Advice
I have been among the fortunate ones who has got some time at least to spend with my grandparents and other elders of that generation. Vacation would be usually the time when this opportunity could be harvested. One common piece of advice you would always receive from these grey-haired people is 'Take Care'. Wherever you are off to, whether you are going to visit a relative, going for food at a restaurant, going for a movie or wherever, the moment you step out of their sight, the first words from their mouths would be 'Take Care'. At that time, just out of love and respect, we would answer - 'okay', but today when I look back, I understand that this tiny advice actually goes a long way. If you really take care; in other words, you are alert, observant, vigilant and careful, many problems could be avoided.
On occasions more specific, the 'take care' advice would be followed by more specific instructions. For example, if someone is wearing a saree or jwellery, then advices like take care of the 'pallu' when in bus, check your jwellery intermittently, be careful when you are near a pedestal fan, etc. It used to sound funny to us, but now, when I think again, I feel the instructions were so meaningful and important. Small carelessness could have resulted in big disasters.
These advices that we got were not limited to only when we go out, even we are at home, playing, eating, sleeping, etc always and all the time, these tiny pearls of advice would find their way. Starting in the morning, we had to draw water from well, the first advice- don't lean over the wall while pulling the rope - keep your legs well planted on ground; simple instructions but effective - required to be safe while doing this small task. At meals, general advices like green chillies have been slit and put in veggies - look out for it if you don't want that spicy chilly in your mouth- again simple but yes important for those who don't like green chillies and don't wish to spoil the joy of eating. If it's dusk or mid-afternoon, usually not prefered to go out of house, again safety - safety from sun tans, sunburns, heat stroke, creepy crawlies, etc. Going to sleep, again you would be asked to check your bedsheet and remove it and to dust it off before sleeping - sometimes you would feel lazy but again important as it not only cleans but also would get rid of any small things left behind by mistake by someone like a small needle,etc.
I have also noticed that even the fables that we read are all indirect pieces of advices that were lent to us. Many pieces of advices that someone felt was very important associated it with the two most important things in man's life - God and Health. Do not cross four-cross roads after dusk, there are evil spirits - association with opposite power of God, basic intention to prevent people from roaming outside when natural light is not available. Do not eat curd at night, you won't digest it / get bad dreams - association with health - basic reason ayurveda - science that prohibits eating curd at night. An another one is like a small four-line poem that tells you in which direction you may keep your head when sleeping. In translation, it says - beware, NEVER to have your head to North, you MAY have your head to South, west COULD give you little sorrows, so obviously the best direction to keep your head is east. This again proved scientifically that keeping head in North direction has grave effects on human body. So everything that has come to us in form of advice has its importance. It is just that we fail to accept not because we know more but actually because we know much less.
There are so many such advices that we have received - they are out of someone's experience that has made them believe and understand what care should be taken in various conditions. It is said that only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others. The other fact to this is also that we don't have all the time to commit all mistakes and then learn from them.
Therefore, when we get these real gems of advice from others who have more experience and exposure than us, it is better to accept it readily.
Take Care
Regards
SRN
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