Saturday, May 28, 2011

Open Books

Every day I walk down the street, busy people gliding on their feet.

Hundreds of faces passing by, heading to destinations, you would wonder were?


One look into theie eyes & you can see, lost souls in deep thoughts, deeper than the sea.

Mahesh has a job to find, just a carrier break that’s on his mind.

Alan has a loan to pay, bigger than his pockets can weigh.


Don’t you see what I see, people are open books I can read.


Shetal has a picture of a guy in her eyes, one she loves but cannot stand his lies.

Prashant is hoping for a raise, praying someone appreciates his work and utters a raise.


Don’t you see what I see, people are open books I can read.


Reena has got divorce papers to file, to get rid of her cheating husband, and go away in exile.

Jerry just had an HIV test, doc says, sixty days and he may rest.


Don’t you see what I see, people are open books I can read.


Akash has dirty money in his pants, a place to blow the money is all that he wants.

Shrinath is waiting for his pension to come, cause his kids are saying dad we are done.


Don’t you see what I see, people are open books I can read.


At the corner of the street poor Chotu is craving for just a roti,

With hunger in his eyes, he afraid he may never see the dawn again.


Don’t you see what I see, people are open books I can read.

Friday, February 4, 2011

What's stopping me ?

A few years back I was contemplating to take up a course I was long resisting. I got a distinction between a conversation; 'Why are you not doing the course?' and 'What's stopping you from taking up the course?'

The latter is actually a very powerful way of inquiry. It does not put a person in a spot.When you ask someone 'what is stopping you?' the context of the conversation changes altogether. It's an empowering inquiry that the person does not resit.

What's stopping me ?

Fish Tank



Imagine a water tank with only pure water flowing into it. It has beautiful fishes, all swimming in their own rhythm. And then one day the tank starts getting filled with dirty water. The fishes in the tank grow sluggish. Hovering at the top of the tank to gasp some oxygen. The dirty water is filling the tank faster than the pristine water.

The dirty water also brings with it some fishes. Fishes, those are used to the dirty water. Slowly the fresh water fishes are all dead.Will the dirty water fish still survive? Why not, they are so used to the dirty water; right? But the dirty water also brings with it lots of sludge. Slowly the sludge fills up the tank bottom up. The dirty water fishes also now start moving to the top of the tank,gasping for oxygen. And then one day, all that is left in the tank is nothing but the sludge.

Now the tank itself is not capable of holding any more water, pure or dirty.

Our life is also very much the same. In real life, there are a number of instances when good and bad collide. Just like the tank example, we let the bad thoughts,emotions,experiences or actions
flow faster than the good. If the pristine water were to flow faster than the impure water, the pure water would have displaced the impurity like a waterfall juts with pure water.