ONE MOMENT IN TIME

From young, and as I grew older, listening to One Moment in Time by the late Whitney Houston always opened my head, actually probably my heart more than my head, to a life of serving others and making a contribution to lives all around me. Even though that picture of how it was going to be done was not very clear, the feeling that it created inside would spontaneously bring tears of gratitude.

I felt like the song was written about my life, written for me. Being rebellious in so many ways and always thinking that there was so much more to life, I constantly yearned, constantly searched to live out those words, to live out “When I'm more than I thought I could be”.

In a third world country surrounded by constant complaints about the government and people thinking education was an avenue to escape to a “better” country, I thought….. what if….. what if God had given me my abilities (educational, spiritual, emotional etc.) for a bigger purpose, not just to serve me. What if I could help transform this country? What if I could remove the lens we saw and experienced this country and replaced it with another. A lens of possibility, hope, empowerment. Internal empowerment.

I remember attending a talk by the human behavioral specialist, Dr. John Demartini and someone asked the question about the country and the destructive power that the president at the time was wielding at the expense of the country. His response was something to the effect of the imbalance of power would shift when people start empowering themselves.

It made me think about our need to have answers given to us and not wanting to accept responsibility. We had conditioned ourselves not to trust our internal compass. We need to be told what is “right” and what is “wrong”. We think that our happiness is dependent on another person’s behavior or what is happening around us. Yet such happiness is not sustainable. So what was the possibility?

Form my younger days, I loved little kids, and I babysat most of the kids in the neighborhood and thought I would possibly be a teacher or run my own crèche. I however adopted the “norm” of expectation set by others and ended up in an unexpected field, the field of finance. No doubt, it had served me in many ways. However, sitting in front of a computer, churning out numbers and reports still lacked a deeper purpose even though I was good at it.

The journey of seeking continued and grew exponentially when I had my own kids. I explored yoga for children and explored the possibility of challenging the schooling system. My rebellious nature continued. This outdated schooling system was producing robots, not human beings. It was about academic statistics and the pursuit of “better than”. Yet we think we are not contributing to the state of our country and we point fingers outside of ourselves.

What about the possibility of nurturing a soul? Extracting the unique offerings coming from a place of tapping into our internal power rather than being “better than”. Building a family, a country, a world from inner fulfilment. The vision was there, supported by the beautiful words of Whitney Houston. The creation of a schooling curriculum that supported individuality rather than boxing children into predetermined categories based on assessments. Respecting that the process of life, is a process, not a goal, especially not someone else’s predefined goal.

The vision grew. It became clearer and scary at the same time. However, having the vision was the first point of creation. It opened the door to synchronicities. Unexpected conversations lead to the possibility of a school in rural areas to offer the quality of education not even urban schools offered.

The possibility started becoming a reality. Finding a piece of land was the start and slowly the resources found its way to me. It was not an easy journey but it was definitely a worthwhile one. A school materialized. The thought of a new curriculum materialized. The introduction of ways to be a whole being. The understanding that comparison is the thief of joy and that the journey within was liberating. The owning of one’s life through self-discovery brought self-empowerment and contributed to a life and world of being rather than doing.

It was hard initially to break the comfort in familiarity. People felt that their identity was being threatened. The doubt creeped in but the desire kept pushing. The whispers felt thunderous. It kept the dream alive.   

To see the transformation as the kids, the educators and parents blossomed had become a reality. The desire had given birth to something that once seemed impossible. The words of Whitney Houston was coming alive in my life. I had wanted to collaborate with individuals I respected like Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey to leave behind a legacy in a country where I saw possibility where many saw defeat. This moment was close at hand.

The new concept had not gone unnoticed. The schooling concept was going to expand to other areas including the urban areas. People were realizing the potential in owning their lives and in teaching kids concepts that were empowering. It is going to be life changing. Responsibility was going to be the new norm and the dream of building a different community is becoming a reality. We could transform our country one family unit at a time. Life is about to shift from victimhood to ownership. Ownership of one’s life, which enhances the creative process to be a conscious one.

Who would have thought, a “normal” person who was in tears when her Mathematics teacher reprimanded her in front of the class when she failed her Math's test because her older brothers had never failed a Math's test, would be in the position of impacting the world in such a big way. Who would have thought? She certainly thought. It started with a well-intentioned beautiful thought that a song triggered into a feeling, a feeling that made the thought a dream and then a reality. She can now sing teary eyed:

 “I've lived to be

The very best

I want it all

No time for less

I've laid the plans

Now lay the chance

Here in my hands

Give me one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

And the answers are all up to me”.