A matter of perspective
"When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment. I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon
A recent incident reminded me of these words by John Lennon. It is so true. There are many times in life when it is difficult to say if something is right or wrong. It is just a matter of perspective - how you feel about the issue.
Coming to the matter at hand, a ‘well-wisher' feels it is high time I take some serious lessons in parenting - because the way the person sees it, I am letting my kids run wild!
Instead of staying cooped up indoors staring at the idiot box or wasting hours with mindless video games, my kids are out in the sun - climbing trees, playing cricket, splashing around in ponds, chasing insects, watching birds, fruit-hunting, fishing and endless chatting (I mean real face to face conversations) with friends.
While their classmates have already started tuitions and begun covering portions for the coming academic year, my kids are learning things they never teach you at schools. How do you chase away a snake without harming it? How do you get healthy kanikonna saplings? Why is it best to sleep with your head facing south? Why are there peacocks at our temple? Who are the candidates in the coming elections? Which medicinal leaf helps cure fever?
My kids do not know the characters of Angry Birds. They don't seem much interested either. Who would be when there are plenty of crows, sparrows, kingfishers, woodpeckers, parrots and storks frequenting the house everyday? My boys never miss filling up water in a plastic tub for these plethora of birds. With the summer temperatures touching scorching levels, you can also spot squirrels cautiously leaving their safe abode for a refreshing drink.
I have never been enthusiastic about treating kids to junk food or soft drinks. This is exactly why they relish fresh, home-cooked meals. We do not buy frozen chicken. We get ours fresh from an organic farm nearby. We do not buy veggies except for onion. We grow ours at home. We do not buy eggs. Our hens produce enough for our needs. We don't need imported fruits. We pluck seasonal fruits straight from our fruit trees. Right now, these trees are heavy with mangoes, jackfruit, papaya, guava and countless other local ones. I call this sustainable living. It simply means living in harmony with nature, establishing a rapport with nature and striving to preserve it.
Most of our neighbors have already cut down all their trees and paved their entire compounds with outdoor tiles. And they keep complaining there is not enough water in their wells even after heavy rains. When there was pressure on our household to do the same and ‘prettify' our area, I adamantly refused it. The result? Every drop of rain that falls in our place sinks down deep into the earth and recharges our well, ensuring lots of water even in the hottest summers.
A few weeks back, my son came home from school, excitedly talking about the new tab that his friend had brought to class. I told him I would show him a sight his friend would probably never see. I gently lifted a small basket in the corner of our kitchen to reveal our chicken that had been patiently been waiting for her eggs to hatch for the past 3 weeks. As we watched, an egg slowly began cracking. The mother hen did her bit by carefully pecking at the cracked shell to reveal a tiny head and an even tinier beak. The wet and fragile looking chick wasn't much of a sight. It quickly hid under its mother's wings. 2 hours later, when the chick emerged all dry and squeaking, my son scooped up the little cotton-bally bird. He simply couldn't stop smiling. Lesson learnt? What tab can match the magic of new life unfolding before your eyes?
I admit it is not easy to stay put and embrace a leisurely pace of life when the whole world is gasping to keep up with the times. But it is this old world charm that I wish to pass on to my kids. This magic of appreciating the simple things in life, caring for plants and animals and perceiving the same life force that flows in all of us.
I have watched them running to get the first mango of the season. I have marveled at their patience as they waited for a tortoise to cross the road before dashing forth on their bicycles. I have enjoyed their joyous squeals when they saw their cat emerging with its new brood of kittens. I have seen them crying inconsolably when a crow snatched up a baby squirrel that had fallen from its nest. I love watching them dance to the rhythm of drumbeats during utsavs. Amidst these tears and cheers, I know they are learning life's biggest lessons. So no matter what anybody else thinks about this, I wouldn't want my boys to grow up any other way!
A recent incident reminded me of these words by John Lennon. It is so true. There are many times in life when it is difficult to say if something is right or wrong. It is just a matter of perspective - how you feel about the issue.
Coming to the matter at hand, a ‘well-wisher' feels it is high time I take some serious lessons in parenting - because the way the person sees it, I am letting my kids run wild!
Instead of staying cooped up indoors staring at the idiot box or wasting hours with mindless video games, my kids are out in the sun - climbing trees, playing cricket, splashing around in ponds, chasing insects, watching birds, fruit-hunting, fishing and endless chatting (I mean real face to face conversations) with friends.
While their classmates have already started tuitions and begun covering portions for the coming academic year, my kids are learning things they never teach you at schools. How do you chase away a snake without harming it? How do you get healthy kanikonna saplings? Why is it best to sleep with your head facing south? Why are there peacocks at our temple? Who are the candidates in the coming elections? Which medicinal leaf helps cure fever?
My kids do not know the characters of Angry Birds. They don't seem much interested either. Who would be when there are plenty of crows, sparrows, kingfishers, woodpeckers, parrots and storks frequenting the house everyday? My boys never miss filling up water in a plastic tub for these plethora of birds. With the summer temperatures touching scorching levels, you can also spot squirrels cautiously leaving their safe abode for a refreshing drink.
I have never been enthusiastic about treating kids to junk food or soft drinks. This is exactly why they relish fresh, home-cooked meals. We do not buy frozen chicken. We get ours fresh from an organic farm nearby. We do not buy veggies except for onion. We grow ours at home. We do not buy eggs. Our hens produce enough for our needs. We don't need imported fruits. We pluck seasonal fruits straight from our fruit trees. Right now, these trees are heavy with mangoes, jackfruit, papaya, guava and countless other local ones. I call this sustainable living. It simply means living in harmony with nature, establishing a rapport with nature and striving to preserve it.
Most of our neighbors have already cut down all their trees and paved their entire compounds with outdoor tiles. And they keep complaining there is not enough water in their wells even after heavy rains. When there was pressure on our household to do the same and ‘prettify' our area, I adamantly refused it. The result? Every drop of rain that falls in our place sinks down deep into the earth and recharges our well, ensuring lots of water even in the hottest summers.
A few weeks back, my son came home from school, excitedly talking about the new tab that his friend had brought to class. I told him I would show him a sight his friend would probably never see. I gently lifted a small basket in the corner of our kitchen to reveal our chicken that had been patiently been waiting for her eggs to hatch for the past 3 weeks. As we watched, an egg slowly began cracking. The mother hen did her bit by carefully pecking at the cracked shell to reveal a tiny head and an even tinier beak. The wet and fragile looking chick wasn't much of a sight. It quickly hid under its mother's wings. 2 hours later, when the chick emerged all dry and squeaking, my son scooped up the little cotton-bally bird. He simply couldn't stop smiling. Lesson learnt? What tab can match the magic of new life unfolding before your eyes?
I admit it is not easy to stay put and embrace a leisurely pace of life when the whole world is gasping to keep up with the times. But it is this old world charm that I wish to pass on to my kids. This magic of appreciating the simple things in life, caring for plants and animals and perceiving the same life force that flows in all of us.
I have watched them running to get the first mango of the season. I have marveled at their patience as they waited for a tortoise to cross the road before dashing forth on their bicycles. I have enjoyed their joyous squeals when they saw their cat emerging with its new brood of kittens. I have seen them crying inconsolably when a crow snatched up a baby squirrel that had fallen from its nest. I love watching them dance to the rhythm of drumbeats during utsavs. Amidst these tears and cheers, I know they are learning life's biggest lessons. So no matter what anybody else thinks about this, I wouldn't want my boys to grow up any other way!
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