Article 3: The Power of Perspectives

There is an old story of two masons working on a grand project to construct a place of worship. Both were entrusted with difficult and challenging tasks and were equally diligent in their approach and dedication.

When stopped in the middle of an unusually hot and tiring day of unending labour and toil and asked as to what he was doing, the first mason replied (with a slight hint of exasperation!) "Can't you see what I am doing? I am spending all my energy and strength to break these huge thankless boulders of solid rock for a few pennies which will keep alive my poor family. My sweat and blood flows cheap and brings a pittance in return."

Surprisingly, the second mason, working just a short distance away, seemed to be unflustered and was humming a prayer while doing the same amount of work effortlessly. When asked the same question, he welcomed the questionner and invited him to sit in the shade and partake in his grand vision. He said "My dear friend, I am building this great house of God with my own hands. I am shaping this beautiful sculpture with my love and prayer. My dear God is kind enough to feed my entire family each day while I create his abode. When it is finished, my soul will be blessed and I will have earned my entry into Heaven along with all my loved ones."

So it is with each one of us that we have a choice at every step in our life. It is a simple choice of Perspective that we need to make - one that can easily lead us to either heaven or hell. The funniest thing about it is that no one else can make that choice for us and hence we cannot blame anyone else for anything that happens in our life.

So what is this perspective that we are speaking about and how can it make or break everything that we ever dream of doing? All of us are aware of how the physics of friction can either help or hinder us in our work or actions. Taking the example of a car which has a lot of interconnected moving parts and lubrication is used to keep friction to the minimum within the engine. However, equally important is the use of friction which enables us to brake the car and control our speed effectively.

Amazingly the force of friction can be equally powerful even in our minds although it cannot take any physical form there. Our productivity and efficiency can be affected tremendously depending on the amount of friction that we simulate within our grey cells.

Perspective can either be a liberating sense of smoothness and infinite capabilities or it can be the grinding force of opposition which stops us dead in our tracks!

The great Albert Einstien tried to define perspective and did a beautiful job of it - "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."