The Edge

That familiar deep, dark cloak of despair

Engulfs me, wraps me, keeps me safe

And slowly draws me closer to the edge

The other side of the cliff -

So comforting, no worries, no pain

The seductive emptiness of eternal sleep

So I gave in today and jumped off the cliff

My dark cloak floating behind me

To be caught by some angel and

Put on another lost soul.

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RIP Robin Williams

Motivation 101

“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

I’ve been going through a rather low spell in my life over the past few weeks. I felt like a failure and what aggravated it was a recent evening out with a former classmate who had achieved so much in life.  As the evening progressed, I felt even more terrible as I compared my life to his and I recall saying some things about myself and my current state that weren’t very complimentary at all. However, not once did he say anything negative about himself – although I do know he’s gone through a tough time personally.  Which got me thinking “If I don’t think and speak well about myself, why would anyone else”?  I heard the very same words echoed in this ted talk that I stumbled onto the very next day.

After watching the movie on Steve Jobs, the one thing that struck me was how much of a failure he would have been if he’d stuck it out in some big IT company – not because he was a failure but because he didn’t fit into a corporate culture which is all about managing your boss and ‘perceptions’.  Can you imagine – Steve Jobs would have been a low level frustrated employee who would never have got promoted because he didn’t get along well with people or toe the line.  Thankfully he didn’t buy into the feedback and believed in himself.

While that is very inspiring, the flip side is that Steve Jobs had the vision, the drive and the gumption to strike out and start something on his own.

Do you?
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Brigit: Let’s just say the spirit is willing, but the wallet is weak

God:  Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Brigit: I’m seeking! I’m seeking! Kingdom where art thou? Do send thy Mercedes Benz to take me up the driveway.

What’s Up Butterfly?

I woke up at 5:30am today and the first thing I did was reach out for my phone – to check my WhatsApp messages, then email. Once upon a time, when I had the Blackberry, the first thing I’d do on opening my eyes was respond to the blinking red light by checking my official work email. I thought I’d beaten that habit and was congratulating myself on not being a workaholic that lifted the phone before lifting the toothbrush. However, I realize, like most addictions, I’ve just swapped one for another – I’m now a “Techaholic”.

Have you ever been on holiday in a lovely remote part of the world, surrounded by nature at its best and then reached out for your phone to click a snap to share with your buddies on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp? If so, join the bandwagon, you’re infected my friend!

A couple of years ago, on a visit to my home in the country side, I was sitting in the drive way furiously tapping away at my Blackberry,  when out of the blue, a little yellow butterfly landed on my phone screen. I sat transfixed as it fluttered its wings for a couple of seconds before flying away. Talk about a wakeup call! I put the phone down and watched the yellow butterfly gracefully flit through the tall green trees before disappearing into a blue sky that was dotted with fluffy white clouds.  It was a beautiful sunny day and I hadn't even noticed!

I remembered that moment today; it’s a beautiful Sunday morning, close to lunch time, and I’ve spent the last couple of hours on WhatsApp and Facebook. Don’t get me wrong – I think these apps are great means of communicating and staying in touch with people.  However, I wonder whether in today’s world we have a stronger relationship with our friends via our smart phones than in person. Looks like virtual trumps real world most of the time.

Last night, during one of those long meandering walks, I stumbled onto a neighborhood café that that I’ve seen whilst whizzing by in the car but never had the time or inclination to stop and check out. Maybe it was the rain, or the fact that of late, I’ve developed a fondness for little cafes which serve my favorite masala omelet and South Indian filter coffee, but I decided to visit the café. I walked in, settled down on the couch and promptly whipped out my smartphone.  In one of those sudden ‘aha’ moments, I consciously put the phone down and decided to just sit and observe.  I watched the young couple opposite having an animated conversation.  I noticed how familiar the waiter was – have I seen those dimpled cheeks elsewhere? I probably have but now with my fleeting attention span, I guess I won’t remember. I noticed the man with the beard who’d stared at me initially give me yet another intense look when he and his companion left the café. I wonder if we’d met before – he seemed familiar but I don’t remember.
                                                                                        
Old habits die hard though; the smart phone beckoned and I succumbed. I took a picture of the ‘quaint café’ and sent it to my friend via WhatsApp. Meanwhile, another friend was bored and had texted me on WhatsApp:  “What are you up to?” I invited him over and voila – looks like the rainy, cold evening was turning out to be a fun evening catching up with a friend after 20 long years.

He arrived and after the first bout of reminiscing on the ‘good’ old days, we decided to make our way to one of Bangalore’s popular watering holes.  We were chatting at the counter over a beer when I noticed him checking his phone – with me sitting right in front of him. Oops - ‘Another one bites the dust.’
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God: Be still and know that you are God

Brigit: Actually, it is “Be still and know that I am God”.

God: Same thing

Brigit: I suppose you’re referring to the Buddhist phrase:  “If you meet the Buddha on the road to enlightenment - kill him!” Right now I’m struggling to just BE still and not KNOW that my WhatsApp icon is blinking.  Do you mind?!

Social Psychology 101

“Many of us who teach and write psychology are driven not only by a love for giving psychology away but also by wanting to help students live better lives-wiser, more fulfilling, more compassionate lives. In this we are like teachers and writers in other fields. “Why do we write?” asks theologian Robert McAfee Brown. “I submit that beyond all rewards . . . we write because we want to change things. We write because we have this [conviction that we] can make a difference. The ‘difference’ may be a new perception of beauty, a new insight into self-understanding, a new experience of joy, or a decision to join the revolution” 

 Indeed, I write hoping to do my part to restrain intuition with critical thinking, refine judgmentalism with compassion, and replace illusion with understanding.”

 -       David G Myers, from his book on Social Psychology

 

Brigit: I’ve signed up on Coursera for their Social Psychology class and it’s the most fascinating subject ever! This is so cool – free online courses on just about anything.