The Law of Mangoes
The law of mangoes states, "One cannot hit two mangoes with one stone; you either aim for one and get that one or you end up getting nothing". However, conventional wisdom would say, "Why only two mangoes? Just go shake the hell out of that big tree and collect a hundred mangoes!"
The reality though is different. When you try aiming for two mangoes in a tree, you begin to realize your inability to concentrate on the target and your chances of success being slim. You in fact have to take a blind chance, hoping against hope, that at least one would fall to the ground. On the other hand, if you aim for just one mango, not only do you stand a decent chance of hitting one mango, you also realize the one stone you had in your possession falls somewhere close to you, thereby presenting you another opportunity to have a go at the remaining mango!
Many a times life too operates in similar fashion - it is either money or happiness; promotion or peace; fame or dignity. When we run after money and happiness at the same time, we realise we end up chasing both forever. For example, if a person's sole mission in life is to make money, he/she soon realizes that they are scheming, backbiting, climbing over the shoulders of others, stealing the credit of someone else and so on. And this very attitude deprives them the joy of living, as they move around with a guilty conscious and a grievous heart. Moreover, they unwittingly find themselves in a “Red Ocean”, where there are many more competing and behaving exactly like them. This bloody competition invariably deprives them of the profit margin also!
Alternatively, when a person decides to pursue only one - either money or happiness, they are able to get what they want, as they aren't distracted with contradictory goals. They soon realise they have ample time to pursue one goal at a time and hence able to effect a quality outcome. On the other hand, they also understand they are going to get nothing of the other mango which they didn’t pursue. Only in rare cases, one gets the other mango too to fall to the ground, which according to me is incidental. Hence, a person pursuing just money ends up collecting so much of it but misses acquiring even an inch of happiness.
So, if the law of mangoes is so intricately woven into the fabric of life, why do you wish to end up with a lemon while you can enjoy one full mango? Please share your comments.
The reality though is different. When you try aiming for two mangoes in a tree, you begin to realize your inability to concentrate on the target and your chances of success being slim. You in fact have to take a blind chance, hoping against hope, that at least one would fall to the ground. On the other hand, if you aim for just one mango, not only do you stand a decent chance of hitting one mango, you also realize the one stone you had in your possession falls somewhere close to you, thereby presenting you another opportunity to have a go at the remaining mango!
Many a times life too operates in similar fashion - it is either money or happiness; promotion or peace; fame or dignity. When we run after money and happiness at the same time, we realise we end up chasing both forever. For example, if a person's sole mission in life is to make money, he/she soon realizes that they are scheming, backbiting, climbing over the shoulders of others, stealing the credit of someone else and so on. And this very attitude deprives them the joy of living, as they move around with a guilty conscious and a grievous heart. Moreover, they unwittingly find themselves in a “Red Ocean”, where there are many more competing and behaving exactly like them. This bloody competition invariably deprives them of the profit margin also!
Alternatively, when a person decides to pursue only one - either money or happiness, they are able to get what they want, as they aren't distracted with contradictory goals. They soon realise they have ample time to pursue one goal at a time and hence able to effect a quality outcome. On the other hand, they also understand they are going to get nothing of the other mango which they didn’t pursue. Only in rare cases, one gets the other mango too to fall to the ground, which according to me is incidental. Hence, a person pursuing just money ends up collecting so much of it but misses acquiring even an inch of happiness.
So, if the law of mangoes is so intricately woven into the fabric of life, why do you wish to end up with a lemon while you can enjoy one full mango? Please share your comments.
I believe this is what happening in my life currently ...
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