Published on: August 24, 2021
Many in Body one in Mind. Vince Lombardi- The American Football Coach, known as the best coach in history, once said- “Individual commitment to a group effort. that is what makes a team win, a company work, a society work, a Civilization work”
On November 18th, 1962, Rezang La, Ladakh 123 soldiers of our army Kumaon Regiment, frost bitten, without winter clothing just wet fleets and with very limited food faced an impossible task. Under Major Shaitan Singh fought a battle against 3000 well-armed, well fed Chinese soldiers under very chilly winter conditions of -30 degree centigrade. Result repulsed more than seven attacks and killed over 1300 enemy army. They fought till the last man with only 6 found alive. Their strength UNITY.
On 4th December 1971, 120 of our soldiers plus one jeep mounted MMG fought with attacking 3000 Pak army with 40+ Patton Tanks under the great Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri successfully halted the attack then and there. Again, the main reason for this victory against all odds was the unity amongst the team the leader providing the binder.
Unity is one thing that is of great importance in an organisation. We should try being many in body but one in mind. Many in body one in mind means working together for the same purpose and cherishing the same values while preserving our unique identities.
We must transcend all differences amongst us to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This means eliminating all divisions and conflicts between ourselves and trying to rid ourselves of egoism. Being as inseparable as fish and water also means having a spirit of mutual respect, understanding and support, valuing each other just as fish treasures the water.
Preserving and holding onto our individual and unique identities is important as well. Giving up our identity, ideas and opinions will lead to stagnation and there would be no diversity or growth due to the absence of counter ideas. However, it is also important to get rid of our ego and accept other ideas and come down to a single conclusion. Our loyalty should lie with the organization, all the decisions and ideas should be formulated keeping the company’s goal, vision and mission in mind. If doing away with our ideas helps the company in the long run then that’s what we must consider.
The Buddhist text of Lotus Sutra has the principle of cherry, plum, peach and damson. Flowering fruit trees endure the harsh cold of winter and as spring approaches, each blossom in their own time. They blossom with their own unique and beautiful flowers. Each thing the cherry, plum, peach and the damson is its own entity. Their fruits have unique flavours and requirements. Similarly, we are all unique and must stay that way to maintain nature’s balance just like the fruits.
It is only with diverse ideas and thoughts that one can come to a conclusion. For example, a cloth can only be made if it has both vertical and horizontal threads. Only vertical or only horizontal threads will make a very weak fabric. Similarly, all of us with our diverse and unique personalities should be united when it comes to the organisation. We should all be inseparable as fish and water yet different in our own way like cherry, plum, peach and damson.
In the organization, we must be different in our own way, with our own personalities and personal inputs. However, we must not be so single-minded that we forget the common purpose and mission as well as vision of the organization. It is essential for our growth to be in tune with ourselves as well as the organization.
