The lotus is one of my favorite flowers. My fascination with the beauty and uniqueness of this plant started when I was a high school student and every morning we would pass by a railway track. Beside this track was a dirty pond filled with lotus plants whose pink and white flowers bloomed kissed by the morning sun and unstained by the water and the dirt. It was a sight I would look forward to everyday. I was simply and always amazed its ability to thrive and blossom above polluted waters.
The lotus is a mythological plant and is considered a mythological incarnation of Lotis. Its leaf and stem surfaces are coated in a wax that is super-hydrophobic, meaning it repels water, insects, contaminants, etc. This hydrophobic adaptation is referred to as the “lotus effect” and has inspired many products such as nano coatings in paints, fabrics and roof tiles. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_plant,)
In his book, “The Lotus Effect”, Pavel Somov, PhD says that the “self-cleaning of the lotus exemplifies an empowering narrative of integrity. It manages to remain itself, pure and affected, and to grow to its fullest amid the impurity of its circumstance. In his book, he discusses about “surviving from the stream of information, about not getting drowned in it … cultivating a lotus-like capacity for self-cleaning from informational residue that stands in the way of our growth and well-being. (Somov,P. 2010. The Lotus Effect. Canada: New Harbinger Publications)
Integrity is a challenge in today’s world, both at the personal level and at the group levels (team, organization, society, global levels). How do we choose to keep well-informed and at the same time being able to self-protect our personal integrity in the midst of challenges? How do our organizations strive to live up to its Organization Purpose while responding to the influx of the demands of rapid change? How do we nurture our personal and organizational integrity that results to personal and organizational wellness? Are people in our organizations able to live their personal integrity because the organization itself nurtures its organizational purpose? Or is there an individual-institutional challenge?
Early on in my life, that “lotus pond” fascination led me to reflect to live my life like the lotus-blooming in any circumstance, no matter what the pond is. It means living what I believe inbecause I have the innate power to choose to be the best that I am and what I can be. This is my personal compass in keeping my balance and nurturing wellness.
I am also challenged and inspired by countless life stories from people from all walks of life, roles and race who stand up and live this “lotus effect”. We live and hear about “the daily unsung heroes”. I am also witnessing the birth and growth of new or “renewed” organizations who take up the Integrity and “wellness” challenge. These are individuals and organizations that live up to their purpose. They KNOW. They BELIEVE. They ACT. They CARE.
THERE IS HOPE.
Photo Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/65798313@N06/6404961855/sizes/n/in/photostream/
