"YOUR" Eiffel Tower...!!

Hi all !

here's my piece, an edited version of which is published in the Indian National Daily - "The Hindustan Times" today, 25th July, 2011, under the title "HOW TO LOOK AT LIFE". it appears in their "Inner Voice" Column on page 11.
Happy reading...!!!//mg


"Your" Eiffel Tower
Manisha Gupta

I just got back from a quick tour of Europe. While on our way to Paris, the tour guide narrated a very interesting episode. On one of his tour groups to the Eiffel Tower, he took the group up to level 3 of the tower. The student group was awe struck by the mesmerizing view of the entire city of Paris below them. But one young girl was worried and sad. She questioned the guide- “But I came to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. Where IS the Tower?”

He was amused at her ignorance as he replied -“But you are standing ON the Eiffel Tower at level 3”. The girl, still worried and hassled looked at him in dismay with her large questioning eyes –“But I can’t SEE the Tower ?”. The guide was only just more amused at her “stupid” question.

As he finished telling us his story, I wasn’t the least amused and did not think that girl to be “stupid” either. This had set me thinking. Isn’t it so true! When you are standing inside the Eiffel Tower, obviously you don’t SEE the Tower. You can see it only when you are removed from it and at a distance from it.

Simple, yet so complex! And that’s precisely what happens in your life. You don’t see the potential, the qualities, the positives in yourself simply because you are inside yourself. Therefore, to know your full potential, you need to step out of yourself and stand away to actually see what beauty, what quality lies within you. To appreciate anything, you need to observe it from far. So also for God! Since He is deep within you, you never see Him. Therefore to know either yourself or God, you need to step out of yourself and see yourself as another, from far. To view anything holistically, you have to observe it from a little distance. Seeing it from too close quarters may not give you the real idea.

Use this concept to not only take good photographs of huge, famous attractions such as the Eiffel Tower but also to get a real, proper understanding of people who matter to you and also to take a good look at life itself.

The ‘Tower of Life’ is the biggest tourist attraction for the most important tourist in the world…… MAN !!!

ManishaGupta©2011