A Runway to the Path of Spirituality

 

A Runway to the Path of Spirituality … Let me lead you there!

~ Amritbir Kaur

When it comes to thinking about oneself and taking care of one’s own needs, it’s not at all difficult to be selfish, especially taking into consideration the prevailing materialistic world around us. But there’s a difference between thinking just about oneself and taking care of our self with the aim of understanding the self. And herein is where devoting some time to spirituality is equally important. 

Spirituality has a different meaning to different people, but from a positive psychology perspective it can be defined as, “a deep sense of belonging, of wholeness, of connectedness, and of openness to the infinite” as put by V. Easvaradoss and R. Rajan in their research article, ‘Positive psychology spirituality and well-being: An overview’ published in the  Journal of Positive Psychology in 2013. 

Joe Wilner has very aptly put forward five benefits of developing your spiritual nature. Before I take you through a journey, I would like to share them here with you. 

1. Hopefulness

If there is one thing that spirituality can add to our life it is a sense of hope and optimism. Spirituality strengthens our outlook for a better future, he says. “Spiritual growth enhances our ability to deal with life’s ups and downs and bounce back from those difficult experiences”.

2. Compassion and Understanding

It is easy to look at others with judgment and criticism, but when we start to grow spiritually we realize how much healthier it is to cultivate compassion and understanding for others instead. Deepak Chopra said, “Spirituality is meant to take us beyond our tribal identity into a domain of awareness that is more universal.” 

3. Sense of purpose and meaning

A feeling that our life is worthwhile and that we aren’t just here by some random mistake can make a major difference in the trajectory of our life. We are alive for a reason and are meant to contribute something to the world – one must always remember that. According to an editorial in the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, “In a modern world that is consumed with materialism, which moves at a frantic pace, and which is frayed by cultural, racial and religious divisiveness, the yearning of the human spirit to connect and find meaning is sometimes overlooked.” Hence, without a sense of spirituality, we can lose sight of what is really most important and meaningful.

4. Inspiration and appreciation

Joe Wilner was of the view that life is full of inspiration when we are looking for it. There is also much to be grateful for despite the struggles and challenges we face. Through spiritual growth we can learn to see the beauty and wonder in our day to day life. The things we often take from granted can start to offer us greater inspiration and joy.

5. Peace of mind

Part of spirituality is connecting to a higher power. Whatever name or label we give to this spiritual source is irrelevant in my opinion. The important thing is the sense that there is something greater than ourselves, and that we don’t have to carry the entire burden alone. When we learn how to “let go” of the emotional baggage we carry it really adds to peace of mind.

Keeping in mind the various aspects, we all undertake this journey in our lifetime. It’s as Maslow rightly mentioned ‘Self-actualization’ that’s the topmost in the hierarchy. And that’s exactly why it is always lonely at the top because a large majority would not reach that level. This journey is a lonely one as William Shakespeare depicted in his masterpiece ‘King Lear’ in the character of Lear, when he undergoes the process of transformation of being a human from being a King. In general, the journey is a movement from the external to the internal. 

With a view to make this journey a bit easier for them, we gave the students a task of attempting to understand themselves a bit more than just superficially and come up with their experiences in the garb of words. Let’s be a part of their journey!

*Joe is a life-transition coach and a Licensed Master Level Psychologist (LMLP) in the state of Kansas. He is the creator and editor of the personal development blog Shake off the Grind which provides digital content, coaching, and products to help people with personal growth, emotional wellness, and spiritual development. He is also an advisory board member for the American Institute of Health Care Professionals (AIHCP) and is a certified meditation instructor.

Moving on...

AMRITBIR KAUR
abcpoet@gmail.com

If moving on in life means that we have detached ourselves completely from our past, then why do we have dreams related to it? If we can forgive and forget so easily, then why is it that we can still feel the pricks off and on? Why is it that we have memories attached when we claim to have detached completely?

DETACHMENT
The tree standing tall
near the river bed,
but never ever got a drop
the yellow never turned red.
The wait was eternal
longer than life itself;
there came thousand springs
but soul couldn’t reveal the self.
The leaves were buried
the twigs swept away:
grayed leaves dying underneath
and the river slid silently away.
©Amritbir Kaur

Silently time moves on and we pretend to move on with the moving time. We pretend to be normal but what we don't want to confess even to ourselves that a part of has stayed behind clinging to the past that we never wanted to pass. It's not that there something bad about it. It is pretty normal to travel back to the past off and on. After all, we all leave footprints behind, it might be in the form of the associations we formed with places, time or situations.

There are things lying dormant in our subconscious, but the things are not the dead ones. They tend to crop up to the surface when provided with a suitable trigger. Occasionally it does no damage but when we are so dependant on the moorings of the past, it is then that we are unable to keep up with the time that is passing by. It is then that we lose count of our own self and we being lost in a reclusive world of our own are unable to keep track of the things happening to us in the present time. And then again our future is affected by it. So we might end up being caught in a vicious circle of delving only into the past, while letting the present go by.
Hence, don't feel guilty if you have spells of visiting your past, but then don't do it at the cost of your present. It is the present that will give you memories to cherish in future and you will be able to sort of compensate for the bitter memories of the past. Let  present be your saviour so that you can rescue your future!

Rain and Rainy Days

Why is it that rains are always welcome but rainy days are never? What a contradiction! But probably we have never pondered over that. All things associated with rains fascinate us, for instance, an umbrella, a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee etc. but things associated with rainy days like floods, flash floods etc. too keep reminding us of their presence off and on. Now in 2013 it is the Uttarakhand floods that will serve as an eye-opener. But only if we grasp the message between the lines. One message and the most important is that 'we should not be playing with Nature'. One must remember John Dryden's words 'Beware the fury of patient man'. Much in the same manner it is Nature that is furious, now that it has been witnessing the devastation being done to it my man because of his selfish motives.

We also know that there is always an equal and opposite reaction to whatever we do. It is what we sow so shall we reap. But man is a forgetful being. We all have a habit of postponing and ignoring things by telling ourselves 'Doesn't matter'. And then comes a time when we realize that it did matter after all. By then it is too late to mend things. It is just like any other relationship - the give and take. It is simple: we can only take that what we give. If we nurture with care, respect and affection, it is the same we have in return. But if we keep on exploiting the other, be it our partner or Nature, it is bound to boomerang on us.

It is time we all wake up. The alarm bells are already ringing very loudly. Don't turn a deaf ear. Let's waken up our senses before they are deadened by the deafening alarming noise! P.S. A silent prayer for all those trapped because of floods. May they all be here with us safe and sound!

Of the People

We have all believed at one point of time or the other that silence is a good way to talk. But it cannot always serve the purpose. We do need words many a times. After all, it is not for nothing that Arthur Rimbaud went on to say in 'A Season in Hell/The Drunken Boat', “I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still.”

But everyone doesn't possess the art of using them to their optimum value. Some undermine them by putting them to use in a 'derogatory' way. By 'derogatory' way here I mean, they all do not know how to use the right word at the right place. And if words are misplaced, they change the whole thing. The world turns topsy-turvy and hence, the defamation of the word itself, makes the usage derogatory. Then there are some, who are such good weavers that the moment they open their mouth for their calculative utterances they would weave such a yarn around you that you cannot help but be impressed.

It is always good to talk to some people. They help you relive all the wonderful moments of your past. While there may be others, whom you would not even touch with a barge pole. One such category might be of the bores but there are still others, who can be classified in this category, for instance, the ones who would always take potshots at you. They would keep sharpening their words like the knife to attack you the moment they get the slightest opportunity.

Let the count going...more categories will follow soon...Keep watching this space...

Facebook and Literature

Life is all about Facebook now. A person can be called 'informed' only if he is always in and out of Facebook. Starting his roaming here from his desktop. Then he might want to take some rest, so he shifts on to his laptop, while reclining comfortably on his bed. Suddenly a while later, he gets a business call and he has to leave the cozy comfort of 'Facebooking' to attend an urgent business meeting. Now what! But there are no worries now. He continues to shower the likes uninterrupted because he has it all on his palms now, thanks to the fully loaded phone. Till this point it was still acceptable. But things have gone too far now. The literature being produced by the youngsters these days, is becoming more and more centred around Facebook and they are all love stories. It is as if talking about the Facebook is the only marketing strategy left. They all want to cash in on the popularity of Facebook. The latest in this line-up or should we say 'pile-up' is Sudeep Nagarkar's 'It all started with a friend request'.

That One Moment

Since times immemorial, man has divided time into three entities, namely past, present and future. But have we ever racked our brains in trying to define present? Amongst these three states of convenience probably the toughest to define is ‘present’. Past and future can be very conveniently bound in few words of description. Present has the shortest duration. It is just a fleeting moment. ‘Time goes by my friend, we stand put’. It is an age-old principle of a happy life put forward by the philosophers that we must live in the present. Now what of us who want to spend a lifetime in that one fleeting moment?

Robert Browning, the famous English poet and a confirmed optimist, wrote:

Act, act in the living present

Let the dead past bury its dead.

Trick lies in making the most of the living present. Even in spiritual terms, present has been given the utmost importance. If our aim is realization of God, the time is now. All the basic spiritual keywords of every religion like ‘Om’; ‘Waheguru’ etc. are uttered in just one breath, that is, the present. Herein lays the essence of the ultimate realization. Also this fact gives boost to the special position that present holds. Therefore, we can say, that the journey to the ‘Brahm’ is of a moment. It might sound easy but on the contrary, it is the most difficult thing.

Delving deep into the past and travelling too far away into the future is a very casual experience that we all do in our daily life. Capturing the fleeting moment is a Herculean task to do. A striking balance of mind, full concentration, rapt attention and a clear-cut focus is what is needed for this one moment journey of a lifetime.

God is not to be found somewhere in the forests. He is not an external entity. He is inside all of us. He is everywhere, in every speck, in every nook and corner. This is because he is not a physical being. He is a spirit, a power, a feeling, a sense of faith, a sense of our firm belief. He is there when we believe in Him. So all it takes a true heart and a moment to seek his blessings and to have Him within our reach.

'Moment of Realisation' (by Amritbir Kaur) - Hindustan Times (14 Nov., 2011)

I am elated to present before you my latest article published in Hindustan Times, 'Inner Voice' column, dated 14 November, 2011. I do hope you enjoy reading the same.

Here is the text of the article:

Hindustan Times, 'Inner Voice' column dated 14 November, 2011

MOMENT OF REALISATION

“But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep...”. ---Robert Frost. We travel miles for the realisation of our dreams. But it might not be miles away always. It can be within one’s own self. It all depends on how well you plan your travel. Often it happens that you travel through side streets and by-lanes and then come out on the main road, and back to the normal, civilised world.

It is like journeying from dreams to reality. Miles seem a magical moment once we come to the realisation of the reality. The dreams are not just about owning a bungalow, being rich and famous, flaunting a fleet of luxury cars etc. The ultimate dream is the dream of knowing oneself. The age old question hanging heavy on our minds has been, “Who am I?” Bulle Shah, the great Sufi saint and poet, questioned his own identity with ‘Bullah ki jana main kaun!’

Once, while sitting in a park, with trees standing tall on the boundary of the park, I was watching the sunset. The scattered clouds over the blue canvas enhanced this colourful effect. I intently watched the sky change from blue shining in the sunlight, to a bright orange. The clouds glowed and then darkened gradually.

I could feel my own self descending into myself as the natural slide switched hues. My heart repeatedly asked, “Who am I? What am I doing here?” I was travelling inside me like King Lear’s journey within.

By the time I got up, it was dark outside but I knew I carried a light within me. I told myself, I have to spread this light. I am a speck of the glowing lamp of the Supreme Power. It is He who lends us the spark. It is then that I told myself, “I am a messenger who has to pass on the light to others, to the whole world around to preserve the sanctity of soul, to protect it from the ensnarling clutches of bewitching worldly chains.” Finally, I had the answer to who am I?

Self-discipline

Harry S. Truman, the former American President, once remarked: “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first.”

With a view to inculcate a sense of self-discipline the authority must be in some or the other way invested in the students. This will help to serve many purposes – it makes the child more responsible towards his duties, makes the process of administration a bit more democratic and also inculcates a sense of pride among the students in their being able to contribute towards the management of the institution. Self discipline is something we all need because it is a vital characteristic of successful people. Why? Because nothing is as easy as it seems. There are always unforeseen challenges and problems on the path to success and achievement. To beat these you must persevere and be strong. Likewise eating disorders or other problems associated with excess (such as smoking or alcoholism) require will power.

Excessive habits foster low self esteem and lack of self confidence. If you suffer from an obsession and cannot control it you may blame or punish yourself. Likewise the reverse is also true low self esteem may cause some of these problems (eating too much, too little, binging or other damaging disorders), this is a vicious circle.

Self discipline helps you control your actions and make sure you stay on track. It is helpful if you suffer disorders like those above and need to break out and cure yourself. Please make use of help from friends or counsellors as this will support you in your efforts. Going it alone is very difficult!

Identity Crisis by Facebook, Twitter etc.???

Pic Src:Identity Crisis

The eternal question that thinkers have been trying to answer since ages is: who am I? No matter how much we have tried to answer it for ourselves, we have not been able to satisfy ourselves. Our life, what all we do and how we carry ourselves is an act towards establishing our identity. Struggle was still going on to carve out a niche for our identity when another threat emerged. And if the scientists' latest warnings are to be heeded to, the threat comes from something that after having crept in slowly has now come to dominate our lives. My dear friends, the threat is from nothing else than the repeated exposure to the social networking sites.

According to a report published from London in Times of India (dated 31 AUGUST, 2011), Baroness Greenfield, a Professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, said Facebook and Twitter have created a generation obsessed with themselves, who have short attention spans and a childlike desire for constant feedback on their lives.

Where are we heading to? Let’s think about it for a minute. I am not deadly against usage of such social networking sites as I myself am a user of these websites.

The point is that we should not be too much dependent on such sites. This dependence might lead to an ‘identity crisis’. Moreover, there’s much more to life than being always present online. The charm of being with your near and dear ones can never be replaced by any ‘dead’ website, no matter how popular it is! Why I say ‘dead’ is that the human touch is missing. But a large majority are still enjoying it…we have arrived in a new age!!!

Independence Day defined!!!

With India's independence day (August 15, 2011)gone, forgotten is the concept of independence. Have you ever wondered what independence means to you?
Independence is:
* when you have freedom to say what you fee
* when you are allowed to exhibit the courage to follow your convictions
* when you have the freedom of words and your words speak the language of truth
* when you say what it is and not what you are told to
* when you yourself control the reigns of your life, nobody else does it for you
* when you can move freely from one place to another without someone imposing any restrictions

The list can be endless. But do you what freedom means in reality?

So now we can safely conclude that you can do anything and everything at any point of time. After all, we live India, an independent country. We have come a long way since India gained its independence on 15 August, 1947.
Next time somebody calls you names, you can beat him black and blue in retaliation because you have the freedom of action. You can bunk your classes whenever you like because it is your life and nobody else will decide what you do. You don't have to obey to what your parents tell you as it is you who has to control the reigns of your own life in an independent country and that too in the twentieth century.



Wait a minute! Are you taking all this too seriously??? I bet you can't. Let's imagine some more things and amusing situations. The next time you don't complete your homework, you teacher can beat you with a stick for a long while. Your boss can humiliate and belittle you in front of the whole office because he has the right and freedom to say whatever he wants to.

By now you must have realised what I mean to convey. The next time you think of exercising your freedom, just keep in mind the other person too has equal and the same kind of freedom as you do. So watch what you say and do. This restraint is a part and parcel of freedom and it has to be that way. Otherwise, the result would be utter chaos and disorder. Nothing would change and improve.

Here are a few Independence Day quotes that I hope you would like:

"Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge... At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom."
 Jawaharlal Nehru
Indian Declaration of Independence, on eve of independence, August 15 1947

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Indian Declaration of Independence, on eve of independence, August 15 1947
 

"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!"
Mark Twain (Writer, America)


"If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India." 
Max Mueller (German Scholar)
 
[This post would be incomplete without the following:]

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. 
Rabindra Nath Tagore
Gitanjali


So friends just say it with confidence, 'I am proud to be an Indian'. And work towards  making our country an India of Tagore's dreams!

Celebrating Raksha Bandhan in India

Pic src: Raksha Bandhan

India celebrates Raksha Bandhan today, that is, 13 August. The festival of Raksha Bandhan has been celebrated since times immemorial. But things have undergone a sea change. Raksha Bandhan is a festival that celebrates the sacred bond of brother and sister. It is a symbol of love, affection and bond of togetherness of brother and sister. ‘Rakhi’ is a thread that a sister ties to the wrist of her brother. Now we no longer have just the simple, good-old rakhi, they are much more fancy ones that attract the buyer’s attention. Zardosi Rakhi, Pearl Rakhis, Diamond Rakhi, Rakhi in gold and silver; not only this we also have Rakhi with chocolates, rakhi with dry fruits etc.

Now my question is: Are we giving more weightage to the sanctity of this affectionate relationship by increasing the monetary value of the Rakhis. Shouldn’t we be giving more value to the affectionate feelings, love and togetherness?

Festivals are, after all, to celebrate togetherness…think about it…

SMS...Techy Food for Thought

Pic src: Life's Canvas

I have often been asked as to what my source of writing is. My spontaneous answer is, “I write whatever enters into the realm of my silly little mind and heart.” Having been confronted with question once again, I glanced within myself to look for a more satisfactory answer.

Life has been called a huge canvas. This statement could be interpreted in two ways. In one sense, life is a blank canvas onto which we are to splash colours according to our ideas, thoughts and aspirations. In another sense of the term, life is a canvas that presents before us a host of hues to ponder upon. It is a chain reaction actually – picking up one colour from life’s broad canvas and creating one’s picture with it.

Experiences are also a major source of creations. But we need not experience all the things themselves. What is required is a heart that can feel what a human might feel in a particular situation, may be a painful or a joyful experience. Instead of a thinking head, it is the thinking heart that is likely to result in a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility”, as Wordsworth rightly remarked about poetry.

A common that all parents must be having with their kids these days is that they waste so much time over ‘SMSing’. True! Time is spent but I feel it is not totally wasted – now you might consider it as an attempt to save myself :) But many a times it has happened that an SMS has proved to be food for thought for my ideas starved mind.

So it all depends on your insight where you get your ideas from. You could get inspiration from anywhere and everywhere…so just look around and get going!

Friendship Day contest



Valentines' Day long gone, here knocks at our doors another happening day, that is, Friendship Day (that falls on 7 August this year). It was on 30 July when World Friendship Day was celebrated. Basically, on the twenty seventh day of April this year, United Nations declared that the day of 30 July would be officially celebrated as the International Friendship Day. The age-old tradition has been that it is the first Sunday of August that is marked as Friendship Day.

It is a celebration of the bond of friendship. It is not just about saying things with flowers, friendship day messages, gifts and chocolates, special friendship day bouquets, friendship day cards etc. but it has a lot more to do with feelings of friendship. Ideally, friendship day should be a day of expression of genuine and heartfelt feelings.

Entangled in the web of the modern complexities of life we have forgotten the real essence of this relationship. It is nowadays when we need to ask a person: "Is your friendship with that person a hi-bye kind?" Can somebody tell me since when have we begun categorizing friendship in this way? It is the gift of so called 'modernity'. We might find time to offer a Friendship Day chocolate, a Friendship Day flower or some other gift but we do not have enough time to lend a concerned ear to the others' problems or simply give a lending ear to the venting out of pent-up feelings of your friend.

This year celebrate Friendship Day in a different style...in your own unique style. Do share your thoughts here how you plan to celebrate it or how you celebrated it.

The most unique entry will win a surprise gift.

Last day for entries is 9 August. You can post your entries to:

Email: theliteraryjewels@gmail.com

Mention 'Friendship Day' as the subject of your mail.

Daily Inventory

This is what the word 'inventory' entails according to the Oxford Dictionary:

Pronunciation: /ɪnv(ə)nt(ə)ri/

noun (plural inventories)

• a complete list of items such as property, goods in stock, or the contents of a building.

• chiefly North American a quantity of merchandise or goods held in stock.

• (in accounting) the entire stock of a business, including materials, components, work in progress, and finished product.

You must be wondering why all this has been put here. Now coming to the point as we have the daily inventory in terms of property, merchandise or in accounting, similarly we need to have a daily inventory system in our life too. A day is gone and we are so tired towards the fag end of the day that we don’t give a second thought to what happened during that day.

We can reflect upon our actions, behaviour and what all we have achieved (in accordance with the goals that we had set for ourselves for the day). Actually a few might be having the opinion that we do our best and then leave the rest. This is because many of believe in the policy of ‘forgive and forget’. But my dear, let me suggest that this approach of analyzing at the end of the day is not at all opposed to the philosophy of forgive and forget. Those who want to forget the past and live in present only also can do this exercise without violating the principles that govern their philosophy of life.

In the evening just ask yourself the following questions:

Have you been able to do justice to the tasks that were allotted to you?

Have you accomplished the targets that you had set for yourself for the day?

Have you been in a pleasant mood and not angry at the slightest pretext?

Have you been thoughtful and acted with precaution today?

Have you been a source of inspiration for others or have you put them off with your melancholic approach?

Have you been impartial and just in your approach in judging others?

Have you added something to the existing with your creativity or have you been killing time indulging in petty and unimportant tasks?

Have you added a smile to the lips of the one having tears hanging in his eyes?

Have you improved yourself in the pursuit of being the best edition of yourself?

(P.S. Are you still reading the questions? You better get going so that you can answer them in a much better way by the time it’s evening!!!)

"This world is not perfect." (Dalai Lama)

Pic Src: Hope

“The fact that there is always a positive side to life is the one thing that gives me a lot of happiness. This world is not perfect. There are problems. But things like happiness and unhappiness are relative. Realizing this gives you hope.”

HIS HOLINESS, THE 14^th DALAI LAMA

A short message that can do wonders in making you a better human being! Essentially this world is not at all perfect as we see it and feel it. With all the flaws so glaringly visible (as is shouting from the rooftops) we can hardly call it something perfect. I have frequently heard from my mother that ‘this world needs to be constructed all over again’. As a young one, who is exuberant and enthusiastic, I could not fully grasp the import of these words. Now that I myself have to suffer because of the maladies of this world, I can very well comprehend the psychological implications of these words.

A few years ago I had written a poem, entitled ‘What if’:

What if I can’t cry

when heart is heavy,

I still can wipe a tear

with my laughing eyes.

What if I can’t fly

even if heart wishes to,

I still can soar high

with daring dreams.

What if words fail me

when it is most important,

I still can surely make

my silence expressive.

What if I can’t have

what I wish to,

I still can achieve

what I aspire to.

© Amritbir Kaur

It just depends on your attitude when you see the glassful or as half empty. The fact of the matter is that it contains liquid equal to half the capacity of the glass. The key to success and individual happiness lies in the point of view that you carry. It is often said: ‘It is better to cover your feet than to carpet the whole world’. And then you have a bagful of hopes and aspirations to be fulfilled…

Rose or Thorns



Today, while watching the legendary classic Bollywood movie ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, one of the dialogues in the movie put forth a choice between thorns and a rose. A unique benefit enjoyed by the thorns is that they don’t have the fear of fading away. They are evergreen and stay the same forever. What a unique thought for staying positive forever! Next time when you have to struggle while your counterparts might be enjoying the fruits of success, don’t get disheartened by those obstacles. Remember it is the only the construction of wonders that takes more time than ordinary buildings.

So if you have thorns on your path, keep in mind that God wants to test your courage, the courage to move forward, the courage to achieve their goals at any cost. It is only great men, who have to face tough trials before they get a taste of success. Ordinary men have it without having put in much effort.

The success achieved by the harder way is much longer lasting and permanent, while the easy success is short-lived and even might be just an eye-wash that might go away soon.

Of Valentine's Day and Love

Love is where the heart is. And if you have a heart so big that you can keep your beloved in there forever unconditionally and with full exclusive rights, which nobody else could usurp ever, then you’ll never fall in love, you’ll always rise. Love is an emotion that can make your life so beautiful that you’ll fall in love with your life.

You might order flowers online or shop for soft toys, you might order for a special Valentine’s Day gift or a Valentine’s gift hamper, you might go in for cakes or chocolates but you can never ever put a price tag to even a fraction of a single emotion related to love. Saying that love is priceless is just like saying that the sun provides light. What is needed is that we stop trying to evaluate it. The best way in which we can do that is by watering the plant of love with honesty, dedication, affection, loyalty and lots of care.

When we search on the internet we can find millions of definitions and quotes on love but none of us can define love in words. Even silence can be the best expression of love sometimes. Love is not a slave of words. Love might be hidden silently under the huge heap of verbosity. The inability to perfectly define love in words cannot prove to be an obstacle in our enjoying some of the best love quotes that have been a part of some of the best Hollywood movies from time to time:

“Promise me you’ll survive. That you won’t give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless.” (TITANIC)

“I have crossed oceans of time to find you.” (DRACULA)

“If I had one more night to live…I’d wanna spend it with you.” (PEARL HARBOUR)

“I have no armour left. You’ve stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me, whatever I am, I’m yours.” (CASINO ROYALE)

“You make me want to be a better man.” (AS GOOD AS IT GETS)

What Abraham Lincoln said...

Pic Src: Lesson on Patience

Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Now this is another of those fully loaded statements, which has many times stuff than it seems to point out apparently. May be it is the way we would like to interpret it for our convenience! Often it is just a play of words that is needed for success to succeed. This success required for us to be successful comes through successful attempts that lead to success.

What Lincoln says can be taken as a lesson of patience. Just give it a thought – Would you have the patience to sharpen the axe for four hours? I’m already having second thoughts!!!

Sharpening of axe is the preparatory period – a time when we need to plan for our later actions. It is this planning if done carefully, patiently and with precision, devotion, earnest intentions and concentration, can help us reap us fruits of success.

Patience and planning are the perfect ingredients of a success story. Many of us would be familiar with a story we heard or read in our childhood – ‘The Hen that Laid Golden Eggs’. The farmer didn’t have the patience; he was blinded by his extreme greed. Apart from that what added to his misery was his poor planning. He could have enjoyed the luxury of having an egg of gold daily. But he failed miserably and ended up being empty-handed.

In the twenty first century, man has made his life so rapid paced that he wants everything he wants at his disposal in no time, that is, within the time taken for batting of an eyelid. They adopt shortcuts for achieving their dreams. The X-generation doesn’t want to ‘waste’ time on paving way to their dream goals.

Here what comes to my mind is the incident that happened in the life of two college-going friends, X and Y. There was a basic difference in their attitude towards life. X believed in planning for whatever he had to do. It was ingrained in his habits that he prepared a ‘to-do list’ for each day. Y would often mock at this habit of his friend. He termed it as something very kiddish. He was of the view that we can remember what we are to do according to our needs and that we can decide on the spur of the moment. Within two years of his leaving college, he established himself as a successful architect. But Y was still on the lookout for a job and was almost frustrated at not being able to carve out a niche for himself in the professional field. What I wanted to convey by quoting this anecdote was that it was the variation of their outlook and approach towards life that led to totally contrasting results for both of them. It is very important to mention here that both had similar intellectual capacities. They possessed a good knowledge about their subject and also had the skills to apply that knowledge practically. In other words, they had all that it takes to be successful in one’s respective field.

I wonder if I lost track of what Lincoln’s quote conveys. But anyway it was just a stream of thoughts that brought me to the point where I am going to end my post. Now I myself am guilty of not having planned before writing this post and look where it has brought me!

Now I should better hold my tongue, rather restrict my hands from typing or I’ll have to chew my words! And that is the toughest thing to digest!!!

Words are all I have

Pic Src: Words

Someone said, "Take these words and do what you want to do with them." Now this was something I never expected. Normally words come out so spontaneously that I hardly have to look other quarters for some help. But now I had my hands full with this gift of words. And I had to do something with them.

I always say that words are all I have. They come so easy when it comes to expressing myself in writing. But often it happens that we feel tongue-tied. And that too even when mind is so full of thoughts. This is the exact situation I was in when I received this unique gift.

I took hold of my pen and then it began to flow smoothly onto the blank page in front of me. I had to ink in the tale of life on this empty canvas. And then a word picture emerged. It was my story, a story of how my life changed one day suddenly. It would never be the same again. And was I happy! I was on cloud nine...and the story ended happily with love showering its blessings forever.

Stop Existing, Start Living!

All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.

~Samuel Butler

How well said! We and tend to live life by years and not in moments. Life is not all living a lifetime, the essence lies in living a lifetime in each moment. Enjoy each day to the fullest. It is often said that live each day as if it were your last. I say, live each day as if it were your whole life. This might prove to be a more positive approach towards life in general.

If we consider death as the end of life, we are being apprehensive towards the inevitable future. But if we enjoy the bliss of life in breathing in a lungful of fresh air free of any smoke etc., if we find extreme joy in the chirpings and twitterings in morning fresh breeze, if we can spread cheer around, if we can make at least one crying person smile, if we can do justice to the deserving being deprived of the things that the undeserving have in plenty, if we can laugh at the joke which targets us, if we can just be ourselves at all times, if we don't exhibit a poker-faced personality....then we can say we are living in the real sense of the term. Otherwise we'll be merely existing!!!

So better wake up and start living...stop existing!