January 24th, 2007 — People, Reflexion
Que pourrait m’évoquer le mot IRIS ?
D’abord ce qui me vient immédiatement à l’esprit :
Iris, la déesse de la mythologie grecque, messagère déesse des arcs en ciel qui illuminent la création de toutes les couleurs. A l’image de RA, 
dieu de l’Egypte (qui me ramène à la fête égyptienne sur le Nil, de mon ascension à ma cinquantaine),
Iris, sphincter entourant la pupille de l’œil ou encore l’iris de l’objectif de mon appareil à photo,
Iris, fleur de jardin de mon enfance à Port Louis et surtout cette allée de fleur bordant l’entrée de la maison de ma tante à Quatre Bornes,
Iris, tableau de Vincent Van Gogh, que me parlaient Tante Nanny avec grande passion pour l’avoir vu au musée d’Amsterdam,
Iris, aura a partir d’aujourd’hui, une nouvelle évocation : celle de la rencontre avec Paule, qui a donne à son nouveau établissement le nom de « Aux Iris » près de Fontainebleu.
Paule, française, dentiste, professeur de Yoga, interessee a la medecine naturelle, m’a bien entretenu cet après-midi. Merci bien! J’ai senti dans sa présence une douceur ; paix d’esprit et une quête vers une communion avec notre créateur. Nous avons parlé de ses voyages, qu’elle a entrepris dans le passé et comme ancienne membre de Invitation à la Vie et de son projet ou elle a Å“uvré tout l’an dernier. « Aux Iris » un lieu des séminaires, de stage et de ressourcement thérapeutique et artistique.Où le couple Beurdeley dispenseront de l’attention, des soins et du bonheur. Je leur souhaite plein de succès ! O Iris envoie dans le firmanent les couleurs de l’arc en ciel!
January 23rd, 2007 — Mauritius, People, Reflexion
The most popular man person of France, Abbe Pierre managed to top Zinedine Zidane in 2003 as the most popular personality of France . This was quite a feat!
Today,he left this world. On hearing of his demise over Radio, when I got time, I took the opportunity to read more information about this illustrious personality. I was aware of his past visit to Mauritius ,when he left his mark by initiating ” Relais de l’esperance” and giving the impetus to “Abri de nuit”, both light house projects run by CARITAS in Mauritius.
From what I read on the net, his work for the poorest of the poor namely creation of the Emmaus movement , Foundation Abbe Pierre will perpetuate his deeds no doubt. We shall miss his independence of mind and frank speaking. He urged all of us to have compassion to each others and extend our help to the rejected of the society…Gays, Hiv infected and others…
What really was a lesson for me from him was his public admission of his weakness. In 2005, called often, a walking live saint by many, he admitted publicly having casual sex with a female partner in spite of his vows of chastity. He succumbed to temptations of the flesh…
Even saints commit sin: after all they are only humans! Immaculate is the term reserved to God & Virgin Mary the chosen by God!To have compassion, to care for your brothers,to forgive I thus conclude is the way of Sainthood.
Merci Abbe Pierre .
Streaky People
We generally divide people into 2 categories;saints and sinners. The division is quite imaginary. For one thing,no one really knows who the saints are and who the sinners are;appearances are deceptive. For another,all of us,saints and sinners, are sinners.
A preacher once put this question to a class of children:” if all the good people were white and all the bad people were black, what color would you be? Little Mary replied: ‘ Reverend Father,I’d be streaky!’
So would be the Reverend. So would be the canonized saints.
Attempts to hide the ‘streakiness’ of our holy people are sometimes successful,always dishonest.
This is an extract of the book “the Song of the bird” which is currently my bed time, resource and soul nourishing book!
January 22nd, 2007 — Reflexion
This was my comments to a blogger who questioned his celibacy at 30?
Is it an issue for you? Personally! After all it is you the main concern?
Suppose that you had found the best Dal pourri in town, surely you will be talking to your friends about it and even inviting them to taste these delicious wonders? .
The successful married couples only want you to taste the bliss of married life! As with many things, life marriage comes with its lot of challenges & benefits.If the +s are higher than the -s then you have made it. The fun is working at it.It is in the process!The joy of the discovery of the love ones!The learning of down playing of our Ego and being humble! Valuing the differences!Giving & Receiving love & forgiveness!Sharing our profound ultimates!Undergo and live the school of generosity!Shouldering together the responsibility of raising children. The road to unconditional love!
Having been married for 34 years,I can tell you that it has been and still is a worthwhile positive adventure with the big +s and small -s.
Be it an arranged marriage, or an introduction by friends,or relatives or love found by some fortuitous encounter: “entree en matiere” is not the main issue.
The crux is the decision of the spouses to make the vow and to stick to a common project ! Love after all is a decision. The feeling of love may be called infatuation which often wears off…. It is very much like the decision of building a gigantic life long project together.
Having tasted it,I also wish you, if you so desire, to find a life companion to share your life. Traveling along the life path is so much more pleasant, spicy,fun and challenging in good company…. and keep on blogging…
Trust I have excited your thinking! Do go over the links….
Not bad for a Sunday morning prose….said Watson.
January 21st, 2007 — books, Entrepreneurship, Reflexion
Last night the reading of the 33 free pages available on the net of Wikinomics held my breath. Don Tapscot & Anthony Williams‘s book promises to give the reader the evolution of mass collaboration in the new Wiki world.
I particularly enjoyed understanding the principle of Wikinomics and their proposal to strive in the new environment which sprouted from the linux experience. Also, Jacques Attali in his recent book also seems to share the same vision of the future in terms of collaboration & “le monde de gratuite”. . Definitely we shall experience a new form of man-mangement and human interaction in the work environment which in turn will influence the social interactions. Respect & independence whilst collaborating to the achievement of the set objective to serve the common good for free( without retaining a financial individual claim on the final product or project)!I believe this might well be the spark to greater peace,in line with my optimistic wishful thinking.
I recommend you to avail of this freebie reading….
January 20th, 2007 — Ayurveda, books, Mauritius, People
India without yoga could not be India. It may well be yet another gift that India has to offer to the western world. “Kriya Yoga brings about an integrated transformation of the individual in all five planes of existence: physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual. Everyone can practice it and thus find happiness and peace.”
Yesterday, since I was confined to my room, during the day & because during the PanchaKarma treatment no one is not allowed to be exposed to the windy atmosphere, I did not witness the arrival of this large group of 20 persons strong at the center. I later got to meet and exchange with a few of the group who are all disciples of a yogi master who has his Ashram in Quebec. They come from all over the world in pilgrimage to south India with their teacher Marshall Govindan Satchidananda, who I saw from afar later at lunch.
I was told that the individuals of group come from all walks of life, all bonded by the practice of Kriya Yoga and meditation as revealed by Babaji. The world wide coverage of Marshall Govindan Satchidananda’s teachings & achievements, as seen on the net, seem impressive. Browsing at the website is well worth the while. Even Mauritius and Reunion islands are listed in the world wide contact
January 19th, 2007 — books, Entrepreneurship
“Ram Charan [consults] for the largest and most powerful companies . . . even more than his dedication; it’s his insights that have won him the ear of hundreds of top managers. . . . What Charan loves to do is to solve business problems. With his plainspoken Socratic approach, he helps demolish organizational silos or persuade entrenched executives to change their points of view. . . . Companies seek him out for his ‘wise man’ approach rather than choosing a consultant with a narrow specialty.”
—Fast Company
I had last night, the opportunity to scrutinize his latest book: Know how. I have taken some notes therein which would be handy to entrepreneurs, in search of leadership skills, and who are reading me.
The Eight Know-Hows
Here is a breakdown of the eight know-hows:
1. Positioning and Repositioning: Finding a central
Idea for business that meets customer demands and that
makes money.
2. Pinpointing External Change: Detecting patterns
in a complex world to put the business on the offensive.
3. Leading the Social System: Getting the right people
together with the right behaviors and the right information
to make better, faster decisions and achieve business
results.
4. Judging People: Calibrating people based on their
actions, decisions and behaviors, and matching them to
the non-negotiables of the job.
5. Molding a Team: Getting highly competent, highego
leaders to coordinate seamlessly.
6. Setting Goals: Determining the set of goals that
balances what the business can become with what it can
realistically achieve.
7. Setting Laser-Sharp Priorities: Defining the path
and aligning resources, actions and energy to accomplish
the goals.
8. Dealing With Forces Beyond the Market:
Anticipating and responding to societal pressures you
don’t control but that can affect your business.
Command of the eight know-hows enables you to
diagnose any situation and take appropriate action, lifting
you out of your comfort zone of expertise by developing
skills that prepare you to do what the situation
requires, not just what you’ve traditionally been good at.
Personal Traits and the
Know-Hows
The following are the personal traits that can help
or interfere with the know-hows:
✓ Ambition — to accomplish something noteworthy
BUT NOT win at all costs.
✓ Drive and Tenacity — to search, persist and
follow through BUT NOT hold on too long.
✓ Self-Confidence — to overcome the fear of
failure, fear of response or the need to be liked and
use power judiciously BUT NOT become arrogant
and narcissistic.
✓ Psychological Openness — to be receptive
to new and different ideas AND NOT shut other
people down.
✓ Realism — to see what can actually be accomplished
AND NOT gloss over problems or assume
the worst.
✓ Appetite for Learning — to continue to grow
and improve the know-hows AND NOT repeat the
same mistakes.
Detecting Patterns in the
Complex World
Here are seven simple questions that can help you
sort through and detect patterns in the complex
world around you:
1. What is happening in the world today? The
most significant trends affecting business transcend
company and industry.
2. What part of my frame of reference has
worked for me? What hasn’t worked for me? The
construction of your own frame of reference based
on previous experience is a large part of learning to
detect changes in external patterns.
3. What does it mean for anyone? The newspaper
industry is undergoing vast changes as a result
of the Internet and Google.
4. What does it mean for us? Once you have the
big picture, you can begin to examine what it means
for your own company’s strategies. That’s what
General Electric’s CEO Jeff Immelt did when he
decided to meld several of GE’s businesses into the
infrastructure business to sell items such as energy
equipment and services, railroad locomotives and
aircraft items — all necessary ingredients in rapidly
growing economies.
5. What would have to happen? Apple’s invention
of the iPod would have been considerably less successful
had it not created iTunes, the online source
of downloadable music.
6. What do we have to do to play a role? GE’s
decision to market its infrastructure products in
emerging markets required it to reorganize those
businesses in a way that recognized the difference
between selling a power plant to an American utility
and selling that same power plant to a foreign
government.
7. What do we do next?
In the nutshell, the role of the entrepreneur is thus: Diagnosing, Designing and Leading.
I thoroughly enjoyed my reading and would recommend you to read Ram Charan for his insights. As is often the case, knowing something is only good enough…Applying the knowledge is more important.
January 18th, 2007 — Entrepreneurship, Reflexion
What do you do when after 27 years years of married life, you wife suddenly decide to leave you and file in a divorce? That was the bomb that landed year ago, on one of the residents of IVAC with whom I had a meal yesterday. Suddenly he sunked into depression and his general health went wild. For all these years, he had diligently work non stop to raise his four children and suceeded to save up some wealth for this family and was looking towards to a retired cosy life. Later he discovered that his wife was leading a dissolute life for the last few years. He would not believe his ears. Treachery! On the recommendation of his sister who lived in India, he came to spend sometime at IVAC last year.
He is now back again in Mysore, a year passed the trauma. He has not entirely got over the situation but is definitely in better physical shape and mental health to face the forth coming battle to wage in court for the divorce. He is hopeful that his week stay will be benefiting his health and spirit.
Three of the children are today grown up and financially independent. The 4th child, a daughter still living with him, should complete her high school studies this year, before proceeding to university in the next year.
Since his last year’s shock he has completely changed his lifestyle.He admits that he is now a different man and has lost his dynamism and joie de vivre! As an hotelier, he was a people person, caring always about others, now he has turned taciturn and unwilling to meet even his closest relatives.He is working towards renewing with his “joie de vivreâ€.
May I wish you “joie de vivre” fast my dear Arl…..
January 17th, 2007 — Reflexion
After spending over ten days at the center, undergoing the detox Ayurvedic treatments and a rejuvenating spell of a few days, time has come to say Good bye for Elizabeth & Ulrike. Since it is about a mind, body and soul therapy the interaction with the other residents may well be part of the sojourn. It was a favorable period to relax, recollect your senses and gather energy to go back to face your challenging world. I do recall how a little incident with another resident,disturbed the serenity of one of them, which caused her to skip a meal at the dinning hall. On their departing farewell,I was pleased to note that the incident was forgotten.
I must admit that I had very good interaction with these talented wonder women who are leaving a legacy to the world in their respective field. For one the creation of a HD TV and for the other her avant garde music. They brought new avenues to me with our sharing. May God continue to bless them with such energy and determination….Bon vent….
January 16th, 2007 — Reflexion
Narada
The Hindu sage Narada started out on a pilgrimage to the temple of lord Vishnu. One night he stopped at a village and was given hospitality in the hut of a poor couple. Before he set out the next morning the man said to Narada, “You are going to Lord Vishnu. Ask him to give me and my wife a child, for it is many years now that we are childless.â€
When Narada reached the temple, he said to the Lord, “that man and wife were kind to me. Be merciful to them grant them a child.†The lord replied, with an air of finality, “It is not in their destiny to have children.†So Narada performed his devotions and went back home.
Five years later, he set out on the same pilgrimage and stopped at the same village and was offered the same hospitality by the same couple. This time there were 2 little children playing at the entrance of the hut?
“Whose children are these?†asked Narada.
“Mine†said the man.
Narada was puzzled. The man went on, “soon after you left us 5 years ago, a holy mendicant came to our village. We put him up for the night. The next morning before departing, he blessed my wife and me..And the Lord gave us the gift of those two children.
When Narada heard this, he could not wait to get to the temple of Lord Vishnu again. And when he got there he shouted right from the entrance, “Did you not tell me that it was not in their destiny to have children?â€
When the Lord heard this, he laughed aloud and said, “That must be the doing of a saint. Saints have power to change destiny.â€
One is reminded of a wedding feast at which the mother of Jesus got him, through her prayers to work a miracle before his own destiny permitted it.
This story is to be read together with my previous posts…and my last Sunday’s reflexion. Thank you Anthony de Mello.
January 15th, 2007 — Chinois, Reflexion
From my childhood, I had at all times heard my grandpa, Koung Koung talking about harmony and the just middle way.His “Confucius” up bringing could only direct him to such language. The search for “Harmony” in all matters was his life quest. Harmony in human relations is what I cherish and have taken from him. For him “justice” is equivalent to “harmony” for all. The now, under study since 2005, the Chinese Government under Mr. Hu is taking harmony as his diplomatic driver.
A recent commentary in the People’s Daily newspaper begins by saying that “2006 has been the first year for the Chinese government to implement its `harmonious-world-oriented’ diplomacy.” The article recognises that when Mr. Hu first formulated the theory in late 2005, it left “world public opinion perplexed, not knowing how to put it into practice.”
The harmony of the Yin and Yang and the search of the equilibrium of the five elements are the essential of Chinese-ness is n’t it?
The big question is How to bring about this harmonious world? I found reading an editorial of ” The Hindu”, the Chennai based newspaper a hint towards Mr.Hu ‘s rolling out actions to the world. This comment was most probably triggered by the brother like conversations that the Prime Minister of India had with the China’s number 1 at Cebu yesterday.The neighboring great countries of the future seem to be starting off a honey moon.
Vive l’harmonie des nations!