Watching any bird feed is an informational exercise to know the habit of a bird.
This Barbet is one of the birds who regularly visit the feeding station in our garden around the same time each day in the morning. Like most birds, before the flight movements start for the day, the birds have their first feed in our garden.
The Barbet above takes a leisurely path to its feeding. It dominates the feeding table during its feeding time, with other birds waiting to arrive only after Barbet leaves the feeding table.
The barbets are used to solo feeding!
The dominant presence!
As against this there are birds who practice enabling presence for other birds!
I recollect these two behaviour patterns in humans- Dominant presences versus Enabling presence !
On social occasions, there are are those who by the virtue of their position, age or habit dominate conversations and control the situation to their advantage. They relate to those with whom they are comfortable. They choose to relate with people who add to their significance or visibility.
There are some others who seek to be more sociable, fraternal and cordial to all, taking care to make even those who are less sociable to feel comfortable. They create an ambience of acceptance and communication so that everyone feels connected.
I have noticed this contrasting behaviour style on any occasions!
The dominant presence is an acquired habit, often practiced to promote oneself. The enabling presence is a mindful behaviour taking into consideration the needs of others to make everyone feel inclusive.
I have noticed this in academic circles, where people form 'affinity groups' in order to promote, control and enforce an opinion. A cardiovascular surgeon told me how twenty five years ago, when arterial grafts began to be used during a beating heart surgery, instead of venous grafts for coronary re-vascularisation, the advocates of venous grafts still using heart-lung machine trivialised the advantage of arterial grafts and beating heart surgery. Later, the shift towards arterial grafts and beating surgery became the gold standard. I got to know from this surgeon how some of them proactively became enablers for some cardiac surgeons to shift towards using arterial grafts and beating heart surgery. Even then the protagonists of venous graft use remained loud protesting with a dominant opinion.
I remember many enablers in my professional journey. It was Professor Mrs S.S. Deshmukh who introduced me, during my post graduate truing in child health, to the habit of listening to the tone of cry of infants and toddlers when they are ill to suspect the cause. It was professor Velmurgendran who introduced to me to look for the neural causal pathway in every child with neuro-developmental dysfunction, which changed my clinical outlook. I feel grateful to parents of developmentally challenged children for initiating me into the habit of listening and observing rather than forming an opinion based on the first impressions! They opened to me the advantage of pursuing an enquiry pathway which involved revising opinions dynamically!
Most of us have become, who we are, because of many enablers in our lives.
That is a different way of being! From a dominant way to an enabling way!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
Thank you for being an enabler Sir. There are things I have learned during my posting with you that I still follow. You now continue to be an enabler for many. 🙏
ReplyDelete