GAME CHANGER SERIES
There was once a man who decided to settle down in Himalayas , much away from the din of city life. For a couple of months he enjoyed his life to the core and thought to himself that this is what he wanted from life “peace , silence and stillness “. He thought he was one with nature. After a few months he visited a city. After spending too long a time in silence , he became intolerant of the noises which filled his ear .
One day he met a guru and started boasting about his experience in the hills. Suddenly out of no where he was pushed by a man who had accidentally stepped on his shoes .
At once he aroused into fury and started yelling at him “ can’t you see properly.” Seeing this the guru smiled and asked the man “my child what difference you found out while you were living in hills? The man without a moment of hesitation started babbling “I think I have become silent and still” , the priest again smiled and asked him again “ are you sure?” The man was confident and said ‘yes ‘ . After a few seconds, the priest said “ my child! The silence you attribute to yourself is not the silence of your voice but the silence of the Himalayas , the silence was not yours , that stillness was not yours and if you really wish to experience your silence , your own stillness then you will find it in crowd and the silence you will experience in a crowd will be your own “.
This story brings out the influence of nature in our lives. Nature overpowers us to such extent that we assume it’s silence to be our own. The goal of life is to make our heartbeat match the beat of the universe , to match our nature with nature and then we can say that we are one with nature and with every walk with nature , one receives far more than he seeks. Nature has a voice of her own for those who wish to hear . There are few things which nature teaches us each day without fail 1 .
After every dark night which never cease to end , sun comes up always . Sum symbolizes new beginning after turmoil , discipline , punctuality , hope , productivity and adding color to every life you touch. 2 . Brightest stars lighten darkest nights which shows that with more the darkness of suffering , more the pain and with more struggle , our lives shine as stars. The best gems come after intense rubbing against stones. The more life rubs you , the more experienced you become. 3 .
Heavy storms bear out flying tides which shows that struggle and crises is the best of all time where we should the world our real potential like a tide which rises more with stronger winds. 4 . Mountain possess both peaks and valley and that too are equally varied which shows that life is all ups and downs. 5 . The earth laughs in flowers which shows that happiness is the true essence of life. 6.
Over every mountain there is a path although it may not be seen from the valley which shows that if one is determined to do a thing and puts in the hard work then universe will provide with way. Also it teaches us every struggle makes us fearful and puts us in dilemma that whether we will be able to overcome it and sometimes it may seem impossible but there are hidden roads which come into sight when we begin walking on the doubtful path. 7.
Clouds symbolize flexibility as they assume many shapes.They also teach life is what you make of it. 8. Rain symbolizes compassion is our true nature. 9. A waterfall always falls to the ground which warns us that the more we swell up our ego and live in pride , the more hard we fall . It also teaches us that with more height , with a greater position must come more grounded ness .
One must not lose his or her roots. 10. Trees don t move but provide shade to birds and supply life giving oxygen which symbolize that to do something noble you don’t have to move mountains but by standing alone and doing simple things can bring about a change. 11. Every drop of ocean share its majesty which symbolize that in ocean of life we all share equal importance. 12. Birds building their nest from unused broken stuff teaches us that with every catastrophe of life we must pick up the broken pieces of our life and transform them into something very beautiful. 13. Chirping of birds symbolize that music is an integral part of our lives. 14. Ants live in more discipline than us.
To spend time in nature is to imbibe its energy for a while we are in it but once we are inside our doors , the energy is lost and we lose the rhythm of nature just like the man I was talking about. When we are in nature, we are silenced by its nature which we start assuming that it is our own but it is transient and will go away as we step inside the city life. But if we want to be one with nature then we need to learn and actively make a part of our temperament.
We must never visit a new place just to see its beauty but to learn one new thing about nature and then we will be one with nature of life.
Kodaikanal is a Tamil word which means “ The Gift of the forest “ . It’s beauty is indescribable and is one of the most desirable places one wish to visit. We decided to take a weekend off to Kodaikanal. It was the Diwali weekend. We decided to spend it differently this year.
Different it was. Yes, there were sounds of crackers at 4 am but what I personally learnt from this trip was priceless. You may not see beyond a bend, but there is a road. You need to keep going. Trust and move ahead. The view/perspective changes after a bend. It is a bend, a slow down, not a stop. How diversity co-exists beautifully in nature – diversity of the flora and fauna and land-forms – but as humans we do not tolerate diversity.
I am not talking of diversity of region, religion, caste and color but that of thoughts and views. It is this diversity that make mountains so beautiful. The different shades of colors make the flower or tree beautiful, the differences in a family and friends makes the relationship beautiful.
Spending a day at a lake with no mobile signal and connectivity did not bring an end of the world. Yes, it was my birthday and my phone was not reachable. But people who wanted to reach me, were able to – either by sending a message or the more persistent ones who kept calling till they reached me. *If something has to find you, it always will.* Thus every place has a voice of its own. We must try to hear it’s calling! What did you hear today?