I Saw, I Learnt

Albert Einstein has said "Learning is experience. Everything else is just information." We are constantly bombarded by information on a regular basis but some things touch you and never leave you and become a part of your learning. That’s something you take with you wherever you go, shapes up your personality and as an experience makes you richer. As they say, life is the biggest teacher. Our programming, being loaded with information starts pretty early in life. However, how much we imbibe and actually goes into our human revolution depends on us. 

When we talk about learning to do things right, its just not just from the people around us, or even the strangers we encounter, but also, places, situations, circumstances, non livings things too, for that matter. Even silence, at times, lends us so much to learn from.

People: The moment I start thinking about the people who have inspired, encouraged me, there are lotsa images that start floating in front of my eyes - my parents who I owe it all to, my favourite teacher who was so fair (impartial), the night watchman, from whom I learnt my first lesson in bravery (I wanted to grow up and become one, coz I thought he was so brave and could wander during the night protecting one and all, can you beat that?). Once I grew up, my friends and peers, movie stars or the roles they played, professors, authors, I read, they inspired me. The basic lessons had all been ingrained till then - no lies, do good, caring and sharing, keep your word, practice good manners, try, try and win. But there was still something missing when I came across the writings of Dr Daisaku Ikeda, President of the lay Buddhist organisation, SGI. And the lessons I have come to learn are invaluable.

Respect and appreciate your life first

Respect every other life too, irrespective of their job, social standing 

Be happy first and self-lessly work towards making others happy

Strive for peace not just in your family, but society and peace of the land

Be world citizens

Appreciate and show gratitude to one and all (we owe much to them)

Think not just of yourself but the successors who'll follow you

Sufferings are inevitable, so learn to challenge them to win over them
Winter always turns to spring and so many others

And even something as basic as, greet others every day with a smile. Not that I hadn't heard these before, the way you could impact your environment and life through these won me over. Not mere hollow words or preachings, he has shown it thorough his experience, that you needn't forget and forego all the good things learnt to live happily in these soiled times.

Place : Earliest learning begins at home, then at school, or at grandparent's house or a friend's place. So many places, like people are etched in our minds for the right things we have picked up from there. I had my fair share of such places and incidents in my life till one day I decided to take up the radio job I was offered in Mid East. First time ever, I was ready to leave the protective environment of my house and that too so far, when I hadn't even stayed in a hostel ever. Of course, with my kitty full of revised lessons as well as new ones waiting to be learnt, ones you can only learn when you are alone in a distant land. How the freedom and independence brings along a whole lot of responsibility, how your confidence grows, how manage it all single-handedly, be it the finances or chores apart from your job, how your decisions affect you and others, how to keep yourself motivated despite anything, how not to take your independence for granted, how to say no and host of other such lessons which take you through the roughest of times in your life later, Yes, being single and away from your home is one experience I believe everyone should experience. Its such an invaluable lesson. I might have felt bogged down sometime but in retrospect, its one decision of my life, one experience that has made me see things differently and do them right, a place that I will always feel gratitude for making me what I am today.

Well not just people and places, situations and circumstances, even negative, do make us learn quite many right things. Certain situations or the absence of them, does make us learn life's harsh but important truths and lessons. When I quit my job, little did I know how things, people will change just because of that one change in my life, I was the same person, well educated, with same values, who had just left her well -paying job to take a break, or take another one after a brief sabbatical Soon things changed, the attitude of people changed and I realised I was being judged just on the basis of that, that I was jobless and not getting another one! I have learnt that just because of one change in your circumstances doesn't make you less of a person, worthy of respect. What you do to earn a living and how much you earn is important but isn't something that solely defines you as a person, that there is more to any individual, if you gotta appreciate them and feel grateful for. 

I am sharing what 'I Saw and I Learnt' at BlogAdda.com in association with DoRight.in.