Observe the mental models in action around…

I am sharing this short writing to help us reflect how in our every day hustle-bustle of life, we have lost sight of mental models in action around us.  

Last week , on a Sunday, I stood there outside one of the widely and popularly known temples, observing people who came for “Darshan” . The first observation that surprised me was of –“Power Dynamics” , wondering its prevalence not only at our workplaces but also at places like these. One of the beggars , must have been a Head Beggar or so , was shooing away the new entrants of beggars into his small territory of begging , declaring that he paid an handsome sum to the authorities for operating out of this location and hence his men only could operate or beg out of this place . Many could be seen roaming around from one spot to the other begging alms , perhaps because they had no fixed place to operate from and hence had adopted the mobility model , and others sitting and begging outside the gates ,because of age or handicap.

There were crowds of people from various backgrounds and communities coming for the “Darshan” to this place- few worshipping the holy from outside the gates of the temple, bowing with their joined hands , offering prayers and then moving on , whilst others in large numbers standing outside  the temple in long queues for their turn to visit and offer prayers. What does this tell us- that only a few think and believe different and that most of us want to be normal and do normal – what is accepted by the larger set.

While I was observing , a beggar came close to where I was standing. At first look , he never looked like a beggar but when he begged alms in the name of God that this is his daily job for bread & butter – I realised the mental models in action- one that begging was been taken up as a job with no shame associated with it and two, we would never expect a beggar to be fairly well dressed ?

Anyways, on other side, to my observation, parking did not look like a challenge there, likewise other temples , perhaps because of the metro connectivity to this place . The roads just outside the temple were  brick-structured to avoid fast movement of vehicles and thereby accidents . Also, it helped those passing by in their vehicles to halt for few seconds and pay respect to the holy. The decibels of music  played in temple was comfortable to ears . Looked like the effectiveness of authorities or again a mental model in action that the resident colonies were near by.

 “Swach Bharat” mission seemed well in action there. I could see almost everyone, from worshippers to beggars and kids throwing away disposables, banana skins etc in dustbins only. How come - was that a mental model in action there to follow others and keep the place clean?

Another important observation, unlike other temples , only dry stuff could be offered as prasad there including flowers , no liquids allowed like milk and water. And perhaps, that was one of the reasons for the place to be relatively cleaner.   So, does this tell us that every problem whether in public or private sector is a system or mental model problem and can be resolved with corrections in systems , structures and mental models .

Thought of spending some more time and observe the local market next to the temple. The market looked vibrant with bright lights and beautiful aroma of flowers . Worshippers were shopping for prasad – small ,medium and big baskets of fresh to exotic flowers and variety like ladoo , boondi prasad etc. One could see the socio-economic forces in play.

I again observed another mental model in action- kids from beggar community-unwashed, unhygienic and barefoot running from one corner to other, looking for potential worshippers who would be willing to offer them alms . When asked if they would like to go to school and study , pop came the reply that they do not need to as  living comes easy with the current style though it has its own set of challenges.

These few hours of observation made me reflect for days , thinking of the mental models in action  around us.