SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY…TILL YOU REACH अद्वैत

अद्वैत (advait) means; no two, only one. It is a complete negation of difference, distinction or discrimination. According to ancient Indian scriptures, there is only one, the infinite source of all that exists, that is the God, the Supreme self. The Supreme self has divided itself into infinitely many, which constitute the entire universe having all that is living or not living. However, in this blog, I have no intention to discuss about the universe and its origin. By chance I came across two sentences written with an intention to discuss about two important leadership skills. I quote them below.

The First: Perhaps the most important skill a leader needs is to be able to think strategically.

The Second: Leadership is all about having a vision of where you want to be and working to achieve that vision. 

I am aware that the sentences quoted above have been used in reference to ‘business leaders’ and not the ‘leaders of the people’; but I am not agreeable to distinguish the two types of leaderships; because in both the cases the benefit of the man must be kept above everything. If we distinguish the two for having two different objectives, we would be submitting to duality and permitting the conflicts appear between the two, between the interests of the people and that of the business. To hide the conflict, we may have to resort to ‘strategic thinking’; but, will it not be complicating the things for all concerned? The things that do not hide or distort or convey multiple meaning are simple.

The second sentence leaves much scope for ‘different’ interpretations. What meaning we should attach to ‘having a vision where you want to be’? What is meant by ‘you’, one’s business? Does it include the owners, all the stakeholders, the suppliers, the employees, the customers, the consumers and the public, in general? And what do you mean by ‘want’? ‘Wants’ are invariably undefined and without any kinds of limits. By accepting such a phrase we become totally unrestrained and enter into an area where there is nothing but anarchy, anarchy of thoughts and that of the conduct.  Let me attempt to write a different phrase.

In place of the phrase referred in the preceding paragraph, if I say, ‘having a vision where we (the man) should be’; then I, like all others, become a participant in visualizing what is beneficial for us. When we share, we become ‘one’, not two; and things get simplified. This phrase suits both, the ‘business leader’ and ‘the leader of the people’.

I find it difficult to accept the educative part of the two sentences under reference.

Education now, is no more a system of transferring the useful knowledge traditionally earned by the human society through extensive and extended experiencing. It is merely imparting skills to earn a livelihood in modern economic life. The qualities that value and support welfare of the community are not even discussed what to say about planting them in the character of the modern generation.  There is a great and urgent need for making a way for quality of human life in the middle of restless economic life focused singularly on inhomogeneous materialistic progress. This need must be fulfilled by our education system. However, the modern education system blocks the abilities of independent thinking in students by making the education a highly uninteresting but thoroughly competitive drudgery.

It is only the ability the think independently, without any bias and prejudice, which can help us in simplifying things and getting rid of all dualities and contradictions.

PROMOD KUMAR SHARMA

[The writer is the author of “In Search of Our Wonderful Words” and “Mahatma A Scientist  Intuitively Obvious”.]