Friends of Fusion

I went to watch my cousin play today, his band is called Friends of Fusion. I was listening and clapping and cheering and suddenly my eyes went to my left hand. I had eight silver bangles there, very trendy, the kind you would wear to dress up a pair of jeans, and to the red thread tied on my hand just beneath it, a reminder of the Durga Puja, the 5 day worship of the Mother Divine, as traditional in Bengal.

We all HAVE to be friends of fusion these days, in a world which is truly flat, else we get cornered.. or worse, left behind.

One has to be able to balance, to combine and to arrive at the perfect mix that's just right for themselves and the world they live in, for what is this world but your perception of your surroundings?

Look at it this way. We are privileged to even have the ingredients to create a fusion. How can you combine or imbibe something you have never experienced?

When I entered the corporate world after staying away for 9 years, my spirituality played a big role in creating the credibility and reputation I enjoy today. When I indulge in any activity for spirituality, my corporate stint steps in when something needs to be done. There's no place in a the world where a cleanly defined process does not help. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control... think.. could this not be applied to a process (there goes the word again) of self-realization?

Meditating by oneself is one thing, but let's say you want to spread this knowledge. What do you do then? Do you need a stamp of approval saying you can do it? Do you need someone to guide you the first few times? Where can you do it? What do you need? Who should be your target audience?

The goal of spirituality is to go from effort to the effortless. Spend a little energy is planning once, and the rest of the journey can be effortless. This is the same reason why some managers meet deadlines and run majorly motivated teams in the same organisation that has teams of people who are always cribbing and playing the blame game and comin up with excuses why they could not deliver.

It's the same differentiator between a frustrated yogi and and a contented seeker, the vision and mission are firmly in place. The goal is clear, and also the mood of the journey.

We all ask the same question, "What are we here for?"

The answer can be anything, that's the beauty of it.

How you answer that question shapes your world, and the experiences you will have in it.

For example, I say, "I'm here to make money for the company, and make sure my contribution gets noticed, so people appreciate my presence. I also want to make this company a great place to be in for those who work with me, because a happy environment makes me happier as a person."

The results I will get will be very different from someone who says, "I am here to somehow pass my 9 hours a day, and hope no one will get any privileges that I do not."

This brings me back to something I have always told people I am close to.

Focus on yourself and what YOU want. The moment you succeed in making yourself happy, you will notice that everyone around you is suddenly happier. Now don't start saying "Oh are you saying it's ok to hurt others?" Tell me honestly, are you ever REALLY happy when you put someone else down or insult someone? You will feel anger or guilt, happiness is really not the word to describe such moments.

So this world actually, is just your perception of it, whether you are a Seeker or a sucker. A person may be perceived as many different things by many people, however how I perceive him does not change who he is. What my perception changes is merely how I react to him, and what role he plays in my life.

You have a friend who always listens to your every whim, to you he may appear an angel or a wimp, the difference again, is your perception.

I have a certain number of people who make it very obvious that they are thrilled to be in my company, I applaud their good taste, and treat them with utmost respect, anyone who considers me worthy of love is truly wise.

One of my team members though, feels everyone who pursues her must be an idiot, and treats them like dirt.

Who do you think has more REAL friends in their life? Who do you think never needs to worry about being friendless in this world? What do you think it says about a person, if they think anyone who appreciates them lacks intelligence?

Fusion, again. You can't accept every proposal, but you can be warm and genuinely caring about every life you interact with. (And even some non-life. I love my gadgets!) You can't sing bhajans in office, but you can offer support and lead by example, smiling through REAL trouble.

The Satyam fiasco was devastating, my team smiled through it all, and the only time that we all grew quiet was when we knew we were all leaving Hyderabad and had no clue when we would meet again. Yet, a situation which could have torn us apart only served to bring us closer, we CHOSE to face it together, and suddenly colleagues became family. There was only one person in the team who thought and acted only for himself, and assuredly, the world he lived in from January to July 2009 was a very different one from the rest of us, in the same building, the same floor, breathing the same air. I don't think I need to tell you, his is the only number none of the rest saved when they left town.

Our perceptions lead to the choices we make. Our choices make us who we are. Who we are decides what our world will be like.