Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
The author shares her belief that seeing the world from a height helps put things in perspective and one realizes that he/she is merely a speck in the vast universe.
All of us have had the opportunity to see elevated views. From the top of a terrace, balcony, fort, building, tower, or mountain range. Mostly, it is an engaging sight. Many a times, quite beautiful. But that’s not all.
I believe there is something cathartic about a bird’s eye view.
My earliest memories of enjoying panoramic views go back to my hostel life in Delhi. At the end of an exhausting day, I would climb up to the common room on the fourth floor, plonk myself by the wide casement windows, and watch the city. Especially at dusk. Twinkling lights of the bustling habitation, looked like a web of intertwined stars. Serpentine rows of vehicles inching forward to form a string of glowing red embers garlanding the urban jungle. Blurred sounds of horns from a distance, neither too loud, nor too faint, filled the air.
As I sat, viewing ‘life’ from a height, I’d think what each passenger in the car was going through. Living his or her own story. Own experiences. Ups and downs. Happiness and distress. People walking by the roads looked like little ants marching on, carrying their own perceptions of the day gone by. So many lives in a state of flux, simultaneously. Predictable, and yet, so unpredictable.
It was hard to imagine how tiny I was in this larger spectacle of the human race. More like “’oh! I ‘also’ exist.” Soon, I’d find that any seeming difficulty, or an incident that I was mildly upset about, simply disappeared. I’d realize that my life with my own ecosystem of struggles, aspirations, and relationships, was not that complex. And even if it was, what the heck. It was manageable. Everything is, ultimately. I remember almost laughing at myself for feeling ruffled earlier that day because the shirt I’d wanted to wear to college was crumpled!
Similarly, whenever I go trekking, I rediscover this perspective, each time. While climbing up, I believe I will feel a sense of achievement when I reach the peak. However, when I do reach the top, and absorb the bird’s eye view below, the towering scale of life blows me away. Streams of fluffy clouds, powder blue sky, trees swooning with the breeze, settlements et al bustling with countless concurrent lives. There is a balance. Fragile yet resilient. There is peace and quiet. Yet no one’s at rest. Every atom is energy is ‘living.’
I stand reminded of my relative existence in the world that we ‘know of’. I am a speck in this spectacular scheme of life. And I feel humility and gratitude to be the chosen one to participate in this unfathomable grandeur. I am here for a span of 80-100 years to enjoy and replenish nature’s inexplicable universe of actions and reactions. ‘I’, ‘my’ problems, ‘my’ likes, are just so puny.
This ability to see myself as a part of the larger macrocosm, is the greatest lesson that bird’s eye views have taught me. It has helped me to take myself less seriously.
So go ahead and scale new heights. Take arduous journeys. Reach more tops. Achieve. Feel elated. Feel dejected. Do it all. But don’t forget to breathe, play and smile. If you’re going through a personal crisis and feeling terrible, calm down. You are not the only one. If you’re winning awards and bursting with pride, again, calm down. You are also not the only one.
Image Source: Anusha Singh
I am a corporate communications consultant, columnist, and former lawyer. I help organisations speak to their stakeholders effectively. read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Menopause is a reality in women's lives, so Indian workplaces need to gear up and address women's menopausal needs.
Picture this: A seasoned executive at the peak of her career suddenly grapples with hot flashes and sleep disturbances during important meetings. She also battles mood swings and cognitive changes, affecting her productivity and confidence. Eventually, she resigns from her job.
Fiction? Not really. The scenario above is a reality many women face as they navigate menopause while meeting their work responsibilities.
Menopause is the time when a woman stops menstruating. This natural condition marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. The transition brings unique physical, emotional, and psychological changes for women.
Dr Nalini Parthasarathi, 79, based in Puducherry has dedicated 30 years of her life caring for people suffering from hemophilia.
It is amazing when a person turns personal adversity into a calling, and extends empathy to make a significant impact in the lives of other people. This has been the life’s journey of Dr Nalini Parthasarathi.
April 17 is World Hemophilia Day. Dr Nalini Parthasarathi, 79, based in Puducherry has dedicated 30 years of her life caring for people suffering from hemophilia. She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
Hemophilia is a condition where one or more clotting factor is absent leading to bleeding. Severe cases can be life-threatening.
Please enter your email address