Inspiration for Freedom 29-Aug-2007

“People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things.”

- R. Buckminster Fuller

August 29, 2007 · Filed under Quote

6 Comments »

  1. Perfume Said,

    August 29, 2007 @ 11:20 am

    Absolutely. I think too many people accept things and follow what their friends and family do or want them to do; without understanding why it’s being done or what it actually means!

    We need to do what previous generations did NOT do - ask questions, research & empower ourselves. Why? So that we no longer see things as a chore or an act that’s carried out because we were told to or to make ourselves or our family look good.

    I’m sure if we know WHY we’re doing things, half the battle is won. If we then agree with the task/action; then we’ll feel GOOD about doing it.

  2. Sonal Said,

    August 29, 2007 @ 3:04 pm

    As soon as I read today’s quote of the day, one of my favourite stories came to mind. It’s one that I was fortunate enough to come by many years ago which inspired me and I have shared it numerous times since. It goes thus:

    A young girl was helping her mum in the kitchen, and she noticed her mum chop and discard around a third of a yam before cooking it. She asked her mum why she did this, to which the response was: “that’s how my mother prepared this yam recipe.” So, the girl went and asked her grandmother why she got rid of a third of a yam before cooking it, to which the response was: “that’s how my mother prepared this yam recipe.” Her curiosity now raised further the young girl calls her great-grandmother and asks her the same question, to which the response was: “My dear, in my day we did not have large enough pans to contain a full yam, nor were we able to store unused parts for the following day, so I had to trim the yam by a third to fit it in the pan and discard the rest.”

    A great story to illustrate that questioning and giving thought to the way in which we do things can lead to efficiencies and more appropriate actions.

  3. Manish Modi Said,

    August 31, 2007 @ 9:20 am

    Dear Sonal,
    Jay Jinendra

    Absolutely spot on! What we do today, collectively, is we keep on wasting one thirds of the yam, and we do not even stop to think why!

    There are so many Jains who have stopped eating varaq. Despite that, varaq is still used to decorate Jina idols in Jain temples! Why?

    We seriously need to start questioning and stop following blindly.

    I carry out weekly classes on Jainism in Mumbai and in all my lectures, I encourage students to ask questions. To not accept anything blindly but to contemplate on things and only accept those activities which are moral, rational, respectful to others and philanthropic. Jainism champions a kind of enlightened selfishness
    in order to break the bondage of temporal life.

    But all of this is lost in a barrage of rituals and blind customs. So we need to think things through before we follow in the footsteps of our elders.

    And keep one thing in mind: Just because some book was written 1000 years ago does not automatically make it infallible. People wrote crap in ancient times and medieval times. And lots of people are writing crap now.

    So we need to keep our “viveka” (distinguishing knowledge) and “prajna” (wisdom) about us all the time.

    yours
    M

  4. Perfume Said,

    August 31, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

    Wow Sonal. A great story to illustrate what I was talking about. There was a good reason for wasting 1/3 of the yam before. However, the reason was lost and the action continued. What a waste! Hopefully we can start making changes now.

    Encourage chn to ask questions and not just accept and follow the status quo.
    :)

  5. Perfume Said,

    August 31, 2007 @ 12:17 pm

    Excellent Manish. Just read this after replying to Sonal’s comments. Here’s hoping that we can make enough ripples to create positive change.

  6. Perfume Said,

    August 31, 2007 @ 10:00 pm

    For all those who struggle with teaching those younger OR older than us about Jainism there is an amazing book that’s recently been launched.

    I’ve included the web link below as well as my friend’s thoughts about it. She is a teacher so it’s quite interesting so know how she has received it.

    Anyway….for your info….

    http://www.jainology.org/viewindex.asp?article_id=News%5FHarr%5FLaunch

    Let me introduce myself. I am a teacher. We are often frustrated when we are required to teach Religious Education but the sources of information come from people who do not have correct knowledge of the faith that they have written about. We do not want to relay ‘incorrect’ information but we do not know about all the faiths in enough detail to teach them as if we followed them ourselves.

    Have a think; how much do you know your own faith if you follow one? Can you teach someone about the main aspects of it? The important rituals? Explain why things are done or not done? Can you imagine doing that about other faiths which you have even less knowledge about?

    Jainism is less well known that Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. Thus this book is amazing. However, it is not JUST a great tool for teachers who work in schools but also for YOU. For you to teach members of your family or friends for example.

Leave a Comment