An original poem by Ranjan De Silva
Beingness invites us to ‘be’
But we attempt to ‘become’
Are we human beings or human becoming’s?
What would it mean to just be?
Continue reading “Saying ‘Yes’ to Beingness”Saying ‘Yes’ to Beingness
Tag: Pandemic
Herd Immunity of a Different Kind
While trying to avoid any infections of the vulnerable is our responsibility, it is important that we do it in the most holistic and helpful manner.
Taking precautions to prevent being a conduit in spreading the virus based on social distancing and hygiene guidelines is important. This can be augmented by strengthening our immune system. Good quality and timely sleep, exercises, fresh air, nutrition and being stress free is important to keep a strong immune system.
Continue reading “Herd Immunity of a Different Kind”Slowing Down – Living life (a poem by Ranjan)
Frenzy of activity when the world went into pandemic mode,
Figuring out ways to be safe, sustain income, reduce cost, and stay afloat.
New ways of working from home, office or hybrid mode,
Going online to communicate, learn, teach, shop, work and stay aboard
Months flew through birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, funerals and more,
Spiritual celebrations, special days and public holidays galore.
Learning a new way to be, sharing home space and more,
Balancing time between family and work, finding ways to be.
Governments, hospitals, law enforcement and all,
Had their plates full trying to keep us safe and well.
Quarantine, testing, tracing, lockdowns enforced,
Masks, glows, sanitizers were used when forced.
While lockdowns and vaccines were invented for avoiding death,
Continue reading “Slowing Down – Living life (a poem by Ranjan)”Loving Intentions
My new year’s message last year was ‘I wish you a new year and new decade overflowing with abundance & purposefulness’. Having gone through perhaps the most ‘interesting’ year of our life, I wonder if this wish had an impact or not. I suppose it depends on how we look at 2020. While many of us had challenges in our jobs, businesses, finances, relationships and health, it is important to reflect on and find the hidden gifts.
Continue reading “Loving Intentions”Letting Life Flow
How time flies. We are upon the final month of 2020.
This year we learnt that plans are nice to have but our plans are so insignificant when compared to the plans of the higher powers; be it God, Universal energy system or nature.
We learn that we need to deeply understand and respond to the plans of the higher power so that we synchronise, rather than fight those plans, causing anxiety, stress and a multitude of negative behaviours.
Continue reading “Letting Life Flow”How Is The Pandemic Serving Us?
In the one before the last blog post (two Wednesdays ago) in the ‘Purpose Quest’ series, I attempted to list down questions that came up during my various interactions with various audience over the last 6 months of the pandemic. I started attempting to write about how I responded to those question and the insights I had regarding the first two questions related to goals, in last Wednesdays blog post. Let me attempt to respond to the third questions;
What is the purpose of the pandemic? How is it serving us?
Continue reading “How Is The Pandemic Serving Us?”Goals! What Goals?
In the last blog post in the ‘Purpose Quest’ series, I attempted to list down questions that came up during my various interactions with various audience over the last 6 months of the pandemic. I will attempt to write about how I responded to those question and the insights I had, in the next few blog posts. So let’s begin with the first two questions. Both of them are related to goals;
My goals have become irrelevant due to the pandemic? What do I do now?
Why do I need to have goals when they can become irrelevant due to uncontrollable situation?
Continue reading “Goals! What Goals?”A Common View Made Rare by the Pandemic
This was such a common view, having been on a flight at least twice a month, over the past 15 year until the pandemic arrived. I was on a flight only once in the last 6 months and that too a special flight that repatriated standard Sri Lankan’s home. I feel relived that I don’t have to pack my bags every fortnight and this is likely to continue for many more months. Stumbling upon this picture that I had taken on one of my flights, evoked mixed feelings. I am not sure if I am actually relieved or if I am going to miss my travel. Well I suppose this is food for thought dished out by the pandemic.
Questions about Purpose
The last six month opened up amazing opportunities for me to reflect on the notion of purpose. These opportunities arose during conversations with family, team and clients in trying to make sense of the pandemic. These opportunities arose during webinars conducted to help people with their concerns, anxieties, stress and other psychological challenges. These opportunities arose from the 150 plus participants from 15 countries taking part in the four ‘Mastery of Self’ through NLP, online certificate courses over the past few months.
In this blog post I will attempt to list down the questions that came up. Some of these questions were already asked earlier, some of these are modifications to the old questions and some of these are new questions.
My goals have become irrelevant due to the pandemic? What do I do now?
Why do I need to have goals when they can become irrelevant due to uncontrollable situation?
What is the purpose of the pandemic? How is it serving us?
Is our purpose changed due to changing realities?
I am struggling more due to the pandemic. Is it helping me to find purpose?
Am I struggling more during the pandemic because I try to live purposefully?
Do our values change with situations? Arn’t they supposed to be fixed?
Isn’t values an important component of our purpose?
My purpose is clashing with the purpose of some of my family. It is prominent now because I spend a lot of time with them. How do it deal with them?
Are religious people more purposeful than non-religious people?
Does spirituality become more important than religion for purposeful people?
Does the notion of Purposeful living taken a new meaning with the pandemic?
Are world leaders being purposeful in the way they are handling the pandemic?
I will reframe from answering these questions to provide you the opportunity to reflect and answer these questions. I am not sure what that process will do. I will be delighted to hear from you the answers that came up and how these questions and answers served you.
I wish you purposeful living.
The Pandemic and Temporal Aspect of Purposefulness
In the last 8 blog posts in the ‘purpose quest series’, we explored how the pandemic impacted eight important pillars for purposeful living; spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical (health), financial, environmental and societal. Let’s explore the ninth pillar, the ‘temporal’ aspect in this blog post. As in the past eight blog posts let me attempt to describe my personal experience during the pandemic.
The word ‘Temporal’ has two broad applications; relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs (secular) and relating to time. I use the word in relation to the use of time. The temporal aspect of purposeful relates to the use of limited time. The purposeful person attempts to utilise most of the time for purposeful activity, which requires letting go of non-purposeful activity.
The last eight weekly blog posts in the ‘purposeful quest’ series illustrated how my time was allocated to purposeful activity in spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical (health), financial, ecological and temporal areas. These activities took most of my waking time and there was rarely any time remaining for non-purposeful activity during the approximately 16 hours of waking time.
The sense I make from this reflection is that the pandemic gave me so much opportunities to be purposeful, that it left me with almost no time for non-purposeful activities. This way of life has kept me occupied in meaningful and energising activity, giving me inner success, happiness and peace. My purpose is to inspire others to live a purposeful life and I hope this series of blog posts will inspire you too to live a purposeful life and find Success happiness and peace.
The Pandemic and Societal Aspect of Purposefulness
In the last 7 blog posts in the ‘purpose quest series’, we explored how the pandemic impacted six important pillars for purposeful living; spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical (health), financial and environmental. Let’s explore the eight pillar, the societal aspect in this blog post. As in the past seven blog posts let me attempt to describe my personal experience during the pandemic.
With lockdowns being imposed, offices closed, and people starting to work from home, my clients either took the assigned transformational work online or postponed them. This gave me the illusion that there will be a lot of free time. Since I was in Dhaka, while engaging with the foreign ministry and the high commission to arrange repatriation flights, I joined my friend I was staying with to distribute dry rations to people who were financially affected due to lockdowns. In addition I arranged some help for some relatives and friends who were looking for financial assistance and guidance.
To help with the psychological challenges faced by many, my team in Dhaka helped me to produce some videos with mental tips to deal with challenges and anxiety releasing meditation. While using social media to get these to people who needed it we started conducting free webinars to help people deal with the present and gear up for the future. After returning to Sri Lanka I had the opportunity to join my team to conduct psychological first aid for the medical staff of the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), the command center fighting the pandemic in Sri Lanka.
I believe most of the above opportunities were provided to me to help be purposeful during the pandemic. My purpose to inspire others to live a purposeful life and these opportunities helped me share the idea of ‘purposefulness’ and show how it can help to make sense of the pandemic, deal with anxiety & stress and adjust their way of life to respond positively. While all these were related to giving, my time without any financial benefit, I enjoyed the happiness of giving, learning & building relationships in the process. I feel purposeful.
The Pandemic and the Environment
In the last 6 blog posts in the ‘purpose quest series’, we explored how the pandemic impacted six important pillars for purposeful living; spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, health and money. Let’s explore the seventh pillar, the ecological aspect in this blog post. As in the past six blog posts let me attempt to describe my personal experience during the pandemic.
With lockdowns being imposed, offices closed, and people starting to work from home vehicles movement reduced drastically. With airports restricting flights there were less flights in the sky. With demand for non-essential products reducing factories were operating at lower capacity reducing environmental damage. All this made the air cleaner, water cleaner, skies bluer and grass greener.
Unlike in the earlier six aspects, there was not much for me to do, the earth was healing itself. I had to only participate by using the freshness for my well being and helping others to use this Knowladge to make sense of the positive aspects of the pandemic. Therefore I used the webinars I was conducting and conversations I was having with people to show these benefits and to use this opportunity to adjust lifestyles, so that even after the pandemic, we live in a manner that is beneficial to the environment.
With life coming back to normal in Sri Lanka, I am concerned to see that the amount vehicles on the road have gone back to pre-pandemic levels. Our airways are still clean as the flights are still restricted, but with the envisaged opening up of the skies end of this month, the air pollution levels are likely to start increasing again. Work from home is getting lesser, and in person activities are increasing. I am attempting to keep at least half of my learning experience delivered online even when things are back to normal. I need the other half to interact with people as we cant be totally devoid of human interactions to help them in their learning, growth and transformation.
So lets continue to communicate and role model to help people at least adjust to a mid-way level between total lockdowns and total free movement with their free will so that we can bring this planet to liveable conditions. If not nature will hit back with a bigger pandemic and will keep doing it more regularly to save the planet.
Natures Wrath – When Will We Wake Up?
It’s May 2017. I got a call from the account manager from the company that manages my Mahogany plantation in the Ratnapura district of Sri Lanka. I have some bad news to share with you. What is it? I ask. One of your Mahogany plantations in Munihinkanda has got affected by the recent landslides. We have not been able to access the plantation yet as the authorities have restricted access to the plantations until they are able to confirm that it is secure. What is the extent of the damage? I ask. About ten acres of the plantation has slid down to the river below and we feel it includes one of your plots too.
As I digested this news my mind went to the time that a rubber plantation of a larger extent belonging to my father was destroyed due to a cyclone about 40 years ago. I remembered my involvement in the process of transporting the fallen trees to help my father recover at least a part of the losses. My mind wonders to the hundreds of lives lost due to this storm and thousands who have lost their livelihood as a result. I have watched with dismay so many natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunami’s, floods, landslides, forest fires and now a pandemic.
The question is, when will we humans learn to stop destroying nature? How many more disasters are needed before we stop damaging Mother Nature so that we can live in harmony with nature.
The Pandemic & Money
In the last 5 blog posts in the ‘purpose quest series’, we explored how the pandemic impacted five important pillars for purposeful living; spiritual, mental, emotional, relational and health. Let’s explore the sixth pillar, the financial aspect in this blog post. The financial pillar consist of four aspects earnings, expenses, savings and investments. As in the past five blog posts let me describe my personal experience during the pandemic.
With the announcement of the pandemic, cases starting to rise and lockdowns getting implemented, many of my clients decided to postpone sessions that were scheduled. In addition some of the industries my clients were in, specially the apparel industry was having orders getting cancelled, resulting in impending reduction in their cashflows. In the past too, some companies first eliminated people development budgets when such challenges arose. All this made me realise that I need to focus on planning my finances. Continue reading “The Pandemic & Money”
The Pandemic on Health
Image Credits: mdx.ac.uk
In the last 4 blog posts, we explored how the pandemic impacted four important pillars for purposeful living; spiritual, mental, emotional and relational. Let’s explore the fifth pillar, the ‘physical’ related to the health of people in this blog.The health pillar consist of three aspects exercise, nutrition and rest. As in the past four blog posts let me describe my experience during the pandemic.
After I got standard in dhaka, ehe time I spent converting delivery methods of our intellectual services online, engaging with the authorities about arranging passage home, conducting webinars, taking part in webinars organised by others, catching up on the covid updates, writing recommendations, and being in touch with my family took more time and energy than usual.
Let’s explore the ‘rest’ aspect first. While I used to sleep one our two hours before midnight before the pandemic, the new workload resulted in me sleeping after mid night and waking late most days. While I was conscious of how detrimental this was to my health, I was not able improve this. However after returning to Sri Lanka, this changed as my work load on getting back home was eliminated. I slept by 10 pm and was awake at 6 am the entire fortnight while undergoing quarantine at the Blue Waters Beach Resort. This trend continued after returning home for a while, but with the emerging demands the sleep timings became inconsistent. In addition to sleep timings it is important to take at least one free day a week and this was a big improvement area too, until I managed ot find the time to take the family down to a beach resort last weekend and take a proper free day.
The next aspect is exercises. I used to do yoga and meditation in the morning and exercises for at least 30 minutes a day before the pandemic. The length and quality of meditation and yoga varied based on the time I had in the morning before I headed off to work. After the pandemic began, my meditation and yoga sessions were longer and exercise were more intense. I ensured these practices every day even if I woke late when I was in Dhaka. It was easier and of better quality during quarantine and for a few weeks after returning home. However with my sleep patterns becoming inconsistent the quality of my morning meditation and yoga has also got adversely affected.
Nutrition is the aspect where I have been least consistent with, during the time in Dhaka and after returning home. Thankfully the quality and quantity of nutrition during quarantine was very good as we were provided well balanced meals planned by the medical experts.
The sense I make from this exploration is that the challenges of the pandemic has had an adverse effect on my health related practices although I am aware of what is required, have practiced such disciplines regularly in the past and have the intention get back to an ideal routine.
People I speak to lament about challenges in the various aspects. Many could not sleep on time or sleep well due to the information overload and the anxiety as as the lockdowns began in March. Many could not exercise as they were not allowed to leave home. However this should not be an excuses as I exercised indoors most of the days. Its only in the last 2 months that I started taking walks by the lake near my home in Sri Lanka. Some manage nutritious well, specially due to the compulsion of doing home gardening in the first two months with the fear of food shortages etc. This too is fading out and many find that managing the quality of food intake is also becoming challenging.
The quality of health related practices explored in this blog has a direct impact on our immunity, which has a direct impact on our ability to fight the virus. As such it is important for us to be very mindful about this aspect and I intend focusing on it more intensely and intently from now onwards.
I wish you purposeful living.
Pandemic and Relationships
When lockdowns happened in mid-march I got standard in Dhaka without flights to return home. Therefore my experience is quite different to those who were with families and had to spend a lot of time with them while working or not working from home. However since returning home about 2 months ago I have been largely working from home that gives me the experience to reflect on that reality as well.
Being away from home with the uncertainty of when I will return home increased the concern towards me by mother, wife and daughters at home as well as my siblings and other relatives from various part of the world. The 10 weeks in Dhaka resulted in more communications with all my close family and other relatives more than ever before. Conversations among relatives resulted in each one inquiring from others about how they are affected by the pandemic, the impact on livelihood etc. Therefore there was concerned among each other for each other, much more than usual. Continue reading “Pandemic and Relationships”
Did the Pandemic Stimulate you Intellectually?
When the world started changing due to the pandemic it had a big impact on my focus on my intellectual development process. This blog post tells my story and I hope this will help you to reflect on how the pandemic affected your intellectual development.
Let’s start with the question, what is the meaning of intellectual? While different people may make sense of the word ‘intellectual’ in different ways, based on their thinking, to me intellectual is the quality of my thinking and understanding aspects I am concerned with. The stronger my intellectuality becomes, I tend to understand aspects I am concerned with and the related complexities in a deeper manner. The shift in priorities brought about by the pandemics resulted in some interesting changes to my intellectual development processes.
Continue reading “Did the Pandemic Stimulate you Intellectually?”Spirituality and the Pandemic
When the world started changing due to the pandemic it had a big impact on my spirituality. This blog post is to tell my story and I hope this will help you to reflect on how the pandemic affected your spirituality.
Let’s start with the question, what is spirituality? While different people may make sense of spirituality in different ways, based on their beliefs, to me spirituality is the quality of my engagement with the energy that nourishes my soul. The stronger my spirituality becomes, I get more concerned with the well being of other living beings and my peace of mind and less concerned with material things. The shift in priorities allows me to embrace my spirituality in a more profound way”
Did the Pandemic Reveal the Original You?
Reflection Guideline
Reflect on what you felt and thought differently during the pandemic. What are the new relationships you formed and new action you took? Did you notice a different you? Was that different you a better version of You? A Deeper Version of You? The original version that was pushed away due to the way the world was operating? Reflect on what you would do with the version of you that got revealed during the pandemic?
Releasing Anxiety
How Was Your Soul Tested?
Reflection guideline
Reflect on what you saw, heard and felt during the past few months of the pandemic. How was it different to what you experienced before. Did something from within urge you to reach out, help out, ask for help, leave your ego aside, reprioritise what was important in life. This reflection could help you understand how your soul was tested during these challenging times.
The Healing Experience
Gardens of the Blue Waters resort, usually filled with holidaying tourist, quietly healing.
The lone healer, in the boiling hazmat suit symbolic of the amazing medical team, setting up Covid tests for another batch of quarantined returnees from overseas.
I watch from the balcony of my little ashram (hotel room) in anticipation for my turn to clear the final hurdle, before I am cleared to return home to my family.
Although missing the dip in the sea, soaking in the pool and relaxing on the lawn, experiencing the cool breeze, sounds of the ocean and view of the sea, beach, pool and the gardens is a confirmation I am back in my motherland.
Yes! I am back, it’s not a dream anymore.
Full of love for the universes and all its living beings, I feel so thankful and hopeful.
A Tribute to the Champions
This song ‘We are the Champions’ by Queen is dedicated to all the front line people such as medical care givers, military, pilots, cabin crew, delivery people, taxi drivers, hotel staff and numerous organisations such as the Rotary movement who is fighting the pandemic.
Please remember to smile and say a big thank you to any of the champions you meet. They need all the encouragement to keep fighting.
Is Your Purpose Searching for You?
This series of ‘Purpose Quest’ will be illustrated with narratives of how we search for purpose. The question is, Are we searching for ‘purpose’ or is ‘purpose’ searching for us?
On the 14th of March, when I boarded the Sri Lankan airlines flight UL 189 to Dhaka I did not realise that I will have to stay in Dhaka for 10 weeks due to flight restrictions. The WHO had declared Covid-19 as a pandemic a few days ago. My mother was encouraging me to stay back without going as I had just recovered from a cough. I was hearing how passengers coming in to Sri Lanka from Europe were being taken to quarantine centres. Was the universe trying to inform me and help me make a purposeful choice?
This Too Shall Pass – A Soul Nourishing Poem
The Too Shall Pass – A Should Nourishing Poem – Helen Steiner Rice
Mediate on the challenges you went through in the past and how it passed, as you listen to this poem. Then reflect on the challenges you and your family and friends are facing in relation to the pandemic. Then reflect on how this too shall pass leaving us stronger and with a better world. Reflect on what you need to do today to prepare for the new reality.
The Road Not Taken – Soul Nourishing Poem
The Road Not Taken – by Robert Frost
Has the pandemic given you the opportunity to take a road not taken? Imagine the positive difference it can make for you and your little world. What baby steps would you take today in identifying that road and the baby steps you need to take today.
Arousing Sympathy
Reflection Guide;
Jennifer Niven’s wish for measles or small pox or some easily understood disease has been granted with Covid-19. Her intention was that the disease will help people be more sympathetic. Reflect on how the pandemic has helped you to become not only sympathetic but also empathetic and compassionate. Reflect on baby steps you can take to make the best our of this opportunity.
Rethink Wish List
Reflection Guide:
Reflect on what you used to wish for before the pandemic and what you wish for now? How has that helped you to make sense of your purpose in this world? Reflect on what steps you need to take to live your life with your renewed wish list and renewed purpose.
Is Covid the Greatest Disease?
Reflection Guide:
Reflect on the greater disease of humanity, the hunger for Love and hunger for God. Reflect on what we can do to show a little LOVE to those who need it so that we can ensure the greater disease is not forgotten in the pandemic. Reflect on how to protect your family, friends and self from the spiritual disease, in addition to the medical disease.
Blurring of the Boarders
Reflection Guide:
Reflect on the divisions in your life such as interests, beliefs, geographic boarders, status, economics etc. that has become irrelevant in your life due to the Pandemic. Reflect on how such blurring of the boarders are affecting you positively and negatively, in the short term and the long term. Reflect on baby steps you can take to power-up the positives and negate the negative.
Is the medical crisis curing the ecological crisis and causing an economic crisis?
Reflection Guide:
Reflect on what we have done to create the medical crisis that is curing the ecological crisis and causing an economic crisis. Reflect on the change in consciousness we need. Reflect on one simple step we can take to make this world a better place, medically, ecologically and economically.
It’s no laughing matter … or is it?
Reflection Guide:
Reflect on what you can do to create contagious laugher and good humour. Use this great immune booster in addition to all the other steps you are taking to boost immunity and precautions you are taking to fight cover-19. Stay safe, stay positive, stay hopeful.
Anxiety Releasing Meditation – Online Learning
Today’s learning video is for anyone who is affected in someway by the crisis
Anxiety Releasing Meditation (17 mts) by Ranjan De Silva
Guided meditation, specially done to help release anxiety related to the Covid Pandemic. Follow it closed eyed or open eyed on a laptop watching the beautiful visuals of life. Do it in quiet place, using ear phones for best effect.
I hope this could be useful in providing online or in-room learning to your team members, family, friends and self during the current down time so that they would be kept positive, motivated and sharp so that all of you would be geared to perform with excellence during the crisis and after.
How to get best value from the video:
Continue reading “Anxiety Releasing Meditation – Online Learning”
How to Survive and Rise from the Pandemic
I hope you, your family and team are safe and in the event you or a loved one is affected by the virus, I wish you strength in dealing with the situation.
We are all in some way affected by the Covid-19. Many of the conversations are about the impact on health, economy, jobs, livelihood, etc. This is real and we need to first accept it and respond to the immediate realities. Once some of these immediate realities are responded to, it is important to reflect on how to rise and move in to the post-coved future. These 7 steps will help you in the process. Watch, reflect, customise, use, discuss and Share.
A 7 minute video with 7 tips on how to deal with the present & gear for the Future.
New Year during the Pandemic – A Reflection
Wish you all a happy new year, Subho nababarsho [Bengali], Sawatdii pimaï [Thai], Hnit thit ku mingalar pa [Burmese], Naya Barsa Ko Hardik Shuvakamana [Nepali], Nav varsh ki subhkamna [Hindi], Iniya puthandu nal Vazhthukkal [Tamil], Suba nava vasarak wewa [Sinhalese]
This is an amazing time every year for many countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia when most of us celebrate the traditional New Year. The New Year is celebrated between 13 to the 15 of April in India, Nepal, Myanmar [Burma], Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
However, this New Year is perhaps the most significant in our life time as we celebrate it during the pandemic which most of us are experiencing for the first time. Let’s explore the significance of the New Year this year from that context.
Continue reading “New Year during the Pandemic – A Reflection”
The Purpose of the Pandemic – Purpose of Living – Part 37
We are all in some way affected by the Covid-19 virus and wondering how it is going to affect our lives. Many of the conversations I read are about the materialistic impact such as health, economy, jobs, livelihood, etc. This is real and we need to first accept the reality and respond to it. The response needs to be at different levels; global bodies like the World bank and World Health Organisation, governments, business organisations, NGO’s, social groups, communities and individuals. It is heartening to see this happening at different levels, although much more still needs to be done. Once some of these immediate realities are responded to it could help to reflect on the bigger purpose of the pandemic.
Continue reading “The Purpose of the Pandemic – Purpose of Living – Part 37”
