by Manjit Handa
Modification, editing, alteration, adjustment, adaptation or renewal, regeneration, restitution, revitalization, rejuvenation, rebirth, replenishment and restoration. Call it what you may, this is the most important thing that keeps the world turning. Not a thing is static in our surrounds.
Each day we shed loose hair, trees their leaves, a stone erodes, the river changes course, islands sink but simultaneously, we grow new hair, trees dress in new leaves, soils become fertile, new settlements materialize and hills are waiting to emerge from the oceans.
There is so much to amend, restore and shift.
Nothing vanishes completely; they are all there but constantly shifting. Bit by bit, gradually; not drastically. When the latter happens it is a calamity, only a source of destruction. But gradually, it evolves—becomes superior, perfect.
Nature is always the best teacher. It tells us, status quo is not good. Shift is. If we have a certain setting in our living room, we need to change it a few days later. It will not only give a sense of freshness to the room but also to its inhabitants. If we have always grown tomatoes in our kitchen garden, maybe we could try peas this year. If we have slept on the left side of the bed always, maybe we try sleeping the other side. Small things, but having the potency to make life beautiful, refreshing and spicy. Small changes, good ones, not trying pot for few years. That is calamity. Devastating for you and the co-habitants.
There is so much to amend, restore and shift. For the start let us shed the old cloak of ostentation, flamboyance and pretension and sew the new apparel of modesty, humility and just being oneself. Let us make friends with our soul, the best friend, guide and companion. Let us not leave our structures untouched, crying out for renewal. Lest they are dilapidated or be haunted by the Vice, let Virtue take over. And let time establish how good (or bad?) this change was. Whether better or worse, with the observations we will find the cause for another change, another shift, another purpose—to evolve and strive for perfection.
With love and best wishes for perfecting,
Manjit
