[Advaita-l] The power of being free of bubbling activity

[V Subrahmanian]

Henry Ford was famous for paying the highest salaries in the industry.
One day, a curious journalist asked him:

“Mr. Ford, who’s the highest-paid person in your company?”

Ford smiled and took him on a tour of the enormous factory —
workers everywhere, machines roaring, bells ringing, elevators going up and
down.
A perfectly organized chaos.

Then, in the middle of the noise, there was a small, closed office.
Inside, a man sat comfortably in a chair, feet on the table, hat over his
eyes — apparently doing nothing.

Ford knocked on the door.
The man lifted his hat slightly and said, “Hey Henry, everything good?”
Ford nodded with a grin, closed the door, and kept walking.

The journalist was shocked.

“Who is that man?”

Ford chuckled.

“He’s the highest-paid employee in the company.”

The journalist frowned.

“But… what does he actually do?”

Ford replied:

“He does nothing. He comes in, sits down, and thinks.”

Then he added:

“I hired him to think. Every new system, every car model idea — they all
come from his mind.
He relaxes, reflects, and sends me his ideas.
I turn them into reality — and make millions.
Ideas are worth more than anything.
But to have them, you need time, silence, and mental space.
If you’re busy all the time, you’ll never create something new.
That’s why I pay him to think.”

👏 The journalist was speechless — then applauded.

Henry Ford understood a simple but powerful truth:
👉 Great success is born from a free mind, not a busy schedule.

Even today, leaders like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett follow the same
principle.
Buffett reads for over four hours a day.
Gates finishes about two books a week.
Both spend time alone — thinking.

🧠 Because when the mind is free, ideas are born.
If you want to achieve something great, clear the noise.
Make space to think, dream, and create.
The best ideas don’t come from chaos — they come from silence.