Palms and trees !

This is a sight I watch almost every day during my walk. Overgrown trees and unyielding palms. The trees dominate and deprive the palms of their due of ground water, manure and even sunlight. The trees spread tier roots even as much as 20 or meters where as palms have circumferential roots jus around it. 

It matters where we plant the palms. It requires and favourable and secure soil conditions. Otherwise they grow without being able to bear fruits.

It is the environment which facilitates all of us to live and flourish. 

Each of us needs an affirming and accepting environment. 

This is often is a limiting factor which depletes people of their energy while at work and yet not fruitful as they could have been. 

It is those who live fulfilled lives and stay content, who can let others grow and nurture them for their full expression.  Those of us who are older, have to create space for younger people even if we feel that our legitimate space is usurped by them. Giving away gladly is the only way to find greater fulfilment in the latter years of our lives. 

We live in a competitive environment that the survival instinct is expressed at the cost of others. I wish we would witness in our places of work more collaboration and not competition! 

A senior friend told me that he was able to let go of his right to prepare the operation list and choose who shall operate, to a younger colleague, which is the most difficult task a senior surgeon can let go! After having done that he realised that he felt the freedom from the instinct to control. He realised that his younger colleagues were more generous to give him operating time of  clinical conditions he was good at, which became  teaching occasions for him to equip his younger professionals. The very thing we hold on to can become a snare, making us wanting to be in a controlling role. It is the controlling instinct which can choke others and make them unyielding. 

A pastor told me that it is the norm that the senior most pastor  pronounces them benediction at the end of a worship service or in any gathering . He decided to let go of this and often would request someone else younger to him pronounce the benediction. The four other younger pastors who got opportunity in turn to pronounce the benediction began to be more open and courteous towards him that he wondered was thad changed! One younger pastor in a conversation told him that, they were pleasantly surprised by his attitude to create new practices and not stay conformed! 

This to me is a challenge, as I hold responsibility of overseeing younger professionals. To give them awareness of their abilities and skills and to acknowledge them in public can be  a conscious way to create more space and recognition for them.  This indeed is the way forward, if older people want to grow up less clingy to what they think is their legitimate right!

The trees choke the palms whose roots cannot go far; Trees soften the soil by breaking through the hard soil, but they consume the nutrients of the soil along the way.  The trees and palms need their own space. But trees claim more space! 

Should the older people among us need so much of space and visibility! What the senior people bequeath  alone would matter and last!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)