What is intent? And what is action? How are the two inter-related or are they really inter-related? Is there a link between the two or are they two separate entities? Let us review the relationship between intent and action. The book ‘Intent’ has been written by Etsko Schuitema, who is native to South Africa. In his book he explores the personal experience of the ‘give & take’ concept. He gives the example of an old woman who is crossing the road when someone on the motorcycle snatches her purse. Given the situation, Etsko puts forward the question ‘who the criminal is and who the innocent is?’ There are two ways to look at the circumstances. a) The old woman is the victim b) The person on the motorcycle is the criminal But is that really true. Can not the situation be reversed. a) The person on the motor cycle is the victim b) The old lady is the criminal Now let us delve deeper into the matter. The old lady may be rich and have a lot of money in her bag so she can afford to lose money. The motorcyclist on the other hand cannot even fulfil his need lest alone desires so if he snatches the lady’s purse it is out of sheer frustration. Henceforth, the quotation from the book is rightly apt: ‘Your actions are judged by your intention’ If you perform good deeds, but with a bad intention, then it is better not to carry forward that action. Because it will outdo the reward you will receive. Similarly, if your intent is good but the action is bad, then it’s better in the eyes of God Almighty for you to perform that deed. Your actions will only be judged by how pure and virtuous your intent is! A parallel can be drawn with the film ‘Godzilla – King of the Monsters’ where the trio: husband as Mark Russells, wife as Emma Russells & daughter as Madison Russellsare frozen in time. As they struggle to break the frost in a fight against the menace of technology, they emerge victorious. Emma takes the danger upon herself to fight the war against the aliens from another planet who have come to destroy the peace of the planet Earth. The genre of the film is sci-fi and the storyline is typical of all action films. Just like Jackie Chan in his action films plays the role of a hero but a ‘real hero” not a super hero so the action films now referred to as sci-fi where the ‘real hero’ has unnatural or magical powers. A parallel can also be drawn here with ‘The Harry Potter Series’ where Lilly Potter takes upon herself the curse of the Dark Lord ‘Voldemort’ to save Harry from the evil forces. Harry is born with a scar on his head which shines with Lilly’s love and courage and guides him at every step. And it is no coincidence that Harry chooses the ‘House of Gryffindor’ when he puts on the sorting hat. Despite the distraction the sorting hat creates in Harry’s mind to opt for House of Slytherin, it is the intuition from his mother that helps him choose Gryffindor House. If you perform good deeds, but with a bad intention, then it is better not to carry forward that action. Because it will outdo the reward you will receive. Similarly, if your intent is good but the action is bad, then it’s better in the eyes of God Almighty for you to perform that deed. Your actions will only be judged by how pure and virtuous your intent is! Harry is a born wizard whilst the ordinary world is in their language is inhabited by Muggles. In his book Leadership: The Care & Growth Model Etsko Schuitema puts forward the question and I quote, “Do you use your people to get results or do you use the result and the work environment to enable yourself and your people to grow?” He primarily explores the three types of attentions: The first attention: I am here to get (infant) The second intention: I give in order to get (Adolescent) The third attention: I am here to give (Maturity/Harmony) This is a combination of benevolent/malevolent intention and this is what leads to Growth. Let us take the example of factory worker. He will only be productive if he is treated with care. Why? Because if the management is poor and unfair, the employee will feel exploited. However, if the employee is doing poorly but the management is kind then he will be held accountable! Etsko Schuitema talks of the technocratic view of the world where treating people harshly has turned them into monsters and it is at the hand of these monsters that the mother earth is dying. For example, frogs becoming extinct in Canada, rainforest being felled to create space for the increasing population, holes in the ozone layer are all a direct result of the excessive consumer consumption. The ecosystem is heading towards destruction, the natural order of the world is being replaced with a newer/artificial way of life! Discovery and exploration of natures is what leads to new ideas and inventions. As new and novel ideas come into being so the old concepts become obsolete. It essential to keep up with the changing world. But the key is to balance everything. Balance is essential everywhere, at home, at the workplace, in food and exercise, in religion, fashion and whatever other things that we come across in our daily lives. To reiterate: in all situations the idea is to save the natural, the Mother Earth, the Gaia from the menace of technology. Overpopulation is resulting in the depletion of natural resources. Trees are being cut down to develop more infrastructure so as to cater to the ever-increasing need of the human race. The ecosystem is being destroyed. To save the environment it is essential put trash in proper recyclable bags and become part of the ‘Go Green’ movement. And this is exactly the focus of Etsko Schuitema. In his book he advocates the significance of motor skills. How the IT revolution has overtaken the natural order. It is important to maintain a balance, a ‘restraint’ between wants and need as well as the feminine/masculine responsibilities. Living in the present is the key to success and happiness. However, it is important to secure your future as well. The writer can be reached at beenishmhmd@gmail.com