The Silent Bloom

Dear Reader, I recently came across a beautiful tale from a book titled “The Heart of Success” by Om Swami. Here is the anecdote: “ In Indian villages, even today, when an elephant passes through a village, all the elders gather and fold their hands in reverence. While this procession is on the move, a fascinating, though unsettling, thing happens: all the stray dogs of the village, puppies included, start following the elephant, barking and growling relentlessly. What problem could the dogs possibly have with the elephant? It’s not as if they are a match in any way. What competition could the hounds and pooches pose to the mighty tusker? I’m sure if someone were to ask the dogs the reason for their incessant barking, they would answer, “We have no problem with the elephant per se. It’s these people folding their hands and offering all that food to the elephant that bothers us.” But the dogs don’t have the nerve to jump in front of the elephant or block its way. They will never come to...

  Dear reader,     Have you ever had that feeling when your mind races, a constant ticker tape of to-dos, goals, and expectations? It’s like carrying an invisible weight, a pressure on your shoulders that never quite eases. Does this resonate with you? Because right now, that’s precisely what’s going on inside my head. The relentless urge to keep pushing forward – to run, walk, or at least keep moving.    But wait. Just for a moment, let’s pause. Take a deep breath. Where exactly are we rushing? What is the ultimate destination? And once we arrive, what then? Sometimes, we pursue things with the assumption that movement equates to progress. But as we all know, that’s not always the case.   Periodically, it becomes essential to step back, reassess our direction, and re-evaluate our situation. Are we truly moving forward on a path we’ve consciously chosen? Or are we simply striving to meet some arbitrary societal benchmarks? Is this the jo...