Today, I Thought About Gandhi

There are few people in this world that need no introduction.  Mahatma Gandhi is one of them.  There are days when I feel like I have slept too long and yet there's this "giant mush" I feel in my heart and things just don't seem to be coloured in the right hues I want them to be.
I remembered one of his famous quotes: 

"If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide."

Nah ...I love myself too much to inflict self-harm, albeit I do hold an impressive level of tolerance for physical pain, I don't believe in short cuts. It is just that I am feeling rather "off" from my rhythm and and "roughly right" in terms of my inner harmony.  

Most times when I am feeling these disconnects, I take to painting.  After a few attempts and I couldn't get the right colours I wanted, I decided to surf the net.  I chanced upon a couple of good picks.

The first one about Rowan Atkinson, ("Mr. Bean"), having been in a very recent car crash.  The chap is more than famous worldwide, he is absolutely rich.  This is his second major auto accident.   He was driving a Mclaren Formula 1.  Yeah it is one of those cheap cars that you buy for a small amount like 2 million euro.  The news said, "he is shaken, not stirred" and has walked out of the hospital with a broken shoulder bone.  Other than that, it's the car that was totally wrecked. It's funny how funny people survive situations that any one would consider a major tragedy.

Along with this find, I found yet another treasure. Most of my older followers would know that I am a self-confessed Coehlo stalker. Coehlo had posted a link on his Blog that leads his readers to "Gandhi's Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World."

Well I don't know why the world fixates itself on Top 10's. To an average, attention-deficit person like I am, I saw the list and I realized that there is absolutely no way an individual can progress to Numbers 4, 5, 6 to 10, if the person fails to master the Top 3. I would much rather talk about the first 3.

The Top 3 Fundamentals of the the Top 10 Fundamentals of Gandhi.

First: Change yourself. 

You think this is easy, try it! 

"You must be the change you want to see in this world." How do you really re-invent yourself?  How do you really change the way you think about things?  People are stubborn. We all are. I know I am. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." How many people do you know would admit that we all need a few fixings and tweaking here and there in terms of mindset?  How many times have you honestly accepted that you are wrong to think, feel and act that way? 

I keep trying this but I keep reverting back to my "comfort zone." Its always so much easier to hide behind the excuse, "Well that's how I believe things should be and that's that." It is so easy to do this, I change everyday but then again I am completely wrong, I guess.

Second: You are in control.

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission."

I read and re-read this.  Have I been hurting for all the wrong reasons?

This tenet so closely reminds me of Covey's 7 Basic habits of Highly Effective People.  He said, "Be proactive."  Choose what matters to you and do not attribute anyone else the "power" to influence your thoughts, emotions and reactions.

So I start my day with a mantra, "You go girl, you are totally in control!" Whilst humming and singing to my favourite tune on the car radio, some jack-ass cuts me and I curse him to high heavens.  There goes my being "in control" and I get to the rest of my drive road-raging.

Third: Forgive and let it go.

Fine, so who do I forgive if I have killed 'em all? Right, I am just kidding.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

I always subscribed to the opposite of this principle.  To kick-ass and fight back takes courage, only to be told by a really wise man (albeit dead), that the ability to forgive is an indicator of strength. The inability to forgive keeps you in bondage, which arguably, is true.  I reckon the most pathetic part is being unable to forgive and the other party has completely forgotten what it was all about.  That just sucks.  

I do subscribe that negativity breeds more negativity, and wallowing in past hurts, failures and pain would never get me anywhere.

Great! My epiphany: I just need to master Number 2, so I can handle Number 3. And in order for me to be able to embrace the principle of Being in Control, I need to change Myself. 

I stopped at the Top 3. Perhaps someday, when I have the moral ascendancy to proceed to Number 4 of the Top 10 Fundamentals, I am worthy to Blog about it.