Genuine Openness: Perception & Selectiveness

Perception

Life is a funny process. Another year ends, and another begins. The only thing we have guaranteed to take with us is more experience. What is the quality of our experiences? What have they bought to us? It's important we are clear on what biases shape our psyche so that we are genuinely receptive to the arrangements in the world and our lives in a manner that is independent-minded and true to who we are. With more knowledge doesn’t necessarily come happiness. Yesterday morning I went to a bar to watch a mixed martial arts event, UFC 219. Being New Years Eve, there was practically no one there, but there was a festive atmosphere. I asked the bar lady whether they were showing the event. She asked for detail and I explained. She said in her mid-western accent, “Sure we can play it, but there’s gonna be no sound cos there’s gonna be kiddies comin' soon.” A few hours in, and a lady came in dressed as a clown, red lipstick covering almost the entire width of her face, a multi-coloured skirt and a baggy top. It was just me and her at the bar. Having forgotten about the kids party, I was initially thinking it could be someone with an odd taste, perhaps not all quite up there in the head. I then realised the kids might be having a party, and that it’s probably the clown for the party. We had some odd exchanges; I initially gave her a concerned look, and she gave me quite a straight look in return. In the facial exchange it was almost an exchange being responded to with a confirmation that she was there for a job. She spent a good half hour blowing up and tying balloons into different shapes. As it approached noon, many parents began to come in with their kids. After sitting down and ordering their food, some of the kids would individually approach the clown and she would give them a small gift. The way they approached was a stark contrast to how they behaved at their table with their parents. On the table they made noise, and were comfortable and familiar. When they approached the clown, they were shy, a little hesitant, but had an air of excited nervousness, which created a sense of anticipation on how the clown would react to them. Feeling very happy, they went back to their table and with great excitement and explained to their parents what they had received. My observing the clown before any kids were present; she understood I was there to watch the event on the big screen, and I knew she was there doing her job as a clown. Both as human beings getting on with activities which we both understood, there was a level of transparency. This comes about as we grow up and learn about things one tends to do in life i.e. work to sustain oneself.  For the kids however, the equation was totally different. They have a concept of a clown, not that it’s a human being who puts some face paint on, some different dress, and presents themselves as a clown. They just see a clown, and this is what they saw. There was a huge difference in my reaction, interaction, and what I got out of the clown verses what the children got from the clown. For them, it made almost a magical experience, for me the clown was just a distraction.

Selectiveness

As a kid in the UK, pre-Christmas holidays were some of the best times. I recall waiting for the TV guide when newspapers and magazines would publish what would be on TV, and the Christmas Eve, Day and New Years Eve and Day would have amazing films on, which coupled with food, family and games would make for an incredible time. The anticipation factor in this was huge. Seeing which films were on, following the football games over the period, and finally the anti-climax of going back to school. Films are now on tab online, as is almost any commodity. The interactional element cannot be commoditised, but our mentalities can drift that way. Getting a football shirt when at school as a gift, then showing it to everyone at school was a big deal. When we are older we can have all of those things, however the bliss perhaps isn’t the same as a kid receiving them. Faith and knowledge have an interesting relationship. The magic of Christmas, takes faith to believe in it. In the same way I dissected the clown in my head, if we dissect Christmas using logic, according to the way we celebrate, there isn’t much of a link. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, who was effectively from the Middle-East, and by no stretch of our imagination anything to do with the West. In fact, Jesus was geographically closer to Africa and India than he is to the West. So why not represent Jesus in this way as a clearly having Middle Eastern origin? Why the Santa Clause? Reindeer, and so many other things? This is selectiveness. I enjoy the Christmas spirit as much as the next person does, but it’s things we create in our heads and put faith in, and therefore feel a certain way about Christmas. A few weeks ago, there was a documentary about a baby elephant stuck in a hole in India. The person taking the video went very close to the elephant to the point you would very clearly see the elephants eyes, mouth, tongue and trunk in great detail. We are typically used to seeing elephants from afar, however seeing it from close gives much more realisation of how real a creature it is. The sound of an elephant is over 100 decibels, which is as loud as a jet flying 1,000 feet in the sky and they weigh up to 7 tonnes.  I guess this is what the term “up close and personal” also relates to. The elephant was so real, but yet so unbelievable as a species. If we had no idea that such a thing as an elephant exists, and someone purely gave a description, I have little doubt many people would easily dismiss it. 

Though technology and society are moving with pace, even to the extent they are fast changing human psychology, habits and motivations, there is a “naturalness” to connecting with existence and embracing that there are many things we simply cannot understand through our limited perceptions and misplaced faith in things. There is a sense of open mindedness that comes with mentally being aligned with natures many manifestations and learning to live our lives in a way that has a greater sense of harmony with these. This way we will experience the bliss of a child rather than distraction of an adult.

The mind is the instrument for feeling different material experiences, but intelligence is deliberative and can change everything for the better. The intelligent person therefore can attain salvation from the illusion of material existence by proper use of intelligence. The Vedas

What is your Reality?

On the ferry back from work, I overheard some people saying “it’s going to smash into the dock!” and so I had a quick glance to where the ferry was going. Usually the ferry goes a little far away from the parallel dock, and then with a hovering like motion, moves closer to the docking station. This time, it seemed for whatever reason the captain went for a close docking without needing the hovering to get closer. As a consequence, there was more of a risk it could smash head on with the docking station, which obviously caught the passengers’ attention. Once these people announced that the ferry could smash into the dock, people became rapt in attention on the path of the ferry. At the same time, I saw a hawk hovering above the surface of the water eyeing its prey. It made two or three rounds, with an attempted dive talons first also. Two simultaneous realities. For the hawk, it had the least concern about the ferry docking, and for the ferry docking, the passengers had the least concern about the hawk.

Last week, Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of mainland China were hit by Typhoon Hato, the highest level typhoon in the last 10 years to hit Hong Kong. In the midst of this typhoon, more attention was turned to this, by more of the population, be it man, bird or animal. It had a more all-pervasive affect. Taking precedence over all of the physical realities, all docking stopped – ferries were all firmly at their docking stations, not being allowed to move either by rules or the sheer physical impossibility of a ferry functioning in the water. I didn’t see many birds hovering in the water during the peaks of the typhoon.

This weekend is the big fight between Conor McGregor, one of the best mixed martial artists in the world, against Floyd Mayweather, who has dominated boxing for the last decade with an undefeated record after fighting a host of powerful opponents. For McGregor, his reality has been to deal with a plethora of attacks. In his last interview, he emphasised that there are many ways to attack the human body, and how in mixed martial arts we respect all of these styles. For Floyd Mayweather, attack using the fists, with a certain rule set not allowing clinches or use of other limbs has been his reality for decades. Joe Rogan, the famous martial arts commentator and standup comedian once made an interesting comparison, saying that martial arts trumps all sports. This is because if during a basketball match if things heat up or there’s a dispute, people come to blows; which acknowledges the reality that physical defeat is more of a reality than playing a sport.

In this way we see that in so many fields there are so many realities that consume the minds of those involved in them. False ego in one sense means to believe that our reality and what we do and how we are is the absolute reality and that the lives of others are less significant or important. The reality is that there are all of these realities co-existing, and more than we can ever imagine. Some may be more pervasive than others at different stages of our lives. The Srimad Bhagawatam, the ancient Indian teachings say that “In the relative world the knower is different from the known, but in the Absolute Truth both the knower and the known are one and the same thing.” This view is extremely broad and views the oneness or commonness in all. If we can keep even this point in mind, then our sense of perspective will always be better, whether in the workplace or at home. When we aim to encompass in our understanding all of these truths, we will have a more comprehensive and less ego and self-centred perspective of reality.

Life’s desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one’s works. Srimad Bhagwatam 1.2.10

The conception of God and the conception of Absolute Truth are not on the same level. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam hits on the target of the Absolute Truth. The conception of God indicates the controller, whereas the conception of the Absolute Truth indicates the summum bonum or the ultimate source of all energies. Opening words of Srimad Bhagwatam Introduction, AC Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada

Wars on Terror: The Debated Battlegrounds

As we offered a minutes silence to the victims of the Manchester terror attack this week in the Hong Kong Stadium, I couldn’t help but reflect on the dynamics and continual societal tussles in the world and the kinds of things that drive them.

Manipulation

 If you have ever experienced someone or groups of people try to manipulate you, whether it is in terms of your activities, your personal use of time, and most importantly your emotional focus, you will know it is something that can cause damage. The most unfortunate thing is that it originates with an individual’s insecurity and desire to see their stocks rise in the world whether that be in terms of social standing, financially, or even in a physical sense. It is sometimes said that ‘religion’ was conjured up and instituted to control masses of people. Manipulation tends to be conducted by individuals; we see it with so many examples of dictators. As the number of people one controls increases, the reward gets bigger since it gets noticed more.

 

The Middle East

Most people in the West have never been to the Middle Eastern countries where there is regular turmoil; not many would dare. They’re not the most prosperous; they’ve been subject to many underground militia regimes that are extremely dangerous, with agendas we cannot imagine. Their concept and lack of value of life is one that an average person in the West cannot imagine.  I once recall a conversation with a Japanese neighbour, who told me that most average people just want to have a family, have children and live a happy life. This is non-different in the Middle-East. So we always have those who want power through various means, and those who just want a peaceful life. Imagine a swimming pool with a shark who is hungry, and throw in some fish who just want to raise a family and be happy. Even one shark, will cause turmoil for the fish at certain times. This is nature also. The difference, according to certain religion is that humans have the capacity to think deeper before acting on our instinct to eat, kill, etc. The less primitive the civilisation or society, the less thought they give to consequences or morality of action including the value of life, before acting; and hence the closer they are to reflecting animal tendencies.

Polished interventionism

With the red carpets and accumulated formalisms of western politics, there are people with motives that may not be so considerate of the wellbeing of everyone, although it may appear that this is their concern. Motives can arise from personal ambition to leave a mark on hordes of people, to make a difference, that can be attributed ultimately to themselves. When the desire for this supersedes compassion for ordinary people, it can be destructive. The difference between this and the Middle Eastern behaviours is  the polish and glamour. Trails of destruction are hidden because of the sophistication and ability to manoeuvre, a veil is lifted and put down by choice on masses of people. Self-preservation and benefit is the name of the game.

Confluence

When the two above meet, the value of life, is far lower than the desire to win, exact revenge, and the plethora of other ego-driven motivations driven by ignorance on both sides. The result is death, and lots of it. It is like a stampede ruining so much effort, loving experiences and exchanges of individuals, dreams of betterment and happiness of the common people. The scary thing is, these impure desires such as anger, desire to control, and greed leading to such devastating actions, exist in most of us; it’s just that we act on them to varying levels at different times in our lives. In this way, the battlefields are really our hearts, and this is where the work needs to be done. 

 

Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.

Bhagavad Gita 16.9

Seeing

 On a Saturday afternoon on Canton Road, Hong Kong, it’s not uncommon to see queues of luxury brand enthusiast outside of the store all day long in order to get exposure to the latest designs. There have been instances of shoppers asking for “one of everything”, in a Louis Vuitton store, such is their wealth. One Saturday, I was on my way back from training with a huge rucksack, scruffy trousers, and a wool hat; I went into a high end boutique hotel wanting to use the gents, as you sometimes do! “Excuse me Sir, what would you like?” Clearly not interested in actually helping me find an item, but rather question what am doing in the hotel. “Just want to use the toilet if that’s ok?” “They are for customers only, sorry.” Another evening, on returning from a client meeting, with a suit and tie, with a pair of brown shoes, freshly shaven, I walk into the same hotel lobby before getting home. “Welcome Sir.” “Can I use the gents please?” “Certainly, right over there Sir.”

 

We were at an evening seminar on technology and regulation, and how the authorities and entrepreneurs in the two fields are working together to move forward. At the end, people crowded around the speakers to talk to them. Most people were in suits and ties, with another large portion in business casual, and one slightly elderly man in a yoga style t-shirt, with an Om on it, wire-like hair. I watched as people were looking at him and dismissing him as not worthy of talking to, he was on his own for a good while, before introducing himself to me proactively. Later, when talking to a person who knew him, he said he was one of the first to be highly successful in the start up scene decades ago and was just here giving advice to people. Once a few people got to know this, he gathered quite an audience.

 

The attendant at the boutique hotel, scanning people who enter, was just working there doing his job, and based on information he has through his and others’ past experience, trust patterns, stereo types, etc; they decide how to act with individuals and groups. This is very much understandable, and it is what we sometimes call “human nature” when people have their roles and needs. In a similar way at the seminar, people want to talk to people who would be of “value” to them, worth their time, and therefore people differentiate between ranks, net worth, success, and find the people that suit their needs. This is again “natural” given the environment and macro-drivers.

Taking time out often gives a different perspective of “value.” What is success? What drives my judgements of what will contribute to my success? What contributes to my behaviour? When a child sees a mother, or a dear one, it is often driven by love. Of course, it may be driven by needs such as wanting something, but often times it is driven by love. Whether the mother is rich, or poor, the child will love the mother naturally. It will happen in the war torn areas of the Middle-East, and in the wealth filled areas of the “upper classes” of the most developed cities. When we are constantly bombarded with definitions of success by the macro-structures, and give ourselves little time to get away; our judgements will use more so-called intelligence, and less heart. The more we get time to contemplate, see different perspectives and people, the more we will lean towards seeing with the heart. Intelligence will be used to understand the macro-structures, interact with them appropriately, but ultimately use heart to govern our interactions. This doesn’t equate to being soft and fluffy with everyone; it means to respect the multitude of qualities in others, the ultimate oneness of us at a deeper level, and be real human beings.

 The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater.

Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita

 

“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”

Albert Einstein

The Good, The Bad & the Ugly: How Our Motivation Matters

The role of intent

What is the difference between murder and man-slaughter? Intent. Only intent. How we prove intent is one of the biggest topics in court and leads to hundreds of thousands of man/hours worth of work and millions of dollars worth of legal fees. I recall watching the live OJ Simpson trial when he was accused of double murder of his then wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and waiter Ron Goldman. The OJ Simpson documentary OJ: Made In America’ Oscar-Winning Documentary shows how there are often times multiple external facts, multiple actors in the situation, but what the concern is around, is the one single motivation.  

 

We choose our principles, often very early in life

Being asked about corporate values earlier this week, and specifically which ones stood out most and mattered most, it’s not a topic many people spend much time dwelling on earlier in their careers especially, and understandably so since there are many other motivations that may take priority i.e. reward, technical content, nature of work, etc. In terms of values; each individual will have their own values, since almost birth and ways of behaving and operating. If these coincide or overlap with corporate values, it’s just a happy coincidence, but it’s not easy to one day dream up a set of values and force people to change to imbibe these; whatever the company or context may be.

 

Certain "values" are needed for any type of success; these aren't a big deal

The response to which values are most important, can only partially be answered. There are values that are secondary, and values that are primary. Primary values are the most important; do you really care about others? Do you want what is best for others? Are you thinking selfishly or selflessly? Secondary values are things like “teaming”, “thinking innovatively” etc. These, even people who don’t have good motivations, can do. Hitler teamed, Hitler thought innovatively. Never believe that seeing certain values implies a good deeper motive. Secondary values aren’t something to be so proud of, in isolation; they can be calculatingly attained, for manipulative and ulterior purposes. To be "successful", such values are used in execution 9 times out of 10. There can be people who externally may not appear successful, but they have the core values right; this is what matters in the grand scheme, and not how much of a balance a person may have notched up. It's easy to see when this is the case; the emphasis will be on how we can all achieve our potential in our own ways according to our own nature and abilities, rather than how I can be successful at the expense of others.

 

I’ve been fortunate to have had leaders and mentors in various fields, who have set wonderful examples with their values, and also those who really haven’t. As time goes by, and we define what governs the way we choose to operate and the type of people we prefer to surround ourselves with in order to grow, it’s always nice to compare and contrast approaches, and really understand what we value and aspire to imbibe.

 

Whatever our situation, greatness is having a simple heart. Radhanath Swami

 

 

Fame, Leadership & Incentives: giving the dog a bone

When back in the UK, I had time to people-watch more than usual. Once when I was in a park, I was watching a dog owner with a short piece of bark, waving it in the air, pretending to throw it. The dog jumped up in harmony with the direction of the bark, trying to do its best to anticipate the direction it was being thrown in. The dog was swaying majestically, sometimes mid-air, its eyes fixed on the bark. When the bark was thrown, the dog at full pace, athletically built, ran, caught the bark, and bought it back to its owner. In the same park, I later went to feed the pigeons, and ducks. From being on one side of the pond, or perched on one tree, they would selectively gravitate towards where the food was being distributed. After they had enough, they stopped moving in that direction, and continued their activities.

 

At the airport, we often see a section of shelves full of books on business, economics and self-development etc; mega-trends for even the next 20, 30, 40 years sometimes. People are often hungrily looking for ways to fulfil their incentives. Whether this is to become President of a country, or in the form of money. The swaying of the dog, is called understanding the market, the running is called execution. The recent corporate scandals, continue to amaze many. However, even as mature as adults seem, their behaviours are extremely comparable, often times the same, as animals and children; although manifested in a slightly different way. Yet humans have a big superiority complex, and tend to put ourselves at the front of the queue in terms of what the Earth provides for example.

Recently when teaching children, I’ve found it important to recognise when others are ready to lead. This is important on many accounts; including for growth and encouragement of the individual; and helping pass knowledge. Sometimes we see when people are handed responsibility, the ego kicks in quickly, and their lack of ability to maintain a balanced and selfless consciousness, results in various forms of abuse of power. If leaders incentivise shows of power and fame over and above valuing human values such as humility, truthfulness and compassion; we will have a fast growing momentum going in the wrong and a very dangerous direction. In such scenario, there may be much success also, but it will tend to come at a steep price either now or in the future. It is better to sacrifice such success if there is little confidence in the current values, and ensure that fundamental values are secured and maintained. Then success will come with meaning and depth, attractiveness, inclusion, substance, and longevity. Jumping up and down at incentives that are flashed at us on a daily basis, without ensuring human values are first and foremost prioritised, doesn’t show a trajectory to fulfilling the potential and values that human minds and brains have been designed for.

“Wasting time is one thing, but wasting your life is another thing.”

His Grace Chaitanya Charan Das

 

 

Irony of the Island

“Leave, leave, leave” is what I heard at the train station this morning overhearing a conversation of a few people on their way to work. How to make a decision which is right not only for the now, but for generations to come? What will safeguard our own, and also broader interests of the world. As Boris Johnson put it, this is our ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to put our future in our own hands. In whose hands? There is clearly no silver bullet when it comes to governing a country. If the UK leaves the EU, the business world is already warning of tip over into a ‘technical recession’. Whether this is founded or not is under debate, and how it would automatically cause a recession is also to be seen. On the economic front, whether businesses and the nation would be able to agree multiple bilateral trade terms with foreign counterparts as easily, is the primary determinant. The ‘EU Passport’ which the UK holds and now many UK branches of banks use as the basis of having a European HQ in London, may or may not be available as easily. Either way, work would need to be done on the part of businesses to plan for this should the UK leave; and arguably should have been researched to the full extent in order to give the voters a definitive view on impact and not a speculative one. It isn’t something they want to do for understandable reasons; capital is low, another feasibility analysis which doesn’t lead to profits, may not be so appealing. The claims that the sterling will drop by 15-30% in value if we leave, again is an estimate; the basis for which is yet to be made clear. Savings made from less regulation, and less payments to fund other parts of the EU have been cited by the leave camp also. The UK has coped relatively well with terrorism given threats vs incidents, therefore anything that may affect the way we are kept secure, scares the average person and understandably so. Are there any ‘un-mitigatable’ security threats arising from leaving? The UK’s membership of NATO and the UN secure a baseline of involvement and intelligence, and agencies would have to ensure continuity of the current measures in order to mitigate. Is this impossible? Probably not. Immigration is the largest topic for many voters, and its impact on social security, healthcare and so on has been large of late. It’s clear given the current economic condition, various kinds of inefficiencies in public services, that large numbers of the types of migration we have experienced are difficult to justify.

 

Economics v Politics

 The EU has its roots in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and then the European Economic Area (EEA) in the 1950s. Before we knew it, human rights, justice, and freedom think-tanks on a supranational level were in place, and regulations ratified in those domains. There are almost ½ a million EU bureaucrats employed. Essentially no aspect of a country is entirely managed out of Brussels, and highly likely never will be. Nor do they go out on peace missions like NATO or the UN. What have these ½ million people been doing? Facilitating the trade, which they say the EU is responsible for? Trade between nations has been happening perfectly well for millennia. Human desire for control is so strong that where there is avenue for it, it will generally be taken. Children, when in an active state of mind, if they have a toy rattled, they may likely try to clasp it with their hands. If you move the toy they may try to follow your hands again, until ultimately you hand over the toy. Once the child has the toy, they may start waving it around, look at it and analyse it, or just start playing with it. For a kid to just sit there and let the toy be, may not be so normal. The reality as history often has shown is that people prefer personal legacy over pragmatism. The mentality that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, often doesn’t prevail, and people want to do things to leave behind their own legacy can also come into play.

 

 

Responsibility

In a team sport such as football, a loss is often difficult to attribute to an individual. Therefore exacting lessons may be more challenging. The smaller the team, the easier it is to identify where the shortcomings were, and with an individual sport, it is yet easier to identify individual actions which led to defeat. Being part of the EU and having directives driven by a central body, has given the avenue to place blame and say certain rules are out of the UK’s hands due to majority voting. Leaving the EU would firmly place responsibility back to the UK government. Making decisions on issues such as immigration may be easier. Regulating a competitive financial market, and controlling it may be easier. Realistically, the world is still suffering from the financial crisis that dates back before 2008. An economy where the only indicator on the rise is house prices, and everything else going down, is not promising, nor easy to manage. The number of double edged swords increase in such a situation, and it is unfortunately something symptomatic of irresponsible behaviour that creates a cyclical effect. Taking responsibility would mean to be extremely bold, weed out the root causes, not be afraid to address them, and uncompromisingly progress towards eliminating them and replacing them with sustainable processes that don’t give rise to high volatility cycles as we have seen, in a way that is entirely transparent.

 

Truth

 The issue with doing the above is that politicians are often more concerned with their own beliefs, success, and well-being rather than the objective, collective good. I recently came across a note between a spiritual teacher and his students where the teacher was outlining what was important to him. He said “truth.” There are many aspects of ‘the truth’. Truth means what is reality in terms of our position or situation, our strengths, and our weaknesses. There are a few obstacles that result in a blurring of the truth. These are i) people’s self driven agendas, ii) the willingness to go to great lengths to secure these. We have seen many campaigns where statistics have been selected, moulded and presented to back up particular bias points of view on either side of the campaign. Where both parties have such strong personal motivations, they will not care for the audience and what situation they are put in by having contradictory sets of information put in front of them. When own agendas are on the line, the primary concern is the motivations of the politicians, and not those who they are supposed to protect and govern. Bhishmadeva, the great ancient warrior said in his treaties on leadership that a King should know his subjects like a mother knows a child. There is supposed to be care for the children. In this presentation of data which is incorrect, contradictory, and just serving agendas, care is the last thing on their minds. At any stage, it is never too late to salvage something. However, the first step to turning a situation around is to take stock of the truth. Telling one lie, requires more lies. If the truth is then systemically lost, it becomes very difficult, and sometimes even undesirable for those benefitting, to disclose it. We hope that voters will be able to decipher what is being presented, and diligently weigh this up in order to make an informed decision free from bias views.

Misdirected Admiration

Wow

The things that make a person say ‘wow’ reveal a lot about a person. When job hunting, people often recommend you ‘find out what they are looking for’. If you align yourself with their needs, then you’re more likely to be successful. When I would go to my friends and neighbours apartment in the evening straight after training, where they have two little girls, the things on my mind would typically be how I could have avoided a submission during training, how I could have submitted someone, or what technique our Sensei showed us. With that in mind, I would start to show them the move in a way they may be able to do it, and present it in the most ‘fun’ way I could. When the penny-dropping moment of what the escape or submission looks like happens, I expected a reaction from them as you would get from most people who can appreciate the importance of a submission or an escape. Nothing. No reaction. They watched and were just disappointed if anything. They would sometimes turn their back and continue watching their anime or film. I’d have a drink and relax or something while they did that, by which time the girls want to play again. They would indicate what they wanted to play, and I would just have an open mind to do whatever they wanted. It would mainly involve lifting them high in the air and going round and round in circles, which was fun. This taught me a lot about the girls, and what they like, and also what they are perhaps less interested in. As people grow up, they become more so-called ‘sophisticated’ but actually the instincts are the same as a child, or even an animal. The things that they are interested in, indicate a lot about them. The things they are not interested in, also indicate a lot about them.

 

Mr Silva 

I recently bumped into famous UFC fighter Anderson Silva in a trainer store in London. As I walked in, I saw two guys in the corner, and they had a South American appearance. One of them had a ‘famous’ face, I was sure I had seen him before. The other was quite big, had a few cuts on his brow, and looked like he was ‘with’ the other guy. I then looked again, and thought this might be Anderson Silva! Since I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I really needed a definitive answer on whether it was true. My gut instinct was to ask him, are you Anderson Silva?! But then I thought I would feel really silly if he said “No”. I looked at the guy with him and mimed, “Is that Anderson Silva?!” He nodded and smiled, but gestured to keep it low as they didn’t want much attention. That was kind of like his permission to talk to him. So I greeted Anderson Silva, shook his hand. He was very warm in greeting. I said, I was going to go see your fight tomorrow, but have a wedding so can’t make it unfortunately, but good luck. He said thank you and asked where am from. I said I just moved back from Hong Kong. I introduced my wife, and he was very warm to her also. We then has a very brief chat about where am training jiu jitsu in the UK, and he said ‘God bless you and have a great day’. We then continued shopping in the store. I said to my wife, do you realise who that was?! She said, I’ve seen him somewhere but not sure. I said Anderson Silva!! One of the greatest fighters in the UFC ever. She was also then stunned albeit not as much as I was. I said, I think I need to sit down and breathe properly for a little while. Anderson Silva, from the interaction I had, was a gentle and friendly, and naturally smiling guy. Maybe he isn’t like that in real, maybe he is. I don’t know, because I don’t know him. But I went kind of crazy when I saw him. Maybe many people would do the same or similar if they met someone they admired in some way. I went crazy because he was famous, not because I know him as an individual. It so happened that he was nice, but do we really think about how good a person it is that we admire? Or are we more dazzled by their fame?  

The Money Delusion

Marketing, is all about using what appeals to people. Most people ‘wow’ when they see a Lamborghini. Most people ‘wow’ when they see some incredible football skills. People who ‘wow’ at these things, may find it hard to understand why people may not find those thing interesting. The way that money is currently prioritised, and has been for a long time, may also have significant flaws. Money is never owned, it is issued by someone, and then borrowed by someone else. Money is always changing hands. What use is stagnant money to a person who wants to use it to enjoy their life? It has to be used, and for that it needs to change hands. Not a single person comes out of a womb with wads of cash. It is temporarily ‘associated’ with you. So from that we should be able to infer that it isn’t inherently yours, and can also leave you in the way it left someone else. So why the pride? It’s so irrational, but yet billions of people are trying their best to acquire endless amounts of it. Why? Because it is rightly or wrongly associated with ‘value’. Some of the deepest, nicest smiles I ever got from people I didn’t even know, were from people who didn’t have much money. Having recently moved from Hong Kong to London after four years, it is interesting hearing insights from people on the economy and personal finances. They said that people in Hong Kong were very materialistic etc. To be honest, I didn’t see that since I chose who I associated with. I didn’t understand the local language so didn’t understand the topics of conversation, and therefore just associated and heard what I chose to hear. In the UK I can understand everything, and the focus that is given by many to endeavour extremely hard to make money in many innovative ways, and that becomes the principle goal of many peoples lives. A person in a relationship where his or her partner is about to leave them, and it’s not something they want to happen, puts them into a lot of anxiety. This anxiety can stop one from even conducting normal activities and having normal interactions with people. Whereas a person who is very secure in their relationship, they don’t have this fear and can go about other interactions properly as a result. Similarly, the person who is ‘borrowing’ a lot of money, or having this ‘temporary time with it’, thinking that they own it, of course they will feel anxiety in the same way a person who feels their partner will leave them, would. And they can’t even have normal interactions; they may get superiority complexes, and may feel that wearing certain clothes, or driving certain cars isn’t ok.

 

Admiration

Is it only money we admire? According to the Vedic teachings, there are 6 key attributes of Krishna, which we all have to some extent, just not to the full extent, and yes just like the money, they don’t actually belong to us, we just like to think they do. Other things that we admire may be spin-offs from these attributes. These attributes are i) Strength, ii) Fame, iii) Wealth, iv) Beauty, v) Knowledge, and vi) Renunciation. The first 5 are quite self explanatory, but what is renunciation, and how is it attractive? If a person has the ability to walk away, it is an attractive quality. A sense of detachment or aloofness is attractive. If someone is so madly affected by something mentally for example, it isn’t pleasant for them, nor is it to see. Being temporary possessors of these 6 attributes, pride forms. It is just like a spoilt son who has inherited so much, and feels he can treat people badly since he has so much. It isn’t his, but feels he is so great. Even if one works very hard for money, it is still not theirs, it is given by someone, or by others. So why the pride?

 

This can be applied in all areas in life and work. What pulls us to people? Is it their attributes like wealth, fame, beauty, etc, or is it their values, who they are? Not even what they have done, but who they are. That is deeper. The saying that form is temporary, and class is permanent, goes a long way. A persons form varies based on so many factors, but their character is the factor worthy of admiration, respect. If there is no character, then there should be no respect. If there is a real understanding of who we are, that we only temporarily posses things, we don’t really own them, then character will be respected over things and so-called achievements. Then society becomes more considerate of others and the environment we live in; which is the only way there can be peace.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Abraham Lincoln.  

Active danger?

Recently I was exploring the functionality available on my iPhone, and discovered the Heart Rate app. Before sleeping, my heart rate was consistently in the late 50’s or early 60’s. I then went to Thailand, and due to the change in climate from around 15 degrees celsius to 30, and the intensity of training 2-3 times a day for a few days outdoors in the heat without a brief patch to climatise, I managed to get dehydration through a combination of inadequate water intake, combined with the drastic increase in training frequency and intensity. It was impulsive because I was in Thailand and I had the facility and daily routine that could afford it. It wasn’t planned or well thought out. I got into work on return from Thailand feeling extremely tired, and due to a bug going around, I managed to add to my fatigue and dehydration, with flu. I went straight to the doctors in the afternoon, and was forced to take the afternoon off with severe fever and a doctors note to take time off work after that too. Before I knew it I was in bed for half a day and when out of boredom I checked my heart rate, it was consistently in the 90s. My body was actively doing something even though I was doing nothing but lying in bed. It was active as it was in trouble.

A year or so ago, I needed the help of a chiropractor in recovering from an injury, and due to his passion about what he practised, he would explain the concepts and detail of his process of diagnosis, aswell as explaining how his tools worked. I would visit him roughly once a fortnight, and he would ask about any changes in how it felt to check for improvements or if there is stagnation in the evolution of the injury. He explained that as long as the injury is changing i.e. if pain is felt in another closely area rather than the original affected area, then there is likely to be progress as it shows the body recognises the need to rehabilitate and cure, and is actively working on it. He then introduced an interesting tool. This tool was a handheld device that he would use to scan the area, and give a reading of the voltage. The reading represented how ‘active’ the cells in area were. He explained, if someone has cancer, the concerned part of the body is inactive as the body for some reason cannot be active when and where it needs to be active, this leads to the inability to recover. Low readings in afflicted areas are therefore not good. The area I had the injuries had a higher voltage than the equivalent part of the body on the opposite side. This was good, and showed the body had recognised the need to use more energy to enable change and healing in that area. The reading was high in areas that needed to recover. The areas with issues, had high levels of activity. The other areas which were not injured had low readings and were less active.

In the book entitled ‘How the Mighty Fall’ by Jim Collins, he refers to the various stages of corporate demise, beginning with pride and overconfidence leading to a corporate or individual not changing, out of arrogance. The next stages were the competition taking over. Then position would begin to demise. When demise is visible, the arrogant company or individual panics and begins to change, in some cases making sweeping changes. The changes are not necessarily based on intelligent decisions, but sometimes just attempts to salvage something. The example of Hewlett Packard was cited, when they were at a stage where competition was taking greater market share, and a new CEO was then hired, who made sweeping changes, which led to no improvement, in fact things got worse for the company. The level of activity increased when there was trouble. When trying to recover, the company, not the body in this instance, increased activity.

When I started training jiu jitsu, in my first few weeks, I would often come in with other beginners. Sometimes these were amateur or semi-professional fighters in other disciplines such as boxing. They had big, and/or athletic body frames, were aggressive sometimes in approach. They would be up against small guys who were very welcoming, warm, and gentle in nature. When these rough boxers would be paired up with the smaller, more experienced guys, I would worry for the smaller, more experienced guys in the dojo since the level of activity and desire to win from the beginners was so much, and based on my limited understanding, this could end badly for the small guys. So I watched as the beginner requested to spar with the small guy . He just sat there with very little aggression, smiling. The boxer prepared himself and charged into him. The small guy was really doing very little, wasn’t moving much at all, almost no activity except a few hand movements to block the quite crazy attacks of the beginner. After a few minutes at most, the beginner was tapping. The inactivity of the experienced guy was due to his understanding of what is really dangerous and what isn’t. This gave him grounding and confidence to be able to smile and be gentle. I was intrigued by the way dedication to learning the proper techniques and their application would succeed over power and strength. It wasn’t a one off, this would work every time.

Questioning the purpose of our actions, the purity of our motives, are therefore all very important whether this is at work, in sport, or our social and family lives.  

“There are four classes of men; i) lazy intelligent, ii) busy intelligent, iii) lazy fool and iv) busy fool. So first-class man is lazy intelligent. Just like you'll see the high-court judges. They're very lazy and most intelligent. That is first-class man. They are doing everything very soberly. And the next class: busy intelligent. Intelligence should be used very soberly. And the third class: lazy fool, lazy, at the same time, fool. And the fourth class: busy fool. Busy fool is very dangerous. So all these people, they're busy. Even in this country, everywhere, all over the world, not this country or that country.”

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Mind the step

 I recently had a lunch appointment with a friend in Central. It was a nice rooftop restaurant, well finished and a classy design. Sometimes with these designs, there are things that aesthetically don’t work so well practically. As we walked in, the lady seating us said, please watch out there is a step there. It was a tiny step, but given the amount of attention she gave it, we were of course careful to step over it. How many times have you slightly buckled on the street, only to turn around and you can barely see what it was that tripped you up? Probably countless times. Awareness, or lack of awareness can mean the difference between success and failure.

Divide & Unify

If you know what to expect, then when it comes, you’re ready for it. Or at least as ready as you will ever be. There was an interesting quote I came across recently on pain. It said that pain can be overcome by awareness that pain exists. We’ve recently been practicing yoga, loosely as part of our Jiu Jitsu curriculum. Interestingly, initially, the injuries you have in your body, you can feel even more. Yoga brings about awareness. It gives one time to study everything from posture to thoughts. More often than not, we are doing things at a pace that doesn’t enable any stopping and thinking. Yoga aims to break this cycle; perhaps this is one of the reasons why it’s so successful as a promotion today also. Another reason for yoga’s success I feel, is that it does away with designations, with labels, with pigeon-holing. It focusses on commonality. Oh we are from the same apartment, the same company, the same country, the same continent, the same religion, the same race; but we all breathe, we all exist. I feel this with martial arts for sure, in a very nice way there is nice comradery between team mates, and with people training in other gyms etc also. Things which remove boundaries are extremely unifying, and in line with our inherent nature of being in harmony with each other. Creating divisions is done by the lower part of us. Building closeness and unity is done by the higher part of us. Divisions are created by selfishness, by greed. Unification is created by selflessness, by sacrifice.

Nowhere to hide

Unification relies on respect. Many people, and increasingly so, disagree with hierarchy. I’ve had many conversations with people saying the bad thing with Asia is that there is too much hierarchy, whereas the West, the culture tends to be less hierarchical. I certainly don’t disagree with the very negative effects of abused hierarchy, but there is a reality; hierarchy is natural, and the success of it in creating a nice environment, depends on how it’s used. The animal kingdom also has a hierarchy. One just has to watch a few documentaries about the wild to realise this. It is the way nature organizes itself. Why should it be any different in the human species? Indeed in the most supposedly democratic of places in the world, there is still great imperfection in the way things are governed. Recently, having spent more time around Jiu Jitsu practitioners, the lessons have been immense. There is a clear dojo etiquette, and there is a system of belts to reflect one’s technical ability. I don’t think I’ve seen anything that is as meritocratic in the various systems I’ve seen in my life. Why do I think that? Because people are tested, day in, day out. In a jiu Jitsu dojo, there are very few places to hide. And if you hide for some time, it won’t be for long. You cannot achieve your position and then say, am going to sit on my throne now I’ve achieved it. You will be tested, over and over, and indeed the reason for your black belt will be that you have earned it. The etiquette is there in our dojo where you shake the hands of all of the senior belts when you enter. It is a traditional etiquette, and something quite nice when compared with the less traditional attitude of ‘do what you want’. When we become aware of ourselves, of others, in an environment that upholds collectively the right values, then naturally respect will emerge and continue.

“Whether you are able to use the things your teacher has taught you, or not, a teacher is always to be respected.” Dronacharya to Karna, Mahabharata

Dropping the Knife

 One of my favourite scenes from Lord of the Rings, is where Gandalf requests that he enter Theoden's Hall with his staff. It was actually a powerful, magical staff, but when questioned to hand over his staff, he asked the guard, 'You wouldn't part an old man with his walking stick?' In this way, he worked way into the hall, with an unknown advantage. He happened to be a force for good, however we have seen when people use similar concepts to smuggle weapons of terror for example, into public spaces, creating an unfair advantage, and killing civilians. What is the deal with this situation? If you asked a terrorist to have a 'fair fight' they may walk away, and try something else another time. In a similar way, using high technology weapons to wipe out thousands of civilians, there is an unfair advantage at play. Let's break down the dynamics of what we call 'escalation' and see how we can avoid it where possible in simpler interactions.

The Adult Playground

Let's take a scenario where there are ten people on an island. There is one rule - only the last person standing will be allowed to live. If the island consisted of only grass fields, then one would assume that the one who has the best ability to kill the others using their body alone in fighting, would win. They would simply eat and train, and learn to fight properly, and the strongest would survive. Now, imagine in this situation, we introduce some simple crops, and then introduce a person who sells knives. One person sells the crops and buys a knife. What can the others do to survive? It is in the knife owners interest to kill them all. Kill, or be killed. How can you kill someone with a knife? Try to win through disarming them? What if they are more skilled? Wouldn't it help to have a knife? Even as a deterrent? Sure it would. One person getting a knife, puts pressure on the others to also have an equivalent or greater weapon. Now, add in a gun to the equation. It forces others to have guns or higher weapons. Escalate this further, and you simply get to the situation that exists today with nuclear weapons. The principle is that of escalation which is the same in the playground of today with knives, as it is in the world scene.

Is it already out??

We may frown on the example of nuclear weapons thinking it is very distant from our lives etc, however almost all of us are victims of a similar kind of escalation. When the first 'complication' is bought in, for example the knife in the story above, it puts pressure on others. This is exactly the same thing that happens when a new technology is released. It puts an upward pressure to consume, this is basically mass consumerism. We should be conscious whilst using some of these things, that whilst they may be useful, they are absolutely not necessities, and when we go on a nice beach break with sand, sea and coconuts, we are starkly reminded of this truth, and indeed like being reminded of it! Secondly, we should understand that if everyone dropped the knives, so to speak, many of the problems of the world, would simply disappear through simplification. However the problem is that no one will dare to drop their knife even though no one really likes holding on to it. The only way to solve the problem, is certainly not through the current generation, it is through the up and coming generations, who can be educated more holistically, and in fact we see this in glimpses sometimes in the way children question the sustainability of the way we are using the planet. We may not have the appetite or readiness to change overnight, even though this is absolutely possible logically speaking, however this change can certainly take place, carefully over time. So, let's be more conscious in the ways we invest, in the ways we interact, and in the ways we essentially grow.