A Flower's Job Is To Bloom
एक पुष्प का जीवन कार्य है फलना फूलना एवं खुशबू फैलाना द्वारा श्रीकुमार राव“माय फेयर लेडी “ नमक प्रसिद्ध नाटक में एक अहम् समय तब आता है जब एक पात्र, हेनरी हिग्गिंस की माँ , सहानुभूति पूर्वक एक सिसकती हुई पात्र एलिजा डोलिटिल से मिलती है| एलिजा नाराज़ है कि हिग्गिंस ने उसे ,एक राजकीय नृत्य नाटिका में हुए, उसके शोभनीय नृत्य नाटक के लिए, बधाई नहीं दी, जबकी वहां के युवराज ने उस के नृत्य से प्रभावित हो कर पहला नृत्य , उसके ही साथ किया था|
एलिजा, हिग्गिंस को फटकारती है और उसकी तुलना एक अन्य पात्र कर्नल पिकरिंग से करती है , जो एक साधारण नृत्यांगना (flower girl) से भी ऐसा ही बर्ताव करता है जैसे कि वो कोई महारानी हो| इस पर हिग्गिंस जवाब देता है कि वो महारानी से भी एक साधारण नृत्यांगना (flower girl) जैसा ही बर्ताव करता है और फिर कहता है कि वो सबसे एक जैसा ही बर्ताव करता है|
एलिजा चाहती थी अपने आपको महत्वपूर्ण महसूस कराना और सब उसे महत्वपूर्ण मान कर उस से उसी तरह का बर्ताव करें|
आप भी ऐसा ही चाहते हैं|मैं भी ऐसा ही चाहता हूँ| और ज्यादातर सभी ऐसा ही चाहते हैं|
समस्या तब उभरती है जब हम ये चाहते हैं कि यह पहचान एवं सम्मान एक अमुक व्यक्ति से अथवा एक अमुक समूह की तरफ से आये| जब भी हमारा आतंरिक एवं भावात्मक स्वास्थ्य इस बात पर निर्भर करता है कि हमें किसी अन्य से सम्मान मिला है या नहीं, तभी हमने अपने चारों ओर एक कैद का निर्माण कर लिया है और उसकी चाबी किसी और के हाथ में दे दी है|
पर हम ऐसा क्यों करेंगे ? हम कभी भी ऐसा क्यों करना चाहेंगे ?
हम ऐसा इसलिए करते हैं क्योंकि हमने इस के विषय में कभी सोचा ही नहीं है, और इसलिए भी करते हैं क्योंक हमारे आस पास के सभी लोग ऐसा ही करते हैं | क्या हम सच में चाहते हैं कि हमारी ख़ुशी किसी अन्य के हमारे प्रति सम्मान एवं प्रशंसा पर निर्भर हो और वो उसके हाथ में एक चाबी की तरह हो?
हमारा जीने का प्रयोजन एक पुष्प की तरह फलना, फूलना और खुशबू फैलाना है | हमारी पूर्ण संतुष्टि उसी में ही है|
एक गुलाब जो जंगल में, वीराने में, फलता फूलता और सुगंध फैलता है, किसी भी मायने में , एक दार्शनिक बगीचे में उगने वाले गुलाब से, कम नहीं है|
मनन के लिए बीज प्रश्न : आप इस धारणा से कैसा नाता रखते हैं कि “ एक गुलाब जो जंगल में, वीराने में, फलता फूलताऔर सुगंध फैलता है, किसी भी मायने में , एक दार्शनिक बगीचे में उगने वाले गुलाब से, कम नहीं है ? क्या आप ऐसे समय कि एक निजी कहानी साझा कर सकते हैं जब आपने किसी अन्य की मान्यता की जरूरत से अपने आपको मुक्त कर लिया हो ? जैसा की एक पुष्प का प्रयोजन फलना फूलना और खुशबू फैलाना है, आपको अपने जीवन के वास्तविक प्रयोजन में बने रहने में, किस चीज़ से मदद मिलती है?
Srikumar Rao is business-chool professor and author. Excerpt above from his book, Modern Wisdom, Ancient Roots.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that 'the rose that blossoms in the wild is not a whit less than the one that does so in a show garden'? Can you share a personal story of a time you were able to find freedom from a need for recognition? What helps you stay true to your nature, just like a flower's job is to bloom?
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21 Past Reflections
On Jul 17, 2023 inder dutt wrote :
inspirational read. . .gives me a purpose of coming in this journey of life through time.
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On Oct 24, 2022 Kiki wrote :
There is the phrase, ‘Bloom where you are planted.’ I have come to invert it to , ‘ Plant yourself where you may bloom.’ In this way, I am not obligated to stay in soil that is toxic to my nature. Maturing means I begin to know the difference between simply avoiding that which causes discomfort and actively nurturing toward my own flourishing. This can include some weeding and composting of thought patterns, social situations, and activities. A garden in process.
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On Oct 22, 2022 Carina wrote :
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You have some really great articles and I feewl I would be a good asset.
If you evrr want to take some of the load off,
I'd absolutely love to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link bzck to
mine. Please shoot mee an e-mail if interested.
Thanks!
Post Your Reply
On Oct 22, 2022 Johanna wrote :
This is great message wrapped up in a misogynist example. There is so much more to My Fair Lady than just Eliza’s desire for the recognition and love of Prof Higgins.
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On Oct 21, 2022 Sadye wrote :
It's remarkable for me to have a web page, which is valuable in support of my know-how.
thanks admin
thanks admin
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On Oct 19, 2022 Arthur wrote :
Used to say that death is life or life is death? For no one knows!
Eurippities
Eurippities
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On Oct 18, 2022 Ricken Patel wrote :
I loved this reflection, as I think it sits at the core of so much of the unfulfilled potential of our public service sectors. The blooming flowers of our academy might unveil truth and understanding, but often this desire for approval and acclaim turns it into what Herman Hesse called the glass bead game. Everywhere I go - the NGO sector, philanthropy, journalism etc, there's the same priority placed on status and recognition. And while it provides powerful ego-fuel for accomplishment, it often feels limiting of our true promise and potential, individually and collectively. What a wonderful thing to identify that and seek, individually and collectively, to become free of it...
1 reply: Shyam | Post Your Reply
On Oct 18, 2022 Sarah wrote :
This makes me think that if we connect with our natural state, we can find peace. Our natural state of being just IS, it does not require a mask or adornment because it is pure.
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On Oct 18, 2022 Ade wrote :
Greetings, My job is to help people. I'm a quiet mindful person and very low key. Most times the manager doesn't acknowlege the thanks I get from the people I help. I remind myself "Im helping people" and I thrive, improve and feel grateful for the opportunity. Kindness, mindfulness, peace is how I bloom.
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On Oct 18, 2022 Shyam Gupta wrote :
Am reminded of a quote , " Nothing can affect us, unless we allow it to do so ".
As long as we are able to find the true meaning of our being on this planet, which is akin to a flowers's job to bloom, there is nothing which should affect our happiness.
The moment we start seeking appreciation, recognition of our efforts, being appreciated by others, our joy and happiness in just blossomimg like a flower , gets compromised. It falls in other's hands.
Remember a personal story. We started a group wherein we were providing ration and medicines during the onset of Covid. Some newspapers covered the story and surprisingly it highlighted just a few of the persons in the group who were otherwise well known and connected. My family told me , you are doing so much but your name does not appear anywhere. I did not comment or do anything about it.
To me it did not matter. My ' job" was to serve the needy and that I was doing. The joy and happiness in doing my bit was all I needed. But... [View Full Comment]
2 replies: David, Shyam | Post Your Reply
On Oct 17, 2022 sashimi wrote :
The rose that is being itself in the wild is the same as a rose that is being itself in a show garden. They are both equal. I find freedom when I am in solitude, or at the worst of it, isolation. However, I can also find freedom by checking in with my Self. Knowing my intentions and doing the best I can for the sake of the task itself, helps me to find that freedom.
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On Oct 17, 2022 Nina wrote :
I am all for freedom, especially freedom for the need to be recognized. However, we are not encapsulated; living beings inter-are, to use Thich Nhat Hanh' s expression: our nervous system responds to another's, perhaps not unlike the way a flower responds to air earth sun and rain.
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On Oct 15, 2022 David Doane wrote :
A rose that grows in ideal conditions may be healthier and look better than one that grows in the wild, but that's not a definite.
What is definite is that one rose is no better or less than the other. A rose is a rose wherever it grows. My need for recognition is small, but not totally gone. I typically do what I believe is right and don't do what to me is not right, and I like recognition, but I don't need recognition and I seldom do or don't do something in order to get recognition. What helps me stay true to my nature is my belief that it is my right, responsibility, and privilege to blossom and be all that I am, which to me is to be true to my nature, all of which I take very seriously. It helps me to know that even though people often say someone made them feel happy or sad or angry or whatever, I know my feelings are mine and controlled by no one but me.
What is definite is that one rose is no better or less than the other. A rose is a rose wherever it grows. My need for recognition is small, but not totally gone. I typically do what I believe is right and don't do what to me is not right, and I like recognition, but I don't need recognition and I seldom do or don't do something in order to get recognition. What helps me stay true to my nature is my belief that it is my right, responsibility, and privilege to blossom and be all that I am, which to me is to be true to my nature, all of which I take very seriously. It helps me to know that even though people often say someone made them feel happy or sad or angry or whatever, I know my feelings are mine and controlled by no one but me.
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On Oct 14, 2022 Ted wrote :
My childhood included the social conditioning that surrounded me. I sought approval from my parents, teachers and other authority figures to survive. As I grew, I found that such approval was often dependent on conditions beyond my control, and that in any case it was never "enough". Like feeding a hungry ghost whose stomach has no bottom, there was always more approval needed (and the carrot moved daily), suffering for me. And then realization that like this body, "socialization", and the emotional "rewards" I felt I needed from recognition were all just inherited patterns from my ancestors, useful seeds and fertilizer for this life. And in the blossoming of that realization, all is well regardless of where I find myself.
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On Oct 14, 2022 Victoria wrote :
I liked the article, thank you. I also find myself wondering what am I doing shining my light in a dark place which gets disillusioning for me at times. I then remember that lighthouses also stand alone on rocks sticking out to sea, and that is their job - to shine and they do communicate with ships and other lighthouses.
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On Oct 14, 2022 Jagdish P. Dave wrote :
I love this passage authored by Srikumar Rao. All wisdom traditions teach us that happiness lies within us. All of us regardless of outward differences have the potential to blossom like a rose that blossoms in the world is not a whit less than the flower that blooms in a show garden. Our job as a flower is to let it bloom. Our fulfillment lies in letting the flower bloom. We all are children of God and we let ourseves grow as we are. When we live this way, we do not let our joy and happiness controlled by the spigot of other people's attention, appreciation, acclaim, and admiration. Living this way, as the author says, "We construct a prision around us and hand that person the key." Living this way, we let our worth defined extrinsically and that way we create unhappiness in our life. When we value our worth intrinsically then nobody can diminish it.
So, it is all upto us to be happy and fulfilled by being ourseles.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave
So, it is all upto us to be happy and fulfilled by being ourseles.
Namste!
Jagdish P Dave