“God opens millions of flowers without forcing the buds, reminding us not to force our way but to wait for things to happen perfectly in time.” says a beautiful quote. The bandwagon of precariousness drives us through events of uncertainty and dubiety but always trust in the divine timing in which events uncover like a flower growing out of a bud. For young minds reading, always relay this when important decisions or events pass your life so that we come sanguine and hopeful to pass through them with grace. God bless.
Author: Ajmal
Quality | indelible objectivity
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”, said Benjamin Franklin or Aldo Gucci. This is something that’s cemented in my thought process when I conceive of quality in a product or service. We’re living in an age and time where monetary considerations and market situations generally impel companies and individuals to sacrifice quality to a certain extent and base the purchase decision, in some situations, solely on the aspect of price. It doesn’t happen with everyone and all companies and is definitely not a generalization, but you know, that’s the general way things are dealt with. I’m always with the idea of getting something durable and long-lasting and using it for sufficient time rather than getting something cheaper and of inferior quality and then lugging around fixing it when it breaks down or does not serve its intended purpose every other week. Even if it doesn’t break, if the lack of quality in the product or service does not make you happy for whatever reason we bought the item/service in the first place, that requires some careful thought and consideration. Of course, that doesn’t imply splurging on some product that’s priced more than its really worth of, but the intent here is to cautiously use our intuition and sound judgement to carefully evaluate what works specifically for each one of us, and to get things with a long term plan and intention. As the famous social media joke run reads, Tajmahal wouldn’t have been so stunning if Shah Jahan had asked for three quotations and decided to go with the lowest. In total quality management (TQM) principles, it’s often said that the “cost of quality” isn’t the price of creating a quality product or service. It’s the cost of NOT creating a quality product or service. The highest price does not always necessarily yield the highest quality. And another aspect of this thought is that something expensive for a particular person may not be the same for another person, but everyone can decide their priorities and invest in quality catering to their requirements. Empirically if we generically assess the products we have used for the past couple of years and recollect the service industries that we have engaged with directly, we can get sort of a pragmatic and realistic emphasis on the importance of using high-quality products for the long term. That’s definitely worth to get our thought on.
“We take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world.”
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Vision | Pondering on the intricacies
Today’s disposition is to write something into our ponder series. For new readers who aren’t aware of these series, below is the thematic intention of this initiative that I mentioned in my first post on this topic.
” Often in the rush of our routines, we fail to appreciate certain hidden subtleties and nuances of living in this universe, which we can only admire if we consciously make an effort to think deeply with profundity. We have to pause for a moment and ponder, and hence the name of the series. “
Let’s ponder on vision today. We are aware of the technical description of vision and how it’s accomplished in our bodily systems. The intention here is to delve in little deeper and explore the miraculous aspects of this process which we deem as pretty novel and relegate as trivial.
..Illustrated by The Border of a Mind Studios…
The illustration above shows a person gazing at a candle. Light bundles from this candle fall on the retina upside down. The image of the candle gets converted into electrical impulses and is transmitted to the centre of vision situated at the back of the brain. As you would know, the brain is pitch dark inside and it’s totally insulated from light. It’s technically impossible for light to reach this centre of vision. But we see the candle image transmitted there. In other words, the world of lights and depth is formed in this tiny spot which does not receive any sort of light from outside. The candle outside is hot. This applies to all senses. If we think about it, when we see the light of the candle and even when we feel its heat, the inside of our brain is completely dark, pitch dark and there’s not temperature change there. Isn’t that truly miraculous? Spare some thought into it. Ever wondered on how this happens? Those are the first steps that open up our thought process on several important things that we tend to wade off in our routines. Those who have been reading me for a long time might recollect the post “perceptions” which also conceptually shares the same context.
In his famous book ‘Eye and Brain: The Psychology of Seeing‘ , Richard Gregory writes:
“We are so familiar with seeing, that it takes a leap of imagination to realize that there are problems to be solved. But consider it. We are given tiny distorted upside-down images in the eyes, and we see separate solid objects in surrounding space. From the patterns of stimulation on the retina we perceive the world of objects and this is nothing short of a miracle.” (Eye and Brain, 1966)
ostentatious culinary illusion
I tried my hands on creating a menu for Genie’s cove. It’s actually sort of like a sobriquet for the den we inhabit and is indirectly a poem of the culinary catalog which I and Netta are accustomed to in our routines. Tried the art and craft of converting normal food items by sprinkling in all those fancy terminology acumens you’d normally expect when you skim through a restaurant menu. It’s definitely pretentious but hey! boy we can make one 🙂 and also you now know that when you see a cafe menu, what you see is apparently an ostentatious culinary illusion made by some exuberant artist.
Fun fact: The name Genie’s cove is derived from:
genie /ˈdʒiːni/ (noun)
a spirit of Arabian folklore, as depicted traditionally imprisoned within a bottle or oil lamp, and capable of granting wishes when summoned.
Netta usually summons me for several things and I’m sometimes colloquially referred to as Genie in our conversations.
change | influence | build
In my recent article “Instilling Compassionate Prudence“, I had touched upon the theme of giving the extra effort and aspiring to emboss our signature and professional acumen in any kind of work we are engaged in, be it in any realm. This post is kind of an extension of that theme and in a way, augments those frameworks discussed. Quoting from a very old interview with Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011),
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money. That’s a very limited life.
Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again”
These changing, influencing and building aspects are truly profound. Be it a job or a project or any sort of endeavor, we are basically streamlined to do any of these on a broader viewpoint in the grand scheme of things.
Steve further notes:
” And the minute that you understand that you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side that you can change, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing is to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just going to live in it versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
Happiness in the ordinary.
We are living in a time where all the talk is about happiness. Governments put up initiatives to enhance the happiness of citizens, employers trying to introduce policies to enhance the happiness of its employees. Everyone as a person is also trying to explore avenues and alleys to discover happiness and fulfillment. Netta lately shared with me a wonderful post from the Instagram profile of Freddy Birdy and we read it together lying down on the couch. It was so enchanting and beautifully written so that I decided to have it shared here as I didn’t find it anywhere else online and also serving it my usual art sauce of illustrations crafted by The Border of a Mind Studios. Hope this is worth your time and thanks to the original author for this wonderful piece.
The pursuit of happiness.
All our lives we spend wondering WHAT it is that will make us happy.
Wondering if we ARE actually happy.
Wondering if we WILL ever be happy.
Wondering if we will find everything we ever dreamed of.
But happiness.
We know in our minds what we THINK will make us happy.
The perfect job.
More money in the bank.
The ultimate partner.
Children who get straight ‘A’s.
A dream home overlooking the city.
A beach house parked next to the sea.
Love.
Platinum credit cards.
Always turning left once you enter an aircraft.
Never looking at the right-hand side of a menu.
Fame.
Followers.
Likes.
Attention.
Success.
A Lamborghini (Countach).
Unlimited Exotic travel.
Great Metabolism.
A fat paycheque.
A slimmer you.
Space on a magazine cover.
Permanent residence in someone’s heart.
Something.
We travel to new cities.
We attend all the parties.
We climb up another rung of the ladder.
We do things we KNOW will make us happy.
And we wonder why despite living our dreams,
happiness still isn’t our reality.
When will we realize that happiness
is in the ordinary, the mundane and the lacklustre?
Happiness is how you make somebody FEEL.
It is in ordinary everyday things.
not in life goals.
Happiness is the opposite of a plan.
Happiness is NOW, this minute, this microsecond.
Happiness is never taking anything or anyone for granted.
It is the scent of freshly brewed coffee on the WAY to work.
It is not a new car, a new iPhone,
a new watch or a new PERSON.
Happiness is the absence of grief.
Happiness is writing a thank you note to a friend.
Happiness is listening.
It is taking your dog for a walk.
And making dinner for your child.
And singing in the shower.
Happiness is one more pat of butter sliding down a hot, naked toast.
Happiness is a porch light on and waiting.
Happiness is the promise of a doorbell.
It is in the secret of eyes meeting for the very first time.
It is in fingers touching accidentally in paper popcorn holders at the movies.
Happiness is not in counting currency notes.
But your blessings.
Happiness is not what others think of you.
Happiness is what YOU think of yourself.
Happiness is the smell of a new book.
Or the smell your lover’s clothing hanging on a bathroom hook
Happiness is not your child’s report card.
Happiness is your child’s happiness.
Happiness is not a 21-course menu degustation.
Happiness is a 5 Star bar discovered in a lunch box.
And greasy omelette pays with friends at 2 am
Happiness is laughing at the same joke
again and again and still again in your head.
Happiness is staring at a familiar WhatsApp message and smiling to yourself.
Happiness is a large plate of Maggi.
Served with FOUR forks.
Happiness is your first mango of the season.
Or the last installment of a loan.
Happiness is not a ten thousand rupee perfume on a duty-free counter.
Happiness is the scent of your lover’s NECK.
Or familiar arms holding you close in newer ways.
Happiness is watching a loved one snore softly in deep sleep.
Happiness is also forgetting. Forgiving. And letting go.
Happiness is training your mind to unthink
Lastly, happiness is not about counting
stars, staring together at a new moon, riding unicorns,
chasing rainbows or dancing barefoot in the twilight.
Your happiness always lies within you.
instrument.
“If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.”
— Eve Arnold
The above is an illustrated portrait of my brother, who is an avid photographer.
500px gallery | Instagram gallery |
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” — Ansel Adams
The Parable of Mexican Fisherman
The parable of Mexican fisherman is a very famous read on the internet and the way it bespeaks perspective and purpose is indeed ardently profound. I came across this couple of years back on an online magazine and it’s a piece of text that time and time again helps to anchor aspirations and contextualize ambitions. I hope it’s worth your time. I’m adding some illustrations from my archives so as to attempt to give you an eye-ball read. My footnotes and thoughts on this interesting parable is towards the bottom of this post.
_____________________________________________________
An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” The American asked.
“Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then asked.
“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.
“But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats!”
“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “About 15-20 years.”
“But what then, senor?”
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions, senor? Then what?”
The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”
_____________________________________________________
If we ponder on the takeaways of this parable, it’s really nailed on the head. It propounds the theme of being in the moment and exploring instances and avenues of contentment and fulfillment rather than being dismayed and debilitated by an uncertain future. It also offers recollections on taming expectations and scaling it reasonably on a baseline and very importantly, stresses the laser focus on purpose and what really matters. It also moots the idea of discovering and appreciating the small things in life and being focussed and grounded in a sense of calm and not being carried away and washed out by the hustle and bustle “bandwagon”. God bless!
Garden
” Every garden scheme should have a backbone, a central idea beautifully phrased. Every wall, path, stone, and flower should have its relationship to the central idea. ”
– Edwin Lutyens
Indoor garden at Genie’s Cove.
The central idea here is obscure minimalism.
Small Business – Lines of thought
A busy shopping street in Istanbul, Turkey
“When you buy from a small business, you are not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, a mom put food on the table, a dad pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college.”
This is a pretty viral note on the internet about small businesses. I remember my dad forwarding this message and is definitely worth pondering.
In a beautiful article originally written for Holdfast Gear by Matthew Swaggart, he writes:
..One of the many emotions that one can feel daily is pride. No, not the ugly kind of pride that thrives on elevating the self above others, but the kind that warms your heart. The kind that you feel when you see your little boy get his first base hit. Or when you walk your little girl down the aisle. The kind that makes you feel an immense sense of gratitude for gifts, experiences, relationships that you realize you really aren’t worthy of.
Recently I’ve encountered some experiences related to my work that, as I have processed them, have caused me to feel a great sense of pride and gratitude for being among a group of individuals who are really a new breed – a group of individuals who have emerged in recent years as change agents in a new, recovering economy. I’m talking about those in small business…
If we really think about it, we can discover a lot of awe-inspiring stories around us. It’s true that many large brands have had small humble beginnings and might have gone through their struggling stages, but small businesses, in the initial states where they are filled with passion, zeal and hard work definitely resonates the above themes.
Another busy shopping street in Istanbul, Turkey
Mathew Swaggart further writes:
The landscape of today’s economy for a startup can be unfamiliar and treacherous terrain. With all of the heart and soul that is wrapped up in starting a business from the raw material of your life, researching, developing, marketing, and delivering a product becomes a highly personal endeavor
Recollecting a recent experience, few years back, I had used services from Tiny Suprise, a gifting company based in Chennai, India for sending some gifts to Netta for her birthday. Not only did the quality of the product impress me, but the entire experience from the perfect timing of the deliveries to the quality of the packaging was top notch. I have been reading about their story recently. I did have other options which are pretty big names in the Indian online gift landscape but trying a relatively new company gave a fresh experience overall. Tiny Surprise may soon cease to be a small company and may turn out to be pretty huge. The same approach even applies to smaller grocery shops near our homes serving only nearby communities and can’t afford huge online portals with their mammoth logistic empires. Definitely, these are all relative and perspectives can vary for different people, but it’s nevertheless very inspiring to see small businesses transforming struggles into catalysts for growth. The quote at the beginning of this article echoes in my mind. God bless.
A lamp shop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
