"Don't waste time, go, do something useful!" is one phrase so often thrown at people who seem to be involved in mindless activities. Wise men and sages say that time waste is life waste. Pragmatists say that bygone moments cannot be retrieved back.
But what exactly is wasting time? What activities qualify to be called as time waste? Is it watching movies? Is it sitting on the facebook to post about the snacks you had in the evening? Is it partying with friends on the roadside or in malls? Or sleeping in the afternoons?
And more importantly, what activities qualify to be called as proper utilization of time? Is it planting a tree on the roadside? Or reading religious/ spiritual texts? Or rendering some voluntary service to destitutes? Or making money?
I tried hard to understand what the concept of utilizing/ wasting time is. Fortunately, after 12 years, I seem to have gotten some convincing answer.
Any moment not lived in accordance with one's real life purpose is a moment wasted. And any moment that is not wasted is the moment utilized.
Now in real life scenarios, this may translate into something like: If our life purpose is to become free in spirit, then a moment spent in feeling bad about your friend's prosperity(which you apparently don't possess) is a moment wasted. While a moment spent in relaxing your tired body/ mind or a moment spent in appreciating the beauty of nature or a work well done, or a moment spent in making your life easier to live is a moment utilized!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
Ideals - are they just for pep talk?
Dialogue....
A materially rich idealist at heart:"Character is more important than money or fame. One must always strive for a blemishless character. Deficits in character cannot be compensated by having more money or fame".
Common man: "Oh yeah... money is not all that important.. as long as you live in a lavish villa, drive a sedan and go to foreign tours on vacations... Get to know the life of a middle class guy who manages to live with dignity by sacrificing some basic comforts, and then repeat the lines above... pep talk and reality are two different things"
A materially low profiled idealist at heart:"Character is more important than money or fame. One must always strive for a blemishless character. Deficits in character cannot be compensated by having more money or fame".
Common man: "hold on bro.. its easy to devalue what you don't possess. Had you all the alluring money and lifestyle of a rich, famous man, you would not be saying this. Better be true to yourself and honestly accept what your heart asks for... pep talk and reality are two different things"
The same ideal, quoted by people of different financial profiles... is rejected with equal disgrace. Guess people only accept and believe what they like (and whatever is convenient to them) , irrespective of its relevance!!!
Time to wake up from the slumbers, I believe! Excuses are too lame.. for not living a contended and meaningful life.
A materially rich idealist at heart:"Character is more important than money or fame. One must always strive for a blemishless character. Deficits in character cannot be compensated by having more money or fame".
Common man: "Oh yeah... money is not all that important.. as long as you live in a lavish villa, drive a sedan and go to foreign tours on vacations... Get to know the life of a middle class guy who manages to live with dignity by sacrificing some basic comforts, and then repeat the lines above... pep talk and reality are two different things"
A materially low profiled idealist at heart:"Character is more important than money or fame. One must always strive for a blemishless character. Deficits in character cannot be compensated by having more money or fame".
Common man: "hold on bro.. its easy to devalue what you don't possess. Had you all the alluring money and lifestyle of a rich, famous man, you would not be saying this. Better be true to yourself and honestly accept what your heart asks for... pep talk and reality are two different things"
The same ideal, quoted by people of different financial profiles... is rejected with equal disgrace. Guess people only accept and believe what they like (and whatever is convenient to them) , irrespective of its relevance!!!
Time to wake up from the slumbers, I believe! Excuses are too lame.. for not living a contended and meaningful life.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Infatuated with success?
When you aspire for that oh-so-unattainable position/ possession, work towards it and find that you haven't gotten 'there' but just ended up being 'mediocre' or 'failed', it makes you feel horrible?
Added to it, if any of your associates get 'there' rather effortlessly, like a cake walk, does your head spin? Do you feel like stung and suffer from thoughts of worthlessness, jealousy, guilt and isolation?
Well, these are symptoms of infatuation with success... Sure enough, hard earned victory is sweet. But we all need different doses of success-failure combos in our lives to fulfill our life's purpose. The dose is different for different individuals at different points in time.
Hence, we need to understand our 'success' is not entirely our own individual credit and our 'failure' is not necessarily our own individual inadequacy. There is nothing personal about it, except ofcourse our deep desire for a position/ possession and our sincere efforts to attain the same. The sooner we understand this, the surer we can be on our road to personal happiness and fulfillment.
Added to it, if any of your associates get 'there' rather effortlessly, like a cake walk, does your head spin? Do you feel like stung and suffer from thoughts of worthlessness, jealousy, guilt and isolation?
Well, these are symptoms of infatuation with success... Sure enough, hard earned victory is sweet. But we all need different doses of success-failure combos in our lives to fulfill our life's purpose. The dose is different for different individuals at different points in time.
Hence, we need to understand our 'success' is not entirely our own individual credit and our 'failure' is not necessarily our own individual inadequacy. There is nothing personal about it, except ofcourse our deep desire for a position/ possession and our sincere efforts to attain the same. The sooner we understand this, the surer we can be on our road to personal happiness and fulfillment.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Earning wealth or making money?
Are these two the same? Well, most of us have believed for decades that they are!
Wealth is infinitely more than just money. While money defines your "buying capability" of certain tangible/ intangible stuff governed by the laws of 'demand and supply', wealth actually empowers you to supercede the laws of demand and supply. you only have surplus; when u have wealth.
if the concept of XML in computer programming languages is familiar to you, you can understand this something like:
Wealth creation is similar to the metadata that describes the behavior and structure of an XML; while money making is one XML file with certain user entered values.
Buy a painting, and u own just the painting. Conquer the heart of the painter, and all his paintings are yours!
Wealth is infinitely more than just money. While money defines your "buying capability" of certain tangible/ intangible stuff governed by the laws of 'demand and supply', wealth actually empowers you to supercede the laws of demand and supply. you only have surplus; when u have wealth.
if the concept of XML in computer programming languages is familiar to you, you can understand this something like:
Wealth creation is similar to the metadata that describes the behavior and structure of an XML; while money making is one XML file with certain user entered values.
Buy a painting, and u own just the painting. Conquer the heart of the painter, and all his paintings are yours!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Fundas Evergreen
1. Love is all that we need, at all times.
2. Love is the remedy for all ills.
3. Giving / receiving love alone is living, other activities in themselves don't matter.
4. Whatever happens, happens for the highest good
5. Dont get struck up anywhere in life.. just move on, no matter how stubborn or painful the situation, life knows how to dissolve, just keep flowing.
6. Love, love and only love. Nothing else is required, whatever may be the situation
7. NEVER operate from hatred, frustration, anger, despondency, hopelessness, head weight or a shallow sense of self centredness.
8. Operate from LOVE, where you see the BIG picture, instead of trivial gains.
9. You are here to live YOUR life, not somebody else's. Hence, never compare the stuff in your life with anyone else's for the good, or for the bad. We each have different purposes and different destinations, based on which our lives are designed; to just give us those experiences, which we need the most. There is simply no point despising your own life or desiring the life of another person!
10. Never waste your time on stuff that does not matter. Be intelligent enough to distinguish what you need and what you dont need.
Easier said than done :) but its better to do it this way. Keep reminding yourself in times of 'crises' about the grandeur of love. That may as well, be the first step towards true living!
2. Love is the remedy for all ills.
3. Giving / receiving love alone is living, other activities in themselves don't matter.
4. Whatever happens, happens for the highest good
5. Dont get struck up anywhere in life.. just move on, no matter how stubborn or painful the situation, life knows how to dissolve, just keep flowing.
6. Love, love and only love. Nothing else is required, whatever may be the situation
7. NEVER operate from hatred, frustration, anger, despondency, hopelessness, head weight or a shallow sense of self centredness.
8. Operate from LOVE, where you see the BIG picture, instead of trivial gains.
9. You are here to live YOUR life, not somebody else's. Hence, never compare the stuff in your life with anyone else's for the good, or for the bad. We each have different purposes and different destinations, based on which our lives are designed; to just give us those experiences, which we need the most. There is simply no point despising your own life or desiring the life of another person!
10. Never waste your time on stuff that does not matter. Be intelligent enough to distinguish what you need and what you dont need.
Easier said than done :) but its better to do it this way. Keep reminding yourself in times of 'crises' about the grandeur of love. That may as well, be the first step towards true living!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Lyrics of nirvana satakam- chidananda rupah sivoham sivoham
Manobuddhyahankara chittani naham
na cha shrotra jihve na cha ghrana netre
na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vayuh
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
Na cha prana sandnyo na vai pancha vayur
na va sapta dhatur na va pancha koshah
na vak pani padau na chopasthapayu
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
na me dvesha raago na me lobha mohau
mado naiva me naiva matsarya bhavah
na dharmo na chartho na kamo na mokshah
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
na punyam na papam na saukhyam na dukham
na mantro na teetham na veda na yagnah
aham bhojanam naiva bhojyan na bhoktah
chidandanda rupah shivoham shivoham
na mrutyur na shanka na me jati bhedah
pita naiva me naiva mata na janmah
na bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyah
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
aham nirvikalpo niraakara roopo
vibhu vyapya sarvatra sarvendriyani
sada me samatvan na muktir na bandhah
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
na cha shrotra jihve na cha ghrana netre
na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vayuh
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
Na cha prana sandnyo na vai pancha vayur
na va sapta dhatur na va pancha koshah
na vak pani padau na chopasthapayu
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
na me dvesha raago na me lobha mohau
mado naiva me naiva matsarya bhavah
na dharmo na chartho na kamo na mokshah
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
na punyam na papam na saukhyam na dukham
na mantro na teetham na veda na yagnah
aham bhojanam naiva bhojyan na bhoktah
chidandanda rupah shivoham shivoham
na mrutyur na shanka na me jati bhedah
pita naiva me naiva mata na janmah
na bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyah
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
aham nirvikalpo niraakara roopo
vibhu vyapya sarvatra sarvendriyani
sada me samatvan na muktir na bandhah
chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Self Confidence can never, ever be understated or hyped
Right from inspirational writers and speakers to psychic gurus, psychologists, corporate managers, educational institutions, all of them unanimously echo time and again that it is just self confidence that matters- nothing more, nothing less. And, it is so true!
But what stands out glaringly is the absence of self confidence almost everywhere. People seem to focus more on "appearing confident" and "happy" than to experience self confidence as a natural flow in life. Some imagine self confidence as the ability to speak aloud in big audience, while some imagine it to be a mask of indifference and show no emotion. Many equate self confidence with social acceptance. While self confidence may get you any or all of the above, these are not the parameters to gauge self confidence and are not even accurately reflective of your confidence levels.
Self confidence cannot be "acquired" from anywhere, anybody or anything. It inherently IS. The sooner you understand this, the closer you get to happiness. It is a simple faith that you have in yourself that you are correct, you are competent, you deserve all that you desire and you are LOVABLE.
But this simple faith is becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to. One of the main destructive agents is a judgmental society. People form opinions purely based on their perceptions and personal experiences, which cannot be generalized. They air/assert/ impose these opinions and impact the thought process in their circle. Everybody brings forth their own view points about what is "desirable", "acceptable", "good" etc, and discard other ways of thought and action as wrong/ unproductive/ misleading.
We, as social animals impact and get impacted by our environment. In this exchange of thoughts through words and deeds, an amalgamation happens and people accept thoughts that contradict their inherent understanding. Sometimes, the power of external thought is so powerful that it subdues an individual's latent understanding. These individuals are the ones who suffer the greatest risk of losing their self confidence by relying on mob judgment consciously or unconsciously.
But who suffers ultimately? ALL OF US, the society as whole, along with the individual. A society comprising of individuals with tampered self confidence is very weak and prone to collapsing even with minor disagreements or differences in opinions.
But what is the way out? How can we help ourselves out of this destructive spiral? We need not give up our faculties of judgment or stop ourselves from expressing what we feel. All we need is to incorporate the understanding that every single individual in the society is a part of the WHOLE, every one sees the world from THEIR own perspective and everyone, including self needs to be treated with respect and care. Although people have disagreements among themselves, it is important to note that everybody is right from their own perspectives. And you need not dismiss yourself to be aligned along some body else's lines. Just LIVE and LET LIVE. Follow your own heart, your own path, and just do whatever makes sense to you, while understanding that everyone around you also has these basic privileges.
But what stands out glaringly is the absence of self confidence almost everywhere. People seem to focus more on "appearing confident" and "happy" than to experience self confidence as a natural flow in life. Some imagine self confidence as the ability to speak aloud in big audience, while some imagine it to be a mask of indifference and show no emotion. Many equate self confidence with social acceptance. While self confidence may get you any or all of the above, these are not the parameters to gauge self confidence and are not even accurately reflective of your confidence levels.
Self confidence cannot be "acquired" from anywhere, anybody or anything. It inherently IS. The sooner you understand this, the closer you get to happiness. It is a simple faith that you have in yourself that you are correct, you are competent, you deserve all that you desire and you are LOVABLE.
But this simple faith is becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to. One of the main destructive agents is a judgmental society. People form opinions purely based on their perceptions and personal experiences, which cannot be generalized. They air/assert/ impose these opinions and impact the thought process in their circle. Everybody brings forth their own view points about what is "desirable", "acceptable", "good" etc, and discard other ways of thought and action as wrong/ unproductive/ misleading.
We, as social animals impact and get impacted by our environment. In this exchange of thoughts through words and deeds, an amalgamation happens and people accept thoughts that contradict their inherent understanding. Sometimes, the power of external thought is so powerful that it subdues an individual's latent understanding. These individuals are the ones who suffer the greatest risk of losing their self confidence by relying on mob judgment consciously or unconsciously.
But who suffers ultimately? ALL OF US, the society as whole, along with the individual. A society comprising of individuals with tampered self confidence is very weak and prone to collapsing even with minor disagreements or differences in opinions.
But what is the way out? How can we help ourselves out of this destructive spiral? We need not give up our faculties of judgment or stop ourselves from expressing what we feel. All we need is to incorporate the understanding that every single individual in the society is a part of the WHOLE, every one sees the world from THEIR own perspective and everyone, including self needs to be treated with respect and care. Although people have disagreements among themselves, it is important to note that everybody is right from their own perspectives. And you need not dismiss yourself to be aligned along some body else's lines. Just LIVE and LET LIVE. Follow your own heart, your own path, and just do whatever makes sense to you, while understanding that everyone around you also has these basic privileges.
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