OMAK

A few months ago I needed a small write up  for a magazine.  That's when I hunted and hunted...and stumbled upon a weird  acronym - OMAK - It meant 'Observe Merit and Appreciate Kindness'

Now this concept of OMAK basically tries to highlight that different people have different qualities which could be considered as merits or shortcoming. And it talks about our natural tendency to focus on faults in things, people and everything around us. It cautions us  not to do so, but to "Observe Merit" in people and "Appreciate Kindness" in what they do.

As I began to read a few articles from the internet on this, I began to shake my head in negation,  "Of course not! We aren't that negative….It depends and varies from person to person and on the person's outlook"

As I finished reading and pondered a bit on this, I began to see that may be I had to change my stance.  Recalling a few instances made me realize that at many instances many people including me have been negative. I read a bit and tried to understand the concept and for a few days even tried practicing the concept of OMAK.

Now I had read an article, tried practicing the concept for a few days and that was it… Gradually, things returned to the way they were...

So caught up in life and the daily grind, going through the motions day in and day out, the smile that was plastered on my face was getting tinier and tinier. Was it because I was finding faults with everything or was it because I was in a situation to be considered as a fault?

I am unsure….

As I sit and ponder I realize that 'fault finding' and 'whining' have become a integral part of human lives. In fact we do not just limit it to these two. We have now also specialized in the area of 'sarcasm'.

You may shake your head and say no...But just think for a few moments and you realize that a lot of interactions that take place in our lives may have either of these things

What has changed so much in the world that these things  - fault finding, whining and sarcasm have become a part of our life?

I am really unsure and saddened by this. But something forced to revisit the article I read on OMAK earlier and I am directly quoting a few lines from the last paragraph here….

"It’s hard tochange the world; it’s certainly easier to change how we see the world. The keyto happiness has always been in our own hands. "

It put the smile back on my face and hope in my heart. Let's see what tomorrow brings!!!