Recently, I relocated from Posh South Mumbai to Suburban Mumbai. There were reasons for this move. I used to travel 2+ hours one way in different public transports (a meager 35 KM distance). Not that I cannot afford a personal vehicle (or can not drive); I do not want to buy one. Considering various issues in Mumbai (India) – parking, traffic jam and notwithstanding petrol prices.
So, after a troublesome one year travel of 4+ hours each working day, I decided to move on from the coveted South Mumbai (SoBo) to Suburban Mumbai. Now I travel 20-25 min (walk). Considering the kind of horrible experiences I had in last one year, this was a wonderful change. Alas! it had cost associated with it. (If you want to achieve something you have to let go of something else!) One one side I was happy that I am saving more than 3 hours of travel daily but the flip side was the kind of royal life e.g. three swimming pools (one Olympic size), track (again Olympic size well maintained) Golf Course at backyard (yes you can see a hole from 1 window of my bedroom), Happening place etc etc.
I knew since day one of shifting to SoBo that I cannot afford it and I don’t belong here (at least currently). I always knew that this is not a permanent place for me. However, when I moved out of that comfort I felt strange as if that was my permanent abode. While I am yet settling down in Suburb, I know this is also a temporary abode (rented apartment). Yet, slowly we try to settle down as if we are to stay here forever. This transfer taught me good lesson on impermanence and our inability to come to terms with life and change. Change is difficult and change makes us uncomfortable.
As an individual I found a very important change difficult; this must be even more difficult for organizations where many do not even realize the need for change, many are not willing to change and many just can not withstand change.
Now I remember my MBA Marketing class with Prof Lopez, even more. He told me – “Pravin Marketing is like playing golf, you need to swing naturally.” Now there is no Golf course view from my bedroom and I did not move out of SoBo Naturally! Everything is impermanent even Sachin Tendulkar (God of Cricket) playing Cricket for India.
1 Comment
Ramana Rajgopaul (@rummuser) · November 16, 2013 at 6:40 pm
“Corporeality is transient, feeling is transient, perception is transient, mental formations are transient, consciousness is transient.
And that which is transient, is subject to suffering; and of that which is transient and subject to suffering and change, one cannot rightly say: `This belongs to me; this am I; this is my Self’.
Therefore, whatever there be of corporeality, of feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness, whether past, present or future, one’s own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: `This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self’.”
“All formations are `transient’ (anicca); all formations are `subject to suffering’ (dukkha); all things are `without a self’ (anattaa)”.
~ Guatama The Buddha