It’s amazing how creating something which embodies what we aspire to have, can actually inspire ourselves even more to go for that which we seek.
Tag Archives: Inspiration
The Little Prince Espresso
“Indeed, as I learned, there were on the planet where the little prince lived – as on all planets – good plants and bad plants. In consequence, there were good seeds from good plants, and bad seeds from bad plants. But seeds are invisible. They sleep deep in the heart of the earth’s darkness, until someone among them is seized with the desire to awaken. Then this little seed will stretch and begin – timidly at first, to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward towards the sun. If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose bush, one would let it grow wherever it might wish. But when it is a bad plant, one must destroy it as soon as possible, the very first instant one recognizes.
Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces.
“It’s a question of discipline,” the little prince said to me later on. “… You must see to it that you pull out regularly all the baobabs, at the very first moment when they can be distinguished from the rose bushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest youth. It is very tedious work,” the little prince added, “but very easy.”
I have never doubted why this tale of a little prince has lasted for so many centuries and remain the source of inspiration for the many of us seeking insight in life’s experiences.
Truth is always simple and clear, it is our minds and egos which complicates matters.
For some reason, on that Sunday in Brisbane, this segment of the story jumped out at me. It resonated a lot with what I’ve read over the past few years, about the positive and negative seeds within us, and about how if we are not mindful about which seeds we water (or which wolf we feed), we could end up living with the less than desirable consequences.
The path to happiness is also a path of mindfulness.
A While Back
From a phone message conversation with the brother:
L: Yeah! No point watering the negative seeds within ourselves
J: Yup! No point feeding the lesser wolf in us
L: Hahahaha so many ways to put it
I thought it’s lion?
Lol
J: wolf la
Final verdict: Ok it’s wolf. Haha.
It’s nice to have family to water the positive seeds in me. Miss you, bro!
I am Malala
The Taliban became the enemy of fine arts, culture and our history. The Swat Museum moved its collection away for safekeeping. They destroyed everything old and brought nothing new. The Taliban took over the Emerald Mountain with its mine and began selling the beautiful stones to buy their ugly weapons. The took money from the people who chopped down our precious trees for timber and then demanded more money to let their trucks pass.
Their radio coverage spread across the valley and neighbouring districts. Though we still had our television they had switched off the cable channels. Moniba and I could no longer watch our favourite Bollywood shows like Shararat or Making Mischief. It seemed like the Taliban didn’t want us to do anything. They even banned one of our favourite board games called Carrom in which we flick counters across a wooden board. We heard stories that the Taliban would hear children laughing and burst into the room and smash the boards. We felt like the Taliban saw us as little dolls to control, telling us what to do and how to dress. I thought if God wanted us to be like that He wouldn’t have made us all different.
I first heard about Malala through this link. I was amazed at the courage she showed at her tender age, and very disturbed that she should have to go through such a traumatic experience for such a noble cause.
As I read her book, it also became clear, how she turned out to be the way she is. In an interview, her father said: “Don’t ask me what I did (to groom her), as me what I did not do. I did not clip her wings…” And I felt so amazed at this man, more than Malala, who is a product of his foresight and unwillingness to conform with the society they live in.
Malala is living example that it is possible for one to thrive in the most difficult of circumstances. In fact, it is possibly these difficulties and obstacles which mould heroes like her. Not only did the attack not faze her, it fueled her desire to further change and inspire her world. Everything does happen for a reason, after all.
Mao’s Last Dancer
An inspiring story about how a little boy grew from this:
To this:
Personally enjoyed the dancing scenes immensely- there’s nothing like seeing the human body express itself in all abandon. The fact that this was based on a true story made it more touching. I’m thinking of screening this as a post-exam movie for some of my classes. However, I can foresee having to explain, after the show, that communism isn’t “always bad”.
As with many things in this world, it is humans and human nature which taints it.
Along Life's Path 