Paper boats

The paper boats

That she made during the Art period

Was floating in the puddle

And she knew pretty well

It would sail and sail on to her lover.

Throwing away the paper car

That he made during the Maths period

Was also floating in the puddle

And he wasn’t aware that

At the other end

His lover was hoping for the best.

When they met in the evening

Showing big faces each other

“you cheat’ they called each other.

They tore of papers one after another

Wrote “I hate you” and threw

Into the puddle

And it was floating like boats

In a ferry.

When they left hugging each other

Having decided to say “no” to paper

And write in their hearts thereafter

Whatever they wanted to say.

Ten Lessons for life

1.       Never tell a woman  ‘I am happy’,

she would plot against you.

2.       Never tell your boss ‘I am ok’,

he would keep an eye on you.

3.       Never utter a sentence or a clause,

before thinking thrice on it.

4.       Never marry if you are not ready to,

Make compromises little bit.

5.       Never  overcome the pace of time,

lest it would make you anxious.

6.       Never neglect your intuitive spirit,

Later you would be unconscious.

7.       Never let the fate  play with you,

You would become a prey to it.

8.       Never make a promise in hurry,

Failure would brand you a cheat.

9.       Never be scared to say ‘no’,

You may end up frustrated.

10.   Never keep your lamp hiding,

Lest others know not who you are.

Single Life

Why I want to be single?

When you meet an adult and get acquainted with him, one of the questions that may pop up would be-“Are you married?” The possible answers would be-“I am a bachelor”; “I am married”; “I am divorced.”, “I’m married but live alone”., “I am going to get married in a year or two”. But very rarely we would come across a reply,” “I prefer to be a single.” If you ask any married person, we would get seldom an answer, “I am happy to be married.” Why is it so? The purpose of this article is to justify this attitude.

Being a single you have many advantages. You are freer. You are less responsible. You need not worry about your partner and kids. You can go anywhere and come back home at any time. It is said, “A married man lives like a dog and dies like a king where as an unmarried person lives like a king and dies like a dog.”My question is – What is the use of leading a miserable life if a kingly death is the only reward? Who is really concerned about us after our death? We are going to be oblivion as many others in history. Perhaps we may be remembered by our dear and near ones for some years at least on our death day.

Therefore, a single life is much better than married life. Married life is a life of misery and untold struggles and sufferings. Those who haven’t got married yet let it be an eye opening one. As I said early, a single is happier, freer and relaxed. He can earn and spend the money on for himself or her. He isn’t answerable to anybody on what he does. But this doesn’t mean that he can lead an irresponsible and antisocial life. Those who support marriage would talk about so called ‘responsible freedom’. But if you look at this closely ‘we are in chains everywhere’ as a French Philosopher said. Marriage is one of such chains a man is going to have after marriage. He has to go sacrifice his individuality. He has to make ‘adjustments’. He has to be extra conscious of what he speaks, acts and does.

Does anybody like slavery? If you want to lead a joyful life, be single and selfish. This teaching may found strange. But the effect will be miraculous. You will be happier and contented. 

Do you lead a Sedentary life style? If yes, be careful...

Ill effects of a sedentary life style

The world has become a global village. Everything is accessible at the click of a mouse. The distance between continents is lessened. The word has become faster and swifter. But the mind has become slower and less vigilant. For instance, numerical calculations are carried out by computers and calculators. The human mind is seldom used for that. As a result, simple calculations such as additions, subtractions and multiplications are forgotten. We are mechanized. Overdependence on such gadgets is a curse than a boon.

The physical movements are minimized. Some people try to compensate it with regular visit to the gym and such fitness centers. But are they effective? If the Darwinian Theory is correct, the organs we don’t use may become insignificant and consequently may become inactive, dead or lost. Thus reasoning power gets lost. Body becomes weak and fragile as movements are substantially reduced. The effect of such a life style is physical conditions like, high blood pressure, heart attack, obesity, and diabetics. Our muscles are loosened as they are not often utilized. Our bones become weak as they are not used.

Therefore, it‘s high time that we go back to our natural way of living where most of the activities are done manually which strengthen our body. A weak and sick generation is in the making. Thanks to the great leaps of man in telecommunication, technology and industry! If it’s not checked it would eventually ruin the entire mankind. Hospitals would mushroom and that industry will be the most profit making one in future. Other epidemics also would increase. It is very likely that Robots and machines would witness the extinction of mankind in a century or two. It’s not just an exaggeration but a naked reality. I hope man would realize this forthcoming and danger and act promptly to rescue him from this danger. The bottom line is it’s not yet too late, there is ample time left to act judiciously. Awake and act.

Happiness

Everyone longs for happiness. We acquire materials things such as money to lead a comfortable life which we think would make us happier and more contented. But the truth is that these material comforts won’t make us really happy. Happiness is an inner feeling of well-being. It is within us. As some Indian philosophers say, “we are bliss” which means that we are happiness per se. The problem happens when we seek it outside. We are in bliss in our pure existence itself. But many factors distract us from being aware of this bliss or supreme happiness. We mistake pleasure for happiness. A good food may give you pleasure, but may not give you happiness. But when you skip one meal and give that to another who hasn’t you may feel happiness. Most of the time happiness lies in giving rather than taking. If you give happiness to others you will be happy. But remember that happiness cannot be made. You cannot make anybody happy by giving him/her material things and comforts.

The following tips would make you happy:-

·         Stop comparing yourself with others.

·         Know yourself.

·         Try to know others than judging them.

·         Have an open mind.

·         Put an end to greed.

·         Be satisfied with what you have.

·         Begin each day in gratitude.

·         Take life as a gift than a challenge.

·         Remember your worth doesn’t depend on what you have but on what you are.

·         Be altruistic.

·         Make true friendships.

·         Solve life’s little problems with prudence.

·         Think twice before you speak( it is an old saying)

·         Try to put yourself in the place of the other.

·         Know others.

·         Understand others.

·         Avoid prejudice.

·         Have a positive attitude.(Be optimistic)

·         Avoid extremes.

·         Be truthful in your thoughts words and deeds.

·         Be unique.

·         Follow your own counsel. (There is a saying, ‘a wise man follows his own counsel)

·         Be realistic.

·         Build strong family relationships.

·         Live in the present moment.

·         Know your weaknesses.

·         Acknowledge goodness in others.

·         Appreciate others.

·         Stop competing with others.

To conclude, happiness is something which springs from honesty, openness, optimism, realistic knowledge and clear thinking. It is given to those who lead a humble and simple life. Those who find pleasure in material comforts may become frustrated and dejected at the end. As the Bible says, ‘naked you came to this world and naked shall you return’. Live in present moment with detachment. You will eventually become happiness itself from which nothing can deprive you of.

Love

What is love?

Love is the most sublime and noble concept that man has ever formulated. However, who has fully understood its real meaning? Jesus said, “Love your enemies”. In fact does anybody love his enemies? Will there be enemies for a person who really loves? The Bible also teaches, “Love your neighbor as yourself” There another question pops up- ‘who is your neighbor? Therefore, the concept of love is also the most complex idea that man has ever coined.

Love is the mother of all other virtues. Compassion, hope, faith, tolerance, patience, humility, perseverance, modesty, and nobility all these virtues originate from it. Is love a feeling? If that so, even lust would become a manifestation of love. Is there anything like ‘unconditional love’? Is such a love attainable to a mere human being? We all love within the parameters of our culture, personality traits, dogma, ethical background, principles in life, and so on.

As I said in one of my articles, the pure love is love itself. We should become love. We don’t love anybody. What we must do is to be love. To be love itself and it is ineffable. Language is an imperfect tool in defining such a love. It transcends the mundane realm and elevates one beyond him to other horizons of knowledge, being and life. Love is not a thing or commodity. The sad story of modern culture is that love has become commercialized. It is sold for money, power and prestige. It has degenerated into the status of a mere commodity. Thus its values are also fluctuating. In fact, love is priceless. It is priceless because we have nothing to compare with it.

To conclude, will there be a century in human history where such a pure love exists? Will it remain a utopian idea which exists only in heaven? And if such a time happens how our lives would be? Will there be any sufferings in such a world? Will there be any terrorism or war? Will there be corruption, poverty and discrimination? Won’t it be a paradise where peace, serenity and happiness hover around? 

Friendship

On Friendship

The old saying, “a friend in need is the friend indeed” is little bit old-fashioned now. “ A friend is the most important need of the other” could be the new one. In this modern computer era of social networking and such online friendships, the warmth of such relationships also has become so mechanical and cold. Friends are made at the click of the mouse. Such friendships develop through chatting; file sharing, and video sharing and not more than that. Sometimes, this chatting leads to cheating as many prefer to have pseudonyms in their public profiles.

The old concept of friendship was genuine and lively. These friends had a very unique thing in common- physical presence. Those friendships were intimate and deep. On the other hand, modern friendship lacks originality and depth. Personal encounter with the other is lacking. Therefore, a friend of today (social media in particular) is highly profit oriented. They are all looking for benefits from the other.

True friendship is quite deep. A true friend is the one who stands beside you even when you are in trouble. They don’t expect anything in return. A true friendship happens when there is a beautiful blending of two minds. This sort of friendship can be found even in marital relationships. Such relationships would only last. There is a saying, ‘there will be to laugh with you but you will be alone to cry’. Thus this utilitarian and consumerist modern society has lost the real meaning of friendship. ‘Use and throw’ has become the hidden agenda of many so called friendships. They don’t in fact flourish in mutual giving and taking. Self-sacrifice is required in building good friendships. On the contrary, what we see is self-exaggeration. It has become a mere drama. It has degenerated into the status of a ‘make believe affair’. Where are we heading to?

Managing Stress

How to manage stress in your profession?

Every day has its own worries. Therefore, the best strategy to tackle stress in your job is to face each challenge at a time. If we brood over the problems yet to come we can’t be at ease even a single day. Tell your mind, “Tomorrow never comes” or ‘tomorrow never dies” and you will have the strength to confront the challenges of today. If you are employed the cause of your stress can be two fold- one from the management and another from the customers. Every management sets forward its own targets and you are forced to meet the target in a stipulated time. And when you think you can’t accomplish the task within the deadline, it would lead to frustration and worry. At this juncture, I believe the following tips may be helpful.

Meet each challenge as an isolated one. Don’t try to mix up many problems together. Each one is unique and it has to be tackled differently. Seek help from those who are near you, may be your own colleagues, friends or family members. Share your problem with them. Don’t try to flee from the situation because it will only worsen it.  Avoid loose talk on the issue as it will give others a negative impression of your intentions. In frustration, you are likely to express what you think about  the worst side of the issue. Be optimistic and be ready to face the worst. Console yourself that it is not the end of the world.  Never lose temper. Try to address the issue with prudence and poise. Don’t show others that you are embarrassed. Gather courage. Realize that there were many people in the world who faced the similar situations. And still there are many at the moment. You are not the only one who is going through such tribulations. There are billions of people having trillions of problems. Your problem is trivial and insignificant compared to them. For you, it may seem a great thing for the time being, but after some years it would be a very futile thing. Therefore, avoid such irrational conclusions. Face the situation as it is.

At the end of the day, everyone wants to be happy. The satisfaction from your job largely depends on how you tackle the everyday problems. If you face them with prudence and poise, you will have the last laugh and you will become stronger, smarter for tomorrow. And keep in mind, “tomorrow never comes”.

Be a Winner

Be a winner today

Winning is a good feeling for everyone. Nobody likes to lose. Every time when a person wins his ego is boosted. And when he loses his ego is demoralized. Thus victory is a motivating experience and loss is a de-motivating one. But if we closely look at both these inevitable experiences in life, we can see that both are complementary and two sides of the same coin. Nobody can win without losing anything. The one who never loses is the one who never tries anything new or attempts anything. The real joy of success comes from failures that precede it. No one can emerge as a winner all of a sudden. It requires a lot of endurance and patience. And if there is such an instant success, it won’t be a real one. It may not last long.

Therefore, a person who wants to succeed must be ready to face failures and setbacks. He must have a ‘never giving up’ attitude. I have read in one article, a person is next to victory when he decides to quit. And the temptation to quit will be highest at that point of time. And a person who is steadfast would emerge victorious at the end. At the end of the day he will have the joy of accomplishments and success. These gains could be very big as becoming millionaire or as trivial as winning as overcoming a small task in day to day life. But the amount of happiness and satisfaction that this victory brings to the person vary depending on his priorities in life. For instance, a person who is interested in food may be very happy when he wins a free dinner. But it won’t be so fascinating to the who isn’t interested in eating.

Today is the apt time for success. Today this moment is in your hand. You can decide to be a winner or loser. Ultimately, the decision is yours. You can either decide to be happy or unhappy. Even the whole world is upside down, you can be happy. That happiness would generate victory from such sufferings, dilemma, and such painful situations. Make others winners and you will find that you will win eventually. If you are selfish and think the success must be yours and yours only then you will lose and you will be deprived of the real joy of winning. To conclude, you are a winner today. There isn’t anything that will curtail your happiness. Be happy. You are successful today. And when you are successful today you are victorious forever as TODAY only repeats!

Be Simple

The Amazing Power of Simplicity

You might have heard the saying, ‘simple living high thinking’. It’s so true. Simple things confer a lot of happiness than great things. For instance, a simple meal enjoyed with satisfaction is more fulfilling than a pompous dinner had with bottled up emotions of anger, discontentment, jealousy, and pride. Humility and Simplicity go hand in hand. They are complementary. One, who is humble, is simple. Have simplicity in your thoughts, words and deeds ( manasa vacha karmana as states the Ancient  Indian Thought). The arrogance and pride are the greatest enemies to these noble principles in life. Arrogance begets jealousy and other negative emotions. Once you have a humble and simple perspective in life, positive energy pervades around you. Can a man fight his own arrogance and his own hatred to win over an enemy  with simplicity and humility? The owlish faced, loin clad, fragile looking, timid speaking man used all these tools to lead a country and he is none other than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Zen way of life is also based on simplicity and humility. 

Are You happy in your Married Life?

The success of a married life would better be answered by those who have undergone divorce process which would be very hard and traumatic for a person irrespective of the gender. Both the sexes would find it a painstaking experience. This article probes into the success of one’s married life with certain criteria in man-woman relationship.

Firstly, success of a married life depends entirely on the couples themselves. No other force in this world has a bearing on this. The answers to the questions below would shed much light into the success of one’s married life. These questions should be answered personally taking into account one’s partner and nobody else.

Do you accept your partner with all his/her strengths and weakness?

Are you aware of those strengths and weaknesses?

Do you let your partner free to express his or her ideas?

Are you bored of a routine life-style?

Does your talk be limited to certain mechanical responses like ‘no’, or ‘yes’?

Do you make adjustments sacrificing your individuality?

Are you possessive?

Are you skeptic?

How much time do you spend with your partner?

Do you appreciate the good qualities in your partner?

Do you lend your ear to what others say about your partner?

Do you try your level best to satisfy your partner ?

Do you blame your partner when something adverse thing happens in your life?

Are you responsible to what you say and do?

Are you trying to be dominant?

Do you discuss day to day affairs with your partners?

Do you share same belief systems, dogmas and ideas?

Do you respect each other?

Do you compare your partner with others?

Do you consider your partner as a gift of god?

Is your partner the right person you dreamt of?

Do you crack jokes?

Are you very serious?

Are you prejudiced or biased?

Does familiarity breed contempt?

Are you jealous of your partner?

Are you suffering from two complexes-superiority complex and inferiority complex?

How do you tackle difference of opinions?

This checklist will determine the success of your married life. If you find a positive answer to any ten of these questions, your married life is a success.

Do you want to make money?

Are You Serious About Making Money?

If yes, be ready not to follow it. Once you stop going after it, it will chase you until you are fed up with money. This secret is known only to millionaires. If you ask them whether they have ever set targets for making money alone, they will say a big ‘no’ to it. They kept on doing what their intuitive spirit told them and immense wealth followed them. Had they aimed money alone they wouldn’t have become millionaires. They even forgot about it and instead they tried hard to fulfill their dreams. These ‘dreams’ are not the dreams one see in the sleep but they are dreams that will never allow one to sleep until they are materialized.

Richness and wealth are like a beautiful  lady. Once you try to win her heart you tend to fail. And when you ignore her she would notice you. She would find something unique in you. That quality will draw her closer to you. Even when she comes closer to you, please keep your cool. Don’t be hasty. If you project that you are vulnerable, she may identify and desert you. In course of time, when she can’t live without you, possess her. And she will be yours. Similarly, focus on what you are doing at present. Keep doing what is right for you. Follow your own counsel. You are blessed with such immense potentialities to recognize what is good and suitable for you. Don’t try to imitate other millionaires. Their ways may not fit in for you. They worked for them and that doesn’t mean that it would work for you. Maintain your uniqueness and excel in your field. Money and material prosperity will follow you. 

Reduce Your weight today..

Are you worried about abdominal fat?

If yes, there is a solution to this problem. The abdominal fat is the result of some unhealthy life style. Those people who intake a lot of fat without making use of them, or not burning them on time, will have pot bellies, as the excess fat gets accumulated in the abdominal area. A sedentary life-style is the root cause of this physical condition. It is not a disease. But it is a symptom of some other critical illnesses like, heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes and many more.

Here I would like to put forward two solutions. One is changing the life style. Have some physical exercise everyday at least for half an hour. Some aerobatic exercise of just 15 minutes will have a dramatic effect on your body. If you can’t afford to that try to jog for at leaf half an hour. If you can’t do that outdoors do it inside your room. Or some yoga would also make a great difference in your physical well being.

The second solution to the problem is healthy eating. Develop a habit of eating less. Don’t try to fill your stomach full. Leave some space of your stomach empty. Only one quarter of your stomach must be filled with solid food. The rest can be filled with water and other liquids. Eat leafy vegetables. Eat fruits. Eat fish instead of red meat. Take little salt. Avoid using fried dishes. Stop taking fast foods. Fizzy drinks will increase the sugar content of your blood. So avoid them. Try to consume more homemade food. Eat with patience. Chew properly. Never have food in a hurry. Avoid sitting in a particular posture for a long time.

This is my conclusion:

Pot belly is not an invincible enemy but conquerable and vulnerable to a man with  healthy habits and life- style. 

Tips for your heart

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day.



2. Include two vegetables and one fruit in every meal. 


3. Begin each meal with a raw vegetable salad. 


4. Make a light snack of assorted sprouts. 


5. Start the day with a glass of warm water and a dash of lime.. 


6. Use only fresh vegetables. 


7. Once a week have only fresh fruits until noon, make lunch the first meal of the day. 


8. Eat only freshly cooked meals, not refrigerated leftovers. 


9. Include one green vegetable and one yellow vegetable in every meal. 


10. Go on a juice fast for a day. Start with vegetable juice, and sip fruit for lunch and dinner.. 


11. Kick the old coffee habit. Have a glass of fresh fruit juice instead. 


12. Cut out all deep-fried foods from your diet. 


13. Cut down on high sugar products like soft drinks, ice-cream, candy and cookies in your diet. 


14. Never skip a meal, even if you're on a diet. Eat a fresh fruit or have vegetable juice instead.


15. Avoid beverages like soda, coffee, colas and so on. 


16. Include high fiber foods and plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains in planning your diet. 


17. Use salt in moderation 


18. Wash vegetables thoroughly in clean water before chopping. 


19. Stream or boil vegetables (rather than fry or saute). 


20. Retain peels of potato, cucumber, carrot and tomato while cooking. 


21. Do take a moment off to mentally list out the nutritional value of the food you're about to eat.


22. Don't rush through your meals. Set aside enough time to appreciate, enjoy and digest your food. 


23. Make every meal an enjoyable experience. Set dishes out attractively and chew slowly to appreciate the full flavor of the foods you eat. 


24. Choose to be radiantly healthy. Keep yourself informed about the nutritive value of every food you buy. 


25. Shop for groceries yourself. Notice the look, feel and smell of fresh fruit and vegetables and enjoy their intrinsic goodness. 


26. Watch out for eating habits paired with emotional states, like reaching for a chocolate when youre depressed. Resist the urge and eat fruit instead. 


27. Eat popcorn (rather than chips) while watching a movie. 


28. Sit at the table at meal times. Don't read the paper or review bills while eating. 


29. Make it a point to have dinner with the entire family at the table, and not in front of the TV. 


30. Eat just to the point of the fullness. Don't stuff yourself! 


31. Stop smoking. 


32. Restrict alcohol consumption. 


33. Get a good night's sleep, every night. 


34. Enroll today in an exercise programme. 


35. Take a brisk, 20 minute invigorating walk each morning. 


36. Spend 10 minutes every morning and evening doing basic stretches. 


37. Do not use elevators when you can climb the stairs. 


38. Enroll in a TM programme today. 


39. Focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath, then exhale slowly. Repeat a couple of times a day. 


40. Learn to relax. Spend 20 minutes consciously relaxing each muscle of your body. 


41. Spend 20 minutes a day in silent meditation, prayer or contemplation. 


42. Learn the healing power of laughter. Watch a crazy movie, recall a joke or read a funny book and laugh out loud. 


43. Tap the powers of your sub-conscious. Relax your body for 20 minutes and project the Perfect You're on your mind screen. 


44. Balance your lifestyle. Devote equal time each week to work and fun. 


45. Join kids in a sports activity and rediscover the joys of childhood. 


46.. Do keep in touch with friends. Call up or visit them and be at peace with the world. 


47. Enroll in an activity (like dancing, swimming or roller skating...) you never indulged in because you were afraid of what people might say. 


48. Forgive someone who you think has done you wrong and cleanse your spirit of rancor. 


49. Do a nice turn to someone you don't know too well, but who could do with a friend. 


50. Spend a quiet half-hour chatting with your family. 


51. Listen to soothing music for 15 minutes at least each day. 


52. Read a great book once a week.