Tag: Reflection

Leadership in Fragile States: Navigating Turbulent Waters Towards Stability and Resilience

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Approximately sixty countries have earned the label of “Fragile States” from international development agencies. These nations, home to two billion of the world’s poorest individuals, grapple with rampant violence, feeble institutions, and shattered economies. Beyond threatening regional security, they often serve as breeding grounds for terrorism.

Despite receiving billions of dollars annually from donor agencies, delivered through policy advice and conditional loans, the plight of these fragile states persists. Development, with its goal of economic, social, and political transformation, remains a distant dream for many.

In this turbulent landscape, leadership emerges as a critical factor, especially in nations where institutions have been decimated by conflict or are inherently weak. Yet, despite the urgency, a systematic examination of leadership’s role in fragile states has been lacking.

Reflecting on my doctoral dissertation, penned over a decade ago, it’s disheartening to observe that the underlying conditions of fragility have not only endured but have worsened worldwide. Public trust in institutions has plummeted, leaving us grappling with uncertainty and a longing for leadership that can navigate these tumultuous times.

In the forthcoming articles, I aim to share insights gleaned from my research, which sought to establish a methodology for understanding how different leadership strategies impact transitions into and out of fragility. Focusing on national-level leadership in African fragile states, the study delved into both quantitative analysis of country-level panel data and qualitative examination of case studies from Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Africa.

The analysis scrutinized the relationship between leadership strategies—such as political participation and inclusion, economic growth, and security—and fragility outcomes encompassing conflict, economic indicators, and political inclusion approaches. Results underscored a robust association between leadership change and fragility.

Moreover, the case studies underscored how distinct leadership strategies led to diverse post-transition trajectories for fragile states. They illuminated varying approaches to sequencing political inclusion and the role of leadership in transitioning away from fragility.

My hope is that these articles will spark dialogue on the type of leadership necessary to guide societies through the turbulent times we face today. By understanding the nuances of leadership in fragile contexts, we can chart a course toward stability, resilience, and inclusive development.

Action and Non-Action

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Once upon a time, there lived a young man who desired to achieve quick progress in life. He went to a wise sage and expressed his wish. The sage smiled, and gave him two coins and advised him to drop them one after another to achieve his goal.

The youth was overjoyed at the prospect of achieving success so easily, and ran away before the sage could give him any more advise. He dropped the first coin at a particular place, and Lo! A beautiful chariot appeared. The word “Action” was etched onto the chariot. The young man jumped onto the chariot and immediately, it began to shoot into space at a terrific pace. It was then that he realized that it did not have a steering wheel!

For a while the youth like the speed and the travel, but gradually, he became a bit nervous. Where was he going? When would he reach the destination? The young man could not find the answers to these questions, and began to panic.

While he was frantically searching for a escape from this predicament, he found a small button with the word “Stop” on it. He pressed it, hoping to stop the chariot. Immediately the vehicle stopped, and dropped to the ground. The young man jumped out of it and heaved a sigh of relief.

The young man was exhausted by the trip and rested for a while. After he had regained his hope and energy, he dropped the second coin to the ground, to see what it would do. Like before, a chariot appeared in front of him. This chariot had the word “Inaction” etched onto it. Less apprehensive now, the young man jumped onto the chariot.

The youth was totally surprised by what happened next. The chariot stood still, but everything around him was revolving at a great speed and nothing was clear to him. The moving panorama around him was making him dazed and quite restless.

When he could stand it no longer, he again began looking for a way to escape. To his relief, he found the “Stop” button, and he pressed it with great hope. The revolving panorama stopped suddenly and he immediately jumped out of the chariot. He ran to the sage who had given him the coins and began complaining that he could not achieve any progress in his life with those coins.

“My dear fellow,” said the sage, “most young people suffer like you. Everyone wants progress and thinks that by unceasing activity, they can achieve it. Some others think the opposite. But action alone does not result in progress, nor does inaction.”

“All actions or non-actions,” said the sage, “should be inspired by a purpose, follow a procedure, and strive with perseverance. The should find support in reason and sustenance in reasonableness. When these guidelines coupled with discretion, promote action or non-action, they lead to worldly success as well as spiritual progress.”

This story helps one understand that either action or non-action without purpose and perseverance, is just like a rudderless ship.

In the coming year, let our actions and non-actions be inspired by a sense of service and let us persevere with our commitment to create a better world for all!

Adapted from Tales for the Young and Old by Acharya Ratnananda

What is Life?

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I was going through my old files to look for some papers, and found a letter from my grandfather among them. He used to write to me regularly, and often shared some witty stories and anecdotes from his life.

The following is an excerpt of a letter he sent a couple of years ago.

When I was in Hamburg, Germany, a professor asked me in jest, “What is Life?” He expected me to give a long lecture on the subject. But, I said, also in jest, “Life is simple, only in four letters.”

The professor was taken aback, and said, “I don’t understand you!”

I laughingly said, “I knew you would not understand me!! But Life stands for:

L for LOVE

I for INTELLIGENCE

F for FELLOWSHIP

E for ENDURANCE (Tolerance)

He laughed and said, “What a way to explain Life!”

A wonderful way to reflect upon our lives, isn’t it? Here’s wishing you a wondrous and joy-filled year ahead!

The Revelation

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Long, long ago, far, far away, there lived a great Sage and many people went to him for enlightenment. A man known for his cruelty and anger, went to the Sage and said, “Master, my mind is always full of unclean and unhealthy thoughts. And this leads me to unhealthy actions. Could you please rid me of these thoughts and help me to achieve enlightenment?”

The Master thought for a while and said, “Before I give you peace and poise, I have to warn you that you will die in a week’s time. Hence, you may go now.”

The man was deeply shocked at this revelation. The thought of death fully occupied his mind. He ran to his wife and said, “I have harassed you countless times, and I want to make amends now. Please excuse me for all my mistakes. I am going to die in a week. I will remedy my behavior towards you at least now and will treat you with love.” He also showered his love on his children, his parents, relatives, friends and neighbors.

The complete change in his demeanor, manners and behavior produced a pleasant surprise and an affectionate response in all his near and dear ones. There was all round love and affection coupled with the regret that he was going to tie shortly.

On the last day of the week , the master came to him and asked how he felt. The reformed man replied, “Sir, my mind was so full of thoughts of my death that it produced a great change in me and a happy response from all those around me. Now, I find that my mind is calm except for the thought that I will die soon.”

The Master smiled and replied, “Just the thought of death in eight days reformed you and produced pleasantness all round. When we are aware of the impermanency of life all the time, then we consciously ensure that our actions are able to produce and promote happiness.

You are not going to die now, but do not allow these benefits to die. Continue to be good to people and live in the present. That is enlightenment.”

This story reveals that all problems arise because we feel that our life is quite long and tend to forget its impermanence, though we see death all around us everyday.

This story was written by Acharya Ratnananda and can be found in Tales for the Young and the Old.

What is God’s Worry?

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— by Acharya Ratnananda

Long Long Ago, and Far Far Away, a group of saints and sages met to find out ways to establish a violence-free society. “God has provided us with all the facilities to live in peace…then why should people indulge in violence and violate His intentions? Why not appeal to Him to banish violence in human affairs.”

However, before such an approach could be adopted, they wanted to unravel the mystery behind conflicts. One wise lady then said that the basic cause of all the conflicts was a feeling of worry. It was worry that created fear, and it was fear that promoted wrong actions, and wrong actions generated conflicts. The best way then, to prevent conflicts, was to prevent worries!

All our problems could be solved, if God gave us the power to overcome our worries (which often overtake our wisdom!). This solution found instant acceptance with all the wise ones, and an intense prayer followed. The Divine appeared in response to their prayers, but laughed at their request!

“My dear children,” said God, “you are asking for something which is impossible even for me to grant.” To the shock of the entire assembly, God continued, “You are all worried about solving your own worries, but have you ever considered, that I have more worries to face than all of you? Your worries have only one-track, which is much simpler! However, I have to face two-track worries – much more complex!” The entire gathering was shocked and confused at this revelation that even God suffered from complex worries unknown to themselves, and appealed to the Divine for enlightenment.

God smilingly continued, “Worry is an illness that affects both good and bad people, with the difference that good people worry about the welfare of others, and bad people worry only about their own welfare. For example, while a righteous person prays to prevent robberies, the thief prays to me to prevent being caught. I have to answer both their prayers! My problem is how to reward the former and reform the latter, and make both of them happy! It is really a two-track worry!”

The saints had to humbly accept when the Divine said, “I advice you all to go back and solve your worries yourselves, and leave me to solve mine. However, since you have all come to me, I cannot send you back empty handed. Hence, I grant you the strength to face your worries. Solve them yourself if you can, or approach a realized Master to help you in your endeavor.”

This story from the Upanishads reveals that we are mostly responsible for our worries, which affect us directly or indirectly, and it is our own responsibility, with the guidance of a realized Master to either solve them or at least shelve them. Do the work on hand, but keep the worry in abeyance. This is one way to deliver us from the all pervasive disease of worry!

What is God’s Work?

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by Acharya Ratnananda (from The Speaking Tree, June 16, The Times of India)

Once a proud but benevolent king sent for his prime minister and said, “All of us have some definite work or assignment to perform. A king rules, a soldier fights, a trader trades, a teacher teaches and a preacher preaches, though as individuals they do other things also. Then what is the primary function of the Creator? Can you answer my question?”

The minister was puzzled. No one knew, and no book ever explained what God’s work was. After some thought, he said, “I, too, have often wondered about this like you. But my duty here is to advise and assist you on worldly affairs. This involves spiritual matters and the right person to answer you is our bishop.”

When the king repeated his question to the bishop, the bishop asked for a week’s time to reply. At the end of the week, the bishop was sitting under a tree on the outskirts of the town, thinking whether to face the king’s wrath the next morning, or to run away from the kingdom.

A shepherd boy who was passing by enquired about the cause for his worry. The bishop brushed him aside, saying he was deeply worried about a spiritual matter. The boy was quite insistent, and so the bishop related his trouble, without any hope of solution or solace from the boy.

“My dear master,” said the boy, “is that all that worries you so much? Please go in peace to the king. Tell him that the shepherd boy knows the answer.”

The surprised bishop begged the boy to give him the answer, but the boy preferred to meet the king in person. So the bishop went home, and the next morning he was at the court when the king eagerly asked for a reply.

“My dear king!” said the bishop, “i need not have taken so much time or trouble to give you a reply. However, i would request you to call for my shepherd boy who will give you a satisfactory answer.”

The surprised king immediately sent for the boy, who promptly presented himself before the king. His appearance was repulsive to everyone, but the court awaited his words with interest.

“You, shepherd boy,” said the king, “do you know the answer to my question which even learned scholars are not aware of?”

The boy paused for a while and said, “My dear sir, before i answer your query, may i request that proper protocol is observed. You are a student, as far as this question is concerned, since you want to learn. I am a master as i am to give you the knowledge. Normally the master occupies a higher seat than the student.” After some hesitation the king slowly came down from his throne and let the boy sit on it. So eager was he to know the answer!

But the boy, after ascending the throne, was calmly enjoying the new-found dignity and did not speak for a while. Impatient, the king shouted at the boy, “You fellow! Where is my answer? What is God’s work?” The boy calmly replied, “Here’s the answer, to push down the haughty and to push up the humble – that is God’s work!”

This is one of the 1,50,000 stories found in the ancient puranas, which have relevance even in modern times. This story, and more can be found in Acharya Ratnananda’s book “Tales for the Young and Old”

Acharya Ratnananda (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s father) left for his heavenly abode on June 8. Vaikunth Aradhana on June 19 at the Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore. Priti Bhoj at 10 a.m. All are invited.

An Invitation to Reflect…

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If

Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you 
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; 
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, 
But make allowance for their doubting too; 
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, 
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies, 
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating, 
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master; 
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim; 
If you can meet with triumph and disaster 
And treat those two imposters just the same; 
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken 
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, 
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, 
And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings 
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, 
And lose, and start again at your beginnings 
And never breath a word about your loss; 
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew 
To serve your turn long after they are gone, 
And so hold on when there is nothing in you 
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, 
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch; 
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; 
If all men count with you, but none too much; 
If you can fill the unforgiving minute 
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run – 
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, 
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

Reflection: I understand Kipling’s poem as about being yourself and believing in yourself. He emphasizes that we are all unique individuals and calls for us to use our discretion and intellect, and reflect upon our thoughts and actions to make ourselves better. In my opinion, poems like these will have even greater and longer-lasting impact on our thoughts and actions, when we are able to understand these ideas through the lens of spirituality. Spirituality helps us go beyond the intellectual concepts – and helps us understand and experience what it means to be natural – and to stand ready to serve.