2024 New Year Eve Camp Fire at Gopalan Olympia: My inspirations!

 

2024 New Year Eve Camp Fire at Gopalan Olympia: My inspirations!

 

Note: Though I wrote this as a note for circulation within our community at Gopalan Olympia, I do see relevance for all types of communities to consider upon my inspirations.  Hence, turned it into a blog.

Context: 

I did get to participate in the New Year Eve Camp Fire, that was quickly organized and executed. I had good fun. Thanks to all the organizers, volunteers and participants. This write up attempts to leverage the spirit that soured, and resulting inspiring thoughts!

 

This may be a long write up, but to read it fast and furious, I have numbered the topics with headings and bottom line summary!

 

1. The one percent rule!

 

It takes less than one percent effort and energy to get something good or bad started!

 

What is that one percent gift I have for the rest? How Good it can be? Who can it help me to get it going?

 

As a humanity, we are complex animals. But, if we observe our endeavors, whether it is at the level of self or collective, it needs a solid take off in the beginning like a rocket attempting to beat the escape velocity against earth. Once, it is done, it is all smooth sailing. So, this take off needs two things: The power of Sankalpa, and some minimal organization discipline to ensure escape velocity around it. The rest is taken care by the participating rest.

 

So, let us not be shy in searching our soul as to those genuine inspirations inside us, and act on them through a statement of Sankalpa. Then, actually we can sit back and wonder, how this Sankalpa makes us stand up and runs us around to get that initial trigger going. Then, we can also see, how help comes our way for the escape velocity to build, and our inspirations are put in action! At the end, there is a contentment of accomplishment and the difference made, thanks to all thouse pour in to pariticpate and make it happen!

 

To build a great community we deserve, let us keep our senses up to spot those one percent energy and angels around, and sport with them on a regular basis.

 

2. Why we deserve the excitement of new year!

 

Because it is a timely reminder to leverage our time and space to optimize self and our journey ahead!

 

Our journey on this heaven called earth (which can also turn to be a hell) is finite. We have limited time, and we are all way too busy.   So, we do need escapade from our grind, more often than we get. This new year eve is an ideal excuse for us to take this break from oursevles, and seek that fresh outlook, attempt, and approach.  That in itself is quite exciting, while it lasts. But with some discipline, we can make sure, that this excitement lasts through the entire year.

 

3. It is all about the Fellowship!

 

Huge benefit of living in a large community like this is the leverage of fellowship we can exploit!

 

We are social animals. We always love the company,touch, interactions and exchanges. While our apartment may bring some isolation we deserve and desire, our apartment community can complement this with the vibrant social set up we deserve.

 

Therefore, we need to pursue highest levels of ethos of civilization. We learn to love and respect. We learn to coexist with diversity. We learn to live and let live. We learn to become better communicators and leaders. When misunderstandings and misgivings surface, we learn to deal with them with a sense of faith and positivism, only to rebound better towards higher potential and planes.

 

4. The paradise Code!

 

It takes two paradises to co-exist! One inside me and one around me. I can leverage both to create a positive spiral for self and the rest!

 

Paradise is an ideal place to dwell in. We all deserve the paradise. It is actually in our reach. We need to strive for this paradise both inside us, and around us.

 

Paradise does not mean that everything needs to be perfect. But, there needs to be a commitment towards that evasive perfectness (faith), and a level of surrender (lightness) to live our best around the imperfections that bother.

 

When it comes to the paradise inside us, we need to have a decent grip on who we are. We are a complex being, but we can simplify our own understanding (self realization), by onion peeling us, as Body, Mind, Heart (Feelings, Wisdom or Viveka), and  Spirit. We, then can evaluate our presence in all these four layers, and seek improvements in these layers simultaneously. This accelerates our journey towards creating the paradise inside.

 

Our outside too can be a paradise.  We need some simple rules to follow. Do no harm willingly. For example, do not throw trash around, just because it is convenient. Another rule, is that charity begins at home. While walking, if I find a trash, I can pick it and throw it into the nearest dustbin. Given our diversity, we can agree to disagree, but always enhance our formal or informal constitution, which is the set of agreements we formulate and follow. We keep tinkering with this constitution, as we evolve and mature, both at the level of self and community.

 

The one percent rule helps us to expand the paradise both inside and outside, not just for self, but also for all concerned.  Fellowship makes it easy to build the paradise or the interior/exterior design leading to the aura of paradise.

 

5. Synergy across age groups!

 

Though we are one community, we do have distinct age groups with different priorities and preferences! Yet, how can we synnergise across better?

 

I distinctly see the following age groups in our community:

 

Infants:  They are the fresh arrival to our paradise. The parents who toil around them are the angels. How can we make the life of infants and their angels better? How do we manage noise and air pollution better for them. What helping hand we can give to them?

 

Kids: Kids are the soul of our community. They are the promise of our future. Their energy and potential is always inspiring for all concerned. How do we keep them motivated, playing and disciplined. How do we help them as a community for them to shape the great future they deserve?

 

Young adults: These are the folks making difficult transition from dependent kids to the independent adults. How do we honor their natural rebellion. How do we create better space for them to interact among themselves and seek the solace and hope they deserve. How can we help them with the stress of competition they have to deal with, on a daily basis.

 

Renting students around us are mostly young adults. We can help them to have better time here. It is all about security, enthusiasm, energy, discipline, focus, and fun they deserve. I hope, that we evovle to a level, we will have an annual welcome party for the new student renters who arrive, and a send off party to those who graduate and disappear in search of better future. Need to think thru this further to make it happen.

 

Adults: These are the ones working, building their career, playing, falling in love, putting the family together, becoming parents, building their security and wealth.  They are the natural leaders for their families. How can we give more space for them to lead our community in various endeavors.  How can we enhance the fun breaks they deserve around their busy engagements.

 

Middle agers: These are the folks who are in their forties and fifties. They are tasting the success of their profession or business. They have built solid character in their life by now and have lot of lessons to share. They can lead and mentor. They can help with their networking and resources. How do we tap their potential for the benefit of the community?

 

Elders: These are the retired folks, who are gifted with the new and the last youth. They are successful, they have completed their responsibility to their kids. They have reasonable resources to relax and enjoy the rest of life ahead. They are wise, they can advise and mentor. They can be the cheer leaders and volunteers.

 

Very Elders: These are the folks who may have disability or ill health. The very elderly people going through health issues are to be supported. How can cheer them up. How can we make things easier to socialize. How can we help to take the sense of lonliness or dispair, if that persists. How can we make their ordinary days better, with the  rays of extra ordinary. 

Similarly, we need to ensure better access to those with special needs, where applicable.

 

Some avenues to take these inspirations forward:

 

A. Social network groups targeting specific age groups and  interests

B. Specific events targeting the age groups left behind

C. Diversity of considerations for all age groups in our event planning and associated formal and informal leadership teams

D. I am a Rotarian, primarily to exploit fellowship and leverage the formal avenues of institutional charity. I am convinced that this community will benefit by having our own Rotary club here, which needs approximately 50 rotarians to emerge from this community. These Rotarians can dedicate all their energy for the priorities of this community, and wonders can keep happening

E. You can add further to this list….

 

6. The Six Elements to leverage!

 

Wood (Nature in general), Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and of course the Air!

 

We are from nature, so how we can enhance the nature around us, to bring more natural behavior within and across us.  Also, considerations of aesthetics, balancing these elements in our home and campus is key.

 

Wood: This is all about green, flora and fauna. How can we build easily maintainable sustainable gardens. How can we enhance sustainability in our dealings.

 

Fire: How can we find more excuses for the camp fires. How do we ensure reusable wood for sustainable camp fires.  How can we bring more fire element beyond camp fires.

 

Earth: How to do we minimize concrete finish, and enhance earth presence with greens and grass. How can we create natural walking paths.  How can we maintain our grass surface better. Of course, how do we get our kids to play more in the sand…..Even glass is a form of sand, how can we leverage glass better.

 

Metail: What is the most judicious use of metals in our home and campus. How we can increase the synnergy of metal with other elements.

 

Air: How do we ensure that we breathe the best air possible. How do we tackle all the pollution around. How do we leverage other elements to purify our air better. (eg. Gardens, agnihotra thru fire, water bodies with purifying plants)

 

My inspiration is that we eventually build an artificial lake (using water retaining sheets) behind the current Marketing office where cement mixing is going on. We can get permission to use the public land by the Naala. This lake, though artificial, is a natural pond. The discharge water we now release to the Naala can be collected in the pond.  Natural ways of cleaning happens through flora and fauna in the pond.  The space around the pond becomes a wood with pathways of walking and resting.  This sounds challenging, but doable.  This spot becomes the sanctum sanctorum of our community with camp fire spots, hiking and tenting spots, outdoor event spots etc.

 

7. What it takes to build a vibrant community we all deserve!

 

We are all too busy with our own life, but we can do one small bit we would like to do, which can do wonders based on the first point, 1% effort, 100% leverage.  The leverage comes from leadership, communication channels and participation.

 

Some bottom line considerations:

l Minimal segregation and groupism, better unity among diversity, more communication avenues.

l Better leadership development acorss the community across all age groups

l Formal and informal constitution that inspires us to come together towards the paradise we deserve, and allows us to negotiate better across all aspects needing alignments.

l More avenues to interact, synergise, celebrate and to benefit from social therapy we need time to time.

l Manage the dynamism. People come and go. New people deserve better orientation. People living deserve better send off.

l A community with 1300 homes is actually a mini city. So, let us embrace the complexity, yet keep things simple. Let us leverage our strengths and work on our challenges. Let us learn to manage ourselves better. Let us seek help among ourselves and beyond. .

You can add more to this hubmle list.

Best Regards,

Nataraja Upadhya