Straight

A straight line is measurable to a certain extent.

The one thing that seems to be straight all the time is the ruler. When we want to draw a straight line, we will always look for this type of stationery. When we want to measure the length of the line, this piece of simple yet complicated tool comes in handy. But we will never bring a ruler out everywhere we go. Is it that important to measure every little thing in our life?

Babies, as naïve as one can be, are the most straight-forward beings we can ever find. When happy, they will laugh. When hungry, they will sound. When uneasy, they will cry. Their mind is a blank sheet of paper. It is us, as adults that complicates things. A baby has simple needs, we are the ones who dress them differently, find fancy ways to feed them, and use the latest technology to keep them calm. In actual fact, a baby only needs us to nurture them to be a pleasant person. Everything else does not matter.

While life may be a struggle for children, it is part and parcel of growing up. Learning is a process. We need not control the path that the child chooses. We only need to guide them to stay calm in all situations. We need to let them understand that there are many paths to choose from. There is no right or wrong. It is the matter of learning how to get through to the end-point.

In our day to day life, we encounter many different people. Who are the people that we always choose to stick to?

Great leaders are straight to the point. All they do is to tell us the gist of what they want us to do. How we want to do it, is entirely up to us. They already understand that there is no fixed way to doing things. As long as the target is achieved, all is good.

There are also the total opposite of a good leader. They go beat around the bush telling us how we should get there but the final destination is never clear. They are control freaks. They only want people to follow their instructions without arguments.

There is a third kind of person that everyone choose to look up to. They are icons of wisdom. They may or may not be alive, but their philosophies live till eternity. They understand that life is simple. As simple as it is, the path may be straight or bent. Getting through obstacles is part and parcel of life. They convey their messages through words of wisdom.

The one phrase I keep telling myself day in day out is from the wise Buddha. I am not a religious person. I do not pray to any statues or deities but I do believe in one thing, be kind to all life. “Mouth speak good words, Heart think good deeds, Body do good things.” Ponder upon this and you will find that life is easier than what seems.

We probably have come across all three kinds of people in our lives. Some greatly affect us while others, just passerby in our lives, we never even realized they have been there. How do we judge which person is the mentor we seek? How do we know which event is the breaking point? Will we know right at that moment? Perhaps.

While life is simple, it is up to our mind to sieve the messages life brings us. We live in the era where information is abundant. Everyone talks about everything under the sky and even beyond infinity. What is important to ourselves? Only we know the answer. Nobody else can answer the question on our behalf. We are all different individuals.

Perhaps the first thing we should all concentrate on is to sit up straight. We are in the sitting position most of our lives. It is of utmost importance that we are able to sit up straight. When the posture is right, we breathe better. When oxygen level is right, we think better. When mindset is right, we do better.

Challenge to sit up straight today and feel the difference.

 

Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

Helen Adams Keller (Helen Keller), American deaf-blind author, 1880-1968