WHAT A SILENT NIGHT ! - sudhanshu

Just remembered a quote which I read somewhere – it was by Ellen G White -

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‘True love is not a strong, fiery, impetuous passion. It is, on the contrary, an element calm and deep. It looks beyond mere externals, and is attracted by qualities alone. It is wise and discriminating, and its devotion is real and abiding.’

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Just composed a poem in the silence of the emerging Autumn Night – looking at stars from the rooftop of My Essel Towers -

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POEM ON PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE -

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I’m in it to win it,

On top of the pile

I’m deep in the cause

And it’s worth all my while

I walloped opponents

I screeched into view

I battled the bullshit

To create something new

But every so often

I take a step back

To examine the change

That I want to enact

And I think and reflect

On being alive

This short time on earth

What we do to survive:

We bend and we grow

We war and we fight

We all dance together

We all find our light

We’re particles of joy

We’re bits of bones and matter

We’re relying on each other

We’re one rung on the ladder

While the journey is tough,

The solution’s now clear:

If we’re in this together

We’ve nothing to fear

So now we return

Down into the fray

Restored and refreshed

The dawn of a day.

Sometimes I wonder ............

I am not an examiner, but the interested inquirer.

Curiosity is one of the best traits you can cultivate. Otters have it. Cats and dogs have it. Little kids have it. They look at the world and want to know, why? But as we age, we tend to lose that sense of curiosity. We’re told to mind our own business, to keep our heads down or to let other people be. There are loads of benefits to being curious, though. Finding out cool stuff is the most obvious one. And curiosity can help increase feelings of empathy, which is an important part of the Life. When you ask questions and learn about someone else’s situation, it helps you to understand them a bit better, and that’s when the empathy kicks in. It makes life a lot sweeter when every day is an opportunity to understand something new.

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?So be curious, and surround yourself with others who also have a bit of curiosity about the world. The ones who notice a weird bird and wonder what kind it is. The ones who read an article about spy pigeons during WWI and think, I don’t know enough about that – I wonder if there’s a book or documentary I can look up and learn more? The ones who reliably have fun facts to tell you at a birthday party. Stuff like, did you know allied war pigeon President Wilson suffered multiple bullet wounds in mid-flight at the hands of the German army, yet still managed to deliver an urgent message requesting artillery support for his unit? Those sorts of people. Delightful!

I remember a quote – which is very relevant these days –

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‘Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.’

Gertrude Stein

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Sometimes a fun fact is just that. There’s nothing to be learned from this. Just file it away as something entertaining to impart at your next party. You can also say stuff like, ‘Did you know the unicorn is the official animal of Scotland? Or that the length of your foot is the same as your forearm?’

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?Unlike the clompy clump of horse hooves or the skittering scritch of the dog claw, some species are free to pad about the world without making too much noise. This doesn’t mean they’re sneaky. But being quiet and soft-spoken can have its advantages, despite what we’ve been conditioned to believe: that speed, strength and aggression are essential to an animal’s survival, for example; or that instilling fear via intimidation is the only way to earn respect or gain power. I however, have survived as a species despite being gentle, accommodating and easy-going. And the perhaps command respect, in spite of my softness. So how is it possible that I thrived while being the opposite of what a successful, powerful person these days should be? Somehow I thrived by being chill, good at compromise and playing the long game. I tend to have what’s called soft power. And it’s very effective. They also tend to have fewer and sometimes more enemies. And lower blood pressure, probably. Plus, they’re more aloof at parties because they listen well and won’t make a scene.

So next time you read a loud headline about a shark or giant-hornet type of person, remember what’s going on behind the scenes. Hundreds of millions of people, staying out of danger, doing their thing, exerting their soft power in mysterious, effective ways. Like mailing you a banana bread before asking you for a favour.

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The idea of something that appeals to everyone may seem like a foreign concept these days. Apart from babies, the adorableness of which most people can agree on, everyone seems polarised about everything. Extremism rules. Nuanced analysis is seen as boring or wishy-washy. ‘Take a side’, people shout, often impolitely. This black and white way of looking at the world is also called ‘splitting’ (if you’re in a therapist’s office). And it leads to division and heartache.

Which is why the world needs philosophy more than ever.

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Sometimes we know that grey areas are very useful. Being undecided about something is fine. Nuance is great, and so is compromise. They are to be cultivated and celebrated. They’re the sign of someone who’s a bit flexible. In fact, they are a sign of advanced moral development.

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American 20th-century psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg believed there were six phases of moral development. The earlier ones were more rigid and often seen in children: stealing is bad, being nice to people is good – that sort of thing. Some people, the ‘splitters’, never leave this stage. But what if you’re stealing bread to feed your family? Most people with a bit of empathy might admit that in this instance stealing was ok. Suddenly, they’re in a higher phase of development. A person in the sixth and highest phase uses abstract reasoning based on universal ethical principles. For example, a stage-six individual might imagine what they would do in another person’s shoes – if they believed what that other person imagined to be true, then they’d act accordingly. Wild, right? The good news is, we actually become more nuanced as we get older, according to Kohlberg’s observations. So if you’re 100 per cent certain about something now, wait a few years. You never know what might change. You’ll still be into your sweater, though. It’s just so comfortable.

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Much Love

sudhanshu

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