That thing has been sitting around the office for years now. Conspicuous in bright yellow. Very first thing in many of our colleagues' day at every office. The tea/coffee maker. As I passed it towards the water dispensers, a moment that has no significance in a single day in office whatsoever, I noticed the quite obvious prompt on the matrix display of the electromechanical contraption designed to satiate various needs of the tongue at the press of humble buttons:
"Make Choice.....".
It said.
But today the Goddess of Black Pearls had decided to drop another Black Pearl in my outstretched palm. The palm that was, to my luck, incidentally, open to receive it just at the right moment and receptive to the incoming wisdom.
It is always by a unique coincidence that we are blessed with certain sparks of wisdom in a flash. These godly moments make a lasting impact on us like a lightening strike that leaves the character of a meadow altered forever with its erratic imprint where the lightening had struck.
It is only by a divine intervention to have that moment destined for us just when our minds open up a bit to fathom that higher wisdom that is about to be conveyed via this cosmic event. To a person like me, during a routine day, preoccupied with myriad of technical problems and errands to prioritize and resolve, such moments are no less than a conspiracy of higher powers.
So, that seemingly obvious prompt caught my gaze and in less than a second, in a flash, it was all understood and clear. The yellow contraption, for that quantum of time, had acted like a sage in meditation. One akin to those who have a lot going within but very little to express without. One that encapsulates a mile of wisdom through a string of cleverly chosen words. Or through a sly gesture. Or just a nod.
It told me to make a choice. We are always making those aren't we? But we are just making choices without ever comprehending the consequences thereof. Every now and then, big and small choices are made and every now and then we are going through the consequences that have cascaded from the choices we made earlier. Something we note when someone laments "Life is like that only!".
We make choices when we choose a career, a spouse, an employer, the company we keep, habits we develop and the subconscious choices such as our reaction to an unpleasant event, our attitude towards success or failure, our outlook towards life, our state of happiness, our work ethic.
The choices we make or even the ones we do not make, make us. And it is not the choices we make, it is also the moment when we make them. A smart choice made at the wrong moment is as good as a choice that was never made at all. Or even worse!
We are free to make a choice about our errands, our next steps towards our goals. Along with the choice that we make, also matters is to choose the right moment to make that choice.
For a small kid who wants to pick a fruit from a tree with dad's help, a timing is to choose when to clasp those hands to grab the fruit while the father throws him/her up into the air. This choice gone wrong has little implication. The fruit will be or it will not be there to be savored. There is always another chance for the kid to make a demand.
But for more serious dwellers shouldering more than kids' whims and fancies, choices have a more profound effect. A misplaced choice may cause suffering to the self, loved ones, entire society or, if we exaggerate a bit, a larger part of the world. Remember the wars?! Although a lone blogger like me is, at best, certainly unlikely to make choices that have such a theatrical effect, still correct choices are critical ingredient to keep a person's life in sync with his/her desires and provide a (false?) sense of control.
So considering the implications of its timing and consequence thereof, considering among all the ones that are waiting to be made, that one of all those that you must, MAKE CHOICE.....
"Make Choice.....".
It said.
But today the Goddess of Black Pearls had decided to drop another Black Pearl in my outstretched palm. The palm that was, to my luck, incidentally, open to receive it just at the right moment and receptive to the incoming wisdom.
It is always by a unique coincidence that we are blessed with certain sparks of wisdom in a flash. These godly moments make a lasting impact on us like a lightening strike that leaves the character of a meadow altered forever with its erratic imprint where the lightening had struck.
It is only by a divine intervention to have that moment destined for us just when our minds open up a bit to fathom that higher wisdom that is about to be conveyed via this cosmic event. To a person like me, during a routine day, preoccupied with myriad of technical problems and errands to prioritize and resolve, such moments are no less than a conspiracy of higher powers.
So, that seemingly obvious prompt caught my gaze and in less than a second, in a flash, it was all understood and clear. The yellow contraption, for that quantum of time, had acted like a sage in meditation. One akin to those who have a lot going within but very little to express without. One that encapsulates a mile of wisdom through a string of cleverly chosen words. Or through a sly gesture. Or just a nod.
It told me to make a choice. We are always making those aren't we? But we are just making choices without ever comprehending the consequences thereof. Every now and then, big and small choices are made and every now and then we are going through the consequences that have cascaded from the choices we made earlier. Something we note when someone laments "Life is like that only!".
We make choices when we choose a career, a spouse, an employer, the company we keep, habits we develop and the subconscious choices such as our reaction to an unpleasant event, our attitude towards success or failure, our outlook towards life, our state of happiness, our work ethic.
The choices we make or even the ones we do not make, make us. And it is not the choices we make, it is also the moment when we make them. A smart choice made at the wrong moment is as good as a choice that was never made at all. Or even worse!
We are free to make a choice about our errands, our next steps towards our goals. Along with the choice that we make, also matters is to choose the right moment to make that choice.
For a small kid who wants to pick a fruit from a tree with dad's help, a timing is to choose when to clasp those hands to grab the fruit while the father throws him/her up into the air. This choice gone wrong has little implication. The fruit will be or it will not be there to be savored. There is always another chance for the kid to make a demand.
But for more serious dwellers shouldering more than kids' whims and fancies, choices have a more profound effect. A misplaced choice may cause suffering to the self, loved ones, entire society or, if we exaggerate a bit, a larger part of the world. Remember the wars?! Although a lone blogger like me is, at best, certainly unlikely to make choices that have such a theatrical effect, still correct choices are critical ingredient to keep a person's life in sync with his/her desires and provide a (false?) sense of control.
So considering the implications of its timing and consequence thereof, considering among all the ones that are waiting to be made, that one of all those that you must, MAKE CHOICE.....
Very well written article. Well said- We have to make right choice at the right time to get the fruitful results and be contemplated.
ReplyDelete@Akashdeep Paaji, I just got up from 2-day long coma. The last thing I remember that I was reading this blog post.
ReplyDelete@Arvind: There's no such thing as "right time" in one's life. Also, stop running after fruitful results. Just do the things as and when they show up, because you never know when you are going to die... waiting for the right time and results.