The bird's way of ending the day!

Following a heavy downpour of wind and rain,  I was ready to close the day as dusk was about to set in. But I noticed  movement of birds in our front garden. 

A grey Tit was grooming and drying its drenched body on a branch. 

One Bulbul after several trials managed to eat from the banana which was submerged in water in the feeding bowl. 

Another Bulbul found a berry from the tree. 

A Magpie robin got its prey, a caterpillar.  

Two other birds were making tuneful bird calls, one a Tailor bird and another a Bulbul. The Bulbul was swinging in the wind while perched at a slender branch at the top of a Rambutan tree. 

A Magpie robin was moving about between plants and the dry wall, and seemed to enjoy the other movements of birds in the garden!

What engaged me was the simple delight each bird found in attending to its interest!

The way the birds make the garden their transit home interests me ! They have a sense of belonging and thrive in a non threatening ambience.  

They live freely and socially!

Watching birds winding down for the day, was a good way to end the day!

The freedom of movement is what they seem to cherish most!

My thoughts travelled to Iran and Israel,  where people live in fear and some in bunkers during this season of war! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The plurality in presence!

Three similar looking trees of Rambutan  in our garden, giving three different types of fruits !

With all the six trees of Rambutan giving us fruit this year, this variation in the appearance of fruits and flavour fascinate us. Each tree with its distinct type of fruit in colour, size and flavour gives an impression of what is beyond the obvious. 

During the nine months when the trees are only a thick foliage, they look similar in every way. At the time of fruiting they bring out their true nature!

Each tree brings out its fruit in its season!

I came across a conversation that is a serious enquiry in an institution about how to foster community life in the work place and residential settings!

The dissimilarities between people seem to cause a concern as to whether it would be possible to be cohesive and integrated!

The dissimilarities can only add to the richness to the social flavour in a community!

What is important is to foster the vision of 'fruit bearing', which is the self giving character of each tree ! 

If people turn inward and be carried away by an attitude of self promotion, then the community formation is at stake!

When there is giving and receiving, each person feels his or her place and feels connected widely!

It is not by prescribing how every person ought to be, we foster relational living, but by fostering a consciousness of the neighbour who too ought to benefit from one's being and presence!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Meditation of my heart- 29

 

These flowers in our garden in the frontage of our cottage convey exuberance even when the rain fall caused other flowers look battered by rain. One example of a weary look is the flowers of the Buttercup plants below!

It suggests that flowers have different levels of endurance in inclement weather!

With the declared war between Israel and Iran taking another level of confrontation with each country proclaiming to destroy the other, one is in a dilemma about what is in the heart of man ! It is from the heart, the mind receives the thoughts to act! 

As I stay perplexed over the choices the leaders of nations make, I turned to read a passage from the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament of the Bible. 

I found three references about human heart in the 14 th and 15 th chapters of the book of Proverbs. 

The first is about the 'wisdom of the prudent in understanding his way' (14; 8). It is a reference to the discerning heart. The prayer of Solomon was for a discerning heart which we read in I kings 3: 7-9. He asked for an understanding heart to govern people of Israel, specifically between good and evil. The King Solon sought this from God at the beginning of his reign. 

The second reference is about a 'tranquil heart', which is life to the body (14:30). Such a state of inner composure, freed from the passion of prominence or dominance or countenance of success was what Solomon seemed to meditate upon. Jesus of Nazareth suggested that it is from the heart, 'come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders..' (Matthew 15:19). I felt moved when I read how St Paul made a confession about his inward state of orientation to himself: 'For through the grace given to me, I say to every man, among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgement as God has allotted to each a measure faith' (Romans 12:3). The depth of human heart is tranquility just as the water beneath the turbulent sea is still ! 

The third reference to heart was ' A joyful heart that makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken..' (Proverbs 15:13). A state of contentment is needed to live joyfully! The state of covetousness takes away the prospects of contentment. In a parable Jesus of Nazareth referred to about a  rich man, who had a plentiful harvest and decided to build new barn to store his grain, telling himself: 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come, take your ease, eat and drink and be merry. But God said to him, You fool, this very night your soul is required of you and now who will own what you have prepared' (Luke 12: 19-20). The acquisitive nature and obsession for possession is rampant in political conversations between countries. One of the aspirations that the president of the USA talked about when he ascended to its presidency was to acquire Canada as a state of the USA and annexe Greenland. It is the same instinct that Israel showed in annexing Gaza from the Palestinians. It is not in the abundance of riches one possesses the inner state of joyfulness is found but in growing to be content !

The flowers above even when battered in rain offered their colour, fragrance and nectar! That is the heart language of the flowers!

I wish the human heart language will be prudence, tranquility and joyfulness! 

I remember witnessing such an attitude of self giving, with a heart of joyfulness when Dr Bob Carman of CMC Vellore moved out of his accommodation in the college campus to live in Otteri for a season to spare the A grade house in the college campus at Bagayam, to someone who needed it more than him. While talking about it, he mentioned hesitantly, ' That was the least I could do when there was a long waiting list of faculty for accommodation in the college campus' ! 

To live life from the heart level is a calling !

A heart freed from personal ambition but moved with an inclusive ambition of wellness for all is what becomes a 'leaven that shall leaven the dough'!

I have my own struggles within to let go to be free of personal ambition!

When it happens,  one shall find joyful heart and soulful life!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Being fraternal is normality!

A Cormorant, two Bulbuls and a Common iora with a Bulbul- they were the early morning visitors in our garden today!

A cormorant is often found alone; Bulbuls feed at the feeding table in pairs or along with others in our garden and the Common arora bird is often found  as a pair.

Today a Common iora was with  a Bulbul. One is a small bird and the other is a medium sized bird. They looked comfortable with each other, perched beside each other. 

Each bird has its own bird behaviour. 

What surprised me was the comfort level of a small bird, Common iora with a medium sized bird, Bulbul!

Theirs was a comfort level without fear or threat !

Israel as a nation is a small country and is surrounded by neighbouring countries who have some reservation about Israel because of the disproportionate power it wields despite its small size. Its current conflict with Palestine and Iran springs from fear and threat. When Israel was formed as a nation in the mid sixtes, it was an occasion for the jewish community scattered in different parts of the world to look forward to returning from exile to their own country. Since then Israel had at least three conflicts with neighbouring counties and exists with high threat level from around. 

The common iora bird is small and looked perched comfortably next to a a bigger Bulbul!

Enmity, fear or threat do not contribute to peace or wellness. 

But acceptance, tolerance and a level of mutuality help to live respectful of each other. 

It looks like that every now and then some nations are restless till they have a conflict with a neighbouring nation or a confrontation. India and Pakistan had three wars in the last 75 years. 

A Common iora bird and a Bulbul bird are dissimilar in size, habitat and avian status. That did not come in the way of being together in a tree next to each other !

It is not enough to be a Cormorant; it is not even enough to be two Bulbuls; it is necessary to be like a common iora and a Bulbul, who although dissimilar are comfortable with each other !

The three large nations of the world, USA, China and Russia have a dominating temper and attitude. Some smaller countries like Israel, or Iran, stretch themselves to be confrontational and controlling !

I do not find it befitting, when the world is a comity of nations with sovereign rights and  under obligation to be fraternal, to resort to war under any circumstances!

What surprises me even more, is the silence of the Unites Nations Organisation at a volatile time like this, when nuclear threat is at our door step! I find the attitude of the USA least helpful or conciliatory!

The Common iora and a Bulbul show us how we can be rational and fraternal !

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Becoming a neighbour!

A Bulbul was in our courtyard perched on a cable, during the short spell when it was not raining yesterday. 

A Magpie robin came to be perched beside the Bulbul. It was wet and soaked and was struggling to fly. 

I noticed,  how the Bulbul turned to give attention to the Magpie robin with body gestures that expressed a fraternal attitude of concern!

The Bulbul was 'beholding' the Magpie robin during the time of the body grooming to become flight ready !

That was a demonstration of how birds behave in a neighbourly manner towards each other! 

A Magpie robin needed a companion and that was what a Bulbul offered to become!

Become a neighbour to others!

That was the message the Bulbul left with me!

I hesitated to share these photos as the Bulbul was out of focus! But the message was significant enough to reflect on!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Life, Living, Learning - 4

On a rainy day, it was an experience to watch avian behaviour, which indicated how sharing a meal together created an ambience of intimacy between tow Bulbuls. 

Both of the birds arrived one after another and occupied two different feeding bowls in the feeding table in our garden. 

The photos above till we spot them close to each other happened in about five minutes ! 

There were pauses between their feeding turns, during which they seemed to be in conversation and silent gestures towards each other as well as connecting with what was around. 

The three thoughts that crossed mind while watching this special scened of courtship behaviour between tow birds. 

First, they were aware of each other. One drawing factor was the feeding time. They turned that time for communication. 

Second, they waited for each other rather than only feed ! There was a mindfulness that was a deeper level to express interest towards each other. 

Third, they perched next to each other to share that experience of togetherness. Tis happened just before they flew away in the same direction. 

There were occasions to listen to few families yesterday. What was common was the hurry that occupied the ambience of their homes. They seem to convey that sense of hurry to children at home. 

We need space and time to grow in awareness towards each other in our homes. The pressure of multiple things to do can easily create a sense of hurry and take away the cheerfulness and delight that out to be the conversational and communicative language between parents and children. 

The true heart of parenting is parenting waiting on their children! A waiter in a restaurant is one who serves guests to enjoy their meal. 

Children at home look for enjoyable and relational times. The parents create such times! 

Parents are formative persons in the lives of children! The parents form the conduct, character, attitude and values of children. This involves a shift from getting them to do many things as chores to drawing near them affectionately and patiently to help children feel loved, valued and affirmed!

The adulthood is a time the parenting roles become central to the calling of parents. There is none who can substitute the parenting roles and functions. It is not what we bequeath to children materially for their future that defines their future as individuals! But what we are to them amidst the daily encounters! I wonder that some parents are driven by their expectations of performances and achievements that they cease to be children but turned into being performers!

It is when parents are intimate to each other, the ambience between them becomes hospitable for children to feel loved and drawn towards the parents! 

A couple becomes functionally parents, when the space between them is occupied by children for their formation! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A wet bird!

 

I watched the grooming process of a Magpie robin in our garden, which was fully drenched and probably immobilised due to difficulty to fly with soaked wings. 

With the mild sunshine on their body and with flapping of wings, in about fifteen minutes, the robin was partly flight ready. 

Often birds secure a shelter before the rain fall to protect the wings and feathers from getting wet. Most birds oil their feathers that the rain drops get deflected from their body. 

I have occasionally seen birds glide from a height with the wet wings and not being able to fly with outstretched wings. The balancing of the body during the gliding movement looked difficult, especially when the wind is no in their favour! 

It was an occasion to become little more familiar with the resilient and enduring experience of a bird in bad weather!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)