Changing Perceptions


Yesterday when i reached home i found myself left all alone. Struck by boredom i was humming a song and loitering in my room. I happened to have a look at the "geetha saaram" hung on the wall. Initially i just ignored it and continued to strain my vocal chords and my neighbours' eardrums....to the best of my ability. Something made me look at it again and i started to contemplate on the geetha saaram. I have read this note many a times all through my life and it was only yesterday it struck me that each time it has always been giving me a new set of messages. A few years ago when i was just 15 the only meaning that i could perceive out of it was " all that happens happens for good"especially to console myself on small petty issues and problems that i had to face at that point of time.

A few years back i had the previlege of attending a wholistic development training session (by Almamater) which happened to be a turning point in myview towards life. I had been receiving a lot of messages from the trainer and one of them which i could never relate was what he called "changing perceptions". The message was that we generally try to judge others all the time and perceive certain things about them which we never change over a period of time even when the person has changed. One of the profound examples he would give is about a boss who had actually brought in a new boy to work, mentored him and taught him all skills but at a later period failed to realise that he is no more a boy fresh out of graduation running to him for help in all matters.Lately he happens to face the day when the guy quits the job due to lack of freedom and recognition at workplace. It was the boss' perception that he was still a boy who needed help ,failing to change his perception as the boy has grown and is capable of handling challenging situations all by himself!!!

As young as 17 i could never imagine or contemplate about changing people and changing perceptions about them. So i simply used to enjoy listening to a nice story and sharing the message and this story to all my friends at college. I found myself comfortable with other good things i managed to learn from the forum. I could not get the message to its fullest potent because i could never relate any real time incidents with the message.

Yesterday was the chosen day I believe for the shell which I had collected years back to be born as a diamond that I would always be bejewelled with. Left alone at home in utter solitude, without any calls from mom to arrange something or to lend a helping hand at cooking, I just sat looking at the wall hang carrying in it a sea of wisdom. It was a profound moment in which i chose to lose myself in thoughts .....The gita saaram gave me different meaning altogether...it was not only that but it sparked the thought of changing perceptions.....I could now relate to people and incidents that had happened in my life and actually understand how in certain cases i had failed to change my views and judgemnets about few of my friends!!
I also understood that with age and maturity the way people look at the same thing differs!!!

Thanks to my trainer, thanks to the everlasting message that krishna has left behind to this world.