I choose.
I am responsible.
I need to be accountable.
I love.
I am not flawless.
I need a bit of sex in my life.
I need to constantly improve.
I need to help others achieve their potential.
There is this villain called ‘I’ in all the above sentences… and yet, not one sentence has the arrogance of an inflated ego. I guess some will even find humility dripping from them. Aren’t these sentences so full of ‘I’ far better than these that have ‘we’ strutting around as a saviour:
We are one and we need to make sure that others remain divided.
We need to conquer even if we have to go out and kill.
We want all the advantages for our people – let the rest of the world rot!
So as I said, ‘we’ isn’t such a saint, after all. It is recognising this small facet that is the true beginning to wellness. But what is wellness? There are intellectuals who have defined it as some sort of a convergence of emotional, physical, social, environmental, spiritual, intellectual, and occupational factors and a good average score would obviously place you in an enviable position.
Do I agree with this list?
No, I don’t.
Why?
Well, because I have prepared a more contemporary list and the way I see the entire concept of wellness, it should be revolving around a healthier definition of ‘I’… I mean healthier than it is in the current scenario. Therefore, I define wellness as our basic attitude to original thinking and knowing that if I understand myself, I actually understand quite a bit of creation that is surrounding me.
So the keyword is ‘I’… and the day I know that I can choose not to pay attention to sentences that disrupt harmony, I understand the true value of ‘I’. Let’s see what sort of I-sentences need to be discarded:
I want to unroll my car window and throw this banana peel out on the road.
I think no one is looking and so I can accept this bribe.
I will pass if I cheat, so let me.
I must take office stationery home as I can ask for more here.
I can and I will fool my way again.
The culprit, as we see, isn’t ‘I’… it is the trail of words that give it a villainous concept. So the first step to real or true wellness is to give the right words that will form a righteous trail connected to ‘I’ and then ‘I’ will cease to be a vain villain. It is only when the perspective surrounding ‘I’ is corrected that wellness of the mind, the body, and the spirit in both the virtual and the real world magically appears. This is what true wellness is all about.
As I was writing this short piece, I also surfed the net to try and see what others have written… and stumbled upon BeautyGlimpse – a site that turned out to be a mine of great articles on not just wellness, but also diet, health, fitness, weight-loss, fashion, food, travel, work, and life. And I told myself, ‘Wow! This site does seem to have posts written by a lot of people from a diverse background and so the articles are sure to give me a perspective that will be wider.’
Sure enough, the articles did match my expectations and I loved them all… and I must admit here that I also went on to read articles that I wouldn’t have otherwise read… and these include the ones on hairstyles, hair care, skin care, make-up, nails, and even breast implants. This website, by the way, has simple navigation and even encourages you to ask questions. You can also explore the website of CHOLLEY if you need skin care products.
Now I’m sure the ‘I’ within me is happier… and listen, think about the ‘I’ in you and let it interact with words that come together to have the right intent. This is the real meaning of beauty… knowing and understanding ‘I’ and thus being able to transcend ego.
Arvind Passey
31 August 2014
