SOON Online Magazine

Stories

The Hillman View by Anil Karunakaran

Our story starts in India - the land of diversity. In India there is this state called Kerala. The subject of our story stays in this state at a place called Idduky. This is a high range area with dense forest and hill resorts. We will be calling him the "HillMan" hereafter. Our HillMan has just completed his graduation in science. It was a usual early morning; HillMan got up fast and went to a hill top for a morning walk. HillMan saw a tall Coconut Tree. Heights of the trees always fascinated him. He stood below the tree for few seconds and then decided to climb on it. He went back to his home, took the tools needed to climb and started climbing the tree. This coconut tree was the tallest and was also on the top of the hill. He climbed to 1/4th of the height and paused to see the surface below. He saw that the surroundings had become smaller and he was above all of them. He took a good review of this scene and continued. He reached the &#frac12; of the tree; again he paused to review the surface below. This time he saw that the people and places around him had become tiny and he was much above all of them. He took a good review of this scene and continued. He reached the 3/4th of the tree again he paused to review the surface below. This time he saw that the people and places around him had become very tiny and he was more away and above all of them too much. He took a good review of this scene and continued. He reached the top of the tree again he paused to review the surface below. This time he saw that the people and places around him had become too tiny and he was on the top and above all of them. He took a good review of this scene and continued back down to the ground. After reaching the ground, he started noting on a piece of paper his conclusions on the reviews he made at each stage of the tree. It was like this. "When I started to climb the tree, I was not sure if I could make it to the top cause it was the tallest tree I was ever trying. But the feeling to reach the top was so strong that the fear of falling off or getting dizzy didn't come into my head or heart. So there was on only one goal to reach the top. The urge to reach the top had made me sure that I should not take any step that would make me fail on my goal. As a measure to keep the flow steady and continuous, I paused at four different points of the tree. This pause was important for me because they helped me taking A. rest B. Review My Journey C. To Decide My Further Strategy, the burning desire to reach the top and see the world from that point. When I was 1/4th of the tree, I saw that the world had become a tiny place and I was higher to some of them. I was then happy that I decided to climb the tree because I was above few more people . The tree told me "O you Hillman now that you have climbed this high, I advise you to go back down or you might fall". I didn't get dishearten or fear struck but continued to climb higher. This time I was &#frac12; the height and paused. I reviewed that, The higher I go, more was below me. When I reached the top there was no other place to go further but back down. But I was happy to achieve to reach the greatest height. When I reached the top, the Tree got pleased. I asked him "O you tallest tree of all, please tell me about you". The pleased tree told, "O courageous man, few have reached this height which you have achieved. Listen to me and learn from that - the reward for your success". The wise tree then narrated as follows. " It was 60 years ago, the condition of the land was very good. The air was much lighter, the soil more rich in manure, I had people to support me and advise me how to grow. I was too young, only a few feet tall. Fundamentally my roots were very strong. This was because I remembered my principle advice given to me that, "Just to become the tallest tree don't grow fast. Height should not be the criterion but a healthy steady non stop growth". I invested my young time in developing my roots and didn't spend my resources, time and energy to grow high from ground level but deep within from the ground level. I used to get lot of criticism from others for slow growth rate. But I remembered my principles and kept myself calm. I did listen to those criticisms for reviewing my strategies. They told that, "I am wasting my resources, not managing proper equilibrium between the resources and the growth rate". As a monthly practice with my roots I made analysis with respect to time and growth performance indicators, what resources are available to me like food water, my goal- to become the strongest tree of the valley, beliefs - principles that I followed, and value alignment, which is in my life as a support system like human beings, my friend trees, The steps in my progression like described below, How to leverage my time and energy? And many more criteria. My roots were going deep in the ground at a proportionate rate with time but the body above the ground was not growing at that rate. Food was available at abundance. My principles also told me "With time the resources for you to grow might increase or decrease, so practice policy to develop your sustaining power. You might never get an intimation of bad time to follow, in the form of storm or drought or high summer or natural or manmade calamity". But I had a great problem, like you human beings; I didn't have any storage area to store my resources safely. This was a great problem. So it was quite clear that I didn't have that option with me. So I would have to make myself strong to survive in the harshest time without any saving concept. My analysis showed me that I was using maximum of my resources to go as deep as possible in the ground. Note that I was on the top of the mountain and didn't not have a faster reach to the resources found rich in abundance down there. So there was some hurdles which I kept a check with my analysis, I first jumped these hurdles and crossed them successfully. After a few years of investing my resources to the root, I reached the bottom of the hill. Now I was sure that I would be able to exist in the harshest climate but was not sure how long. My analysis showed that, my root was very longer and it could help me go good height, height that could me make the tallest. But all this was hypothetical. I then started using my resources to grow my height from above the ground level. According to visibility, I was slow and didn't get much respect from trees of my age group but the elders respected me. Among them was one who lived down the valley. He was a very old tree; he respected me because he knew that my roots were strong since my roots only reached around his from the top of the hill. Now I was in my middle height and my roots quite stable. Food was abundantly found at my base level itself and human beings used to feed me. It was the best time of my life. I was happy with my growth though still not respected by my age groups. I kept cool. I was taught that "Keep self contentment in all stages of your life. Time will be good and bad but keep your mental balance. If you don't have that then you won't have anything else and fall in your tensions to your death". So I was most engrossed with my analysis which showed that I must use my maximum resources for now not going high, but increase my breadth on the ground. I had a limitation to my breadth according to my nature as a coconut tree. I spent this period's maximum energy to make my hold strong on the ground. Though I had a normal growth of breadth but still kept dedicating my time growing them. I was not tall as compared to those who started with me. Time changed. The summer got hard. There was no water and the draught was too hard. It was a very harsh time. Many of my friends couldn't hold. They died. I was doing better than them because my roots were reaching down the valley. Water was there. I analyzed that I should spend resources slowly just to keep me sustaining. The Bad times passed. I was given advice that "After hot summer there is chance of heavy rains." I forecasted that rain might come very heavy so I put my resources to spread my roots properly below the ground. Rain came and this year rain was very hard. The wind from north blew too strong, many others around me were uprooted but I stayed. The wind grew strong and as I suspected a storm was ahead. The storm was so strong that it was shaking me thoroughly, none stayed. Most of us were uprooted. Time was very bad. I thought I too would get uprooted. It was an unforgettable night when the storm got so strong, that I had lost all hopes. But something unexpected happened, remember aforesaid, I had one old friend down the valley. He was very old. Though food was with him he didn't have the strength to hold to the storm. So before dying, he united(amalgamated) all his roots with mine and I absorbed all his strength and stood against the unforgivable storm. Time changed. The criteria for living changed. My analysis showed that I dedicated all my resources to achieve great heights. I had attained the best height and for my gracious look I was given the title of "Varishta- The elder wise one". This was the most prestigious award any tree would get. I still was never arrogant or carried the pride to get the title. I still am busy analyzing my growth with respect to Time which keeps changing. Today I am old, the criteria is to just hold along. As a mark of ethics, I have passed my knowledge to others around me. I get great satisfaction in giving my teaching to others. Tomorrow I won't be there but this valley should have the Tallest Trees with title of Varishta. This valley should not be bereft of Varishta after me. To ensure this I have passed on the teachings of Decision making and growth management to make one more Varishta in this valley and this world. I am sure and confident it will happen. Amen." After listening to this from the Tree, our HillMan came down. He got some coconuts with him as gift. The greatest gift was the teaching that the tree gave.

© 2004 Anil Karunakaran

Back to previous page

---

©copyright SOON Ministries

Contact us