BE A GO GETTER!

Human life is reality. It naturally tends towards the most suitable and the most satisfactory feeling. It responds to things as they come. Its response is always right. A sensation is caused by perceiving and understanding an external object.
The knowledge possessed by man without deliberation and the ability possessed by him without having been acquired by learning is intuition. The intuitive faculty and intuitive knowledge are inherent qualities of the mind. The Bible gives us the parable of the woman who was suffering terribly for 12 years. She heard about Jesus and she came in the crowd behind him, touched his cloak and was healed. She did it because she had a feeling, “If I just touch His clothes, I will get well.” It was an intuitive reaction that proved to be immensely enlightening. Such strong feelings often urge us to transform them into action but most of us royally ignore them. Giving into intuition has always proved to be beneficial to those who have the sharpness of mind or the ability to make quick, accurate judgement of people or situations.
Accidents can be avoided and opportunities can be grabbed just by listening to this inner impulse. A lady once told me that she bought a 2 wheeler for herself inspite of being scared of driving. She felt that if so many women can drive with such ease, then she could also master it. Shez 50 now and last week she revealed that she was going for dance classes. She has been yearning to go for the nine-day long celebrations (dandiya) where the young and the old dance and enjoy the evenings. As it is the folk dance of Gujarat and she being Maharashtrian, decided to learn it first and went ahead to fulfill her long cherished desire.
The result, she said, was a great mental relaxation. It greatly surprised her as she had not expected it after a tiring day at work. Age and circumstances are never an impediment to a person who is a go getter.
The faith of the woman, who touched the cloak of Jesus, is really a great example for all the coming generations.
Jesus was always crowded by his disciples and others. Yet, the lady pushed herself into the thronging crowd and showed the courage to touch his cloak without any hesitation.
She never thought twice of being noticed by other people. Her faith was pure and it had the simplicity of an innocent child. She acted in accordance with her inner urge and was cured. Modern day living has robbed this simplicity from human life. A life that is just right does not consist in rigidly following one particular objective.
Listening to the voice within is not out of fashion yet. A keen observation into the lives of all the great ones would divulge this acumen in them and their success to a large extent was grounded on it. All those whose achievement mattered in this world were go getters. So, take care not to hamper the inward springs of life.

Blast Aftermath….

Everything’s so quiet, so eerie. Nobody’s stirring. Wait, I can hear someone moaning. I can see people around me moving a little bit. Hey, where am I? Why am I lying down on my back? Was I alone or was there someone with me? Last thing I remember, I was inside a train. But what’s this? This is not train! This has no roof at all! And where are the berths?
All I can see is a mess of twisted metal and equally twisted and grotesque people around me. I can’t make out why there is shattered glass and metal shards everywhere. The air is full of acrid smells of burning fabric and flesh. Oh God! I am having a terrible pain in the back of my head.
May be I should get up and see what has happened, I need something to hold to get up. My right hand! Where’s my right hand? I blink my eyes and stare again. There is absolutely no right hand. It’s impossible. It was there until some time ago, I swear! I do not feel the pain; I am numb out of shock. May I should look around for my hand. It must be lying somewhere here. May be I can get it stitched back. Stop! I shake my head. The loss of blood is making me dizzy. I can’t think clearly. I look myself and around me more closely now. I am drenched with blood, and so are the people surrounding me. It’s getting dark, and they are trying to find their way out in the dim light of the fire burning at the far end of the coach. They are equally dazed and shocked.
Nobody knows what has happened. An old man is crying out his wife’s name, but she isn’t replying. A young lady is searching for her lost child. Look at her! She has gone crazy. The child is there in her arms, lifeless. But she refuses to acknowledge the fact and keeps looking out for the child that was alive some moments ago.
I turn my head away. But the gory pictures follow me everywhere. Here’s a boy of 10, trying to extract his father’s body lying underneath a heap of twisted steel. He is pulling his dad’s leg with all his might, when suddenly the legs come out from the heap. But they have no body attached to them. The body is still lying buried deep down, the soul departed long ago. The boy gives out a blood-curdling scream and faints.
I force myself to drag ahead with the help of the remaining hand and legs shrouded by glass. Suddenly I stop once more to look at a body lying ahead. I think I know this woman. I try hard to remember where had I seen her. My head is reeling, and the memory is becoming foggy. Like the flash of a lightning, it strikes me that she is my wife. I married her only yesterday. Hey sweetheart, wake up! We are on the way to honeymoon! I shake her with my left hand. She must be quite tired after all the marriage ceremonies to sleep like that. Wake up, dear! We shall go out, and everything will be normal again. Nothing bad ever happens to us, right? My wife is not responding. Somebody wake her! I must get out, I tell myself. This coach is haunted. Whatever happened can’t be real. People can’t die in such a gruesome way. This is all a nightmare. I will just go out of this coach and it will all end. I start dragging myself towards the door. The door is coming nearer and nearer. My vision is getting blurred, my body is getting weaker. A burning sensation is clawing at my throat. I can’t think anymore. I must be….I……..I……

Don’t We All!

During my spare time, it is my favorite activity to search the web for inspiring stories. Many of the stories are not the work of fiction, but have seen the day as a result of heart rending experiences of the concerned individuals. Many a time these stories also act as an eye-opener. The other day one such story caught my attention.
One person was waiting for his wife to finish her shopping. He was tenderly wiping his big, shining sports car with a cloth. A man in ragged clothes came there and said, “Beautiful car!” The man was flattered. But at the same time, he also felt very superior to that other man. He kept on wiping his car. The person in the ragged clothes sat there on a stone watching the man and his car. The man with the car expected the other man to ask for alms. Nothing of the sort happened. After a while, the man with car asked the other one, “Do you need any help?” The man in the ragged clothes replied, “Don’t we all?!”
What an answer! Most of us think ourselves very superior by virtue of our birth, social standing, riches and many more such things. We also take pride in the fact that we do not seek help of anyone. People very proudly boast that they are self-made. Is it entirely true? Self-made or otherwise we all seek help continuously from someone or other. Our survival depends on so many factors beyond our control. Knowingly or unknowingly, we seek and get help from infinite number of animate objects. In my childhood I was told one story. A little boy is asked to run errands for his mother. He submits a bill for doing that work. His mother just smiles and gives him one chit of paper.
On that piece of paper, various items are written like, feeding the boy, washing his clothes, nursing him through illness and many more such duties performed by the mother. For all the items the fee charged is nothing and at the end, the mother had written- “repaid with love!” The problem of the modern era is translating everything in terms of material objects. Help is also looked from the angle of money. But, there is certain type of help which can never be translated into matter. We walk on a road. The road is the culmination of hard work and toil of many workers whose sweat got translated into a smooth and shining street. It is a truth that they got paid for that, but is the price of their sweat only a few bucks? What about the shadow we get under a tree? The tree is planted by someone who expected nothing in exchange of that gesture. Are we not seeking help from that tree to enjoy the cool and soothing atmosphere? Our ancestors had realized this aspect very well. That is why we have so many festivals which are a sort of thanksgiving to many beings in the nature. It is a different matter that we have modified these festivals to suit our lifestyles and forgotten the real meaning behind it. The festival of Holi is a typical example of this. The festival which was meant for eradicating the bad things, burning the useless items is in turn used for creation of many evil customs. The above stories made me think about many such things and then I realized one thing- The most needed help by a human being is that which makes him or her realize her inner self. The most important aspect in the whole process is realization of the help received by us. The biggest help in our lives, each breath breathed by the courtesy of the Almighty!!

Emotional Fools

This term is a progeny of the new modern world, fuming with the concepts of globalization, information technology and so on. One of the root causes of our tragedy today is that we generally fail and forget ‘to feel”. And those who ‘feel’, people call them into the category called ‘emotional fools’.
One reliable book of Environmental Science reveals the fact that the longevity of human life will go to 120 years but he will grow lesser and lesser emotional. In short, he will be more mechanical. We all need to pay serious attention to this.
In my childhood, one day I saw my little childish efforts in painting reflected on some papers, were thrown in the waste-basket. I did not hesitate to take them out since I was emotionally entangled with them in my own innocent way. Like other girl children, my doll, her clothes and ornaments were sacred for me. Similarly, my books are next only to my heart. Stevenson calls books ‘bloodless substitutes’ in one of his essays. But for me they are superior to living beings. Many times I have derived the much needed compose and consolation in despair when no living person came to my help. Generally I don’t give my books to anyone but if someone borrows one, I am gripped by strange anxiety till I get it back. Recently, a friend of mine told me about one girl who was in love with someone but married another boy. I just inquired and her answer was noteworthy. I was told that the girl did not change her decision because she did not love him or she was afraid of the danger forecast by some astrologer regarding the prospects of their marriage. The girl said that she was practical and not an emotional fool and so she preferred more qualified, handsome and rich boy.
After all, life cannot be lived on mere love, she added further. I just wondered about the boy. If he is also practical, then OK and if not then?! Today, relations which are nothing without emotions are tested in terms of them being practical. Those who refuse to do so are teased as ‘emotional fools’. But these emotional fools are quite crucial as the world is indebted to them. Methinks no fine art is possible without them.
The great romantic poet Wordsworth defines poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of strong feelings recollected in tranquility.” Then we can say that the poets are also emotional fools. If they were not so, the world would have remained unknown to the beautiful art of poetry.
The actor or actress will fail badly if he or she does not enter the character being enacted. It is not the colors which make any painting lifelike but the feelings of the painter dissolved in these colors. A singer cannot sing effortlessly if he or she does not have the emotional involvement.
That’s why perhaps, they are first explained the situation regarding the song being picturised. We know many writers whose pen could not enthrall the readers for long because they did not live their subject.
The emotional fools were the creators of the world history and inspiration for revolution. Let’s see our freedom movement. Our freedom fighters sacrificed everything. They saw only one star without caring for the thorns and fireballs under their feet. Now imagine if they were practical………..
Some days before I overheard on television the speech of one eminent business magnet who was advising the youngsters to be practical in order to succeed in trade. I thought, what made Tata to turn to fine arts and social sciences? Yes, there is of course something beyond and above the material.
I am worried for the decrease in the population of emotional fools because this, I afraid, may hasten the end of the world. I call them the saviours of the world. It is because of them this world has survived and will survive. We have retained atleast little moisture in our hearts. People say that there should be a balance between being emotional and practical. But I will always wish the ratio should be 60:40 respectively. What about you?

Taking care of the “baccha” inside you….

The child we were once, continues to live inside us influencing every thought, every emotion, every movement and every action. Many of us in adult bodies still react like children, still attached to parents, never having broken free from the attitudes and beliefs acquired in youth. This inner baccha(child) is part of our personality which is playful and spontaneous, having fun and craving to be cared and understood.
Like a real child, the inner baccha is starved of love, warmth and understanding, is easily hurt and may become depressed and withdrawn. Psychologists say that the inner child is a permanent fixture and those who become hurt easily or depressed on an innocent remark are still preserving that inner child demonstrating the traits through their behaviour. Jiddu Krishnamurthy during one of his sermons narrated the story of two monks- One old and the other young. They reached a river bank at sunset and saw a young woman sitting helpless as the last boat had already left. She was frightened too because of the surrounding forest area where wild animals roamed about and came to the river to drink water. Realising her predicament, the elder monk volunteered to carry her across the river, the water being shallow.
After reaching the opposite bank, the Monk put her down and the two monks renewed their conversation while proceeding to the monastery. After a while, the young Monk told the older One: “You should not have carried that woman across the river as you have violated the rules of celibacy”. The elder Monk replied: “I put her down an hour ago but you are still carrying her in your thoughts”. The elder Monk has his aldult mould and the younger one still carried the child within.
We all know that the past is dead but we carry it in our thoughts. Man can change only if the past is detached, forgotten or erased. There are some people who recall and relieve their past days, expand the sorrow and make themselves miserable. We can’t have a better tomorrow if we are thinking about yesterday all the time. There are some who breakaway from the routine and do something innovative and new, which again is the inner child playing games with new ideas.
Sir Julian Huxley said: “It is all too obvious that in the great majority of human beings, the greater part of their possibilities, whether physical, spiritual, intellectual or aesthetic, remains unrealized”. To enjoy a better life, we must focus on our potential, not our limitations and concentrate on what we do well. We must exploit our natural abilities and aptitudes. The world is full of unsuccessful people who have talent but lack confidence and tenacity, who feel that no matter how good they are at something, someone else is bound to be better. But, what prevents this individual to become better than before, higher than before and attract recognition than before? Benjamin Franklin, one of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence made a list of 17 personal qualities and habits, which he wanted to acquire. He realized that he need not to attempt all the 17 in one go. He worked on one, then another and mastered the 17 habits and completed the entire cycle three times in a year. EPICTETUS wrote: “Nothing great is created suddenly any more than a bunch of grapes. If you say to me that you desire grapes, that requires time. Let it first blossom, bear fruits and then ripen”. Two important qualities essential for man are patience and persistence. Lasting change takes time and when the going gets tough, how much better we feel when we achieve something worthwhile by sticking to it. Thousands of people have talents. But the question is how many of us have the patience to discover it through persistence and staying power? People who take risks invite failure but at the end it is success, when we stay with it. Henry Ford the car-maker said: “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently”. When we take the plunge, few feel terrified but within a short time, we are able to do everything which we had set out to do. Confident self-talk helps us feel better to handle problems more easily. Words and sentences that imply that we are helpless and incapable or interpreting that things are worse than they actually are, feeds the person with potentially damaging ammunition creating negative thoughts and negative results”. Issaac Bashevis Singer wrote: “If you keep on saying that things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a Prophet”. Two qualities that are essential for bulding a happy and fulfilling life are Prayer and Patience.
The challenge is to be Yourself in a world trying to make you like everyone else. To preserve individuality, we should avoid being a carbon copy or duplicate of someone whom we may admire.

Conversation with God....

God: Hello! Did you call me? Me: Called You? No….who is this?
God: This is God. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat. Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something. God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too. Me: Don’t know. But I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic. Its rush hour all the time.
God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it. Me: I understand. But I still can’t figure it out. By the way, I was not expecting you to buzz me on instant messaging chat. God: Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with. Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?
God: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated. Me: Why are we then constantly unhappy? God: Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.
Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional. But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty. God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer? God: Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer. With that experience their life becomes better not bitter.
Me: You mean to say such experience is useful? God: Yes. In every term, experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.
Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can’t we be free from problems? God: Problems are purposeful roadblocks offering beneficial lessons to enhance mental strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems.
Me: Frankly, in the midst of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading. God: If you look outside, you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight. Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?
God: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock.
Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated? God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing. Me: What surprises you about people? God: When they suffer they ask, “Why me?” When they prosper, they never ask, “Why me.” Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side of the truth.
Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here. I can’t get the answer.
God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation. Me: How can I get the best out of life?
God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered? God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is No.Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy to start the new day with a new sense of inspiration. God: Well, keep the faith and drop the fear. Don’t believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live. Don’t expect a great day, make one!

Abort and Reset

All that happens is for good. So easy a single line, no difficult words not at all difficult to understand, but very very difficult to practice.
I have come across many such beautiful sayings, lines that instantly connect to your heart but a little thinking in solitude and a small practical lesson is enough to convince you that it is not as easy to practice as to listen and remember. Even as children we had been told about that invisible power called God, is who runs the world.
He directs the drama on earth called ‘life’ and decides and controls all events and all destinies. “Even a leaf does not move without God’s will”, were the words of the elders.
But what are we seeing in the world around us today- A newborn baby abandoned in the garbage, a brother murdering a brother for property, a mother poisoning her child because he has become a block in her extra marital affairs.
Do these things happen with God’s consent? And what different situations does God place different people into!
A beautiful bungalow decorated with colorful lights, well dressed people and women loaded with jewels moving around laughing gaily, the house is well decorated to celebrate the arrival of a new individual full of soft toys and gifts, the occasion?
The birth of a baby 14 years after marriage and just across the road under the dim roadside light is seen a young mother with two small semi naked frail figures clinging to her, fighting the cold protecting her children with her tattered saree.
Why has God placed one child in the hands of a mother who can neither feed and clothe herself nor her child, and the other in the hands of the mother who can run a river of worldly wealth. Does this happen with God’s consent? Purvakarma we are told and the mind is drawn into the intricacies of the theory of karma, birth death cycle and so on.
But this is just not done, why should someone be wronged and someone be favored?
Even around us we find in good numbers people who are watching all our actions and just waiting all for a chance to throw barbs of piercing words at us. They will not miss any chance of hurting you and criticizing you.
Anything and anything at all will be enough for their loud mouths to open and spill dirt. Are these people any different from the mother who throws her newborn baby in the garbage or the mother who poisons her child because he is in the path of her happiness? I put these people in the same category.
The creation of God has reached the height of their self centered goals. And what about the victims of their barbs of words and actions? They cannot retaliate because of fear, but cannot forget it and break the chain of mental reaction, that pain and hurt is downloaded onto another person, so one more victim. So where does this cycle end? It begins with fear and that fear should be removed. Fearlessness will give us clarity of words and actions.
Fearlessness will enable us to give a tit for a tat, so there will be no mental reactions and the chapter is over.
But practically this is not possible, simpler said than done. Fearlessness? Can you imagine saying, “I don’t want to do that work which my boss wants me to do, I don’t care if I lose my job”. NO NO NO the job is important, I depend upon it for my bread and butter, so that puts an end to the concept of fearlessness. I fear losing my job, my loved ones, my power, beauty etc and so I have to do some things I don’t like. But the real solution is empowerment of mind and soul. The mind should be powerful enough to quick break off from painful thoughts. They should be thrown out at once. Why should words spoken by someone be given so much importance? Stop deciding what you are according to what people say about you. You know yourself and that is sufficient. How can anybody steal the peace that is inside you?
You only have to believe in yourself and believe in God, the supreme power, creator, director and destroyer!