56. Report - Useful works

Not everything works well in beautiful India. But that's kind of good for me!

Stone slab and floor: BEFORE

Stone slab and floor: AFTER

For a few weeks now, I've regularly had a pack of razor blades with me, e.g. to scrape paint stains off the floor in temples. This works very easily on smooth surfaces and since the painters apparently rarely mask anything in their work, there are many opportunities to scratch away paint stains. Although the skin on my fingertips is constantly slightly cut, this is a small problem. Honestly, this work is very satisfying because you see beautiful results quickly and you have beautified a meaningful place.

 

I meditate more and more often while scratching color spots: Just as one can see the inner impure spots and experience their disappearance with the help of Vipassana, I would like to discover outer impurities, consciously perceive them and see them disappear.

 

Most scratching is done anonymously; sometimes people get it. Some then watch without reacting for a while. When someone in charge is around to ask about the outcome of the razor blade action, I always hear great satisfaction.

 

It is not that easy with another big problem in India: rubbish is simply thrown on the ground or litter is disposed of at the roadside! Sometimes I feel worn down by so much ugliness. But what can I do?

  

Actually, I wanted to regularly pick up rubbish on the pilgrimage route. In fact, it's only every other month that I pick up trash. Mostly as a larger action in special places with beautiful natural and architectural atmospheres.

Unfortunately, the fact that the country looks littered in so many places has to do with Western influence: In India, too, people are seduced by superficially beautiful packaging with cheap contents.

From time to time, however, you will find a waste box, e.g. at a tea stand. I am happy to praise this idea and thank the person responsible.