A little better world
oṃ sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ |
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścidduḥ khabhāgbhaveta।| oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ॥
May all sentient beings be at peace, may no one suffer from illness,
May all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer. Om peace, peace, peace.
Living being is a sentient being – one who perceives and responds to one or more sensations of whatever kind – sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell.
Is not the Universe a system? Is not this a systems thinking? Are we not looking for changes in this system(s)?
Are we not having systems within systems within systems? Atom, Molecule, Soil, Earth, a life, all life, Education, Health, Farming, Food, Nutrition, Water, Extension, Economy, Enterprise, Organization, Team, Government, State, Village, household – are not they systems, each one of them? Micro, meso, macro level systems? How micro we go, deep down? How macro we go, high up? Where do we draw boundaries?
For all of us in this world, a system we are looking for is that guarantees whatever matters the most to us, for a reasonably long period, say some 100 years or more. It should include all of us. Equitably. Without lapsing back. For fair share, with control in our hands. In the hands of the marginalized amongst us. With dignity. With ability. With power within individually and collectively. Universally. Democratically. In governance. In the market place.
Of course, there is a systems tension between today and tomorrow, future. And we need to move there. We need to figure out what paths take us there. What vehicles take us there. What fuels take us there. Drivers, Pilots, Leaders, Champions, Animators. Support architecture, systems. Coalitions, Partners. Timelines. Metrics.
We are in a hurry, knowing that Jatasya Hi Dhruvo Mrityu. Death is certain. Can we leave the world, a little, if not a lot, better? Is not this our religion? Our spirit? As exhorted by mentor-inspiration, Dr K. This is his centenary. Can we pay back? Can we give this Gurudakshina?
Let us look around. There are action examples to be replicated, scaled-up, out. Let us listen to thought leaders. There are thoughts to be converted into actions. Can we get out of indefinite multiplicity of wants? Can we go for swaraj(s) – decentralized local living? Can we go for decarbonization? Can we go for nature fully?
Can we work with myriad portfolios of livelihoods in the locale? Farm Families? Farmworkers? Weavers? Craftsmen? Occupational Groups? Vendors, Stall owners? Tribal Communities? Coastal Communities? Nomads? Migrants? Service Providers? From child to old person.
Individuals, Families, Groups, Communities. Community Organizations. Support Organizations. Enterprises, Business Organizations. Civil Society. Corporates. State, Government, Departments at various levels. 1000 day centres, Schools, Health facilities, Homes.
Are we not having it within us to go for this for our next generations to thrive better than us? We might be having it (syntropy) but might be dormant in most of us. It needs to wake up, fully wake up. Only we can wake it up. If we look inwards, in addition to looking outwards.
When we become one with the universe, after having lived our lives, we want our next generations to have better lives. Is not it? Is not this quest, action quest, our journey? And should we not be on it right away?
Yes, it is. Yes, we can. If we keep moving, towards nature and be there. If we are in satsang. If we go hybrid, inward and outward. If we persist with practice. If we are in the flow. For 7L.
Join us in the world of yoga of inner drive for useful coexistence – antahkaranayoga for 7L.
G Muralidhar