CONSERVING HUMANENESS

It is strange to see man, so fervently, trying to protecting the environment and conserving flora and fauna and yet not being in the least concerned about the eroding values of humaneness, forget doing something about it.

We are not talking of protecting and conserving human beings. That’s for Nature to decide. We are talking about preserving and protecting the very essence of ‘being human’ – the most precious gift of nature - something that you will all agree is fast getting extinct, starting from you – the individual.

Rising intolerance and arrogance, greeding, demanding and coercing, anger, revengefulness, malice, envy and jealousy is becoming a menace to collective harmony and accord. Leading to violence and rage getting infused at early ages. Not because of anyone’s fault but because the collective vibration of human consciousness is so. Even if these emotions are not acted out, harbouring them passively is enough for the energetic imprint to influence others. It’s interesting that amongst all sentient beings, man is the only species that predates upon others of its own kind. Emotionally and politically, if not physically. Despite social and judicial reforms.

The challenge is widespread, the magnitude concerning. External reforms alone will not help. It begins and ends with individual change, healing and transformation. The question is -how? Is there a simple approach – beyond motherhoods like ‘to thine own self be true’ – something doable, implementable and repeatable? Of course, there is.

Ancient Indian sages on different occasions, in different ways have talked about honing of only two humane qualities for inner growth and ascension – compassion and contentment. Compassion towards others and contentment towards self.

“Compassion and contentment are two very valuable words, because the whole life of individual seeker can be contained within them. Contentment within and compassion without must be balanced on the scales. Be always satisfied within your own self and ever-compassionate towards others, never contentment towards others nor compassion towards one’s own self.” ~ Osho

Ordinarily, we do just the opposite. We see the other – neighbour, colleague, client and even partner suffering in plight and in our heart of hearts, wash our hands off the situation, pleading it to be not one’s business. Conveniently, we distort the meaning of contentment to be satisfaction with things as they are, with others, instead of being contented with what I have, knowing that I am where I am meant to be.

Unrest and turbulence follow in the wake of dissatisfaction when I feel things are not happening as I want them to happen. “I am not as I should be; I have not been given what I am worthy of receiving; God does not seem to be pleased with me; there is some injustice; I am not appreciated as I should be; I definitely deserve more fame, more wealth.” As soon as these thoughts of dissatisfaction begin to gather in your mind, you will feel the lack of things and your restlessness begins. Your mind will concentrate on all that you do not have and see only insufficiency and misery.

Compassion towards others – what does it mean? At the minimum is about being tolerant and celebrating uniqueness of each individual, unconditional forgiveness for the wrong that you believe has been done unto you by others and gratitude for each and every individual who is in your life, for the value they bring unto you in some way or the other. It is also about doing whatever is possible for you to do for others and more - making them happy and bringing peace unto them, whether they receive it from you or not. Don’t worry or be discontented on that account, let it not dishearten you. What matters is your intention. You tried your best but could not relieve a person of his pain or suffering. Don’t blame yourself, but maintain your contentment.

The imbalance of compassion (towards others) and contentment (towards self) is strikingly conspicuous in the corporate world. Behind a masquerade of altruism, you crave and hanker for more power, position and pay and buy awards to feel appreciated and recognized (discontentment and compassionate towards self). Not being much bothered about jobless talents who are finding it difficult to make ends meet, mothers desperately looking for a break to make a re-entry and retirements with residual energy and talent looking for opportunities to make themselves re-employed and feel relevant (contented and dis-compassionate towards others). ?No wonder, despite so many best-selling approaches and frameworks fadistically adopted by new age enterprises, nothing much has happened in terms of making them self-managed, self-adaptive and self-evolving.

In my journey of enabling transformation in lives of individuals, as a practicing Bach Flower therapist, I have had many coming to me with emotional, mental and behavioural challenges, underlying which has been the imbalance of compassion and contentment. Accompanying them on their healing journey, I have been fortunate to re-instil in them the balance and thereby reinstate collective harmony. Corporation may do well to pilot with this easy, safe and effective practice, particularly amongst senior leaders, to witness the organizational transformation that may follow.?

Inviting conversations to explore.

(Pre-publication copy)