Imagine a quill floating in the wind. As the wind changes its direction the quill does a pirouette and dances to its rhythmic cadence. It loses its identity and becomes one with the wind. An expert glider uses this unpredictability of the wind to do amazing feats in the air. The quill and the glider may be carried to longer distance and greater heights by being in total congruity with the wind. Life is like that. We just cannot predict what is around the corner. We may falter at the ubiquitous inequities that life poses. We may fail to reach the altar of success. To keep pace with its subtle nuances and surprises, we need to learn to dance to its tune. Find the rhythm that suits us, do the leg work properly and enjoy the dance.
What does finding our own rhythm mean? There are a million things in this world which may affect a million people in million ways? For A R Rahman, music is the road to salvation. When he sees a keyboard he sees god. When he touches it, he feels god. But for many others, it will just remain a collage of keys with no significance. A piece of music / a beautiful song is already there in the guitar. Only a maestro can elicit that melody from the six innocuous strings. A true sculptor can see the image/ sculpture in a rotund rock, while a nonchalant passer by may blissfully fail to see the creation. Everything depends on the level of resonance that we have achieved with ourselves and the things that surround us. If we listen closely, we can hear our own heart beat. There is a beautiful rhythm to it. When we succumb to the malice and the negativities around us, we can sense the rhythm changing. Finding the perfect rhythm is about knowing our brain, our body, our mind and bringing the three into unison.
It is said that when soldiers march over the bridge, they break the rhythm because the resonance they build otherwise is huge enough to destroy the bridge. In a similar way the intonation of the resonance that we build in ourselves in conjugation with nature is powerful enough to flush out the negativities and usher in a feeling of endearing happiness. The Sufis dance and spin their way to nirvana. The disciples of Bhagawan Rajaneesh forget their surroundings when they dance to attain eternal bliss. The rhythm of life is a powerful beat and it instigates us to dance, to sing, to breathe and to be passionate. But we take each step with lot of trepidation. We do not involve fully in the things that we do. We give, but with compunction. We learn, but without conviction.
We need to learn the rhythm of life as we grow. We need to feel/ listen to the rhythm of other people, the rhythm that nourished our parents, our grand parents, our ancestors down the ages and understand their stories and the struggles to give shape and purpose to our own dance. As we start experiencing our own rhythm, we will find the beauty of the rhythm in others - other individuals, other cultures, other traditions and realise that the rhythm of life is a cosmic ballet in which we all play a tiny but immensely integral part.
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