A Big Storm and Big Birds

The Speaking Tree | The Times of India | Sunday, 22, 12, 2010

When there is a severe storm, birds with small wings are caught up in it, but large birds with strong wings fly upwards and save themselves from becoming victims of the storm.

On the basis of this phenomenon, there is a saying in the English language: " Big birds of the storm." This applies to people of high thinking, to those who can save themselves from the environmental storm. That is, they can live on their own without becoming affected by the external world.

Who are the 'big birds' of the storm? They are the 'big bird thinkers', who can live independently, drawing on their own mental resources. Big bird thinkers are those who do not become angry even when provoked. They are those who maintain their positivity even in negative situations, who can control their thoughts in such a way that they can see all men and women as human beings, whether friends or foes, and who can keep the peace even if others turn violent.

'Big bird thinkers' are those who are so mature that nothing can distract them from their objectives, who give well-considered responses when in adverse situations, rather than simply indulging in an emotional backlash.

There is a saying in Hindi "Kutte bhonkte rehte hain aur hathi chalta rehta hai " - the elephant walks on without being disturbed by barking dogs. This is the best illustration of one who has the capacity for 'big bird thinking'. Life is full of storms, full of barking, full of untoward situations - these things are due to the laws of nature and no one is in a position to abolish the laws of nature. So, you have only two options: either to waste your time and energy by constantly stooping to reactionary behaviour or to ignore all undesirable situations and try to live like the elephant in the adage. Elephant-style living is the only successful way to live in this world.

'Big bird thinking' is only another name for spiritual thinking. Spirituality is not something mysterious: it is positive thinking. All spiritual people are positive thinkers and all positive thinkers are spiritual in nature. Spirituality and positive thinking are almost synonymous with each other.

There is a beautiful story in Hindu mythology: Once a man became furious and he kicked Ram in the chest. Ram's response was quite unique. He said: "Mere lokhan seene se tumhare komal paunwen ko chot to nahi lagi?" - I hope your soft leg was not hurt by my iron chest.

Spiritual behaviour is friendly behaviour towards every human being -- to both friends and foes alike. Spiritual behaviour is like the behaviour of flowers that can live with all their fragrance in the neighbourhood of thorns.

An Urdu poet has beautifully expressed this: "Gulshan parast houn ,mujhe gul hi nahi azeez, kaaton se bhi nibha kiye ja raha houn mein." - I am a lover of nature, I don't only love flowers, but I can live normally with thorns as well.

Spirituality is good for the all-round development of the individual's personality, for it makes you free of tension and friendly towards all. Spirituality is the way to all kind of success.

Positive thinking makes you a 'big bird thinker' and 'big bird thinking' imbues the human character with spirituality. Although this is an inner quality, it is this inner quality that has the power to better all your external affairs.

A stammerer's victory!

If you have ever read the stories of Alice in Wonderland, you understand the meaning of nonsense. Floating teapots and falling down a well, talking Cheshire cats, and a deck of cards with the likeness of humans are just small creations from the mind of author Lewis Carroll. Even more interesting is the fact that the author's real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was born in 1832 and passed away in 1898 and is the man behind the famous books Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

From a young age, Lewis Carroll was enamored with magic. He grew up in a large family that included 11 children. He was the oldest. With so many younger siblings to entertain, Lewis Carroll employed his wit and fancy for nonsense and whimsy to help occupy his brothers and sisters. While his stories may be full of mischief and magic, he was also a renowned mathematician and logician. In fact, after graduating Christ Church College in Oxford, he stayed there as a professor and lecturer for many years.

Lewis Carroll had many interests besides writing fantasy fiction. He perfected the art of photography and enjoyed taking pictures of children. Some of his clients were rich and famous and one in particular, was the subject that the character Alice from Alice in Wonderland was based upon. Her name was Alice Liddell and she was the daughter of the dean at Christ Church College in Oxford. After taking her pictures, he imagined the whimsical tales and adventures of Alice in Wonderland and based the drawings of the character on her images.

Lewis Carroll was also interested in religion and sought out deacon's orders in 1861. Unfortunately, due to a speech impediment, he was never fully ordained feeling as though he would not be able to speak well in front of a congregation. Undiscouraged, he began writing with passion and created his famous books as well as comic books and children's stories. The Hunting of the Snark, Jabberwocky, Sylvie and Bruno and various humorous children's works were included in his writings however, none were as successful as Alice in Wonderland was.

While Lewis Carroll attended college, he was home schooled during his youth. When he turned 12, his family sent his away to school in efforts to help him with his disability and find the challenges necessary for his gifted mind. What many people did not know is that his speech stammer was only evident in the company of adults. When he was teaching children or recreating his stories of fantasy and nonsense, his speech was literally perfect. This has many people believing that he suffered more from an anxiety disorder than a speech disorder. It is speculated that as a way to incorporate his troubles with speech into his literature, the character from Alice in Wonderland called the Dodo who had frequent trouble getting his words correctly, was actually outlined after Carroll himself.

Many people attribute the board games today, such as Scrabble and Word Ladder, as inventions of Lewis Carroll. Along with his passion for nonsense, he also thoroughly enjoyed challenging activities based on logic. He wrote philosophical pieces such as What the Tortoise Said to Achille, which along with others was published in professional journals during the late 1800's. Many things about his life have been revealed through his personal diaries. Interestingly enough, 7-8 pages of his 13 diaries are missing leaving behind plenty of mystery and speculation. This is not surprising for a creative man like Lewis Carroll and seemingly fits his ideals for fantasy.