Yesterday, I experienced something which moved me to write and it has to be shared with everyone I know. For those who have watched an Indian movie - "Tamasha" will be able to make clear connections with this post but it is definitely for those who have not yet watched the movie.
This movie is beautifully articulated around two main characters of the film - Tara and Ved. Both the characters are so similar to how most of us are in real life. Ved, like most of us, has been brought up with set values and mannerism that our society teaches. Killing the dreams of childhood, he is forced to fit into the society by running the race with everyone else, where everyone is oblivious to what they are chasing. One day, when he pauses from the mechanical routine mundane life and visits Corsica, he meets Tara. Ved decides not to start this interaction with routine talk and asks Tara to flow with the life and be in the "Now" moment and they decide to stay anonymous. The journey of seven days in their life in Corsica was no way closer to routine robotic life that they used to live previously. They realized what it means to live life with expression of our true self!. For Ved, Tara was that mirror where he could see the glimpse of his real self and could feel the freedom. They depart without keeping any connection and Ved goes back to his routine 9 to 5 life where he barely survives in the job because of his good behaviour of being a "yes-man" to his Boss's words.
On the other side, Tara having felt that strong connection with Ved, is unable to forget him and as the destiny would have it, after four years, she gets to visit Delhi where Ved is working as a Product Manager. Upon meeting Ved for the very first time after Corsica, Tara becomes very happy and they start seeing each other at every possible occasion. However, soon, Tara feels that Ved is not that person anymore who she fell in love with. Ved has been detached with his real self in the process of trying to fit himself with everyone else by repeating same tasks every day. Tara confronts him and reminds him of who he really is! Ved, gets violent in emotions and walks off. This is a classic example of how one can behave when the routine old pattern is being broken and a true self is coming to the surface.Tara was a mirror for Ved where he could see his real self. The fights with Tara was actually Ved's fight with his old patterns against his true self. Tara leaves and Ved begins his journey alone to find himself. He goes back to his home town and traces what made him the happiest and finds that his calling in life is in being a story teller and not a Product Manager. He finds his own race and, in that race he knows he will always come first as it was his unique gift. The transformation from routine patterns of Ved's life to his new life where he lives with true passion and in full connection with his own self is very inspiring.
There is a much deeper meaning I could feel with this movie and this reminds me of a story of a dragonfly that I heard long time ago from T.Rangrajan. I would love to share that story here as it clearly demonstrates what "Transformation" means.
It seems at the bottom of a pond, there was a colony of insects (water bugs) and every now and then, they found that one amongst those water bugs, climbed up the Lilly stock and disappeared.
They really dint know what was happening so they took a pledge that the next one amongst us who goes up to the pond should return and tell us all what is happening with us. They promised each other, they took a pledge. As providence would have it, the very water bug which offered the suggestion climbed the Lilly stock and reached to the surface of the water and it underwent the process of metamorphosis* and eventually it became a dragon fly.
It flapped its wings and started flying, truly feeling on top of the world. Evey now and then that dragon fly would come and rest on that Lilly leaves and during one of those resting phases, it looked down and saw at the bottom, there was a colony of water bugs, only then it occurred to the dragonfly that I have a promise to keep, I have to go back and tell them what has happened to me. So it immediately took off from that Lilly leaves and just touched the surface of the water but then it again flew off that Lilly leave as he was not able to get in the water, flew a circle and came back and rested on one of those Lilly pads. It seemed that dragon fly has four profound realization. I don't think those were the realization only for the dragon fly but it represents all of us.
The first and foremost realisation:
Now that I have become a dragon fly, even if I want, I can't go back to where I have come from. The word transformation means - Trans + formation. Transcending the old formation of who I was in the past to becoming what I can be in the future. Transcending the old formation into the new - that's transformation. True transformation is when our own past looks like someone else's past. Now that I have become a dragon fly, even if I want I cant not go back to that water where I have come from. (Once, Ved has become a successful story teller, even if he wants, he can't go back to the corporate job) As you keep growing in life, as you keep becoming in life, as you keep evolving in life, without your willingness to let go of your past of what you were and renewing the perception of what you can be, an entire life will be the life of repetition - repeating my yesterday into today and my today into tomorrow (repetition of 9 to 5). We cannot define our self by what we were in the past. Define yourself by the potential that you have today and what can manifest out of it in the future. our future is not equivalent to our past. We could have been nobody in the past for 10 years, 20 years or 30 years. Christ made his first sermon* at the age of 30. Prophet heard the call of Allah at 40, Colonel sanders created KFC when he was 65. Doesn't matter at what age you wake up in life as long as the awakening is being counted by some action. Renew the perception you have about yourself, there is no point in being frustrated.
The second realization:
Even if somehow I, as a dragonfly, go back, those water bug will no more recognize me in my new form
This is the price one has to pay for going up in life. Somehow your old world cannot relate to you. The friends of M.K.Gandhi rarely can continue to be friends of Gandhi because they can't understand what has happen to him. An ant will never understand the might of an elephant. It takes Lion to understand an elephant. Because an ant and an elephant are two different worlds. So instead of getting frustrated, the world around you does not understand you, accept that as the reality. They friends of Narendra can not be the friends of Swami Vivekananda, the friends Siddhartha will not be able to walk with Buddha, the water bugs will not know how to relate with Dragonfly. Anyone of us who is evolving, growing and expanding will face this predicament in life where we are being misunderstood by others. Any man who walks ahead of his life will be misunderstood by the rest of the world.
The third realization:
If I as a Dragonfly had not chosen to give up the comfort of being an insect, I would have never become a Dragonfly. As long as you continue to live your life in the contentment and satisfaction of your existing comfort zone, unless you have the courage to break open your comfort zone, you will continue to remain a waterbug when you have the potential to become a Dragonfly. Even if nobody believe in you but you believe in yourself, you will still make it in life. (in spite of others not supporting Ved, he believes in himself) Even if everybody believes in you but if you don't believe in yourself, even he (god) cannot help you in life. So what is important is not how the world sees you but how you see yourself and without you renewing your perception of how you see yourself you will not be able to architect a new future for yourself.
Profound fourth realization:
If I keep flying as a Dragonfly, one day some of those waterbugs will get inspired by the life I live and they will also want to become a Dragonfly (Free) .The responsibility of every person who makes it in life is to be a worthy role model to those who have not yet made it. Looking at your life, one day others will be inspired and aspire to become like you and will take the journey of transformation to their true self.
I wish all of us are able to pause in life, find our true self, that unique gift, and are able to attach a vehicle to it and make our own race. Living life with passion connects you with your true self.
Until the next realisation!
Love,
Rakesh
(Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation.(A sermon is an oration, lecture, or talk by a member of a religious institution or clergy)