THE STRING THAT KEEPS THE BALLOONS GROUNDED

 



“Please hold my hand. For, every balloon needs

a string to stay grounded.”

Wald Wassermann

 

I was supposed to meet someone at a particular bus stop, last evening. As I had reached a few minutes before the scheduled time, I decided to rest on a bench next to the stop. A gentleman was already sitting on one end of the bench. I settled on the other end, conscious of the social distancing at the public places. Yes, there was space for another person at the center of that bench. Just then, a young girl, who looked like a 17/18-year-old – stood before me and hand-gestured: “Hello, move aside… I want to sit.”

For a moment, my Patriarchal/Teacherly pride seemed suddenly pricked… I was about to fume: “You little kid, you could have said it little gently, with little more respect…”

But, some reserve wisdom came to my rescue. I got up and smiled, “Please take your seat, Ma’am.”

By then, the person I was waiting for had arrived… and, off we both went.

By all probability, I don’t think I will meet this ‘Young Madam’ any time in future. So, at hindsight, I feel peaceful reflecting on the way I reacted to that ‘perceived rudeness’…

Was the young girl intentionally rude and insensitive? I don’t think so.

Was I trying to throw my own self-importance? I think so.

Whose ego was at display? I don’t know about that young woman’s; but, I do know about mine!

And this question: Was an ego-clash - at a public place, on such a trivial matter - worth it?

Late night, at home, I was watching this video. 




Mrs. Sudha Murthy and her husband, Mr. Narayana Murthy, have been my personal favourites. One reason for that is this: They both come about incredibly down-to-earth… Grounded. It is not easy to be so, Sir. It is not at all easy…

Remember my bloated balloon, last evening?

A young IIT girl wanted to know what Murthys thought about ‘Ego’. I loved Mrs. Sudha Murthy’s take on it so much, that I am reproducing it, here, word-for-word…

 

LIFE ITSELF IS ULTIMATE




“What is there to think great about us, actually? We are like anyone else.

I have a brother, who is a professor at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) and an Astrophysicist.  So, I asked him once… He did some fifty papers in Nature or something… I was very proud… So, I asked him,  ‘Is it not great?’.

He said, ‘What’s great about it? Look, look at this… Look at the Universe… There are many milky ways…There are many Suns… And in one of the Suns, there are many planets… In these planets, there is Earth… In this Earth, there are many countries… In these countries, there is a country known as India… In India, there are many states… In that, Karnataka is one state… In Karnataka, there are many places, and Hubli (I belong to a place known as Hubli) is one town… In Hubli, there are many houses… We are one of them… So, what’s so great about us?”…

You tell me… What is great about you?

If you think you have done something fantastic and great, I think, you feel unnecessary ego. If I think, I am very beautiful, please remember there is Aishwarya Rai. If I think,  I am very rich, please remember there is Bill Gates… There are always people above you and below you… You are normal… In your set of circumstances, you have done something nice; it’s fine… Much more than that, you should not take credit for; because,  life is not worthy of fighting for ego… It’s not worth it…Your lifespan is small, and do something good…Have fun…  Do legally, ethically right things…and enjoy life. That is enough. Why think ‘I am the Superman’… There is nobody Superman… there is no Superwoman… If I am writing well, there are always people better than me…

So, you should never think that way, that you are the Ultimate in Life… Life itself is Ultimate.”

 

J. R. Rim said: “Flying starts from the ground. The more grounded you are, the higher you fly.”

“What is there to think great about us, actually?" Sudha Ma’am is asking…

Perhaps, last evening’s ‘Young Ma’am’, too!!!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s.: pixabay

 

Video: Yogesh Kanaujia IIT Kanpur

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