11 October 2001, 12:20am IST
R SRIDHAR.
The world is in the grip of war. there is talk of ‘‘us’’ versus ‘‘them’’, of mobilising one group against the other just to gain strategic and territorial advantage, and of ever-expanding terrorist networks. we humans are supposed to be the saner species, is it not? then why do we behave the way we do? the answer probably lies in a human habit called territory management, a game that we play day in and day out. have you seen train commuters booking their ‘‘seats’’ by placing a bag or handkerchief on them? have you seen employees fighting with their colleagues over trivial issues like storage space? ‘‘hey that’s my shelf, okay’’ — heard statements like that? or have you seen strangers step back when you go too close to them? have you noticed how corporates fight with each other to expand and maintain their markets? what is corporate warfare all about, where each one is trying hard to secure and protect one’s position in the hierarchy? and how about this — our netajis holding on to their kursis? for most of our waking hours, we are constantly guarding our territory. it could be our house, to ensure that no one enters it without permission. it could even be norms of decency, to check for example, that we are dressed properly; or self-discipline, to take care that we do not behave in a manner that could harm others; or respect — to ensure that we do not insult anybody and do not get insulted; or business — to make sure our market is not captured by our competitor; or position — to prevent our colleagues from getting promoted ahead of us...the list goes on. you may study marketing management, financial management or whatever. but what runs through all these management concepts is territory management. how do we determine our territory? what’s a comfortable territory to have? obviously, that differs from situation to situation. a king may have a lot of territory to rule over but if he is henpecked, he does not have much room to manoeuvre. therefore, manoeuvrability becomes important as we see in the current crisis between the us and afghanistan. both have given each other very little room to manoeuvre, therefore, we now have a war close to our borders. had the world in general be less territorial, this war could perhaps have been avoided. we have always determined success or failure by the amount of territory we possess. the larger the territory, the more powerful we are. and we decide rewards and punishment also on the basis of territory. if an employee gets promoted, he gets more power to wield — thereby, more territory to operate in. on the flip side, you know what happens to someone who fails to find favour with his boss. punishment is all about limiting territory. when a school teacher punishes a student by asking him to stand outside the class and not move an inch, he is limiting the student’s territory. a prisoner in a jail is someone who has lost his territory for a specified period of time. why humans? even animals do the same thing. have you seen dogs barking away when another dog enters its territory? it’s the unwritten rule that animals follow and take care not to violate. did you know that a fly does not fly more than hundred feet away from where it was born? that’s its territory. unfortunately, we take only our physical territory into consideration. what we do not realise is that if we expand our mental horizon, much of these physical restrictions will cease to matter. we all need space — mental and physical. that’s the reason we feel uncomfortable in crowded places; why we go for picnics to be one with nature, or meditate. the best way to counter this physical claustrophobia is to create as much space as possible: try to make your house look big by using light colours and mirrors. manage the available space well. in your workplace if you are facing a wall, put up a picture of a scenery which gives a feeling of distance and space such as a sunset. try and avoid clutter. this is one of the most common ways by which people unknowingly limit their territory. now you know why you feel ‘‘free’’ and ‘‘open’’ when you dispose of old newspapers to the raddiwala. be open to ideas and concepts. that way you will be creating mental space. more importantly, learn to forgive. that will create emotional space. the injury we cause others and others cause us, tend to be carried deep and long which makes us negative in our approach to life. and last, but not the least, practise meditation. that creates spiritual space, to which there is no limit. you could make the universe your territory.
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