From Scarcity to Sufficiency

Money does not belong to us exclusively. It either belongs to all of us or to none of us. It is one of those great commons that has been created by man. Money, in fact is so much like water. In some people’s lives it flows gushing forth like a river and in others, it flows like a tiny trickle. But whether it flows like a river or a trickle, money brings opportunity. Opportunity to reallocate it for something good, for the people & for this world.

But is this happening, is the money being used for something good? Unfortunately not. Today, huge proportions of the world’s financial resources are going towards destruction, depletion, war, terrorism, weaponry and consumption. And who wants all this?, not me, not you, nobody wants it. All of us want money to move towards what we love, towards life, towards the affirmation of life, for the well being of our species and our planet and our habitat.

So what is stopping you and me from achieving this? It is our mindset of scarcity. All the time we think that things are not enough and so we end up in trying to accumulate more and more, just like tyrants. And when we become busy in scrambling for more and more, we fail to notice & appreciate and nourish what we already have. We have reduced ourselves from citizens to consumers. A consumer consumes, destroys, depletes. And a citizen is somebody who creates, who contributes, who gives. So how can we become citizens once again? It’s quite simple really. All you have to do is use your imagination. For a moment, imagine that there is no scarcity, there is enough for everyone and you will soon realize that actually it is true there is really no scarcity. Our needs are always met one way or the other, and often by ways that we never expected.

This journey from scarcity to sufficiency can be accomplished if you stop trying to get more and more of what you don’t really need. And when you stop this unnecessary accumulation, the result is that it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you already have. When you make that difference, then whatever you do whether it is social work, volunteering, philantrophy, whatsoever little you do, it multiplies, expands, increases. In simple words, what you appreciate, appreciates.

There are 6 ways to begin this journey from scarcity to sufficiency.

1. Get the clutter out of your life.
2. Don’t buy unless you can let go of something.
3. Practice appreciation for what you already have.
4. Learn to value intangible gifts much more than tangible gifts.
5. Nourish your body instead of filling it.
6. Whenever you spend money, ask yourself how is it going to affect the world.

Remember - Scarcity breeds competition, sufficiency breeds collaboration. We all have a duty to perform. We have to carry out the sacred work of reallocating the world resources away from fear and greed and move them towards love and compassion. And the only way to do that is by changing our mindset. Changing it from scarcity to sufficiency.

The humanist mystic

The Sufi poet, philosopher & humanist, Bulleh Shah left behind some writings, which seem to transcend time. The sheer simplicity with which he has been able to address the complex fundamental issues of life and humanity is a large part of why he appeals to so many. Here’s a small couplet which is in Punjabi & then its English translation.

Padh padh ilm hazaar kitaabaan
Qaddi apnay aap nou padhiya naee
Jaan jaan wadhday mandir maseedi
Qaddi mann apnay wich wadhiya naee
Aa-vain ladhda aye shaitan de naal bandeaa
Qaddi nafss apnay naal ladhiya naee

Yes, yes, you have read thousands of books
But you have never tried to read your own self
You rush in, into your temples, into your mosques
But you have never tried to enter your own heart
Futile are all your battles with Satan
For you have never tried to fight your own selfish egocentric desires

Are you a social prophet?

Very often we come across the words "Non Profit Sector" or "Non Govt sector" or the "Not for" sector. The words "non" and "not for" have very negative connotations to them. "Non" is an unfortunate label & it gives us a feeling that this is a secondary sector and is not where all the action is. Yet Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and so many others worked in this non sector or not for sector. So if you look at history where things really changed, things that made a profound impact on the world is this very "non" sector. A more appropraite label for this sector should be the social profit sector, because we are generating social profit for our fellow human beings & therefore all of us who contribute to a good cause, for the well being of our species, our planet our habitat are social prophets who are generating social profit.
Are you one of them?

Be a giver

Why do you want that everybody should respect you? What have you got? Why are you sitting on top of an ivory tower? Why do you want to see yourself important in the eyes of others, in comparison with others? Why do you want that whoever meets you should respect you, love you, and regard you? Why do you desire all this, why do you expect all this? Why do you want to be treated always as His Holiness or Her Highness?

I will tell you why? Because you are basically greedy, you only want to get love, get respect, get greetings from others. You are not looking for email, you are looking for me-mail, don't you feel elated if the email is regarding you, a birthday greeting perhaps, a new year wish perhaps.

Now for a change be a giver. Give love, give respect, give greetings, give compliments to others. Be like a flower, spread your fragrance. Just send love letters, don't bother about the address, simply keep posting. They will reach somebody.

You want to make friends, win hearts, then from today start giving. Be a giver.

Be Remarkable

Look at the Taj Mahal. This monument has not only changed forever the importance of the city of Agra, but it has also become the hallmark of an entire nation. 377 years have passed from the time that this monument was built, but even today it is officially considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World . Ever wondered why ? because it is- remarkable.

What is the most common thing that you find in this world ? It is mediocrity. So, what is mediocrity, mediocrity is being average. Now one thing you must get it straight - Mediocrity is for losers. And the reason that mediocrity is for losers is that if you are given a choice of 5 places to have lunch, will you choose a mediocre restaurant?, if you are given a choice of 5 people to hire, will you settle for the mediocre candidate?, if you are given a choice of 5 movies to watch will you watch a mediocre movie? The answer to all these questions is No. Why, because we are always looking for the best, we look for something remarkable.

Imagine you are in Doha like me & you are driving down the corniche road, and you see a date tree, what will be your reaction? "Hey!!...Look a date tree!!" . How many of you will react this way –Nobody. Why? because a date tree is a common sight in Doha. A date tree is as good as invisible.

But if the date tree had purple leaves (considering that this colour ihas become so popular after the US elections), now what would be your reaction? Yes surely you would notice it. So the point is, that the deciding factor about what gets built, what gets changed, what gets done, what gets sold, what gets purchased, what gets talked about is- is it remarkable?

Let's take another example. Have a look at Google’s home page & the have a look at Yahoo’s home page. Is there any difference? Yahoo has exactly 152 links on the same page & Google hardly has a few distracting links. Now why do we go to a search engine? To search – right. And Google helps you to do exactly what you came to do – to search. So it is not surprising that Google is the number one search engine in the world today. Google decided long ago not to be mediocre, not to be average, it decided to stand out from the crowd, it decided to be remarkable.

So how can we be remarkable? It’s very easy. What we have to do is simply refuse to settle for mediocre, refuse to settle for run of the mill, refuse to settle for second rate stuff.

There are 2 things to remember

No 1. Don’t be safe. If you always play safe you will remain what you are now, average. Go ahead, take a risk, remember the old saying, no pain no gain.

No 2. Very good is bad. Every body these days is very good, you have very good architects, you have very good doctors and you have very good toastmasters, so if you are looking for very good they can be bought for a dime a dozen. The need of the hour is not very good, the need of the hour is something that is remarkable.

So what have you decided, will you be remarkable?

Interesting Urdu snippets - part 1 of ?

Exceptions do not make rules. The exception here is the picture which has little relation with this blog which is about some interesting Urdu phrases. Translating Urdu words into English is a daunting task and the translations do not do full justice to what the deeper meaning is.

Hamari parwaaz ke aasmaan badal gaye hain
We soar in different skies or
We have chosen different ways to progress in life


Jis gaon jaana nahin us gaon ka raasta kya poonchna
Why should I ask you the way of that place which I don't want to go to


Rishtey chheeni ke bartano ki tarah naazuk hote hain ek dafa toot jayen to laakh inhe duniyadaari aur maslehat ki elfi shelfi se jod lein ye jud nahin paate aur aankhon ko chhubne lagte hain
Relations are extremely delicate like China crockery
Once broken, then even if you try to join them using the glue of worldly expediencies
You cannot join them and they are painful to see


Neki apna inaam khud hoti hai
An act of virtue is its own prize


Meherbaan hoke bula lo mujhe cchaaho jis waqt
Main gaya waqt nahin hoon ke aa bhi na sakoon
Do an act of kindness and call me whenever you want
I am not "time" that has passed & will not be able to come back


Raah mein wo mile kahaan
aur bazm mein wo bulaye kyon?
No chance that I could ever meet (him/her) on the way
And (he/she) never called me to (his/her) gathering


Yahaan kutte to aazaad phir rahen hain
aur pattharon ko baandh rakha hai
Here dogs are free to roam around
And stones have been tied up


Waqt khush khush kaatne ka mashwara dete hue
ro pada wo aap mujhko hausla dete hue
Whilst suggesting me to be happy
He himself burst into tears while consoling me


Sone ke kalam se likhne se tehreer to sone ki nahin ho jaati
If I use a golden pen to write, the writing will not become golden


Sahee baat ke saath agar aur magar lag jaaye to baat sahi nahin rahti
If ifs and buts are stated with a correct statement then that statement is not correct anymore


Siyasat ka maidaan bhi stock exchange ki tarah hota hai zara bhi calculation ya information mein galti ho jaaye to baat kahaan se kahaan pahunch jaati hai
Politics is like a stock exchange, a slight error in calculation or information can have disastrous results


Zindagi bhi ek casino ki tarah hai, yahaan aadmi jitna bada daaon khelta hai kaamiyaabi bhi utni hi badi milti hai
Life islike a casino. Here, the higher your stakes, higher is the level of your success


Hakim ki aagadi aur ghode ki pecchaadi se bacchna cchahiye
Be careful about trespassing your master & being at the receiving end of your horse


Taqdeer ne to hum sub ko ek jaisa hi paida kiya hain
ye oonch neech to humne paida kiye hain
Fate has given birth to all of us as equals
These highs and lows are our creation


Maut dikha kar bukhaar pe raazi kar liya
I threatened him with death, so he agreed to something lesser than that

What next after success?

OK, so you are successful. What next after being successful?

Look at Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc. Steve helped to invent the personal computer, helped to launch the mouse driven graphical interface, helped to launch the MP3 business, helped launch computer animations at Pixar and is currently the Walt Disney Company's largest individual shareholder and a member of its Board of Directors. And he’s not done – right?

The point is, just like skiing, the goal is not how fast to get to the bottom of the hill, but the goal is to have a bunch of good runs before the sun sets.