Each master to his own technique
This is a dialogue from an old Jackie Chan movie. Can’t remember the name of the movie.
As a child I was given the impression by the elders that they knew much more about the world and they could point me to the right direction. A warrior at heart, I seldom stopped questioning the limits of their patience, like most teenagers. And like many men who refuse to grow up, I still carry that teenager with me and now when half my life is over and parenting a five year old I don’t try to portray the image of an omniscient. What intrigues me is the notion or audacity that my parents or family had when they were bringing me up, to paint a wrong picture of their abilities or knowledge – much like those wall street bankers. I guess that this is a notion that most Indian families harbour, that the elders know better and approach their offsprings with the mindset that they need to be taught about the ways of the world, not celebrating the immense capabilities with which they are born with and the potentials they will bloom into without any interference. At some stage in my life there was a cross over and my parents completely abandoned this notion – what would have been the subprime meltdown in our lives – I have to still fathom it out.
When answering my five year old’s questions like what is a heart attack, how did that first woman come on earth, what is protector, why is Vishnu (the hindu diety) called a protector and Shiva (another diety) called a destroyer, I don’t hold back, but try to explain even the cycle of creation, protection and destruction to maintain the balance of the world. And every time we hold such conversation I try to embed the message that I know very little, there is a vast world out there where you could find more information both first hand and from people who have experienced it before, there are multiple modes of enrichment available, which you can choose to your liking , youtube, images, neopets, facebook and so on.
In whatsoever state you are, having a strategy of your own counts and understanding how that strategy fits into the bigger jigsaw. Many a time it may not work out as you planned, many a time you may come across a much bigger game which was played in your favour and in the designing of which you had zero input. All you can do is play your game with fierce will and involvement and embrace the unknown with hunger and passion, for there are not going to be many knowns in your life.
