our staff. If we don’t, it will be like fast food - use for our benefit, and discard when useless to us. 

The Library

A prominent Chinese scholar was asked why he liked living in Europe. He said he liked the old buildings there. Indeed when I went to work in mainland Europe in the past few years, I noticed how the bank buildings were not newly formed glitzy sky-scrappers. Rather they were buildings frequently put up after World War II, and some that dated before this. This beautiful heritage and value of it, creates a culture of appreciation and depth. Appreciation means referencing the past, since it refers to what someone has done, or a culture has done. With focus solely on what needs to get done, without appreciation, this is similar to the “I need to eat, now!” consumerist mentality. The University of London had as one of their shared facilities, the Maughan Library (pictured above) which is near to the Royal Court of Justice on Fleet Street. It was tucked away, a private little place. WIth lamps, and meters high of books all around you in a very large round room, it oozed a spirit of deep thinking, contemplation, thought and learning. It is not a place for rushing. At times I’ve entered it in a semi-panic pre exam, with a need to cram as much as possible. Yes, it served that purpose for me, but this was not the spirit of the place. The paintings, the dim light, the carvings outside, gave a feel of attention and above all appreciation for the process of education. A simply beautiful experience, the educational equivalent of taking a slow breathe of fresh air at the summit of a mountain. It is in such a place that the mind can be open to education, where there are no constraints. Education after all, is a two way process; the knowledge getting to you, and also of you assimilating the knowledge and personalising it to become acquainted with it. This is not something that materialism can create simply be amassing lots of wealth. It is an experience on the mental platform of mental openness, facilitated by an environment that allows for mental comfort and intellectual stimulation. It is then not a surprise that the worlds most wealthy opt to study in these institutions and environments.

Fast Food Education

Fast-forward to the lockdown. It resulted in me doing a number of things in the house which I wouldn’t do normally. On the digital front, more time on Netflix, more time watching videos on YouTube etc. What we watch, often depends on our mood and what we prefer to digest at a particular time. When my mind feels a hunger to learn, I don’t put on Tiger King. Conversely, when I am in a more laid back mood, I will not watch a very serious documentary about World War 1. Anything meaningful takes effort. Periods of prolonged study do not pay off immediately. The opportunities for applying what we study may take time to manifest. However, a continual cycle of learning, checking what we have learnt against the real world we observe, will keep us ever evolving. Discipline also plays a great role. Social media has played a huge role in personal discipline. Checking feeds is an activity we begin doing when we might be bored, but ends up becoming such a habit that we do it when we are supposed to be doing other things. When we are distracted mentally, we might go on social media platforms. Human and animal-kind are both organised by natural hierarchy; it’s just the way we work. The more efficient will know the call of the day, and make it to the top. Most won’t, and will be governed by the others. Irrespective of form of government, this is just how things will work out, because it is natural. The average person may not be as disciplined as those that make it to the top, and therefore the vast majority will gain their knowledge through the mainstream forms; the precise reason why politicians are swarming to social media platforms to attract the masses to their messages. How does medium affect acquisition of knowledge? Well, do we want fast food, or conscious food. There is something about digital platforms that seems to grab the brain and make it hostage. Sadly, as generations continue to go on, the availability of such fast food style education is increasing. Ultimately there is a paradigm shift. This does not necessarily need to be negative since humans will always have some tendency to seek knowledge. However, it will certainly dumb down the extent to which there is a more conscious approach to seeking it. For those that have a more old-school tendency towards the beautiful high ceilinged libraries, layers of books, carvings on the ceilings, and this kind of environment to help open the mind, this can be done, it might just take more effort in an increasingly digital age.

“The only thing you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” Albert Einstein

Lockdown Reflection: Fools & Angels

"Only fools go where angels fear to tread,” was first written by Alexander Pope over 3 centuries ago in his famous Essay on Criticism. The current backdrop of the pandemic paints an ill picture of so-called, and self-proclaimed progressive civilisation. Indeed for all the feats of the past centuries, it is staggering that a grinding halt can be called by something that is approximately 120 nanometers wide in diameter. To give some meaning to this, the diameter of a human hair is 75,000 nanometers. Nitrogen dioxide, one of the harmful gases contributing to poor air quality, dropped by 10% per week between late January to mid March. In a world full of propaganda & disinformation, much defaults to what we can see and feel tangibly. The skies have been clearer, the air fresher during periods of limited mobility for business and industry. The lessons for leaders are now clearer than ever if we are to stop going where angels fear to tread.

1. Contemplate
A forcefully imposed slackened pace of many industries has forced free time. Rigor in routine pays dividends. Those who have forsaken lethargy in pursuit of structure will gain. Like progression from school to college and university, the period has given freedom to choose our forms of engagement and productivity. Dependence on group-think and group-motivation wanes, in favor of self-discipline. We will find that when the cameras aren't on us, we will be afforded the mental freedom to do what is natural to us, what is pleasing to us. This will involve confronting both vice and virtue almost inevitably. When force is removed, we will tend do what appeals to us in our most natural form. The so-called constrained state, will bring out what we have been cultivating all this time, and have a longing for. If it is confrontation, we will find that. If it is serenity, we will find that. Seek, and you will find. I recall a conversation with one of my martial arts teachers, when I first started training and would train almost every day. I said to him, I really find it frustrating when I have periods when I can't train for whatever reason. Being a contemplative person, he shared that actually we should be OK whether we train, or do not train. In a scenario where interaction is limited, we will seek the energies that we are after, and we should be more than OK with this. We should savor this time rather than lament during it. It is a window we may never get again. A short window of pause, when access to your deeper nature is more available than ever before for many of us. 

2. Value
There are different grades of evil, different grades of exploitation. The period highlights what has been going on much clearer now that there is a pause. Almost like catching people red-handed. An example best used to illustrate this is one of holidays. Whilst many people like the idea of City breaks, visiting Cities for a glimpse into their vibe, food & history, there is little question over the immense mentally therapeutic aspects of holidays involving the sun, sand, sea, and greenery. Natures paradises are breathtaking, beyond imagination, and completely organic, being dependent not on the opportunistic exploits of human-kind, but on its own accord with its naturally infused function. It is beyond compare, and irreplaceable. The White Rhino being on the brink of extinction for a few years, with only 2 remaining in 2019, is an example of a warning signal. This animal can weigh up to 3.6 tonnes, almost 2 meters high, and up to 4 meters long, it can strike fear into even the King of the Jungle, the lion. Yet, through exploitative practices, and the pursuit of human fantasies, this animal, which we may one day only think of as a figment of our imagination, is bordering extinction. Back to holidays. Industry is largely responsible for shaping the way most humans are forced to live, the routines they need to go through in order to survive. At the top of this human food chain sit people who have some ability to control the direction of humankind. It is not that there is no accountability. Everything that has happened, has happened for a reason. As Bill Murray infamously Tweeted, "Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes that reason is that you're stupid and make bad decisions," somewhat sums up that there's only so much that we can put down to external factors. At some stage, the buck stops with people who decided to create certain things, for certain reasons. It is those very people who are responsible for the destruction of much of the Earth to serve their own ends. It is those very people who would also be enjoying the bounty of nature that the Earth offers on their luxury yatchs, and on their elaborate island getaways. For you to be OK with mass destruction of the very thing that you enjoy, defines the next grade of evil. For us to contemplate, and to then attribute value to these immensely valuable treasures of the Earth at this time, is something that will contribute a tiny part to the hopefully gradual rising pressure to the higher grades of evil to put the breaks on their nefarious dealings.

3. Act
Ultimately contemplation, and affirmations on what we value, should translate into action. Action isn't only concrete steps, but also the mental commitment to higher-level thought. Since higher level thought has the power to change habits, which in turn has a bottom line impact. The more positive sentiment there is towards the Earth, naturally the more benevolent behaviour there will be in relation to it. We must understand the nature of exploitation. What does it mean for us to exploit? Exploitation quite simply means taking advantage. It is leveraging to gain an upper hand on something just because we can. Why? To further our own cause. What is our cause? If it is simply self-centric, then this becomes a pathway to the higher grades of evil if empowered sufficiently. It is not simply about empowering the disempowered. A poor person isn't necessarily noble just because they are poor. As the great Abraham Lincoln said, "Almost all men can stand adversity, but if you really want to test a mans character, give him power." It is about empowering those who will safeguard benevolence towards others and the Earth, and not behave exploitatively of these things. Whilst this is a very opportune time to learn these lessons due to circumstance, in one sense it does not matter if the lessons are not learnt also. This is because there is a universal balance, which auto-corrects situations. In a similar way that market shocks sometimes lead to pricing corrections in stock valuations which might be distorted for the wrong reasons, the universal force acts to re-inforce or re-instate the truth. It is far easier to make the correction ourselves, rather than have this great force of nature make an auto-correct, which can indeed shake the self-proclaimed civilised human race to its core.

"Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people." 

Sri Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita, 11.32

Dark Motives: A Show-stopper?

During a recent trip to India, I saw a quote from Srila Prabhupada that is meant for leaders. “If he is planning something that “I shall be leader,” I shall be doing something, that is not Vaishnavism.” Though it is a quote targeting those aiming to be spiritual, as Vishnavism denotes the philosophy that is centred around pleasing Lord Vishnu, the Supreme, it is very relevant for anyone. When we set out to do something, to lead something, what is our motivation? Is it out of our love of the topic, activity etc., or is it in pursuit of our own self-aggrandisement. There are countless people trying to become big entrepreneurs, to find an invention no one has thought of, and become the next big thing. Why? What is our why? If our Why is indeed self-centred, even to the point it can become reckless and unethical, should we continue to follow the pursuit? The Vedic stories have a few examples that shed an interesting light on motive.

We should only act if our motive is pure?

This is the first hypothesis, and it goes along the lines of, if our motive is impure, then we are not doing something with the right intention, which should be to help others, be self-less, and not feed out own ego. This will then not lead to the right results, and will cause problems. We saw that with the great demon Hiranyakashipu, where he had a motive to kill Lord Vishnu. He went in pursuit of powers “to lead”, and vanquish anything that stood in front of him. Lord Brahma cautioned him by refusing the boon of immortality saying that this is not attainable by mortals by such means. Ignorant and uncaring about the ethical premise of his motive, Hiranyukashipu continued, and saw a nasty and bloody end with his body being torn into by Lord Narasimha. Hiranyakashipu was an outlier; an extremely powerful personality, with a motive endued with self-aggrandisement. There are plenty of people with this combination even today in what is quite a ruthless society and system. Does that mean the right thing for them to do is stop in their tracks? How can one purify their intention?

What if our motive is slightly impure?

If we believe that at spirit in our true essence in the right environment and with the right people around us we are all capable of exhibiting pure feelings and motives, then what stops us? A misunderstanding of who we really are, false ego, contaminated ambition, pride, envy, greed, etc stop us. So does that mean we should cease to act unless and until we get those sorted out? According to the Bhagavād Gita, no; it is through our introspective action that we find a means to purify our intent and motive, which is the ultimate goal. Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra was asked to purify his motive, and fight, by Krishna. He was not asked to go away and purify his motive, and until he had purified it, do not act. He was asked to do the two simultaneously. They go hand in hand. We purify our motive by introspective action. If we do not act, we will not be engaging our particular individual tendencies. This in turn will result in frustration. Arjuna was aware that his duty was to kill the Kauravas, however it was just some weakness of mind and a misunderstanding of his spiritual identity which got in the way, temporarily. His motive was slightly off, it wasn’t hugely off. It needed some assistance in re-orienting. If our motive is however hugely off i.e. child abusers entering a teaching system, then certainly we should abstain. Hiranyakashipu’s motivation was hugely off, and therefore he should have disengaged for the betterment of everyone. Ravana who kidnapped Sita, Lord Rama’s wife, his motivation was hugely off. Therefore he was told to disengage. But on the whole, if our motivation needs some tweaks, we should introspect and act, and not wait until it is pure.

“Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting.” 

Krishna to Arjuna, Chapter 8, Verse 7, Bhagavād Gita

War, what is it good for?

Spillover

When Motown singer Edwin Starr in 1969 sang the words “War” with the proceeding words being “What is it good for? Absolutely nothing,” there was a huge mounting protest against the Vietnam War and US involvement. The US felt that the communist system threatened the well-being of the world and dominance of democracies and the so-called “free world”, and that this should be rectified. The extent to which they were willing to go to was the loss of innocent life in a far distant land. The sequence was, i) differences, ii) fierce disagreement, iii) threats, and finally, iv) killing. Differences & fierce disagreement are to do with the mental platform. The latter two become the verbal and then physical platforms. If there is not de-escalation a any stage, killing will be the final stage. Generations will then be born with those memories, and they will scar the future. So in one sense, the consequences for escalation sends echoes into the future, for better or worst. When those you harm are disconnected with the cause of disagreement, you know that the measures taken have exceed the trigger. Punishment is not focused on the cause, but ends up overspilling to those not involved, who may be entirely indifferent to the cause of disagreement, or even more ironically even on the same ideological page as the aggressor.

Philosophical outlooks

Many like to make a comparison of the histories of India hailing them as a time of nobility, virtue and truth. Such times must also be understood contextually. The time where Vedic philosophy presided in every part of peoples lives, had many connotations. One of these is the understanding that our essence is eternal; the soul. Therefore, the material body isn’t the be all and end all. This means that our so-called death, doesn’t have as much meaning since we have millions of lives, not just this one. This is a stark contrast to understanding that is held today where most people, behave like this life is the be all end all of existence; even if there is some spiritual understanding present. Indeed Emperor Yudhisthira confirms this in his dialogue with the god Dharma. Dharma asks him, what is he most bewildering phenomenon in this world. To which Yudhisthira replies, it is the fact people whilst seeing that everyone who is born dies, still think unconsciously think and act like they will not die, being so ignorant to impending and inevitable death. So a warrior in that time, who held a firm understanding that there is life beyond this one, may not have been so reluctant to part with their life in the course of their duty in order to do something they believed in. The big question is, how big a “difference, or fierce disagreement”, could lead to conflict that could end their life? Sometimes it was insult of ones wife, other times it was envy of another individuals’ dominance, sometimes it is as simple as one who is taking more space on the road than another and not respecting rank. The Ramayana is effectively a war where millions lost lives on the basis of Sita being captured by Ravana, and Rama reclaiming her.

Innocent life

The official trigger for World War I was also an assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and Franz Ferdinand's wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This eventually led to approximately 40 million deaths. The major statistic is “loss of innocent life.” Innocent life is generally regarded as non-military casualties. Military casualties are regarded as not innocent life. When a person decides to dedicate their life to a countries armed forces, they are therefore effectively opening themselves to being labeled as “non-innocent.” They might even have no vested moral, ideological interest or alignment with the country, but they just have it in their nature to engage in combat, and therefore they are labeled as non-innocent. They may be equally separate from the causes of killing from the perspective of the differences, fierce disagreement, and threats, but they end up bearing the killing. This sounds very much like the scenario of the innocent. Therefore, one could argue that even those doing the fighting are also innocent. This is indeed a huge irony and misfortune for all civilisation.

Peace in all respects

After the extent of damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War 2, the grave consequences of not being able to de-escalate were clear. People do not live with the understanding that there are multiple lives, they do not find causes that their governments believe in that the public will strongly enough agree with in order to sacrifice their lives. This coupled with the more dire and extensive impact of using chemical, biological and other weapons, means the stake of escalation are far higher than they have been. Doesn’t that mean that leaders have become more tolerant since there is less severe war? Possibly so, but they are also a lot more insecure of their precious lives of enjoyment than kings and queens of the past who throw themselves in the front lines of war to defend what they believed in. Stability and prosperity should certainly be treasured, and the concept of less war than before should also be considered as fortunate. Ideological differences of one group of people who want to live lavish lifestyles over another group that want to do the same, shouldn’t be the deciding factor for millions of peoples’ lives or deaths, and it is a great thing de-escalation has improved since the days of yore. However, societal misaction and cruelty towards harmless and peaceful nature and Earth, also work in a framework of re-balancing. Therefore the historical mass wipeouts whose seeming trigger were petit disagreements in the grand scale of loss of life, may be compensated for by other forms of natural reactions. Therefore peace should be considered introspectively and holistically in our daily living, not just in avoidance of wars.

“The demoniac believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.”

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verses 11-12

Sporting our Scars

Unique Scars

Some years ago, whilst training Muay Thai, I landed a kick prematurely and I though the opponent was further than he actually was. As a result my first toe hit his body quicker than the ball of my foot which should be the body part making contact. It cracked and broke. Many years on, it still crackles. As anyone who practises sports, and even those who don’t, will know, some injuries lead to our body never “being the same again.” We learn to continue, to grow, and those things become part of us. It is the same with our experiences for better or worse. If each human being was given a unique reference every time they had an experience, and they became the combination of all their experiences, we would be ridiculously unique. We are shaped to be super unique with all our scars and imperfections, combining to make us who we are. In one sense, we alone are in our driving seat. Sometimes our car is on clear stretches of motorway, with clear blue skies, and sometimes it is in muddy terrains and we are going at excessive speeds with mud splattered all over our windscreens. The wipers aren’t working well, and we have to make do with the minimal visibility we have. Sometimes we get stuck in the mud, and have to get ourselves out. Sometimes we will be on dynamic courses, taking beautiful turns, sliding around, taking corners, and enjoying our ride. Everyone is at a different stage on their own routes. Some will never experience the same or similar terrains as someone else. Some will have the experience of one terrain to use in another. Some will not. Some will have different experiences to bring. 

Obsession with Possession

When you give a 6-month old child something, their first tendency will be to put it into their mouth. Their view of the world is sometimes that things are interesting, and then they want to put it into their mouth. We are all looking for things we can relate to. This ability to relate comes from false identities we assign every time we do something. For example, if we see someone has an interest in something we do, then we feel more comfortable around them. If the 6-month old baby example was to scale to this, it would be akin to the baby saying to another baby “Oh, very nice, I have also put that toy in my mouth!” The extent to which we identify with those things we “taste” i.e. football teams, places, people, and for that matter anything - this will shape our mental conditioning. This is exactly why therapists look for triggers. What made you feel like this? Then they look to either re-direct memory to alternative thoughts, or to initially remove one from objects that trigger negative thoughts. We unconsciously make many associations, and all of these will shape the experience we have on the next leg of our car journey. 

Beauty & The Sage 

In the Mahabharata, there is a beautiful and insightful story of the grandson of one of the great original 7 sages, Kashyapa. Kashyapa has a son called Vibhandaka. Vibhandaka had a son who was a very strict and devout sage called Rishyasringa. Rishyasringa was indeed the sage that gave the father of Lord Rama, King Dasaratha a potion which led to his wife’s giving birth to Lord Rama and His brothers. Rishyasringa was so devout and strict that the nearby King knew that if this sage resided in his locality, the gods would be more inclined to look favourably upon his kingdom. Part of Rishyasringas strictness and ability to attract the good wishes of the gods was that since birth he had instantly taken to meditation in isolation. He had never been exposed to the opposite sex, and as a result he was innocently unaware of any male-female dynamics, which in turn led to his increased single-pointed focus on his meditation. The king being aware of this, and wanting to lure the sage to his locality thought he could entice him using a woman to attract him to his kingdom. He sent a beautiful girl who was willing to do the task, to lure him. Rishyasringa was alone in his ashram when she arrived, and he greeted her with respect and offered to wash her feet as a gesture of respect to a guest who had journeyed through the mountains to meet. He was still unaware what a female was. She respectfully declined her feet to be washed saying she was not worthy of this, but instead asked if he would embrace her. Not knowing her motivation, he agreed, and it wasn’t very long before they were physically close, and enjoying their time with each other. She then suddenly left, intentionally. He didn’t know what has happened, he had been swept off his feet, and his mind went into turmoil. When his father arrived, he asked what was wrong with him since he looked so morose and downtrodden. He explained to his father how a man came to his place, and he had never seen a man as beautiful. He said he has to find this man and see him again. He described the physical features, and his father then understood the situation and explained it to him. Eventually the sage married another lady, however remained a devout sage. The story illustrates the nature of certain natural attachments that exist in this world. This is an extreme example, however the nature of attachment is that we tend to personalise things. In this story, the beautiful lady existed before the sage knew her, she existed after he met her, and in one sense they had nothing to do with each other. However, he completely personalised the experience at the time, and this “personalisation” gave rise to attachment that caused his severe disappointment. 

We can learn much from nature. Nature is impartial, it just acts as it does. Depending on how we choose to view it - whether we wish to claim it is ours, or to admire its beauty neutrally, this will determine our understanding and emotions linked with nature. Nature is in one sense the ultimate backstop we have. Nature is extremely pervasive, extremely powerful, and extremely patient. Nature has its own sense of time, it isn’t rushed by anyone, it just is, and acts according to its constitutional properties. If we apply a vision which is characterised by this objectivity, removal of self-claim, and appreciative neutrality to situations and experiences in this world, it is likely we will learn more and deepen our real understanding of things.

"Peace attendeth in all respects." 

Narada Muni responding to the gods regarding his welfare, Mahabharata, Section LIV, Nalopakhyana Parva, Vana Parva