Adversity is a great teacher. Years ago, it took a tsunami to tell us how inextricably connected we are. An earthquake thousands of kilometers away, and of all places, one fateful morning, in Chennai, we woke up to giant waves sweeping over our Marina Beach. It was simply unbelievable. We read about the Butterfly Effect then- how a miniscule flutter in some corner of the globe leaves its indelible impact everywhere. It is as if the world is one giant tapestry- tug at the end of a single thread and you can unravel the entire fabric threadbare!
The Corona virus conveys this reality, albeit in a deadly way. It does not matter where we are: The Bondi Beach in Australia, T-Nagar in Chennai or the Bay Area in California. It is as if...we are in this crisis together regardless of race, religion, color, economic affluence or the lack of it. It is a humbling experience, a leveler and a reality check for everyone.
In our tradition, we have the vision of the universe as one organic whole. The way-side pebble to the giant mountain, the tender sapling to the Redwood Tree, the dewdrop to the ocean, the microbe to the blue-whale, the star to the galaxy, the amoeba to the human being...all of us exist as different cells, as varied body parts of this "live" Universal Being. Wordsworth expresses the same when he says- To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour. It is as if, the body-parts may vary- in shape, size and function, but all of us exist in the Being, for the Being, and as the Being.
We are aware how our being reacts to indigestion. The stomach triggers off a violent response at both ends...we suffer a bout of vomiting or the toxin is simply purged off. Global upheavals like what we are facing are much like this. It is as if the Universal Body is crying and recalibrating itself after some such indigestion. We have no choice but to rest and nurse this sick body back to health. In doing so, all the steps are important- identifying the pathogen which led to this condition, and while we suffer, we follow First-Aid, immediate medical treatment as well as a long term recuperation plan. Now is the time to pause and mother this Global Body.
Sometimes, during mealtime, the teeth bite the tongue accidently. The whole body winces in pain. But never for a moment do the hands attempt to knock the teeth off for its carelessness. The entire body comes to instant rescue. The eyes well up with tears and the hands come together to massage the affected area with tenderness. The reaction is one of complete care with no attempt at fault finding.
This phenomenon caused by the Corona virus is similar- as if we have inadvertently bitten our tongue and a lot more. The planet is in pain. As different organs of the same body, we come together to soothe the body politic in the same spirit of empathy. We live and die together, as one global family- jeena marna sabke sung.
A small stone thrown in the middle of a pond...results in increasing concentric rings of ripples...that wash up to the shore. It is as if every droplet of the entire pond tingles with that impulse. If we cannot do anything meaningful to help the planet from this Corona wave, at least we can fill the world with our sincere thoughts for universal well being. Positive thoughts are like the little stone- they appear too tiny to have any value at all. We are mistaken. When such thoughts are flung into the world at large, these positive thoughts travel till the edges of the globe and touch each being and wrap them up with a cloak of compassion and love. We pray with an expanded heart- may all "bipeds" enjoy happiness..."shanno astu dvipadey"- from the bat and the penguin to the chimp and man. May that wellness be felt even by quadrupeds "shan chatushpadey"- from the dog and the tiger to the cow.
The Corona virus has taught us an important lesson- wellness and development in pockets is a recipe for disaster. It is like pampering the heart and keeping it healthy while allowing pus to fester in the toe. Our sense of belonging has to cover the entire creation to the minutest detail. We can forget this message at our own peril.
The Corona virus conveys this reality, albeit in a deadly way. It does not matter where we are: The Bondi Beach in Australia, T-Nagar in Chennai or the Bay Area in California. It is as if...we are in this crisis together regardless of race, religion, color, economic affluence or the lack of it. It is a humbling experience, a leveler and a reality check for everyone.
In our tradition, we have the vision of the universe as one organic whole. The way-side pebble to the giant mountain, the tender sapling to the Redwood Tree, the dewdrop to the ocean, the microbe to the blue-whale, the star to the galaxy, the amoeba to the human being...all of us exist as different cells, as varied body parts of this "live" Universal Being. Wordsworth expresses the same when he says- To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour. It is as if, the body-parts may vary- in shape, size and function, but all of us exist in the Being, for the Being, and as the Being.
We are aware how our being reacts to indigestion. The stomach triggers off a violent response at both ends...we suffer a bout of vomiting or the toxin is simply purged off. Global upheavals like what we are facing are much like this. It is as if the Universal Body is crying and recalibrating itself after some such indigestion. We have no choice but to rest and nurse this sick body back to health. In doing so, all the steps are important- identifying the pathogen which led to this condition, and while we suffer, we follow First-Aid, immediate medical treatment as well as a long term recuperation plan. Now is the time to pause and mother this Global Body.
Sometimes, during mealtime, the teeth bite the tongue accidently. The whole body winces in pain. But never for a moment do the hands attempt to knock the teeth off for its carelessness. The entire body comes to instant rescue. The eyes well up with tears and the hands come together to massage the affected area with tenderness. The reaction is one of complete care with no attempt at fault finding.
This phenomenon caused by the Corona virus is similar- as if we have inadvertently bitten our tongue and a lot more. The planet is in pain. As different organs of the same body, we come together to soothe the body politic in the same spirit of empathy. We live and die together, as one global family- jeena marna sabke sung.
A small stone thrown in the middle of a pond...results in increasing concentric rings of ripples...that wash up to the shore. It is as if every droplet of the entire pond tingles with that impulse. If we cannot do anything meaningful to help the planet from this Corona wave, at least we can fill the world with our sincere thoughts for universal well being. Positive thoughts are like the little stone- they appear too tiny to have any value at all. We are mistaken. When such thoughts are flung into the world at large, these positive thoughts travel till the edges of the globe and touch each being and wrap them up with a cloak of compassion and love. We pray with an expanded heart- may all "bipeds" enjoy happiness..."shanno astu dvipadey"- from the bat and the penguin to the chimp and man. May that wellness be felt even by quadrupeds "shan chatushpadey"- from the dog and the tiger to the cow.
The Corona virus has taught us an important lesson- wellness and development in pockets is a recipe for disaster. It is like pampering the heart and keeping it healthy while allowing pus to fester in the toe. Our sense of belonging has to cover the entire creation to the minutest detail. We can forget this message at our own peril.
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