At the pinnacle of a dizzying career, young Indian-American rapper Nimesh "Nimo" Patel was haunted by an unshakeable sense of emptiness. In his mid-twenties, he abandoned the limelight. An inner voice nudged him to radically simplify his life and find his purpose in service to others. Moving to the Gandhi Ashram in India, he dedicated himself to the children in surrounding slums. After a 7-year musical hiatus -- 5 of which were spent living with and learning from slum communities -- something inside nudged him to write music again. But, this time, in a different spirit. One that would reflect the heart of humanity. Over the past 9 months, Nimo has released a labor-of-love album, co-produced two music videos on kindness and gratitude, and embarked on a music pilgrimage -- all in the spirit of finding, practicing, and sharing small acts with great love. Reading above are the lyrics one of his songs -- Graduation.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that "gratitude and suffering cannot co-exist?" Can you share a personal experience of a time when you realized that "love is a currency that never runs out?" How do we practice having an eye on the sky while still seeing the ants?
I had begun a gratitude journal several months before my husband was diagnosed with a heart problem that would require him to have open heart surgery. The news was initially overwhelming since I was 6 months pregnant and our son was just three. That night when I left the hospital with my husband in their care I went home and in tears reached for my journal. It was then that instead of struggling to think of something to be grateful for, I was flooded with gratitude for the supports and blessings that surrounded me. Gratitude doesn't always come as easily but when I pause to reflect, I can always find it.
This is truth!
Consumers, in time, become consumed. Givers (lovers), in time, are joined in/with/to Love.
One ("using") ultimately leads us to "death". The other (loving) grows us . . . to LIFE (graduation)!
When we are grateful we are focusing on that energy and on those experiences in a new light, suffering then is not taking precendence. We are seeing the beauty around us, the love, the joy even in the sorrow. We are reminded of all that is working well even in the midst of what is not. Gratitude helps re-frame everything; we are sick, we are reminded of the systems that continue to work in our bodies; whether it's our heart pumping or our lungs breathing. When we are in pain, we are reminded of all the times we were fortunate to not be in pain.
Love is a currency that never runs out; the more you give, the more you receive in return; but that is not why one shares love. You can blow out a candle, but you cannot blow out a fire: love is the same; the more love there is, the harder it is to extinguish it.
How do we practice eye on sky & see the ants: see the beauty in both and realize it is all the small things that add up to the big. <3