Be Like The Bajau

As some of you know, I’ve been living in the Philippines for several years. It’s a different culture than America and also Brazil. I’m certain its traits are unique just like many other places on the planet. There’s a nomadic, sea dwelling tribe called the bajau. They’ve adapted to living off of their environment which is mostly water. Most can hold their breath in excess of five minutes. This is exceptional when compared to the fact that most people range from a few seconds to around three minutes. However, with their unique skill set some have chosen another path.

There’s a group of these nomads that live off of the charity of strangers. These Bajau don’t dwell and thrive in an environment with water. They don’t surround themselves with water and fish and scavenge from the ocean as other members of their tribe. These nomads spend hours upon hours everyday asking for handouts. They are beggars. I’ve seen them over the years and they typically congregate around the city in high traffic areas. When the light is red, they approach your car or taxi asking for money. They’ll often do so when you’re walking as well.

Being a nomadic people, they may like wandering around different parts of the city. They may do so on an unconscious level, never knowing the reason. I’ve spoken with several of the locals and they’ve explained it over the years. What’s interesting is that in the last few weeks since living in my new place, I’ve noticed they aren’t so nomadic at all. In fact, about eight to twelve of them live close to my condo. I’ve been waking up early these days and while outside drinking my morning coffee, I’ve noticed them walking to one of the busiest intersections in the city.

The first time I noticed it, I thought it was peculiar. But after the second and third mornings in a row, I understood. These Bajau are doing what I’d done. They were living part of my past, part of my history, and maybe part of your present. Let me explain. The Bajau have a natural gift, but chose to either ignore or deny its existence. I’ve been granted several gifts and chose to ignore or deny them as well. You may relate and you may not, but there may very well be things you take for granted that friends, family, and colleagues are envious of your ability to do those things.

Your talent, your gifts are an extension of you and who you are. For the Bajau, it’s their ability to hold their breath for an extended period of time. For you, it could be your ability to see relationships and correlations. Perhaps it’s an ability mathematically or organizationally. It could be spatial reasoning or any other number of gifts. If all these sound peculiar and you’re uncertain what your gifts are or you’re working in a field that doesn’t appreciate or acknowledge your gifts, you might be like the Bajau.

We’ve got a finite amount of time on the planet. In the game of life, using your gifts lessens the burdens of life. The nomadic Bajau in the city make a choice to ignore and deny their natural gifts or genius which is partly defined as exceptional natural ability. You and I possess something similar and if we’re not using it consistently, we are making our journey

This is the first part of the entry.