Seeking Resonance

I was talking to a colleague this week about how he has dramatically altered his approach to conducting his business practice.  His day was typically filled with analyzing numbers and his conversation with clients was filled with conveying numbers.  He was oblivious to the fact that many of his clients did not care about numbers, but rather cared about their lives.  Over the past year, through a series of conversations and workshops, he suddenly realized that he had to change, and told me that he is more focused on clients issues with their lives, health and family than just numbers.

He then said something quite remarkable.  Quoting an old proverb, he said, "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear."  What he meant was that a couple of years ago, even if he were told to abandon the numbers approach he would have not; but that only when he was ready, the message struck him squarely enough, for him to actually change the approach to his practice.

In a funny way I experienced this throughout my career in Management Consulting which went on for nearly a decade and a half.  My very first project as a consultant was with Federal Express, the overnight shipment delivery company.  I remember, for the entire duration of the project, wherever I looked I would see FedEx trucks!  To a point where my family got sick of me pointing them out!

It occurs to me that the entire environment that envelopes us is full of messages.  Neighbors, family, friends, colleagues, pets, gardens all are full of messages.  Even inside of us - our organs, emotions, thoughts are full of messages.  But are we listening?

In high school Physics, we learned that resonance occurs when a system is able to store and easily transfer energy between two or more different storage modes.  A good example of this is pushing a kid on a swing.  If the pusher is in resonance with the frequency of the swinging, then the lightest of touch will make the swing go higher.  But if the push is given at the wrong time, it might cause a jarring effect.

Perhaps in a similar was when two are in conversation, or when a group is in conversation, if all minds are in SYNC, the thought transfer (or energy transfer as it were), between the minds will be effortless.  Not only might it be effortless, but there would be resonance as well, with the amplitude of the conversation being higher than each thought individually perhaps leading to an 'aha'

There is an old couplet in Sanskrit, which is not only my favorite, but my motto as well.  It goes like this:

mac-citta mad-gata-prana, bodhayantah parasparam |
kathayantas ca mam nityam, tusyanti ca ramanti ca ||

Translated it roughly means - Seekers get together in conversation and in advising each other, experience joy.

Thus I find myself (when not grouchy about one morning's weak coffee, or the chicken marsala not cooked just right), seeking resonance with those that I converse with.

Hoping all the while that the slightest touch, would make the swing go higher ....