I happened to notice two men planting teak trees along one side of a paved road in the CMC campus, where there are already hundreds of trees in its hundred acre campus.
I was keen to find out how the teak saplings were chosen! the teak trees grow taller and do not spread out its branches all around to prevent other trees form growing.
As I left them, I saw the sight of a tree (second photo), which spreads out over a large area. The earth around it is free of any green vegetation. The shade its branches provides does not allow other vegetation to grow. There are several trees in the campus like this, which spread out on all sides, making the ground around it inhospitable
I kept thinking about this as I continued my walk. I worked in five medical schools. It was at CMC Vellore, I experienced a climate, where its leadership had a stated policy to allow individual development of its faculty and allowing them freedom to pursue their professional and personal pursuits. I sensed a culture of facilitating space for each faculty, to express themselves fully in thought and action. The consultative process in decision making continues as the hall mark of its work culture.
Most organisations tend to be governed by a hierarchical structure, where the few in the top leadership grow usurping the space belonging to others in the organisation. That is how the leadership subdue others and limit the fuller expression of their skills. The organisational milieu becomes vicious with anger, suspicion and murmuring. I am personally concerned about the intense conflicts in many institutions because the leadership restricts the freedom of growth of its staff.
I was most encouraged to see the planting of the teak tree saplings along the avenue, symbolising the preference for trees that grow tall by giving equal space for other trees to grow tall. It is also an investment because the teak trees can later become timber for valuable furniture, doors and windows of houses!
When we consciously allow others to grow and create space for their presence and expression, we invest into the future to create a community of those who live mindful of each other. People when given encouragement to be 'themselves' will in all probability grow up to allow others to be 'themselves'.
This was how, Jesus of Nazareth created space for each of his disciples, who were temperamentally different from each other. He did not strive to change them, but directed them to a higher calling! That made them different over a period of time!
Let us make space for each person. That is how we can facilitate enlargement of people for self giving!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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