Q: Hello Daaji. Can you please tell us
about the Wisdom Bridge?
It’s an interesting concept to ponder – building the wisdom
bridge. Will one bridge be enough? Knowing how many
hills we carry within ourselves and how many rivers flow
through us, we need many bridges to connect all these
various aspects. Not only within, but when a friend has
an idea, and I have to understand that idea, I have to
extend my awareness, respectfully honor it and build some
sort of a connection with that person’s idea. I need to build
a connection with the other person and their ideas. That
is a bridge.
Between hills, bridges help connect people and make life
less strenuous. Across rivers, also, we see bridges. It’s easier
to cross; it’s easier to connect. How do we build bridges
that connect individuals, with a purpose? We need to build
bridges with a variety of individuals – those we love, those
we don’t like so much, and people who make no difference
in our life but with whom we need to interact. The most
important is to build a bridge with those who will not be
with us for much longer: I mean to say our grandparents.
Many of us who were born in the 50s and 60s were not so
fortunate as to have grandparents around for many years,
because their life span was shorter, whereas today,
millennials especially are familiar with their grandparents.
Recently I happened to meet one girl who has grown up
in front of me. She is now 26 or 27.
Casually I asked her, “How is your family?” and the talk
went in the direction of “Who do you like the most in your
family?”
She said, “My grandmother.”
I asked, “Why so?”
“Because of the way she was. She taught me so many
things, and she shared many stories. Things like that.”
And that reminded me of my grandmother. We did not
interact much and we did not speak much. She was a silent
person, but I would watch her lifestyle. She would wake
up in the morning, respectfully go to one of the deities’
photographs, put one or two flowers, stand in front and
remain absorbed for some time. You could see how she
melted away. She would get absorbed just standing there
and then quietly walk away with a lot of reverence and
respect.She didn’t have to speak about it, because knowledge can
be transferred but not wisdom. Wisdom can be witnessed
in excellence, in behavior, in work, in thoughts, in attitude.
When we witness modern parents – busy the way they are
today – do we witness their wisdom or their foolishness?
Now, compare them with an individual who is sitting
quietly, reading the newspaper or reading a book, listening
to music or doing some gardening – I’m specifically hinting
at grandparents. When we spend even five minutes with
them, they share a treasure with us, and this treasure lasts
forever.PHOTO: STEPHANE BIDOUZE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COMJuly 2019 9