Let this note find you enjoying the weather. Few months back, a
friend of mine showed me the magical side of nature. I have been travelling for
many years in Mumbai Local trains on the Western line, so caught up in everyday
life that I ignored the trees present on both sides of the tracks. In some
seasons especially spring, the trees would be blossoming with flowers, I simply
never ever noticed! Also even on the roads, I gave nil attention to the
greenery. After this introduction, I started observing each tree, across
seasons and I was amazed at the magical beauty of nature. I then got some
potted plants at home. For the first time, I noticed some flowers. Especially
Hibiscus: it blossoms in the morning, by the end of day simply falls off. I was
fascinated that it did not care whether there was anyone observing it or not,
it simply expressed itself. I started realizing how much beauty is there in the
creation & how I was focusing somewhere else. Since then I am in total awe
of nature.
Someone recently pointed about how egg is hatched and the
mentoring lessons in that. Nature is the best teacher running the biggest
school, only this student ignored the simple lessons. Hen knows how much warmth
is needed for the egg to hatch. Less is insufficient, lot of heat will instead
boil the egg!! It is nurturing the egg such that the chicken breaks it open
from inside. Hen cannot break the egg from outside, however difficult the
chicken finds it. That is true compassion. A lot of time parents or mentors
jump in to make life easy for their kids or mentees only to realize that the
true potential remained untapped. Probably a true leader needs to provide an
environment that allows the team member to break through his/her perceived
limitations, instead of cutting the lesson short by supplying the solution. And
yet the true mentor observes, supports & encourages till the mentee finds
the solution.
Here is an interesting story on two seas with some interesting
lessons. I had heard of Dead Sea in school. No one ever told me this side of
the story. You may find it interesting
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A tale of Two Seas
Sitting
in the Geography class in school, I remember how fascinated I was when we were
being taught all about the Dead Sea. As you probably recall, the Dead
Sea is really a Lake, not a sea (and as my Geography teacher pointed out, if
you understood that, it would guarantee 4 marks in the term paper!) It’s so
high in salt content that the human body can float easily. You can almost lie
down and read a book! The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35% - almost 10
times the normal ocean water. And all that saltiness has meant that there is no
life at all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing
lives in the Dead Sea.
And
hence the name: Dead Sea.
While
the Dead Sea has remained etched in my memory, I don't seem to recall learning
about the Sea of Galilee in my school Geography lesson. So when I heard about
the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and the tale of the two seas - I was
intrigued.
Turns
out that the Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of
Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water from river Jordan. And yet, they
are very, very different.
Unlike
the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colorful
marine life. There are lots of plants. And lots of fish too. In fact, the Sea
of Galilee is home to over twenty different types of fishes.
Same
region, same source of water, and yet while one sea is full of life, the other
is dead. How come?
Here’s
apparently why. The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows
out. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out - and
that keeps the sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.
But
the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level, that it has no outlet. The
water flows in from the river Jordan, but does not flow out. There are no
outlet streams. It is estimated that over 7 million tons of water evaporate
from the Dead Sea every day. Leaving it salty. Too full of minerals. And unfit
for any marine life.
The
Dead Sea takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It does not give.
Result?
No life at all.
Think
about it.
Life
is not just about getting. Its about giving. We all need to be a bit like the
Sea of Galilee.
We are fortunate to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if we don't learn to give, we could all end up like the Dead Sea. The love and the respect, the wealth and the knowledge could all evaporate. Like the water in the Dead Sea.
If
we get the Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, more money, more
everything the results can be disastrous.
Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your own life, you have outlets. Many outlets. For love and wealth - and everything else that you get in your life. Make sure you don't just get, you give too.
Open
the taps. And you'll open the floodgates to happiness. Make that a habit. To
share. To give.
And
experience life. Experience the magic!
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Warm regards,
