The person at the top, like a Minister or a Governor, or the head of an institution should not get stuck in the bureaucracy. Senior people should sometimes come down and talk to people of every level. Not at all times, but sometimes it helps.
In a research setup, for example, there is a director and the people who are working under him on the second and third level may have great creative ideas. Now the director may not agree with those ideas even if they are good, but the head of the institution will sometimes have to listen to those ideas.
A gentleman working on the second or third level of a top government establishment had come to meet me. He said he had an idea that could save resources and funds, and reduce costs of the project to the extent of 60-70%. This is an innovative idea. Young people have innovative ideas. But the top director is conservative. He has been working for a very long time and is tired and is now about to retire. All these years he had climbed his way up to reach the level of a director and is not too adventurous like the enthusiastic young people. So this man has a good idea but the director thinks he knows how to do the job already and this new idea may not work and therefore he has put it aside.
The ministers who are in charge of this department should take this up. The juniors are afraid to talk to the ministers, as it is a question of losing their job. In a bureaucracy fear comes up, "If I do this, or say that, I may be isolated or lose my job", etc. That’s how the mind works. So out of fear people put a cap on their creativity and sit on their ideas. Here, what would be very useful is if the top official or the minister were to approach these people and have a word with them. Talk to them once in a while so that they can open their hearts and minds and share their thoughts and ideas. If this is done, the environment can be transformed from one of authority and fear to one that is friendly, open and innovative. For innovation you need an atmosphere free of fear.
Again, here there is a risk of losing discipline in an organisation. If the top officials are in touch with juniors, why would juniors even listen to the seniors? This can become an issue, and the senior persons may feel completely disempowered, or feel that they won't have any control over the juniors and may not be able to get any work done. There is a risk here, because for every little thing the juniors may reach out to the higher authorities when they have easy access to them. This is one supposed or perceived disadvantage of this system. On the other hand, if we are stuck in the bureaucracy that everything has to always go through the system, it could be stifling for creativity.
We need to find a balance. How do you find a balance? That's a big question. The balance to keep the system from collapsing and at the same time allowing the creativity to blossom. This requires thorough training for the senior management. If the senior management is friendly open and confident, and does not feel threatened by the juniors, they can get things done. Some people wanted me to talk about management so I thought I will bring up this point.
Yes! If a room is locked for 20 years, it does not take 20 years clean the room and bring light there.
That is good. Even in Ayurveda it is said that if you have cholesterol problem you can have onion or garlic, but not as everyday food. Sometimes you can take them for its medicinal value.
If someone goes deep into meditation and they can't come out they are given some onion and garlic, and they immediately come out of meditation. Garlic and onion have the effect of bringing the prana down. It makes you feel a little heavy and grounded sometimes. So for people who are meditating, it is not advised to have onion and garlic every day. Once in a while you can have it.
They don't know that they are doing it. People are not so cautious or committed; they are swayed by their mind. Don't find intention behind their mistakes, be compassionate.
The mind is such, there are so many temptations that come to the minds of people and they go where they want to go. They are not in control, so don't expect enlightened behavior from them. All that you can do is wish that they meditate, be good human beings, and focus on transforming these human beings with commitment and compassion.
It is after 84,00,000 births that one is born in the human form. Why look behind, into the past? Look into the mirror. If you find that you resemble a monkey, then it could be a past monkey birth of yours. Or if you find yourself like a horse or a donkey, then maybe you went through those births. You could have been any animal.
I remember, once one of our teachers in school told a boy he was an ass. So I said, "Sir, he isn't just an ass but a complete zoo". Each individual has an element of all beings. All the creatures are there in oneself, the parrot, crow, owl, peacock, everything.
It does not matter what forms of birth you may have taken, now that you are in the human form, live in bliss. And when you are on your deathbed, please don't think of these creatures, the chicken for instance. You might just end up in the poultry farm in your next birth (laughter). If you think of an egg, that's what you will find yourself as.
You want to get out of it, so you are already one step out of it. That is why from time to time we organise these big festivals, for you to get out and be there as a volunteer, then you cannot slip into laziness, depression and so on. When you work in groups, your skills develop, your awareness gets heightened and your patience increases because you find all types of people in a team. They push all your buttons, and you finally get into a position where you feel centered.
If everything goes well and you keep a smile, what is so great about that. Any fool can do that. If you are a wise person you should be able to smile even when things are not okay. Everything comes through knowledge, and knowledge comes through seva and team work. Working in teams will definitely help.
