Man versus Wild

While watching a documentary recently on the one subject that I do watch with passion, that is wildlife, I was struck with a very essential difference between human beings and animals. As the proud human race we insist on showing off our superiority and finesse by correcting the behavior of others and constantly reminding them, to not behave like animals. This documentary was focused on predators in the wild with particular emphasis on the cheetah. The film began with a hair-raising shot of the cheetah going for a kill of a gazelle and missing his target by barely a few centimeters. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved for the gazelle or sorry for the cheetah that was about to go hungry. A little of both maybe!

In spite of being the fastest animal on land the cheetah missed his kill, here is why.  The cheetah gains his maximum speed in just a few seconds and is not able to hold that speed for over a minute as his body heats up to an extent that he can breakdown. Which means that he has to plan his hunt extremely carefully as chances of success are very often, quite low. If unsuccessful he could go for days without food and if successful he will still have to try and protect his prize from other predators and scavengers that are in the jungle. Quite often, his kill is snatched away by other more powerful animals making the entire exercise futile.

The comparison between humans and animals lies in this that an animal like the cheetah that has great speed and limited strength in terms of protecting his own interests has a much stronger sense of security as compared to us. He has the confidence in his own ability that will sooner or later lead him to a successful kill. In all honesty this is a matter of life and death for him and yet he is unafraid. Now coming to the far superior race of human beings. We display an immense lack of any security in ourselves on a very daily and sometimes even trivial basis. The biggest example of that is our need to constantly hoard. The need to amass and collect for years and years regardless of what our true consumption is. Whereas with the cheetah or any other predator there is no guarantee of the next meal or whether or not they will live to see another day and yet there is a clear absence of any hoarding behavior. I actually used to know a lady who thought she would run out of ice apart from other things and went and bought an oversized deep freezer for her tiny and over stuffed house so that she could store ice that would last an entire year!

Evolution that has supposedly turned us into very advanced beings has also made us highly insecure. The knowledge that should have given us the strength to say whatever comes our way we have the ability to handle it has actually made us more afraid. The more we learn, the more we look at other learned people and think of how little we know. The more wealth we amass, the more we envy the fortune of others. Now I don’t mean to imply that hunger and thirst are not good. These are qualities that keep us going and help us strive towards excellence. But somehow, somewhere we have surpassed our basic instincts and gone beyond to the primal sin of gluttony. Nothing satisfies us and nothing is enough. We need to constantly hoard and put away for the future, even if it means inconveniencing today just to ensure we have something as childish as ice for a year. Living for the moment has degenerated to a very popular phrase, which is to be only given to others as advise and never really followed by us.

At this point I am forced to look beyond the so called educated hoarders and look at a day labourer. He looks to earn in a day what he is capable of consuming in that day. The minute he reaches his daily requirement, he stops work and returns home to either family or friends. He is larger hearted and more giving than some of the richest hoarders I know. When he sleeps at night, it is with an empty pocket, a clear conscience and a sense of security and confidence in himself and his tomorrow. In a very basic and animalistic way, he is closer to the cheetah in all his glory and sense of pride than the richest and most powerful men that can afford to employ him daily. Maybe the real animal is no longer living in the jungle.

About the author: Neha Parmar is a wildlife photographer and a conservationist with some tolerable talent for writing. If you liked, connected or have a contrary perspective with anything that you read please feel to share your feedback.

To see more work by Neha Parmar
https://www.facebook.com/NehaParmarPhotography.
Disclaimer: This article remains copyright of the author and is her individual perspective. If you wish to give any feedback please get in touch with the author

The Karma of Individuality

“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”

-       An old proverb

This world belongs to those that have won and not those that have lost. A history teacher I once knew had pointed out a very relevant fact to me which was basically that history had been written by those that had won, therefore it was not a definite that history was not going to be skewed towards them. The winner would rewrite history in order to make them seem favourable and the better lot. I’ve thought about this quite often and wondered what if Hitler had won the world war? Would we be still condemning the holocaust? Or had the Kauravas won the battle of Kurukshetra, would the Bhagwad Gita still be our holy text? What if the Mahabharata had been written from the point of view of the Kauravas? Maybe the Pandavas would have been portrayed as the evil cousins who came again and again to snatch away the kingdom that rightfully belonged to the Kauravas till they were finally defeated in the battle of Kurukshetra? Would Karma have still meant what it does today or what it was intended to ?

The philosophy of Karma yoga states that we carry forward all our Karma through all our lifetimes and reap the results of what we sow from our past and present lives. The Bhagwad Gita says that we must fulfill our moral duty towards God through action and not inaction. Karma should renounce desire of the fruit of one’s actions and be free of all attachments.  

I don’t wish to contest what the Bhagwad Gita says as I don’t proclaim myself to be an expert on this magnificent piece of intellect. But somewhere when I consider Karma I am forced to think. In my very small and microscopic view of life as I have seen it as I have not seen a previous life and am not aware of what happened in which life. Those that believe in Karma from previous lives as well might have seen their previous incarnations and that is what has convinced them into believing that their present condition in life is not due to what they have done in this life but what they might have done in another life.

While I vehemently believe in the theory of Karma and that you reap what you sow, I also believe and hope that you do so in this life and not carry forward or bring forth balance from others. The Bhagwad Gita is a way of life that lays down moral guidelines to help us charter our own paths. With many different interpretations of the Gita that exist today I like to think that there should be some personal involvement while interpreting it as well as that will help us apply the principles better to our individual situations. Duality is the life sustaining force in our existence. Action or inaction, dharma or adharma, good or evil, action and reaction, male and female, life and death, sun and moon, hot and cold, yin and yang and so on are all defining aspects of this duality. Their very existence is inter-dependent and as they cease to exist without each other this duality becomes a single interaction. Therefore as every action has an equal and opposite reaction every Karma has a reaction attached to it.

Practice what you preach. Many things are easier said than done and while reading the Bhagwad Gita I realized that the way to the eternal truth is also paved in being sinless. In the world that we live in today, sin has reached different meanings altogether and many things that are morally and ethically wrong are being accepted as part of life. In short, they are not seen as sin any longer. The standards for wrongdoing have become higher and people actually work hard to achieve those. Honesty and integrity are seen as faults that simpletons are supposed to possess as opposed to the righteous lot. With the sort of corruption and evil that exists around our very center of being in this world where being human or moral is seen as a fault, how does one exist without committing some sin or the other? Sometimes I feel it is impossible. I haven’t seen an after or before life and in my very limited view and experience of this life petty crimes, lying cheating and being unethical are seen as practical ways to live and move up the ladder.

While I struggle to explore these many thoughts and truths the one thing that stays untouched and stands forth is that the whole is greater than the individual manifestations. The Bhagwad Gita along with the existence of duality somewhere puts back faith in Karma and that even if the Kauravas had won the battle of Kurukshetra, and history been written with a different perspective, the balance that duality seeks to establish naturally would have remained and the Bhagwad Gita have survived as the eternal truth. There for the taking and understanding for those that wish to. Shadow will not exist without light and that which is false will not exist without the truth.

As individuals and young people it is our moral and ethical responsibility to use our capacity for thought and judgment in order to decide what we want in our lives and what we don’t want. Accepting anything on a platter whether right or wrong without applying one’s own judgment may be the deciding factor in what paths we choose to travel to what end. History could be written to glorify the hunter but if we start to question and apply our moral and ethical compass to chart our roadmaps, somewhere the eternal truth shall prevail.

About the author: Neha Parmar is a wildlife photographer and a conservationist with some tolerable talent for writing. If you liked, connected or have a contrary perspective with anything that you read please feel to share your feedback. 

To see more work by Neha Parmar  

https://www.facebook.com/NehaParmarPhotography. 

Disclaimer: This article remains copyright of the author and is her individual perspective. If you wish to give any feedback please get in touch with the author

Should it be money or should it be respect ?

Life is a rat race and it’s a dog eat dog world out there. Sounds familiar? Isn’t this what is thrown to our faces in some form or the other almost every single day? This has turned into the success mantra and anyone with any practical sense out there will say this to you and also remind you of how the most important thing in life is minting the green bucks. So I’m going to show you the flip side and show you the impractical way to achieving what you want. Lets first start with uninstalling the regular application of “ you need money to be happy in life”. What you really need to be happy in life is to have people respect you and know that you have earned that respect through your actions.

I do not discount the importance of money and agree that it definitely is essential for survival. What people forget is that money is just a means to an end. Maybe it is possible to earn that money through walking a slightly longer and far healthier path, which will require one to earn respect. What is now very common in the so-called “dog eat dog world” is that the goals are no longer right. People are no longer working towards what really matters and have forgotten that at the end of the day what makes all the difference is whether or not you are happy. We all know dozens of examples in our personal lives of people who have all the money in the world but just aren’t happy. It simply means that all their money failed to buy them the respect that would have made their lives a more positive and satisfying experience.

Very often obedience due to fear is mistaken for respect. Respect doesn’t mean just diving to touch feet every time you approach an older person. Similarly it isn’t anyone’s birthright to be respected. The taste of having earned the respect of another human being is delicious.  You want to be a good leader you have to earn respect. The joy of knowing that you are being heard because you are respected as compared to people being afraid of you is what will propel you into working harder and becoming a better leader.  

If you are a respected leader you will naturally be good at what you do and with that will come the achievement that will bring you the rest. Money will follow you instead of you following money. So you’ll still earn what you want just with a lot more happiness. Pretended respect that is commanded by fear will just bring negativity into your life. If you intend to turn your life into a positive experience then there is absolutely zero room for negativity of any form. As I always say a good leader needs to create a positive environment and be able to harness the positive forces in the people that he or she is trying to influence.

There are many ways that are commonly preached as ways to earn respect so I’m going to take the liberty to preach some of my own as well. First and foremost. Be who you are, be true to yourself and be true to your beliefs and principles. Your uniqueness is what translates into making you an individual with a thought process.

Be kind to people. Don’t just pretend to be concerned. Actually BE concerned. Anyone can detect fake or pretentious behavior and in a world that is increasingly becoming full of fakes being authentic has taken on a new meaning and is now an even more unique trait. When I meet somebody that strikes me as authentic it’s almost like a breath of fresh air that I just want to hold on to. One might forget the work that you did but if you were kind to someone it really is not going to be forgotten easily.

One of the most common traits that you would find if you were to look across people that you respect in your life is reliability. No matter how big a genius or how good a person might be at what they do or how rich they are, the minute they are perceived to be unreliable there is no room left for respect and there begins their downfall. Let people have the faith in you that if there is a responsibility that you have taken on it will be seen to the finish.

Walk the talk. If you can preach it then you better be ready to follow it and you’ll have the world following it with you. As silly as it may come across, if there is one thing that definitely makes me not respect a person then that is a loose tongue. Frivolous behavior can along with getting one into trouble every now and then, also, ensure that you do not earn the respect of people around you. 

Learn how to say no. A harsh truth of life remains that if you allow people to take you for granted they WILL take you for granted. Nobody will respect a pushover so as difficult as it may sound one needs to learn to say NO. It simply lets the world know that you respect yourself and to be able to command the respect of others you need to start with yourself first. And last but obviously not the least. Give respect to others.

As someone I respect greatly said to me recently “I want to be able to leave footprints in the mud”.  In order to be able to make a difference and leave those footprints behind one needs to be a good leader and have their opinion respected and followed. Respect before money, if earned will turn you into an unstoppable force and there will be nothing that will hinder you from flourishing forever. You will be rich in every sense of the word and have accumulated some real wealth.

About the author: Neha Parmar is a wildlife photographer and a conservationist with some tolerable talent for writing. If you liked, connected or have a contrary perspective with anything that you read please feel to share your feedback. 

To see more work by Neha Parmar  https://www.facebook.com/NehaParmarPhotography. 

Disclaimer: This article remains copyright of the author and is her individual perspective. If you wish to give any feedback please get in touch with the author. 

The global way to learning

When you hear the word education and learning the first visual image is that of a classroom. Why is that? Because over the years our system of training and learning has begun and ended in a classroom.  Somehow my best memories from growing up have always been and will remain of all the outdoor activities I was involved in. Be it going for a trek, mid term vacations or just simply going for nature walks in biology class. The most interesting thing was, that I still remember everything that I learned during these excursions. I remember the names of flowers and trees because I touched and felt them, I remember the people I met on my treks because I sang songs with them while cooking Maggi at the end of a long day of trekking, I remember forming close bonds with strangers through shared experiences. There was much to learn through all of this.

Here is what I have to say. One of the best ways to learn is through travel. Get out there, be on the job and learn on the road. Fortunately now, times have changed and we exist in a time where it is easier for people to get out of their comfort zones and travel to places that could be nearby or to far away lands. Here are some of the reasons why travelling is now turning into a magnificent way to learn.

Open your mind to new experiences. I always try and ensure that I travel a little bit on my own every once in a while. You see when I’m out there on my own I am outside my comfort zone and outside my network of friends and family. This means essentially that I am forced to strike a conversation with random strangers and connect with people. When you are on your own you aren’t performing for anyone other than yourself and that helps build your confidence levels in interacting with people and at the same time it introduces you to different experiences and mindsets. You are forced to find similarities between yourself and other people as compared to differences in order to be able to connect, which in itself is the first step towards building strong ties and learning how to socialize.

Self discovery. Each time I travel I learn a little bit more about myself. Each time I push myself to do something that I thought I would not be able to do ordinarily I realize that I can do that and find myself setting a new target. It’s quite simple, anything that I find myself hesitating to do, I ensure that I do it. Whether it’s rock climbing for the first time, skydiving or any other thing that makes you pause and hesitate. On a very simple note, I never used to walk into a restaurant to eat alone. I was afraid that people would think I had nobody to eat with. This was till I once decided that no matter what, I had to overcome this hesitation. I was in a new place on an assignment and I walked into this lovely German bakery alone and ordered myself the best meal possible. Within a few minutes of my being there I had a couple who was on vacation asking if they could join me and we ended up having a wonderful fun evening together while all cultural differences melted away with overcoming the first barrier of hesitation.

Get inspired, get curious and get hungry. One doesn’t always have to go looking for inspiration. Just stay open minded and ready to absorb experiences like a sponge and inspiration will find you. Sometimes when I walk though ancient monuments built many thousands of years ago I find myself in awe of the fact that many great minds might have walked that path before me and the colossal effort that must have gone into building something that became an integral part of the history of mankind. That realization is enough to spark off your curiosity and the need to learn more about the path you walk takes over and allows you to explore further.

Collecting precious experiences and memories. I once had his Holiness, the Dalai Lama sit in the adjacent seat when on an aircraft. I was unaware of the fact that the seat was his till his security requested me to shift in order for them to be closer to him. It was those once in a lifetime moments that I was just not ready to give up without a try so I asked his Holiness directly if he would allow me the pleasure of sitting next to him. He just smiled and asked his security to sit elsewhere. I have not had a more memorable or a richer experience. We spoke about life, the Tibetan struggle and I showed him the work that I had done while photographing his monastery. The real learning came from observing him and hearing him talk with that sparkle in his eyes that had more positivity than even a child. I saw a man that was truly at peace and had the power to bring humaneness into humanity. I could not have learned this in a classroom.

Classroom learning does have some undeniable benefits but as travel is now becoming more and more accessible to people it is also turning out to be one of the best ways to enrich one’s experiences and help build character. There is no age for learning. Travelling and seeing new worlds helps one in becoming a more fulfilled human being, while learning how to appreciate, respect and value their surroundings and other individuals. The adventurous spirit and that hunger for knowledge is what keeps us alive and it needs to be fed through new experiences in order to strengthen the human spirit. No matter what you do, you will never come back poorer of knowledge at the end of a journey.

About the author: Neha Parmar is a wildlife photographer and a conservationist with some tolerable talent for writing. If you liked, connected or have a contrary perspective with anything that you read please feel to share your feedback. 

To see more work by Neha Parmar  https://www.facebook.com/NehaParmarPhotography. 

Disclaimer: This article remains copyright of the author and is her individual perspective. If you wish to give any feedback please get in touch with the author.