Who (not what) is it really about?

I love movies. Especially the ones with a message. Very few directors know how to make a movie that conveys the message without overpowering the story. It is an amazing art but not so important to my own story tonight. 

I just returned after watching the movie “Big Miracle”. It is a (true) story about three whales that get trapped under ice off the coast of Alaska and need to be rescued. The story unfolds like an avalanche, starting small and then gaining momentum of global proportions. As with most stories this too has several characters. Each character is a story in itself. One is trying to improve her image, another is trying to build a new image, another is trying to do the right thing but within the limits of what he deems as appropriate, others are trying to make the most of the situation financially, and then there are one who is actually at the heart of it. This story is about those one or two people who keep the heart of an issue beating and alive. It is about those who risk being labeled crazy as they attempt to keep us sane about where our priorities need to be. 

This movie’s director was not the taciturn type who conveys the message in a subtle way once or twice during the course of a couple hour movie. He was instead the type who believe in bombarding the message at every step possible, and then some more. It was evident every few minutes that there were many parties involved - from a little boy living in Alaska to all the way to the ambitious man in the White House - each seeking to strengthen personal gain through participation. 

There is, however, this one girl who is not there out of self interest. She was one person who was there because she loved the Whales. For it is ultimately them, who the story is really about. At first I found the girl quite annoying since she reminded me of all the annoying people who carry a chip on their shoulder acting as if they are the world saviors while everyone else is pushing the world towards its doom. 

However, as the story unfolded I noticed something different. I noticed that no matter how many hours, days or weeks had passed until the event started, she never lost her way. I noticed that she was always about the same one thing from the beginning to the end - to save the whales. I noticed that she did not just talk, she acted, even at the risk of her life towards her commitment. I realized that she was committed to saving the whales. I realized that she was not in for herself but for them. I realized that she was truly selfless. 

Another funny thing I noticed - she was the linchpin that held everyone and everything together. Her devotion inspired great things in people around her. I also noticed that when the goal is clear the decisions were easy and obvious. In fact they were no decisions at all since the choice was just that evident. It was only when either our fear or our self-interest intervened that we became confused about what needed to be done. When it became a question of ‘what about me?,’ it was then that we were not really clear about what needed to be done or how to go about doing it.  

I learned a big lesson today. Behind every action there is a driver. That driver is either that of fear or that of greed or that of love. The fear and greed drivers are about the self and they want to use every person and situation to quench the fire of inner insecurity. The driver of love alone acts from a place of total abundance and concern for the well being of another. The driver of love knows nothing about self preservation or about self interest. For love there is no other but just one. 

It is thus important to ask of all situations - who is it really about? Who really suffers if we fail? Whom are we really failing by not coming together? When we decide to not serve or serve half heartedly based on our convenience, who is really losing? When we put our convenience ahead of another’s need, who loses? And when another loses at our gain, is it really a sustainable win for us? 

At the heart of all our efforts it is imperative to keep asking the question - who is it really about? Who is it really about? Who is it really about? And if through our thoughts, speech, and action we seek to bring about a world of joyous togetherness, if we are to be a force of change, if we want to inspire others to great action, if we wish to have a fulfilled life, it had better not be about us as an individual. 

Your next thought, word, action - who is it really about?

In the end, the commotion, the effort, the engagement was not about the environment or about the whales or about saving lives. It was about answering to the fear and the need for help in another being, who no matter how big or strong, was vulnerable. It was about acknowledging our own timidness and limitations and yet consciously coming together in an effort to test the limits of our capabilities and of our courage. It was about comforting another in their pain with a strong conviction of "I'm here for you", even when the conviction may be rooted in fear or self-doubt. It was about conquering our own inner fears so another can take heart.

The honest perspective

When we are truly honest with ourselves we realize that all events in our life and in this world are neutral. Tsunami does not come about out of ocean's anger, nor does tragedy befall us because we are a bad person, nor does fortune favor us because we are so kind. The meaning we associate with an event is a reflection of the evolution of our own consciousness.

To grow spiritually is to move from having perspectives that bring us misery, to having perspectives that make us strong and happy, to eventually moving away from all perspectives and seeing things exactly as they are - which is freedom, which is unity, which is love.

However, paradoxically, the more we are in need of regaining perspective under trying times, the harder it is to come by. Which is why it is important to contemplate on higher truths about life while one is not afflicted by sorrow. These truths can then be our true guiding light through difficult times.

Dear World, Listen...

Dear World,

You have given much
You have taken away much
So much I have received
So much has been snatched away.
What you gave, so you took away.

But one thing is my creation
That is not to be had without my consent
And to it you dont have my consent
To it you dont have my compliance
To that you have only my love

My creation is what makes you beautiful
My creation is what makes you go around
My creation is my gift to you
My creation is my gratitude to you
My creation and I are inseparable

In it lies the beauty of the three worlds
In it lies the love of another
In it lies the courage of forbearance
In it lies the truth of sacrifice
In it lies the birth of existence
In it lies the joy of being.

The gift of my smile is eternally yours.
Love love love

Lessons from Google's China Efforts

Create Genuine Value
Even though Google had some success in China while competing with local competitors, what eventually allowed Google to break through the competition was its sincere value offering. When there was a massive snow storm Google quickly put together maps of the affected areas making travel information accessible to hundreds of people. Similarly when a major earthquake hit China Google provided maps that made navigation possible around and through the affected areas.

Google also worked to constantly understand the needs and habits of its consumers, which translated into endless improvements in Google's products. Google created the Pinyin IME editor that allowed users to input search in Chinese while using English alphabets.

Harmonize Organizational values and operating environment conflictsInChina, Google had to fire two of its senior executives in China. The executives were found guilty of handing out free iPods on company's expense to local officials as gifts. Interestingly, the executives felt caught off guard since in their mind they were following a normal and well-accepted business policy in China.

Another similar incident happened when it was publicly exposed that Google's Pinyin editor contained source code that was another organization's property. Apparently, a Google engineer had searched for the desired code and included it with Google's regular code base without verification of copyright. The incident caused severe loss of face to Google in China.

The incidents illustrate that there can be dire consequences when employees do not have a full grasp of the organization's value system and how it may and - more importantly - may not align with the operating environment. In such cases it is imperative that the employees are trained and educated not just about the organization's values but also on how these values contrast or align with the operating business environment. Employees should also be given a means for discussing and resolving such ethical challenges, when they arise, in a safe manner. It is even important that the value fit evaluation and education be part of the organization's recruiting process. Diversity within an organization is good but not when it comes to fundamental operating beliefs.

It is a massive failure on the part of an organization when its employee(s) discovers it's fundamental values by surprise.

Fearless: Freedom from courage

What differentiates the weak from the strong is not the nature of the present circumstance but the faith and the confidence that one can make it through and emerge victorious. When one realizes that that, which is today, was not there yesterday, and will again not be there tomorrow, then one has great strength to face that which is today. One realizes that if one can hold on steadfastly to patience and to perseverance, one can see oneself through anything.

This knowledge, this sentiment, and this ability bring great strength to one's life and to one's way of living, making one courageous. However, even though this is life altering, it is not fundamentally transforming for the one faced with such predicament. Although it hones courage, it does not make one fearless.

The conviction to get through that which is painful at present until the point in time when it is not painful anymore, is still rooted in hope, is based in a desire to escape from the present, is a mental invention to look away from that which is to the times when it will be not. And even though this can extract tremendous amounts of energy and courage at times, by its very nature, it keeps one rooted in the fear of the present, of that which is.

There is, however, a deeper, a different understanding and approach to life, which is not based in fear, or in hope, or in desire, and not even in courage. This is the state of mindful indifference: One is not attempting to be strong until things change, one is not fabricating a sense of light and warmth in a cold dark night by looking at a distant twinkling star. But one, instead, with absolute conviction faces and lives up to life as it is in this moment, with all its strife and all of its tribulations. There is no reaching out for hope, which is an outcome of fear and a road to misery. There is no desire for things to be any different from what they may be at this moment. There is no prayer asking for anything. There is no anxiety, no feverishness, about the way things are. There is instead a total indifference to the severity and to the duration of the situation. There is total presence to the way things are without a single movement tainted by a desire to escape into anything which is not.

If this is what it is, then so be it.
If this were all there ever was, then so be it.
If there won't be anything but this, then so be it.
If this will never change, then so be it.
If this is my present and my forever, then so be it.
Unflinching, unwavering, indifferent, I am.

To be present, to be fully aware - without escaping, choosing, complaining, or demanding - to that which is, is transformation, is coming home, is living, is being alive. The courageous seeks to fulfill desire, while the fearless remains unmoved, unwavering, and indifferent.