A Miracle called Life !!

Life in all its uncertainties, 

Left me perplexed…

From the time we are born, 

To the time we gain our senses, 

From the time we go heretic, 

To the time we start making some sense, 

Life shows all its colours, 

And blends us in its wonders. 

How can I lose hope ?

How can I just give in ?

How can I not see the obvious ?

How can I miss the miracles of each day ?

The questions in my mind grow loud and clear, 

Life is waiting for me to pick up and start from where I left it. 

I see, I wonder and ponder over my thoughts, 

And then I murmur to myself, 

‘Wait, let me give this another shot,

Let me start over again.’

I start seeing miracles all around me, 

I feel Him talking to me, whispering in my ear, 

“It’s not time to give up yet, 

Life has more to offer.”

Then at times, 

I see my loved ones in pain, 

I see them suffer.

I question Him, “is this what life is all about?”

He smiles at me and answers, “Life is more than our adversity,”

“It’s more than the ‘we’, 

Grow in all its glory, thrive in all its wonders, 

As life in all its entities is much more than what meets the eye.”

“See the miracles around you, 

When someone smiles at you, 

When you go through pain, 

When you feel lonely, 

When you stand dejected and disappointed by your own, 

Know that you are not alone in this,

Know that there are miracles all around you, 

Waiting to pick you and lift you up from your nadir.”

It waits for us to see, 

It holds for us to take the first step. 

So, get up and walk towards it, 

Before it walks away from you forever!

Drifting Feeling

That twitch in the heart, 

That feeling of near ecstasy, 

Leaves one so close to him, 

Yet so distant. 

Of the life lived, 

Of the life desired, 

The feelings are so mixed up, 

As if juggling with uncertainty. 

He promises a better tomorrow, 

He promises all things lost, 

How do I give in ? 

How do I resist ? 

Life was never easy, 

It never promises to be, 

The pain that it leaves behind every moment, 

A life which was so full, 

Yet so incomplete. 

Now the flicker of hope, 

The feeling of near complete. 

Leaves me thinking, 

Will this stay ? 

Will it survive the day ? 

And then the night is sure to come, 

But can it stay for long ? 

If only I could make it linger, 

If only I could hold the thought, 

If only I knew a way, 

Things would be different. 

Far from a distance he calls, 

Looks promising you know ! 

But can I take the step ? 

Can I indulge in this moment ? 

I do know that he will hold, 

I do know he is here to stay, 

But can I take this step ?

Can I indulge in this beautiful moment ? 

I think to myself, 

This is what I always wanted, 

This is what I longed for. 

But that sparkle in his eyes, 

Makes me ponder, 

Can I take this step ? 

Can I hold onto this moment forever ? 

Why is truth hard for most ?!

We are a world of conveniences. What isn’t convenient, isn’t acceptable for most. Nobody wants to see the uncomfortable reality (as they may call it). 

So, why is truth hard or difficult for most to fathom ? Because it’s real, bitter, uncomfortable, inconvenient, ... well, yes, I suppose. And on top of it, it does not make us feel good. A lie can be doctored as per your needs and wants but on the other hand, if you tamper a truth it becomes a lie eventually. 

People generally look for easier and cheaper options. And a lie provides it all. We may never agree but everyone is a liar in their own way. Sometimes we tamper and twist the truth to achieve certain things. Isn’t it ? 

If only people called a ‘spade a spade’ then this world will be without an evil. But is this possible ? Yes it is. But is this feasible for most ? The answer is a straight - NO! Why ? Because people love to live in their own webbed lies. We all live in our ‘build cages’ only thinking that we are liberating ourself but the truth is, nothing is as liberating as truth. Truth has the power, the freedom which nothing else can provide. 

What people don’t realise is they constantly live in their ‘build cages’ (as I call them), without the slightest hint that it’s causing them more harm then ever. We constantly try to keep up this fake reality and to maintain it longer we keep faking it, not realising that we have already become a slave to it. So is this liberating ? Certainly not. Because you are already a prisoner of your own lies. 

Truth is hard for most as it comes with a price. And most really look for cheaper options. Its a human mentality and tendency, if you must believe.  

The Misleading ‘Us’

We are a race always proud of our existence, 

We are a kind who considers itself superior, 

Where do we go from here ? 

Where do we park ? 

We claim compassion, 

Yet bury our four legged animals alive.

We boast culture, 

Yet malign each other in the name of religion.

We speak of humanity, 

But would not even offer to pick up somebody from the streets.

We are a confused race who is self engrossed in its own misconceptions.

Did God create us so that we could show dominion over others ? 

What have we become ?! 

Oh, what have we turned ourselves into ?!

Constantly living in a self-created lie of our own, 

We boast of honesty, integrity and truth. 

We build walls to prevent the ‘others’ from entering our world, 

We hold grudges and turn to revenge, 

We respect none yet expect honour.

We scoff at some who think different, and yet hail our own 'different' thinking. 

We are ever ready to point fingers, yet cannot fathom dissent. 

In this never ending race of superiority, 

We inch down to a race of nobody.

If only we knew our limitations, 

If only we knew our boundaries, 

We can be truly free, 

We can truly take pride in our own existence. 

Beyond the ‘Paradox’

We often have expectations of how certain things should fall into place. But then life happens. Beyond our expectancy, things go wrong. They have every right to. Some question -- how to control them ? The answer - you cannot !

Does this mean all is lost ? No hope ? Well, another ‘paradox’. When situations push you to something, it is general human tendency to divert or channelize to something different. We curse, we scream, we grumble, ...but then again, we change ! Well, most of the times, you must. Since long, mankind claims to control all. But can it ? Believe it or not, it can never do so. Then what do we do ? Hmmm. Go with the flow ? I rather say look into the positivity the situation has to offer. We may not know all, we may not understand all, but it is imperative that we TRY.  Every situation has something to offer, some learning which helps in shaping us up. One must understand and recognise the signs, clues or whatever you may call it.

To abandon a certainty can often leave us with a skeptical paradox that can be genuinely depressing. But humans have this remarkable quality to give meaning to one and all. Bartlett (the British Psychologist), rightly, explained in his theory of reconstructive memory that humans have a tendency to fill in the gaps whenever the information to a particular situation is missing. So what does this imply ? Basically, we always try to give a closure to everything. Be it a relationship, or an important life goal, or even as simple as having a meal. Closure is quite important. As it gives us a sense of satisfaction, of control. But then again, are we controlling things? No. We just learn to live with the ‘change in plan’.

The crux does not lie in controlling the situations but rather at times, going with the flow or accepting change.

Paradox exist, so does life ! We think & plan things but are led to something else. Enjoying every bit of the uncertainty, living every moment ... that is what one should & must do because life just happens once. At times it is not about being right or wrong, but living in the moment and doing your bit, your best. Let us not even live with the assumption of control. But live in the uncertainty, live beyond the Paradox.

Pure Soul

Flashing through my memory,

I see you bright and vibrant,

So subtle, so serene,

You always walked with a smile.

 

The childhood memories would not be complete,

If it wasn’t for you,

How would I know the affection you carried ?

You were always the spiritual for me.

 

Life took us different ways,

Only to meet again with the same infectious smile of yours.

You sang, you cared, you breathed life into all you touched,

The day may seem murkier but you always had a song for it,

You sang to every mood,

You sang your heart out.

 

The calls, the talks, the messages, the thoughts,

All seemed so pure from you,

You were like a child within hustling with zeal,

And yet you were the most grown of all.

 

I wake up to the clamor of the mind,

Longing to hear your words to give me belief,

Who will instill the positivity into the intentions ?

Who would care like you did ?

Who will sign off saying ‘affly Lolly’ ?

Who would smile at the hard like you did ?

 

You taught the truest ways of life,

Even with all the adversities,

You always knew how to be grateful.

Free from the worldly chicanery,

You were the pure soul.

Culture - A way forward

 In today’s workforce there are several serious social issues that appear in the work environment that should be addressed immediately. Serious issues include diversity, sensitivity, sexual harassment, discrimination, fairness, and equity in hiring and advancement, accommodation of individuals with disabilities as well as safety training. 

Are these issues of critical importance in the workplace? Definitely. So, what should one do about it ? Create an all inclusive culture and help the employees grow further.

 A recent international study reported that 77% of adults polled would consider a company's culture before applying for a job there. A positive company culture comes from the top and is enforced at all levels of the organization.

Any organization that needs to have an ideal working place, should have a well-balanced culture. By a well-balanced culture, I mean that there should be equal opportunities for all regardless of caste, creed, religion, race, gender, abilities in terms of disabled, rather to put it correctly differently abled individuals. To have a good working condition in any organization one needs to eradicate these prejudices and create an ambience for its employees where they feel wanted and connected.

As an organizational leader, the first and foremost thing that one should do is hire people based completely on their merit rather than anything else. Because it is the merit of an individual which is going to help the company achieve new & better standards. Further, provide them with adequate training required to perform certain tasks and help them in their growth. A company is known by its employees. The day we start believing this notion and strive to make better employees, that day we will achieve new heights for the company. Employees should be treated with respect and given equal opportunity. This connects an individual to the company.

As a manager, one should look into adequate trainings that would provide the necessary platform to the employee to feel equipped for the role. Training will enhance the skills of the employee and thereby preparing the individual to take up responsible positions and think differently. This is specifically important because training helps the employees to add new skill sets to their potential, thereby helping to create better avenues to attend the issues at hand.

Employees are the backbone of any organisation. If they feel unsatisfied, then it can lead to a lot negativity and ultimately hamper the progress of the organisation. It is imperative for any organisation to provide the employees with good values, strong vision, and goals of the company so that the employees feel participative and engaged in a healthy way. The organisation needs to adapt to an all-inclusive environment where adequate importance is given to the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusive) programmes. Having a healthier gender balance and more generational diversity especially in senior-level positions can help drive the culture forward. Regular development workshops can lead to improvement in performance and engagement of the employee. Creating a transparent environment would also enhance trust among employees. Sharing success and challenges with the employees creates a transparent culture. This leads to highly engaged employees who feel connected to the goals of the company.

Recognising the efforts of the employee and rewarding them from time to time creates active participation and enhances motivation among the employees. Here, Communication and feedback play a pivotal role as well. Regular healthy communication or conversation among the manager & employees and constant feedback on the performance lead to filling in the gaps in the processes and thereby creates an utmost congenial atmosphere. Having strong sexual harassment policies leads to safer working environment where the employee feels valued. Embracing your team's autonomy allows them to make the sometimes difficult, but incredibly rewarding, leap from being held accountable to their responsibilities to embracing accountability as they begin to take on and own their initiatives.

 April Armstrong, CEO at AHA Insight, recommends four strategies when changing your company's culture:

1.    Demonstrate to employees that their involvement is critical. Invite employees to share their thoughts both during company culture discussions and during day-to-day operations.

2.    Make sure management's actions do not clash with stated values. If the founder, CEO or other executives are not "walking the walk," employees will not be inspired to do so either.

3.    Align everything (department, initiatives, processes, etc.) to support company culture, and remind employees that they are invited to contribute to that culture through collaboration and innovation.

4.    Conduct periodic (preferably annual) culture audits. Do not wait until something significant happens (e.g., top employees quit) to evaluate if your efforts are working.

 

Failure to eradicate such serious social issues can cause unrest in the overall ambience of the organisation. This will further lead to dissent, apathy and so on. It will hamper the vision, mission, and goal of the company, in large, affecting the profits of the company. Hence, importance on having a great culture for the organisation leads to remarkable outcomes and enhances the overall profitability of the organisation.