I have come to realise that birds fly away even with a low shutter sound of a camera. But the dragon flies stay on. Even if they fly away when disturbed, they return to the same spot or to a nearby shrub or grass. I have watched this so often that I suspect that it might be the second nature of dragon flies.
I have reflected on this recently. Human thoughts have a feature of disturbing the mind, body and soul. The mind is often a place of heavy traffic of rushing and captivating thoughts. Thoughts are associated with emotions.
I was at a meeting two days back. I could not hold my thoughts back to stay focussed on what I was hearing. I found my mind travelling in different directions tracing history and emotions of recent weeks. It was disturbing that I felt that I had not done the auditing of my thoughts well enough, even though I went through the exercise of stilling my mind before attending the meeting.
Our thoughts direct our thinking and obstruct us from proceeding on to empty our minds of thoughts that need no attention any more. Our thoughts can drag us to live occupied and entangled inwardly. It is our thoughts which make us to stay biased or accusatory. Our thoughts can prevent us from seeking truth and offering freedom to ourselves or others.
I noticed that the long rest that the dragon flies take is in between their long flights up in the air. The dragon flies soar high and have to stay afloat in spite of the strong air currents. They work and rest. They rest in order to be able to work.
I have struggled with the restlessness in my mind recently with emotions of loss and pain, dominating me due to some difficult situations at my work place.
While these thoughts were engaging my attention, I noticed a Bulbul perched in an adjacent tree with its neck extended and eyes fixed at a distance.
I stayed watching this Bulbul till it moved away after about ten minutes. Its body still and looking at a distant site, it was getting ready for its next flight path and destination. It flew away to a distant place that it was no more visible to my sight.
That was a message of alertness to me. The Bulbul just did not stay looking around, but had fixed its gaze at a distance.
I have been heavy of heart and down cast over the difficulties I face at my work place. My thoughts dragged me to a state of inertia and anguish about the future in the recent weeks. It is not the experience of the present or the past which determine the outcome of the future. The past and present can get subsumed if one can make a choice of direction and destination while contemplating to move on.
The stillness of the dragon flies and the contemplative orientation of the Bulbul brought to me an insight that I needed at a time such as this. There is no value in prolonging the present with brooding, fact finding, blaming, or fixing accountability. They might look justifiable. But that is the least of the important things awaiting a person, who has his or her mind set on a journey ahead.
As I watched this Magpie Robin leaving one flower pot and to fly to the other, it stayed in the air for a short time. Being in the air is the the in-between time of leaving and arriving.
To leave the present involves a risk. The risk of not being able to arrive is another fear that can restrain a person from moving on.
I wonder whether I stay on with hesitation because of fear, even though it is clear that there is a need to move away from a scene which has paralysed good work life practices. What is the loss when one moves from one station to another station in order to embrace a new culture of work! It is the loss of relationships. What is in a relationship if the relationships are not founded on respect, truth and interest beyond a personal gain!
All of us have an opportunity to design the journey that is more altruistic than the former and create a scaffolding to create a new work culture. The old cannot be stitched on to the new. The old needs to be left behind and the new ought out be defined to make the advantage more plentiful for those whom we serve. A work place is intended to serve others and not for ensuring more and more personal gain for oneself.
Here I am in the mid air and desiring to redefine work place practices! I am not sure if I would land safe!
Whatever it might be, I have left the shore of the past and is moving to the shore of a new beginning! How much of support I would receive is a question in my mind! If I fail, it was in the process of reviving some good work place practices.
As I walked back to our cottage from the garden, the above sight of three buds in a rose bush revived my spirit immensely. It was not just one or two but three! Three is a symbol of abundance.
Will the latter days at my work place be better than the former days!
I have a sense of hope and trust that carry me forward! I am in pain and sorrow over what happened at the work place under my vigil! I have reasons to persevere to revive the work culture! It is an uphill task. It is worth pursuing!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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