Saturdays With Shivani-May The Meek Truly Inherit The Earth

Recently I randomly searched the term ‘competitive spirit’ and this is what Google threw-

‘a combative, fighting attitude or temperament’; and

‘a drive to win; desire to succeed and be the best’.

I think I am a competitive person and I often introspect on that part of me as to why I may be like that. It must have started innocuously with loved ones pushing and cheering me on and who doesn’t like to be appreciated. Later on, I assume that with the kind of numbers we have, every step, every exam, every accomplishment becomes a struggle to prove one’s worth.

As I competed with others, it left me drained physically and mentally until the time I realised that my only competition was with myself. The statement is cliched, the realisation is also not that tough easy but the execution tests you. I have had to unlearn a lot of things to grasp the real meaning of this concept and it’s an ongoing struggle—an internal duel of sorts.

This introspection has thrown in another observation at me— I gravitate towards people who are easy going, laid back and as they say, ‘going with the flow’. Maybe because subconsciously, I realise they have something that I lack and if I stay around long enough, their attitude may rub off onto me or they may just hand me the talisman to it.

Don’t get me wrong. The people I talk about are not goofy, happy-go- lucky losers. They have their goals and ambitions in place but they are extremely comfortable at the pace at which they want to achieve them. They are hard-wired to do their thing silently without any drama and brouhaha; something that is increasingly difficult in our times when almost everyone out there is blowing his/ her trumpet.

They have every intention to move from point A to B or to jump onto the next step but they choose to do it in their own sweet time. They are truly at peace with themselves and I can almost sense that aura, which attracts me to them.

Talking to them is calming and therapeutic for me and I believe that they make world a better place by being what they are. They strike out the negative chi that accumulates around us. Their equanimity is what balances our universe in a yin-yang sort of a way.

The Bible says it’s the meek who shall inherit the earth. I don’t know if they will but I hope they do because in my humble opinion, they definitely make earth more liveable.

PS: For those of you who might wonder why I have issues with this whole competitive thing, the reason is that I tend to push myself too hard in my quest. I go into the self-destruct mode that bothers me. Like some other changes that I have brought in my life, this too is in the direction of self-preservation.

–Dr. Shivani Salil