Harmony
Sanjay Anand
Retail Enthusiast | Business Development | Large Scale Operations | Strategy & Planning | Growth Advisory | Walmart | Big Bazaar | Cox & Kings | Dr Batra's | Himalaya | Camlin
Recently there was an art contest at the local college where students were instructed to paint the ideal depiction of harmony.
The winning painting would be judged by a panel of department heads from all over the school. It was called the Paint Harmony Contest.
After reviewing all of the paintings the panel whittled the completion down to two finalists. The first painting of the two finalists featured a serene zen garden on a flawlessly clear day.
It had perfectly manicured shrubs, meticulously placed rocks, seamless patches of immaculate grass, a stone Buddha statue partially covered in moss sitting within a tranquil pond, and a handcrafted wooden foot bridge with a methodically winding sand path leading to a stoic meditation temple in the background. Just about everyone on the panel who saw this painting believed it was an impeccable example of harmony.
The second painting of the two finalists was of a fishing boat lost in a raging storm far out in the ocean. The waves were high and the rain was pounding and all the boat could do was hold on tight and ride out the storm. However, if you looked closely on top of the boat’s mast there was a family of seagulls sitting in a row completely at peace as the boat was tossed around by the frantic sea.
Which painting was chosen as the winner of the contest?
Well, everyone on the panel made up of the school’s department heads voted for the first painting as the winner; except one. He was the head of the philosophy department and he voted for the second painting. The rest of the panel was very confused by this so they asked him, “The second painting is very chaotic.
Why are you voting for it?” That’s when the philosophy department head explained his vote. “Real harmony is not in the absence of chaos. It is not found in a world free from worry, distress, trouble, and disorder. Real harmony occurs when you’re at the center of disarray, yet there’s a peacefulness to your being and a calmness in your soul.” After he spoke the rest of the panel had tears in their eyes as they changed their votes. The second painting won.
Moral of the story: We cannot rely on peaceful places for harmony. Instead we must aim to create peace and harmony wherever we are from within. Because when we start living from the inside out is when we begin to command our inborn power.