Friday, June 12th, 2015

Friday, June 12^th, 2015
Miami, Florida

And/Or


At meetings held in a downtown Miami office, we did discuss that which is relevant to any institution, organization, business, or even a relationship.  Authors James Collins, and Jerry Porras, wrote about the coined expression, “The tyranny of OR, and the genius of AND”.  For opportunity, for inclusiveness, for success, one should embrace the latter concept. 

This type of thinking of considering many possibilities and keeping various doors open was something utilized by our guru, Srila Prabhupada.  This same concept of the novel writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, can also be considered when he said, “The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”

When I talked to Tamohara, my good friend who was in the room during the time of this discussion, it brought to mind the principal of Sri Chaitanya who highlighted unity in diversity, which in Sanskrit terms, reads as follows:

Achintya bheda bheda tattva

As a westerner, I was brought up firmly believing in black and white vision, or the all or nothing viewpoint.  It was a breath of fresh air to run into a culture with roots from the east, Krishna Consciousness, that has embedded into it the concept of holding varying ideas in place and not running into confusion. 

There’s also the sun and sunshine analogy.  Two different components exist, and yet the energy is basically the same.  We can also draw the example of the constitution of water, and how it applies to the ocean and a mere drop of water.  They are one, but different. 

By the way, regarding the sun, when I strolled a stretch of the edge of Coconut Grove, I really did feel like I was becoming one with the sun.  I was roasting. 

May the Source be with you!

4 km