Ikebana...

Have you heard about the word, “Ikebana”?  You might or might not have heard of this Japanese word. Actually, it is a Japanese art of flower arrangement.  Few days back, I came across an article on ikebana in a news paper. What actually gripped my attention was that it is not only an arrangement of flowers but also that of the leaves, stems and almost every other part of a plant that can be used to give that arrangement a meaning (Though blooms, stems & leaves are predominant).   They all combine to build a multi-coloured & beautiful creation that symbolizes harmony.

It clicked to me that there is definitely some logic why nature has created not only flowers but also leaves, stems, roots, etc. I mean nature could have created only flowers hanging from sky. But if it has created other parts of the plant or tree, there should be a reason.

The nature has also gifted us with blue sky, green fields, multi-colour flowers, sweet & sour fruits, different species of flora & fauna and much more. And the point to be noted is that nature treats every creation with equality. It doesn’t differentiate.

By doing all this, the nature somewhere inspires us to appreciate and love the diversity of life around us; respect the different kinds of people, admire various human qualities and characteristics & utilize the specific virtues to make a harmonised environment. But somewhere we have lost the track...

Let us take a very practical case. We have people with different virtues, skills and profession. But don’t we even differentiate people based on the skill they possess, the profession they choose or the art they master.

Here the point is not only differentiation but also looking down upon someone based on any factor.

We need all kinds of skilled people on this earth. What I mean to say is that every work or art has got its significance. We need everyone. How & why? Just delve more into it (Though not much deeper)...

We need doctors to cure diseases but what about engineers? If we don’t have skilled engineers will the doctors have all the mediums (machines) to cure? In these times a doctor needs advance techniques so we need technicians also not only for medical but many purposes.

Nothing stops here, we need all kinds of comforts and that starts from home. So we need architects, masons and other worker to dig, to drill, the list is long. We need electricity so electricians are required. We need furniture so the carpenters are the necessity.

We need a comfortable life. Now who sells the comforts? The businessmen, right. How do we know about it? The advertisers, fine.

But the comforts are originated from an invention. So we need inventors and that could be scientists and artists.

We need teachers to impart knowledge, bankers to handle financial system, soldiers to protect our country, farmers to grow grains, fruits & vegetables.

Be it a bank or any industry, we have to manage huge amount of data to serve business & people. We need information technology and here comes the need of software engineers to create data, to maintain database and much more.

Progressing in future is imperative but we should know our ancestors, their achievements and here the historians and the archaeologists come into picture.

We cannot be confined to our world only and we need astronomers and astronauts to explore the world outside our earth.

Life would be so much mechanical if we would be just busy with all materialistic or external things. So art & fun should be an integral part of life. Art can be music, painting, acting or even writing. We need people for everything. So every artist, be a singer, a musician, an actor or an author is also important. Like an art, sports also teach life skills so sportsmen also play a vital role.

My point is not to list down every skill or profession but bring to notice that nothing is better or supreme. Everybody has got one art or skill in which he or she is exemplary. We just need to explore and value it.

We need to broaden our outlook and develop a vision to give respect to each skill and art. Few people may be good at doing calculation, few may be good at sports, few may be good at singing, few may be good at fighting wars, few may be good at cooking, few may be good at teaching, etc.

The social norm or stereotypes that make us to feel superior because of one profession or art is a narrow outlook and a deterrent to live in harmony with each other.

Like ‘Ikebana’, we need harmony of all human beings in terms of healthy and open outlook.

 

 Lots of smiles with harmony,

Pragati


http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/philosophy/ikebana-215142

                                                                                                              

Without knowing the climax...

Without knowing the climax…

It just happened…I didn’t intend to do it. I was stunned when I found it and left without any words. Have you ever felt or came across such feeling?

Ok, let me first tell you what exactly happened? I had been watching the US TV series ‘Prison Break’ since past few days (Please notice ‘few’). It is so interesting & engaging that I completed 3 seasons (57 episodes of 40-45 min each) in less than 21 days. When my sister gave me the 4^th season, I simply could not resist to start watching it. I was so excited that I put the entire folder in the video player and just started playing it. The episode started which I watched with full excitement and then it ended and I found out that the season also ended. I watched the last episode which was first in the folder due to its nomenclature (All the time I was thinking that the story will start in flashback).

At that time, I still had 22 more episodes to watch but somehow I was not as excited as I was before. Then, I thought what is changed now? I mean I liked the concept, the intelligence, the thrill & the cast and everything was still there then why I was not that much eager? Obviously, I had the answer; it was because I knew the climax. Sounds simple but it has got some meaning. Actually, at that time, I realized that God has really blessed us with the thrill of living every breath by not telling us the climax of our life.

Now just think, what if we would have told what would happen at the end of our life? If we already know whether we will achieve whatever we desire or strive for, would we be putting that much effort? What if we know who all will come in our lives, who will stay and who will leave? Or which places will we visit? Finally, what will happen if we know well in advance when & how will we meet our end?

I mean, life may be same but will we be that much enthusiastic to live our life? Will we explore the unknown people or places with that much keenness? Probably not!!! Somewhere we will miss to enjoy the journey to reach our destination. We will miss the happiness as well as excitement to live.

Really, ignorance is bliss in this case. We try; we experiment; we explore; we learn and we keep moving. We are given the opportunity to start each day with new possibility.

I know that it is easier said than done!!! I also assert that sometimes life becomes an unending trial. It becomes very difficult to move ahead with hope if we don’t see light at the end of the tunnel but despite this we need to keep moving. Uncertainty about the future makes it hard to move ahead but no matter what is the situation it is always better than to stand still. It is the force to keep us alive in the present moment. It keeps us on our toes.

I agree that the ending can be good or bad, I have to be practical but then too I feel that not knowing the ending is always better.

The purpose of life is to live every single breath; to see every flower around; to smell every fragrance; to listen every soothing voice; to touch every heart and eventually to keep moving.

And yes, not knowing the climax really helps :-)

 

With best wishes,

Pragati Soni

 

It‘s the same moon...!!!

I usually watch moon at night, yes, that beautiful white object on the black sky with twinkling stars all around :-). I know you must also be doing it some or the other time; admiring the light & feeling the cool warmth of the moon. Since ages, the moon has been an epitome of beauty and divinity. Poets compare the beauty of their beloved with its beauty; mothers use it as a simile for their child and so on. I have been thinking since a few days, is the moon really that much beautiful? So much beautiful that it gives complex to other earthly beauties? Or is it only the perception? After all, the moon is not as white or spotless as it was used to be shown in black & white or Eastman colour movies or usually drawn in paintings. However, it is still beautiful with all its imperfection. The beauty lies in our eyes and our perception. What we identify in the animate or inanimate objects makes us feel good or bad.

Lets dive further into it. Like the moon, we all also have our own imperfections; intellectual as well as physical. Intellectually, we may be good at something like literature but bad or average at something like mathematics. Few people are good leaders, few are good followers; few are good at creativity, few are good at macro management; few are good at dealing with people, few are good at working individually; few people are good strategists, few people are courageous...Whatever may be the case but the people are definitely good at something and that goodness should not be overshadowed by some limitation.

 

All the above is related to intellectual or emotional qualities but what disturbs me most is something bigger and that is...physical inadequacy.

Since childhood I wonder at one thing. Most of the times, people are called or referred by their prominent physical limitations. For instance, if they are fat, they are called as fatty; if they are very thin, they are called wafers; if they wear spectacles; they are called ‘chashmish’ (Hindi); if they are dark, they are referred as the one who is dark; if they are very short or tall they are called that way. How can anyone make the imperfection as anybody’s identity?

 

The most ironical thing I find is that if anybody is handicapped then that is the first thing people mention about that person. Isn’t it sad...? Can’t we see beyond the physical limitations or imperfections? Believe me, identifying someone by his/her weakness can never lead us to feel good.

My point is that why to make anybody’s weakness his/her identity? The identity should always be such that it creates a positive image in our mind, emanates positive vibes and generates a healthy atmosphere.
 

A moon’s identity is not the spots but the light it spreads & the cool warmth we receive during night. It always brings smile to our face and that is mostly because how we see it & how we perceive it. If we can ignore the spots in moon and appreciate its beauty can’t we do it with the people around us with whom we interact in our day to day lives? Like the moon, people will also be same but focus on something good in them will always bring smile and peace.

 

We just have to recall or remember, whether it is full or half or even quarter, whether it is white, half white or even cream, whether it spotless or not it is still the same moon. However, our focus on its goodness always makes the night full of light & warmth  :-)

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/philosophy/its-the-same-moon#

 

With lots of smiles,

Pragati Soni