The Story of the Shaking Bowl
It’s dinner time, and you are sitting at the dining table awaiting dinner. Amma comes and sets the plate and serves you chapati and gravy. Now you are asked to hold the small bowl in your hand.
You have to hold it without shaking, or else the gravy will spill out and you will not get enough to eat. We can’t keep pouring more; that’s a waste. It’s not going to retain anything in the end. The trick is to hold the bowl STILL, and wait till she finishes pouring the right quantity for the bowl to hold.
A very important lesson learnt at this age, your age. Now imagine when Amma or anyone advises or gives you an instruction. What should you be doing?
When you are talking back while they are talking, thinking about what happened in school, playing some music, fiddling with your toys, dreaming, or zoned out, you become the shaking bowl in your hand. You will not absorb what is being told; you lose concentration and get distracted from whatever knowledge is being shared. It will spill out; only a few will be retained, like the shaking bowl in your hand. Yes, we may call ourselves multitaskers, but a study says we can only do a few things at a time, then our brain shuts down for more stuff. It’s like opening too many windows on a computer and not knowing which one is running and where to find it.
I call it the shaken bowl theory. They used to tell us our mind is like a monkey, but now we can call it like your reels: many videos keep popping up; suddenly you want to hear some music, then remember to call your friend, but you end up watching a movie, but you don’t finish because you have to complete your homework; instead, you go have dinner, then forget about everything and go to bed. This is a story everywhere. With technology there are so many good things; at the same time, our attention span has come down, not just for students but for parents too. We have to claim our attention back; sometimes after doing all these things, when we try to recall, there is absolutely nothing we can pinpoint on. Attention is an important trait; start slowly.
So next time, pay attention. I know it’s difficult, but bring back those wavering thoughts. Stop whatever you are doing, hear what they are saying, and if you are in the middle of something, let them know; if not, speak once they have finished and ask questions if you have any doubts. But the important point is to pay attention, stay still like the bowl for you to receive any instructions, knowledge or advice. When you want to be heard, the first step is to hear what they say; once you do that, they are going to hear you back. Everyone wants to be heard, even if it’s as small as Amma calling you for any chore; reply back. Try not to be the shaking bowl but the bowl which is going to receive goodness.
Rekha Murugapoopathy
Parent of Kanishka Karthik (Grade VI)
Mahatma Global Gateway
