Noel Manuel
Penguins are amazing birds. These Antarctic inhabitants have an interesting lifestyle. What really fascinates me is the manner in which they reproduce, which, I think is captivating and typical. Patience and sacrifice enveloped in energy enables these black and white birds multiply their flock.
Soon after the female penguins have laid an egg each, they move away from their male counterparts. This separation will last for as long as four months. During this period the Antarctic region experiences its coldest months. Darkness shrouds the atmosphere and the only object that offers a glimmer of light is the moon. The sun is no longer visible. Temperatures plummet to an incredible –60 degrees. By this time, the Antarctic is the coldest place on the planet.
The male penguins cluster together with an egg each between their feet. The heat generated from their beaks, wings and feet will help incubate the eggs. It is a daunting task and the entire operation will keep the male penguins standing throughout. After a phase of four months, the male penguins finally achieve their feat, not before having lost half their body energy. The sun appears yet again and so do the female penguins. They take over the responsibility from here on and allow their male partners to nourish themselves.
The interesting lesson that we get to learn from the male penguin is how they direct their energy to sustain their patience, energy to motivate their sacrifice and energy to energize their objective and purpose. We all have a certain amount of energy in our lifetime. How we choose to burn this energy is an option that is directed by us – our mind.
Each day gifts us a new energy. This energy helps us to accomplish what we set out to do. Whether we choose to do the negative things or the positive things, our energy never lets us down. It’s the outcome that does.
They say that hard work never goes in vain. What is hard work? It is a preparation that is cooked up by energy. Hard work has two dimensions – positive and negative. Positive hard work earns fame while negative hard work earns disdain.
Another interesting lesson of directing our energy can be reflected in the way bees go about their daily chores. It is said that a bee collects nectar from upto one-lakh flowers to produce a 500-gram jar of honey. But this is not all. The work and coordination of the bees is so systematic that every ounce of their energy is used to produce results that matter and make a difference.
Man is an animal. What sets him apart from other animals is his ability to think. His thought process enables him to direct his life through his energy levels.
Efforts or hard work can only pay off when the right thought process is put into action to direct your energy levels. You can choose to exploit every ounce of energy to generate incredible results or perhaps allow your thought process to go the negative way and permit your energy levels to supplement that.
We know what it takes to generate energy. But just what is energy? Energy is the ability to put effort and enthusiasm into a thought, an activity and the conscience.
There are three proportions to energy. The thought, the body and the conscience. The entire process of an activity, from the time it begins till the time it ends is based on energy. The thought process is the thinking that we do and this requires energy. Implementation of that thought requires action that is generated through body energy. The result of an action that dwells in our conscience also requires energy. The energy to be able to judge if the action is right or wrong.
Therefore, energy is not confined to physical activities alone. It begins in our mind and journeys till our conscience.
I still remember the infamous Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson. The fastest man on earth, who instead of sprinting his way into the hall of fame, dashed his way into the hall of disgrace. He was stripped off his Olympic gold medal after he tested positive for steroids. He needed that extra ‘energy’ and chose banned substances to generate that. The adrenalin levels in his body were three times as high as compared to a normal athlete. He succeeded in winning the race. But ironically, lost the contest of life.
We know what it takes to generate energy. Vitamins, energy giving foods, gym activities, chemical substances and so on. But what many of us do not know is how to direct our energy into the hall of fame.
Remember when energy burns in the thought process for a positive and constructive idea, the energy generated from the body is upbeat and the conscience brims with energetic enthusiasm.
I’ve had the opportunity of witnessing a film shooting in Kolkata. Cameras were perched atop different places and all eyes were on the director. He was the man who was in control of things. The crew, the equipment, the camera boys, actors and everyone on the sets had their eyes on this one man. He was in command. He was not only directing a movie. But also directing the energy of so many people, including himself, for that one exclusive shot.
After spending a grueling eight hours, the director was happy with the outcome. His energy levels, including that of his crew had paid off. He was satisfied and so were the crew. Their efforts and enthusiasm were directed in the right mode. They packed off to embrace another day with new levels of energy and the right direction.
We are nothing less than a film director. In reality we are a life director. Like a film director, who strives hard to make the film a blockbuster, we too can choose to make our lives a smash hit.
The people around us are the cast and the crew. The world is our stage and energy levels our cameras. Everyone has his or her eyes cast on us. We are in command. Like the director, we need to satisfy ourselves with positive outcomes. Let our energy levels, like cameras, roll out in the right direction, to capture some of the most amazing shots, that make our life a runaway success and a great director of energies.
noelmanuel@rediffmail.com
The writer is the Coordinator of the Northeast Region (Poetry Society of India) and Life Member of the Poetry Society of India. Journalist and Correspondent Eastern Panorama (News Magazine of the Northeast), Phonetics Teacher.
