A Passion For Calmness

The word passion has made a fair presence in management literature in recent years. It is a must, say the gurus for any entrepreneur as he or she embarks on the journey into the unknown. It is a must say the Counselors to the young graduate  seeking a job. A passion to achieve , a passion to excel and a passion to succeed. The word does pump up the adrenalin for a while, for sure. There is hardly a  "pick me up" book or one on a successful business person that does not have this word on the cover.

I wonder whether  passion alone holds the key to success in any endeavor  How about another word "calmness"? Which one is more relevant , or are they both equally important? What do you do when as a "passionate" entrepreneur in the IT sector wakes up one more to find that his geek has jumped ship?Would his "passion" overcome the cold sweat of fear  or the surge of anger at being let down? Many a time the person tends to turn his back on the "traitor" and look for other solutions. The passion to succeed prevents the recourse to a calm assessment of the development. Perhaps there is a merit in  reviewing the situation calmly and attempt at a solution that retains the resource. Too often this route is missed as the negative emotions are suppressed under a "passionate" belief that there are other avenues to take. 

Or take a situation where a job  one was "passionately" seeking , did not materialize. Would a passion to succeed resolve the deep disappointment and frustration that sets  in the first few minutes of the realization of a failure? Or does it prevent an introspection of the reasons that led to the failure. That requires an equanimity, a calmness to analyze the failure and perhaps derive some useful pointers.

A calm introspection of an event is critical and in my view, more so than a passion. Passion has a tendency to overwhelm, to mask out all emotive feelings that deviates from the goal. That could be counter productive.There is a need to take passion cautiously and add a fair dollop of calmness to it !                        

    

Just Another Day!

Many many moons ago , I recollect the annual Vijayadashmi day ... the six of us waiting for our Father to finish the prayers , all of us bathed and dressed ( in new clothes ? I do not recollect). Once the Lords had been paid obeisance  to and His prasad taken, we kids gorged on the Vadas and the Polis. The Polis I remember vividly for I would wince at the ghee streaming down the  fingers and the brown filling scattering in the plate . I never could get to like this dish.

And ,therefore, the Lord saw it fit that I should prepare the Poli for Him this Vijayadashami day- 23rd October 2012. J seriously unwell with a breathing problem , yet determined that the rites must not be missed. So the deal was that I being ready and bathed and all that would make one Poli for the Lord and she being sick and not ready would make the rest for ourselves. So Goddess Durga ( I realised that we had no image of her in our sacred room) was offered a Poli and a Vada cooked by me. 

Vijayadashami is the annual occasion when we take those resolutions , make those beginnings. A rational way to acknowledge and forget past failures and attempt anew. Like all resolutions they hardly last and we are back to reflecting upon them a year hence. As Osho so brilliantly puts it if you need to "resolve" it is not in our internal system as yet . If it is not within the the system than it is unlikely to ever succeed. Osho suggests being "aware" of this reality and let the realisation move one to action. 

Take the desire to write. All long as I was stuck to a job , entwined by the daily grind of activities ( Deepak Chopra calls them routine in a recent blog), I yearned ( and resolved) for the future date when I could manage time by myself and set apart hours for writing. Now I have a convenient label of  "writers blog" to rationalize my failure. Along comes a Vijayadashami and I am at it now, though J is unwell and grumbles at my lack of attention. However I persist just to get this one blog through, as a commitment to a daily hour of writing, This one has hardly taken 20 minutes, disturbed by an order to set right the mess I created in the other bedroom. 

So thank you Microsoft and all the other tech powerhouses who have created the blog ecosystem . I make another start at writing from today     

In the blink of an eye ! On our daughters and son-in-laws 10th wedding anniversary

In the blink of an eye was the universe created , a big bang from a tiny , tiny microscopic entity billions of years ago.And Einstein had already killed time and space in one relativistic act.

On the time bit I concur.. it seems like just yesterday that you were wed on a hot summer morning. Or perhaps my failing memory has only the good bits of my living still in store. Mother and I are grateful to the Lord for this match and grateful to both of you for the love an affection showered on us. Highlighting some acts would make it seem that at other times the care and love was lesser. SO it is one BIG THANK YOU for coming into our lives.

 Einstein is surely wrong on the space bit. We do feel the space between Gurgaon and Hyderabad, more so when Aadiya and Idhu talk to us . Soon their childish innocence must make way for the realities of life. They are good kids however, with morals and an upbringing to support them in the years ahead . And so a decade of togetherness has passed , with its ups and downs. Psychologists may try to find answers for the moods but humans are temperamental and "temper" and "mental" perceptions go hand in hand. As you both settle down into your second decade, do reflect on the highpoints of your life and pray to the powers that be to give you both the strength and equipoise to build on this relationship.In an increasingly globalized environment , in a melting pot of cultures , and practices , it is difficult to adhere to a set of beliefs. But beliefs are essential, for don't we act based on our beliefs? If we need our acts to be more effective we need to tweak our beliefs!Simultaneously we need to change with the times , for one belief should not blind us to the emerging possibilities. My set beliefs for instance would never have got be an assignment as you got Vidya, or for the three month break that you took, Mukund to unwind ! 

 As the great philosopher Bertrand Russel said "Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good ground for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones" 

Whilst you are reflecting on the highlights of the past decade, do reflect of beliefs that need to be tweaked, new beliefs that need to be inculcated. Amongst the beliefs is one that accepts that loneliness once in a while is inevitable. Permit me another quote in this regard . 

"A relationship does not banish loneliness. Only when we are comfortable with who we are can we truly function independently in a healthy way, can we truly function within a relationship. Two halves do not make a whole when it comes to a healthy relationship: it takes two wholes."-Patricia Fry 

In your quest to get Aadiya to school , Idhu fed , and your own offficial time commitments both of you are missing some quiet time to yourselves. So we thought we would present you a clock on this tenth anniversary , so that everytime you glance at it , you remember our wishes that you enjoy the moment! Many many happy returns of the day !! 

 Mom and Dad +++

As Clooney as it gets

It has to be Clooney, trust him NEVER to fail you. As you descend into the morass of the film , Descendants once again proves the versatility of this actor. Whether the incredible Oceans series or with a story line thinner that a child's hair, George manages to flesh in emotions and create an ambiance that only occasionally makes you reflect how could you sit through this story.

It needed a Director with the Greek roots to take up the challenge. It needed someone steeped in  Family traditions, the drama of existence the ethos  of love and that is Greek territory.  Alexander Payne did not have to work too hard. The rugged , Hawaiian   landscape and George Clooney overshadow the defects in the story , the editing , the screenplay. It is only when stepping out of the hall does  the question come to mind- since when did extra marital affairs on the US become such a trauma for a man to scream at his comatose wife awaiting her death?.

The storyline is as thin as it gets and is all in place within the first 15 minutes. A land baron Matt King ( George Clooney) in Hawaii, faces the tragedy of his wife declared comatose after a speedboat accident. Enter his elder daughter Alex ( excellent portrayal by young Shailene Woodley) to inform him of his wifes infidelity.The rest of the movie is all about Matt wanting to locate the lover.The story is thinnest at this stage ,  but George Clooney dulls our rational mind as we merge into the Hawaiian landscape and the top class acting by all players.

To be nominated for an Oscar? That stretches matters too far . This is a vintage Clooney performance and one cannot go on awarding Oscars to the "sexiest man alive" year on year! How many in this world can boast of an Irish, German and English parentage....! George was born with the right genes and  unlike the hoi polloi,  turns them to a terrific advantage. May his 50 years rest lightly and may he continue to act  his normal self!

Though... what I would personally look forward to, is some powerful story backed by a period setting and Mr George Timothy Clooney riveting us with his performance.

Till then ...Ocean 14 perhaps?

++++

3 FEB 12