Transformation potential

Last week I had gone for a walk in the Osho Park within Pune's Koregaon Park along with Jyoti. It is actually a beautiful, well maintained park which has been created alongside a nallah (waste water stream). The park has a lovely pathway which meanders its way past interesting assortment of plants and alcoves where one can rest & meditate. The genesis of this article emerged when we were enjoying the tranquility & the resulting feeling of peace in that environment.

We were marveling at the fact that a dirty, stinking nallah can be converted into such a lovely place. There would be many people who have put in efforts to achieve this transformation, but it takes the ability of a leader to conceptualize the fact that such a transformation is possible. The “end vision” of what is possible has to be the starting point of such an activity. This is the quintessential quality which separates the outstanding leaders in this world from a long list of excellent managers. Beyond the concept then comes the ability to plan & then mobilize the necessary resources which can convert the vision to reality. Many amongst us can day-dream about changes & improvements in the world, but it takes commitment to move the mountains of doubt & uncertainty to achieve the desired outcome.

Another perspective which arises is also in the form of an important lesson for all of us. No matter how bad the situation around us, there is an opportunity to convert it into something beautiful which others can admire & benefit from. Many times, we are overwhelmed by situations which seem insurmountable & demotivating. It could be pertain to a personal relationship, professional career or anything else in your life. The water in the nallah did not start out as dirty or stinking, but it was the addition of pollutants & contaminants which make it so. Some of these are a natural result of the life we live & would be inevitable. The key
essence is that the flow needs to be maintained to ensure that that the pollutants do not accumulate. A bottleneck within a stream is the place where pollutants accumulate & result in stink. In the same way one needs to avoid accumulation of negative energy & thoughts and maintain the flow. Many times the stream would have accumulated the flow which removes small bottlenecks, but there are multiple occasions when external intervention is useful to modify the path of the flow & avoid bottlenecks. In our lives, this external intervention might be in the form of advice of close friend, well-wisher, mentor, coach, guru or even a philosophy which one follows.

Lastly even though the creation of the park is an achievement in itself, the work does not stop there. If there is no effort to maintain the place, the garden will be over-run by weeds & degenerate back into its original state over a period of time. Therefore starting with basic tasks of sweeping the pathways clean, maintaining the flora & repairing any damage caused by weather is very essential to maintain the beauty of the garden. The same approach to one’s life & career is also instrumental in enjoying the life which one seeks. This means that conscious efforts are required on our part to retain the inner beauty which has been provided to each one of us. This beauty has many manifestations in terms of intelligence, creativity, generosity, ability, aptitude etc. Obviously we might have been endowed with these, but they will blossom only when time, energy & effort is invested in the right direction.