Of watches and time

While at the British museum, the second gallery that I chose to view was of the watches.  Three rooms displaying the history of watches. While there it occurred to me that the people who actually felt the need of keeping time and those who actually started making watches were the monks!  They needed some instrument to help them be faithful to their recitation of prayers at fixed times - the watch! 

 Some interesting models of watches... 

The farmer with the staff pointed the time on a dial on which he is standing.
The cow being milked would actually squirt milk at fixed hours. Such was the mechanism timed and created! 

The two words...

Being in KJC, Bangalore for taking classes for the students of Philosophy, I am reliving my theology days in Shillong! Today had the opportunity to listen to Fr UV Mathew give the goodnight to the community. He narrated an interesting parable of a young monk.

A young monk joined the monastery but was very pessimistic about life and life in the monastery, in particular. The monastery had the peculiar rule that a monk could say two words at the end of seven years of stay there! At the end of seven years, the Abbot asked the monk what he wished to say. "Bed hard," is what the monk had to say! Though a bit startled the Abbot did all he could to make his stay more comfortable and at the end of another seven years hopeful of hearing something positive asked the monk for the two words. "Food bad," is all the monk had to say! The Abbot, a bit dismayed, assured him that he would try to see to it too. Another seven years passed and the monk came with the two words. Preparing himself for something positive, at least now, the Abbot was surprised to hear, "I quit!"

What agony... not of the monk but for those who would have been living with him all those 21 years. His life too would have been an endless litany of grumblings and bile! If only he had said those last two words in the beginning and saved all - including himself - of all the trouble!!

In some sense it is better to quit in the beginning than persevere till the end, only to realise that all along none - including oneself - was ever contended with life and what life offers. Contrarily, what a joy it is to spread optimism and enthusiasm.