Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Nishant Joshi I f a young-one asked me, what is the most valuable lesson I have for them, today, I would give them this: “Don’t miss the forest for the trees.” It means, see the ‘Big Picture’, always. Often, working in a team – be it at job or home, be it at organizing events or sports, be it at business or religion – wherever and whenever we have to work with people, in teams, it is very, very important to understand the human nature... That, different people have different opinions... they have a huge need to be recognized, validated... That, they have egoes of their own, and their insecurities, too... Many of them have a dying need for appreciation, and many of them have a crazy greed for i mportance .. Some want to hog limelight, some like to bask in the shadow... Some are so insecure that they seldom share  knowledge , seldom groom or empower others... Some are exactly opposite they keep nothing to themselves, they build people... Some want...

U nity is strength. And, it has been so ever since the Stone Age! Today, in this so-called Hi-tech or Virtual age, we need to remind ourselves, time and again, “Look, united we stand; divided we fall.” T here lived in a jungle four wild bulls. They were close friends and always gazed together, rested together… It was so wonderful just to watch them being together.  A lion lived in the same jungle. He wanted to kill the bulls for his meal. But, as they always moved together, he was afraid to attack them. For days on, the lion kept a vigil on the four bulls… He wanted them to break their unity… be alone. He was waiting for that moment… He wanted the bulls to fight among themselves and break their unity. And, soon, that day came. A small disagreement among the bulls flared up into a huge conflict. The conflict brought about the split, which their enemy, the lion, was looking for. The four bulls went in four different directions and decided to live a...

There is an old Chinese proverb: “Of all the war strategies, to know when to quit is the best.” Now, read it again… It says ‘When to quit’… and, not ‘How to quit’. We hail young Abhimanyu as a brave warrior. According to the legend, he learnt about the warfare of Chakravyuh – its formation, how to get into it and penetrate it - while he was still in his mother Subhadra’s womb! Arjuna, his father, would discuss about this war secret with his wife and the unborn Abhimanyu would learn it so early… Yes, that’s how the legend goes. However, as Arjuna had to leave, he could not complete the most important part of the warfare of Chakravyuh: How to quit it. So, when it was time, the young-warrior, Abhimanyu, enters the Labyrinth brilliantly… But, alas, only to get ambushed by his enemies inside! Ever since this great battle of Mahabharata, we have come to believe that to win Life’s battles, we need to know not only how to enter our ...

In a cricket game, every bowler has only one objective: to get the batsman out as quickly as possible. Sending the batsman back on a duck, would be a mighty thrill! And, at the other end, the batsman, too, has only one objective: to stay there as long as possible. A century would be a dream! So, it takes a lot to outwit your opponent… You have to hold your nerves! Well, it is in a game, a sport… where the objective is to defeat your opponent so that you can win. You can not play the game from any other frame of mind… If you are a bowler, you need to possess in your heart that killer instinct to get your opponent out… and, if you are a batsman, you need to possess in you that never-say-die instinct to stay there long, frustrating your opponent. L et me apply this to another familiar game – ‘Mind Game’ - called ‘Argument’. Like the batsman and the bowler, it takes two to play this game! Who are these two? When you...