Inspiration Archives

Less But Better

October 30, 2021

Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is. -William James Our complex interactions – What we want to be seen as, by others What we think we are seen as, by others What we are seen as, by others What we are, in reality We push ourselves to the edge trying to ‘portray and please’. But it’s an energy drain. There are many reasons to be authentic. A simple one amongst them – its less

The Long Game

October 13, 2021

We overestimate what can happen in one year. We underestimate what can happen in ten years. Yet, the only game worth playing is the long game. The power of compound interest doesn’t just apply to the growth of money. Worth committing to the long game – Long term practice Long term friendships Long term investments Long term path to mastery Long term investment in health Once we commit to the long game, we calibrate and fine-tune in the shorter run. The earliest we start, the better. The longer we play, the better.

First Questions First

October 10, 2021

In 2007, famous Violinist Joshua Bell turned up at a metro station and played one of his best pieces. For an artist whose concerts are overbooked, how many people stopped to watch him? Hardly anyone stopped. Out of 1,097 people that passed Bell by, only 27 gave any money, and only 7 stopped and listened for any length of time. Amazing Musician. Amazing Music. Yet no audience. Why? Perhaps, because, in consuming music, art, poetry… We buy into the story first, then the rest. If we buy into our own story , the rest will follow. Who am I? What’s

2 Inches Above Ground

October 2, 2021

Are you aware of your awareness? Do you understand the technology of technology? Do you connect to the seer who sees? Do you think about your thoughts? Can you be a witness to the person that you are? Just one level above. Perhaps this is the beginning of wisdom. When Dr D.T Suzuki was asked how enlightenment felt – He said – “Enlightenment is like everyday consciousness but two inches above the ground.” Observation is Wisdom. Wisdom needs a 2-inch gap.

Forgot We Were Playing

September 26, 2021

While playing chess – In the middle of the game, stop and tell yourself It is a just game I am playing While watching a movie – In the middle of the movie, stop and tell yourself It is a just movie I am watching While at work – In the middle of it all, step back and tell yourself It is just work that I signed up to do We entered the theatre to play. But somewhere down the line, it got so immersive, that we forgot we were playing. While living life…

Wu Wei

September 16, 2021

There is a principle called Wu Wei. Wu – Non Wei – Forcing Force is artificial. The opposite is natural. It doesn’t mean that we do nothing and stay passive. It’s the opposite. It’s like a sailor who knows the tide. As philosopher Alan Watts said – Wu Wei is the art of sailing rather than the art of rowing. Sailing – Like water flowing down the stream. Like a child playing. Like a great actor on stage. Natural. Spontaneous. Playful. Wu – Not Wei – Serious

Some Questions Are Answers

September 11, 2021

Many a time, life throws a problem at us. And then we grapple with finding answers. Sometimes – Asking the right question IS the answer. Some questions we could ask – Do I have control over it? What is the worst that can happen? Where is the anxiety coming from? Is this my ego seeking a resolution? What happens if I leave this alone for a while? Who wins at the end of this? Is this the real problem? What if silence was my answer? Finally, one more important question – Is this a problem to be solved, Or a

Absolute Freedom

August 21, 2021

Good is the opposite of bad. So, good is then the product of bad. Because if bad goes away, good will go away too. The opposite of something is embedded in it. In choosing one, we choose the other by default. Good-Bad. Beautiful-Ugly. Joy-Sorrow. Excitement-Boredom. The entire world around us is designed in binary mode. The vital question to table here – Is freedom the opposite of bondage? Or is freedom the freedom from the game of opposites? Freedom and Love are interesting concepts. They can live in the binary and also beyond it. There is relative freedom. Then there

The Highest Award

July 16, 2021

When Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, he didn’t acknowledge it for weeks. No statement, no interviews. He did not attend the awards ceremony. One can assume that he couldn’t care less about the world’s most prestigious prize. Grigori Perelman is considered the greatest living mathematician. In 2002 he solved one of the seven mathematical “Millennium Problems.” He was selected for the Fields Medal, a Nobel Prize for mathematics—which he declined. Nobel Prize, Oscar…Facebook likes… The need for validation is coded into us through evolutionary biology – to retain or gain status in the tribe.

Grand Redesign

June 21, 2021

West Germany and Japan endured widespread devastation during World War II. Yet, in the years after the war, both countries experienced miraculous economic growth that sustained over decades and shaped their new position in the world. In his book “The Rise and Decline of Nations,” Mancur Olson writes that both countries drove exponential growth primarily because their old ideologies and beliefs had been disrupted. That disruption opened space for something fresh and new. The pandemic has been a force of disruption. There has been disruption outside and inside. We have been forced to reevaluate aspects of our lives, work, relationships… As we sketch the

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