Nature : Ignorance is bliss … or fatal?

I was hanging out laundry when I heard this heart wrenching cry ….  The cry of the jackhammer slicing into a sturdy old tree. I watched workers cut the perfectly healthy rows of trees as the atoms of the tree screamed out. At first I tried to ignore it and carry on with my work but the cries were just too much. One reason I chose the condo unit I am living in is because it overlooked a lovely row of tree tops …. Now here I am watching them cut it down.

Rows of trees being cut down 

I walked down to the Management Office downstairs and enquired why they are cutting down the perfectly healthy trees and managed to call the manager in charge. She informs me that it was a decision approved at the owners meeting. The owners have long been requesting to cut the rows of trees down. I was flabbergasted. I asked her why? She answered that they were concerned that the tree branches might fall on the cars below and the tree roots might damage the condo units, so they are cutting down the trees. I fell silent.

I remembered a few years ago we had a nice beautiful shade tree in front of our house in Kota Kemuning. The tree roots were beginning to crack the entrance. This brought fear to my dad that the tree roots will soon destroy the house and he got the tree cut down. I bought this reason then and watched the beautiful shade tree being cut down thinking it was necessary to protect my house.

Here I am in a similar situation again, watching beautiful shade trees being cut down because a collective group of owners of the Condo units think it is necessary to protect their property. This time though, I felt this burning question : is it really necessary? Are we overreacting? There must be a way to keep the trees and protect our property. Cutting down trees is the easy solution but we have no idea of the spiral effect it has on nature, the eco system and the climate. It starts with the mindset of every individual in the society. It starts with every little thought … every little action which leads to the global catastrophe we are facing now with the melting of the ice and impending rise in water levels.

Just from my micro experience of the trees being cut was that some of my potted plants on the balcony dried up because now the direct sunlight was too strong. The wind blows stronger and the clothes on the hanger gets wet if it rains. The condo is hotter and dustier. This is just a little impact from one tiny incident. What happens when all the little things we humans do out of fear and greed is pooled together?

Scientific research indicates sea levels worldwide have been rising at a rate of 0.14 inches (3.5 millimeters) per year since the early 1990s. This is a significantly larger rate than the sea-level rise averaged over the last several thousand years. Studies published in 2015 state that even if we manage to limit global warming to 2C  (the target number for current climate negotiations), sea levels may still rise at least 6 meters (20 ft) above their current heights, radically reshaping the world’s coastline and affecting millions in the process.

By 2050, 26 major US cities will face an “emerging flooding crisis.” Globally, storm damage could cost cities from Hong Kong to Dhaka to New York trillions annually unless adaptation measures are taken. According to Climate Central estimates, 150 million or more people are currently living on land that will either be submerged or exposed to chronic flooding by 2100. Malaysia, being a little peninsular sure looks doomed. In the past years we have seen the unprecedented rise in natural disasters, Chennai flooding being the latest. The facts and evidences are trust upon us yet we live in ignorant bliss that we have a future living the way we do now. Thinking the way we do now.

Recent floods in Chennai

So this begged the question, what can I do? I realised doing what my heart has bidded me to do …  awareness programs on nature’s laws and listening to the heart, connects people back to the bigger picture of life…. of their real purpose of life besides the routine maintenance of living imposed by society. This creates awareness in Gen X and Gen Y. Awareness before change. It is too late for my Generation, Gen X to change but the awareness will enable them to provide the platform and provide the support required by Gen Y and Gen Z to perform the task they came here to perform. Saving us, humans, from our own greed and fear and appeasing nature’s fury at our follies.

Looking at Gen Y and Gen Z, I see hope and am excited to see the future unfold with them, while doing my little part to create the awareness required for change to take place from within.

 

Being in a relationship and changing my goals

A few days ago someone asked me “can I work on my goals and keep my relationship separate?” I knew the answer to this and chose to give her an example on how my friend and her husband grow together as they work on similar goals and also an example of how my divorce many years ago was inevitable as I grew in achieving my goals. Then told her a divorce is messy with kids and parents etc. Be wise and make the decision before that. As you progress towards your goals you will know if he is with you or not. Then listen to your heart and make the choice. Little did I know then that my understanding of the matter was still … well, preliminary.

Last night I had a conversation with my mentor and he was getting me to see the hatred and anger I still harboured against my ex and his new girlfriend. Let’s walk down memory lane….

Some 10 years ago I met this absolutely amazing person. He was the one who introduced me to my personal growth. We worked together really well, almost telepathic in meetings at work, achieving success one after another at work. We were best friends. But what I cherished most was the way we helped each other grow. How he could see my ‘drama’ starting and cut it short and get me to see what I was doing. I in turn was one of the very few who could knock sense into him when his ego grew too big. Our conversations would often make each other go ‘pooff’. Intellectual orgasm. The realisation and awareness about ourselves that the other person could bring out made the relationship special and awesome.

I started off doing a 1 hour free workshop on Managing Personal Energy

Somewhere along the years, my personal growth became most important to me. It was an aphrodisiac. I then thought in which way can I focus on my personal growth and still make a living. That’s when I decided I am going to be a self-awareness trainer because I knew that if I do that, my personal growth will be phenomenal. He supported my decision when everyone else thought I had lost it. I moved from being a Finance Director to a Regional HR Manager as a stepping stone. My growth was accelerated.

My first 1 Day Goal Setting Workshop - 22 Feb 2014

Then a few years down the road, I quit my job to setup a company doing ‘Culture Shaping’. This time he simply couldn’t see what I was talking about. He kept telling me it would not work. But my heart was adamant and strangely my mind was with my heart. I went along with my decision. He wanted to start another company and I didn’t join him. He did ask me “Now that we don’t have common goals what is going to happen to us?” The question took me aback, I pondered on it for a few minutes and decided I’ll work on my new goals and keep my relationship separate. We will be okay. 

We both worked on our goals separately. Suddenly even basic communication was difficult. He was spending a lot of time with this girl on his new business and it made me jealous. I have powerful thoughts and I was aware of it but could not stop myself. Jealousy escalated to suspicion, arguments and accusations. Even I could not recognise myself. He retaliated and all hell broke loose.  All in less than a month he decided he was happier with this new girl and was truthful to me when I confronted him. I still remember the pain that shot through my heart like a dagger and I actually fell to my knees. I could see the hurt in his eyes to see me like that but he stayed silent. I broke off the relationship with a lot of drama from both of us. We both agreed on one thing though, our friendship was very important and let’s keep that and not let the relationship ruin it. Although we both decided to stay friends and in our hearts knew we can’t grow anymore with each other and our goals required us to move on, on our own, it still took us months to let go of the habit patterns and emotional and physical attachment.

The first Be At Your Best  - 11&12 Oct 2014

It was at that time that I met my mentor. Every time I tell Elango about the culture shaping thingy I wanted to do I would listen to him and watch him and think in amazement, ‘he actually understands what I am talking about’, even I only had a hazy picture. Elango saw what I wanted to do and believed in me and my goals even before I did. A few years later and now I am working on my goals with some parts of it becoming a reality ... the picture is clear, I am confident and focused on my goals. Fast forward to yesterday …

So coming back to the anger and betrayal I felt from the breakup … Elango was getting me to see it was no one’s fault and that there was no conspiracy theory to set me up. It just happened because both our thoughts changed. My goals changed. And she was not to be blamed because she didn’t even know about it. My mind conveniently blamed her so I didn’t need to take responsibility for it. As much as I intellectually understood this, my emotions did not agree….

This morning after much switching between my emotions and intellect, then it dawned on me the whole drama was created because I changed my goals. Had we discussed then to part when our goals changed, when he asked me the question, we would have planned the breakup amicably, no drama and the friendship would have prevailed stronger. But my emotional attachment blinded me then. At that time I did not understand the Law of Balance (http://www.ascendancepro.com/)

The Second Be At Your Best - 4&5 July 2015

It also made me realise how strong my heart is. When faced with a major life changing decision that affects my evolution, it came out strong the stood firm and my mind followed without question. Another thing is the wanting to discover myself is a strong yearning from the heart which lead to me prioritising it over the mundane maintenance of life.  For many people achieving their financial goals, relationship goals, a bigger house, a better job, a happy family suffice and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s their evolution and their heart’s call. For a few people like me, my personal growth and self-discovery has become the center to my existence.

Valsala

5 Dec 2015