Out of the Box Thinking !!!

The day from when i started reading and hearing those books and lectures on self development on making your tomorrow a bit more better. I was bombarded with epithet like break the barriers, challenge yourself and out of the box thinking. Initially, i thought these were just some jargons which those profuse speakers use to impress upon the listeners their prowess over the subject. But as days passed and i started thinking over the topic myself, instead of others bombarding me, i understood the meaning and importance of these words. Self Realization or auto realization of oneself is the most important key for transformation, i presume, for it is the only person you see in the mirror in the morning, who has the capacity to change you. And that person obviously is you, youself.  We may boast of many things, but inertly, we are the ones, who know our limitations and our powers.

When i pondered more and more on this topic of out of the box thinking, i learnt that all the top people, top scientists and other genuises succeeded because they challenged the routine, they questioned the practice and dared to think out of the box. The Galileo in those orthodox age of Church & Pope dared to proclaim that Earth was round and that it is the earth that revolves round the sun and not the other way round. The Newton in those days defied the existing logic and defined the law of gravity. All people in all sectors have risen above others, because they dared to think differently. One who follows the same old common path unquestionably remains a commoner himself.

One should, and one must question the questionable and seek logical answers, people may frown at you but it will be you who will benefit ultimately. Merely following rituals & traditions without knowing logic will never help you. This reminds me of a tale i heard somewhere. It goes somewhat like this :

There was a village where a wife hands over the list to the dutiful husband and asks him to fetch things from market as her mother was going to come for stay at their place. The list included fish from fish market. The husband most obediently followed suit and brought all the things, the wife seeing the fish however, got angry and shouted at her husband why he brought the whole fish, she said the fish’s head had to be cut off, the whole fish must not be brought. She said her mother taught her this way. The husband did not understand the logic behind it. He waited for his mother in law to come, when she came the first question he posed was why the head of the fish has to be slit before it is brought to home. The mother said, she did not know the reason, but she did because her mother did exactly the same way. Curious husband became restless and he rang the old grandma and posed the same question, the answer he got flabbergasted him, the old lady said she preferred to get the head cut because, the pan in which she used to fry the fish was small for the entire fish to be fried !!!!

Such is our situation when we follow the traditions and systems blindly without knowing the logic or reasoning behind it.

May be because of the scientific fervor my dad imbibed in me, i remained a curious questioner all the way through my life,  i remember one story when i was in my ninth standard and i was bit arrogant than, i used to do only what i felt is right. Tinges of that behaviour, still are evident in my persona even today.  So we were vacating in our native place during summer vacations. The village ladies told my mother that i was carrying some kind of evil spirit with me which made me so arrogant. My mother a god fearing women, immediately toed their line and on one night at around 08.30 pm took me to some healer. This case she was a women in her 40s, she claimed that she is having favors of Santoshi Mata. At 9.00 pm after all the Rituals and Artis, the “Darbar” began. Since, we were from Mumbai (those days Mumbaikars or people from cities were given preferential treatment, i guess), we got the first hearing. The “Mata” was standing and she asked me to stand, i stood, then she sort of Ordered me to bend and touch her feet. I was very angry within, for my mom and my dad had lied and taken me to this “Darbar” telling that we were visiting some distant relatives. I told to that Mata, why should i bend in front of you ? The poor lady in that “Mata” was confused, for i guess, nobody else might have questioned her before. She then told me, ok you are not going to touch my feet, then pray before the goddess, pointing finger to some deity’s photograph she said. I said ok. The Mata realised that it was difficult to remove the “evil spirit” from me. Thank God she failed to do so.. I eventually thought.

Questioning the logic i guess gives you a better understanding of past practices and one can resolve and find way out if those practices were inept to handle new scenarios. Following the practices as it is only creates a bunch of blind faith followers and people of herd mentality.

My friends out there, always question the questionable and find the logic, for only those who question and do out of box thinking will grow  in this most competitive age. Others will merely struggle to survive.

Think over it !!!