Jamalu, a young boy from Bihar, began polishing my floor. Unlike most workers, he loves polishing floors and would be most upset if the stains, cracks and edges did not shine through. His quality demanded us all to slow down.
It so easy to recognise quality: it shines forth on first glance, as does falseness. The temptation is always to produce quantity, to work without thought, to get to some short term goal quickly. That is the way of the world of media that i once belonged to. Get the job done as easily as cheaply as quickly as possible and you are king. Preferably not do the job oneself- find a minion to coax and blame.
Then to a well lived life: with quality people, quality relationships, quality work. My new mantra: less books, less music, less food but what i read hear or meet must inspire and uplift. Somewhere there must be a Purpose that is worth sacrificing for; somewhere there must be slow thoughtful work that brings contentment- like Jamalu- every evening he surveys his work and smiles. That is what Osho speaks of often- the joy of being present to your work. The spell of slow. The shift in what Q you choose to chase.
I have a friend who scans for music that touches the spirit and then relishes it by listening to it in a loop till it is deeply embedded, I imagine. I look back at my desire to cram my ipod with 120 GB of music. I have yet to hear the 10GB even once. That's one swing to slow I must nurture. One song at a time.
Slow enchantment with living. My life purpose.
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I recall as a kid, I'd be sitting in the kitchen having my breakfast, bread and chai and my dad would come into the kitchen all ready to leave and see me still eating. Sometimes, he would jokingly say "Don't fall asleep while eating."
ReplyDeleteI guess was just practicing mindful eating, enjoying my meal, one bite at a time."