Some of the most ground-breaking theories in physics have emerged from what are called thought-experiments. Contrary to perception, such work did not involve massive banks of computers or huge laboratories. They involved just simple but profound thoughts and the goal was to explore the potential consequences of the principle in question. Most of Einstein’s work was based on such thought-experiments, of which the most famous occurred at the age of 16.
Young Einstein thought he was riding a beam of light and the consequent observations later led him to formulate his famed Theory of Special Relativity. But what do the frontiers of theoretical physics have to do with The Change Within? Plenty!
Last week, I lectured on The Change Within programme at some of the famed management institutes in the US — among which is the prestigious Kellogg Institute of Management. I was and still am struck by the enthusiastic response to such a non-traditional subject among those who ingest balance sheets and marketing strategies faster than I can devour an idli. And a thought-experiment strikes me: what would you carry if you had to evacuate your house in an emergency and all you were allowed was one stuffed suitcase?
Your cheque book? Your insurance policy? Your diamonds? Your wads of cash? Your prayer books? Your photo albums? Obviously some clothes would find a place in that suitcase. But the rest of the stuffing would determine what kind of person you are. Quite right, some affluent people would agonise over the kind of clothes they would carry; should it be formals, or party wear, or simply casuals? How should they be presenting themselves in front of the media glare when they run out of their homes? The ones with more modest incomes and homes would find that their choices may have been automatically made. They do not have such a vast collection of personal trappings.
What comes next? The affluent would naturally opt to cart their wealth with them and a suitcase might not be sufficient. In any case, there is nothing much in which they place much value, except Mammon.
The not-so-rich might think of carrying at least an album full of memories; what is a life fully lived without memories, anyway? The sensitive souls might include at least a book which they may have found meaningful. The spiritual might include a prayer book. And the sportsperson might carry a hockey stick or cricket bat…could come in handy in an emergency after all!
Our minds too are such a suitcase. You need to decide every once in a while what you should carry and what you should discard. All that baggage of retribution, all those bitter memories, anxieties and negative thoughts need to be jettisoned. And just as in the hypothetical suitcase, your mind’s contents will also reveal what kind of a personality type you are.
Think of more such thought-experiments. They will give you a badly-needed reality check every once in a while.
The writer is a renowned film and theatre actor