(One of my friends emailed me that "Nature is everyone's friend indeed because its the same for everyone", and that sparked off the thought process that entails this blog.)
I didnt mean for the title to sound like a high school physics lesson, but I've learned that those three words have plenty of wisdom packed in them. The property of fire is to burn, of water is to cool - stating the obvious? perhaps...bear with me, I will come to my point. We don't expect anything other than a substance's property and we merely maneuver our way around nature's properties...Why then, do we expect people to be different than they are? If a person's property is to sting with words, or another's property is forgetfulness, why do we take it personal and expect them to be more of our property?
I've realized that most often, people do a certain thing, not because they want to hurt you, but because they honestly dont think they have any other choice for their personal happiness or whatever comes close to it.
We humans are selfish beings and I dont mean it in a derogatory way. Being selfish is one of our properties. Even when we do good to someone else, its because we feel good doing so. Selflessness may be a virtuous trait, but I honestly believe its un-natural for humans to be so.
I believe most of the time we 'expect' something of someone (that they normally wouldnt do), we are really saying, "do something thats un-natural for you, something thats not your property, but something I want. " We probably think they are unkind, thoughtless, unloving for doing things that they do. Implicit in that thought, is the truth that we are unkind for expecting others' behavior to be consistent with our desires.
What do you think???
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Superficious superstitious beliefs
When I hear of people (well-meaning) warning me of dire consequences if I dont follow the family protocols of several centuries, I wonder if their threats are too different from the viral chain emails that demand that you forward the email to 20 people, which if you do, you will win instant lottery and if you don't, the next car on the street will devour you. I don't think I know everything and granted that these seemingly superstitious beliefs had some base in reason centuries ago, but why are we following without questioning? My belief is that,inherent in my culture is a tendency to obey, to be submissive - qualities that have been exacerbated by centuries of colonial rule.
Chromosomally, we probably have the survival instinct warning us not to question the person in authority, whether at home or at work, so to not hamper the bread winning process.
I love for people to follow what they believe in, and by the same token, avoid influencing by coercion or cajoles, the free-will of another to decide for themselves....Unless their opinions are sought, of course.
But then it doesn't really matter what I want, does it? As long as I'm pushing against it, I know it will come to me. I've been loving Byron Katie's work, that I'd like to put it to test for a while. More about Byron Katie later. :-)
Chromosomally, we probably have the survival instinct warning us not to question the person in authority, whether at home or at work, so to not hamper the bread winning process.
I love for people to follow what they believe in, and by the same token, avoid influencing by coercion or cajoles, the free-will of another to decide for themselves....Unless their opinions are sought, of course.
But then it doesn't really matter what I want, does it? As long as I'm pushing against it, I know it will come to me. I've been loving Byron Katie's work, that I'd like to put it to test for a while. More about Byron Katie later. :-)
Friday, September 4, 2009
Jason Mraz
The genreless song, "I'm Yours", by Jason Mraz is apparently making history. I have to admit it is fresh, uplifting and makes your soul do a little dance, just listening to it. I was introduced to it on the radio and the song organically grew on me - I didn't know who the singer was, nobody told me it was good...it was one of those things that you cannot attribute it to a fad or a in-thing or an extraneous factor. The simplicity of the song, minimal instruments, original music are truly moving. Rhythm and melody intertwined perfectly..I'm no connoisseur of music, but in the recent years, few songs have evoked this reaction in me. I melt into "I'm Yours" and let this number work its magic on me.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Seeming Coincidence!
I was experiencing Monday morning blues yesterday, feeling bored at the thought of start of another week or routine, work, running around and same old.
So.. I was driving in to work and for some reason the song, 'For a Moment Like This, Some People Wait a Lifetime', kept playing over and over in my head. I hadn't really listened to it in a while and it was boom out of nowhere. A couple minutes after dropping my son off, I remembered to turn on my radio and it was the very same song playing in the radio!!! What are the odds of that?? So its a fairly popular song, and I wanted to dismiss the radio playing the song as a mere coincidence, but what startled me was that it happened at the exact instant I turned on the radio. It was as if someone hit you on the back of your head and asked you to take notice.
Take notice? Of what? I don't know.
But the thought that came to me was that, life has got to be more than mere everyday living and what we can merely perceive with our five senses. This seeming coincidence seemed to tell me to be open to greater connections out there waiting to be explored, grander happenings than the mundane activities that entail making a living, eager anticipation of the next moment while savoring the present, and.... to be prepared to be smacked in the head if the feeling of boredom ever sets in!!! Now, that smack in head, I can handle and welcome!! :-)
So.. I was driving in to work and for some reason the song, 'For a Moment Like This, Some People Wait a Lifetime', kept playing over and over in my head. I hadn't really listened to it in a while and it was boom out of nowhere. A couple minutes after dropping my son off, I remembered to turn on my radio and it was the very same song playing in the radio!!! What are the odds of that?? So its a fairly popular song, and I wanted to dismiss the radio playing the song as a mere coincidence, but what startled me was that it happened at the exact instant I turned on the radio. It was as if someone hit you on the back of your head and asked you to take notice.
Take notice? Of what? I don't know.
But the thought that came to me was that, life has got to be more than mere everyday living and what we can merely perceive with our five senses. This seeming coincidence seemed to tell me to be open to greater connections out there waiting to be explored, grander happenings than the mundane activities that entail making a living, eager anticipation of the next moment while savoring the present, and.... to be prepared to be smacked in the head if the feeling of boredom ever sets in!!! Now, that smack in head, I can handle and welcome!! :-)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Life Being a Series of Aha Moments
Sometimes I like to look at the nature around me, imagining myself to be from a different planet and looking at earth for the first time and I'm awe-struck at the colors, the landscape and the beauty of our planet - one we take for granted.
As huge as my planet is, astronomy tells me that its a mere speck in the explored universe...and I'm probably an amoebic creature (in the vastness of whats around me), leading my own little life, with unwarranted worrying about future, unneeded brooding of the past, while missing the beauty and love around me thats ready to encompass me in its grandeur, if only I'd let myself enjoy my present moment.
Most of us have forgotten the joys of (re-)discovering things. We forget to inquire, question, ponder, wonder...in the mundane tasks that entail making a living, we forget to lose ourselves in awe of something or someone. Oh, what joy when something you've been grappling with, suddenly gets clearer, when the fog lifts, when someone flicks the light switch on.
Oh, how I'd love for my life to be a series of aha moments!!!
As huge as my planet is, astronomy tells me that its a mere speck in the explored universe...and I'm probably an amoebic creature (in the vastness of whats around me), leading my own little life, with unwarranted worrying about future, unneeded brooding of the past, while missing the beauty and love around me thats ready to encompass me in its grandeur, if only I'd let myself enjoy my present moment.
Most of us have forgotten the joys of (re-)discovering things. We forget to inquire, question, ponder, wonder...in the mundane tasks that entail making a living, we forget to lose ourselves in awe of something or someone. Oh, what joy when something you've been grappling with, suddenly gets clearer, when the fog lifts, when someone flicks the light switch on.
Oh, how I'd love for my life to be a series of aha moments!!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
We Are All Connected
It dawned me on me today, that we are all connected beings. Even though, its something we hear about all the time that we are connected, there is always a shift in consciousness when a seemingly mundane truth is, "realized." No longer can we hope for only ourselves to be successful. No longer can we hope for salvation only for us. We all either rise together or we fall together. The stock markets around the world rallying behind the United States' economic performance is one glaring everyday example. The United States is in turn dependent on the rest of the world for its business-as-usual. The world wide web connects us from any corner of the world. People of common thoughts, ideologies and views form unions not bound by physical distances anymore. We've weaved an intricate virtual web of sharing knowledge, wisdom and everything in between, merely by inhabiting in the world of electrons. How cool is that!!
I believe that even though all of human and non-human consciousnesses all come from a common 'Source' that some others choose to call 'God', today, we are more connected at several levels than at any time in the recent past. Lets celebrate the successes of our closest competitors, for that gives us hope and inspiration to do better. Lets foresee the future achievements of those that have yet to realize it themselves.
I see a world of abundance and prosperity, health and luxury, beauty and creativity, unlimited joy, not just for me, but for everyone, no matter whether our paths have crossed or not. That's a nice thought to go to bed with - isn't it? :-)
I believe that even though all of human and non-human consciousnesses all come from a common 'Source' that some others choose to call 'God', today, we are more connected at several levels than at any time in the recent past. Lets celebrate the successes of our closest competitors, for that gives us hope and inspiration to do better. Lets foresee the future achievements of those that have yet to realize it themselves.
I see a world of abundance and prosperity, health and luxury, beauty and creativity, unlimited joy, not just for me, but for everyone, no matter whether our paths have crossed or not. That's a nice thought to go to bed with - isn't it? :-)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Head Vs Heart
A recent conversation with my cousin sparked my thought process about my personal views of what to follow when there is a conflict between the heart and the head. These are my personal opinions, not in anyway absolute truth, that came about because of my life experiences. Before I go further I need to define what I commonly refer to, as the Head and the Heart.
The Head or the mind is a great tool, that lets us analyze and decode a problem, find solutions and is an information processor, whether you're interested in watching the grass grow or listening to a Nobel laureate's dissertation, depending on your level of training. The mind operates in the finite realm, which is why, trying to comprehend the enormity of the Universe or the beginning of time or the concept of God, mostly eludes us, if we used the mind alone.
Contrary to its most common association, emotions are not your heart. Emotions are felt there, but thats just one of the uses of the metaphorical heart. Heart is the part of you, that feels. Its like a magnetic compass, that tells you if you are going north or south.
Making a decision when angry or agitated is not acting from the heart. Infact its far from it. Finding oneself in a state of extreme anger or sadness is often the case when one is not connected with one's heart. (The cause may be justified, but the fact remains - you are not connected with your heart).
Feelings are great, because they cannot be controlled. Their expressions can be controlled, but not the feeling itself. For example, a success in something feels good inside, loss of a personal item/person feels not so good, however much you attempt to mask your feelings about the ups and downs of life. Feeling emotions is natural and what we are born with.
Some spiritual teachers abhor the use of the mind and many extremely logical thinkers deny the use of the heart, but I believe these are two tools that help us lead a better life and neither one in isolation would help make our lives more meaningful.
So what do you do when your mind tells you to do something and that doesn't feel right...or metaphorically, your heart says the opposite? In my personal experience, the heart has been right. Because the heart is intuitive and tends to know a little more than the mind - it can sense the unknown. This is not mystical or psychic - just a tool that all of us humans have. Not all of us have been taught to pay attention to how we feel. But that might just be the key to unlocking our future, or what we refer to as 'luck'.
When I feel anxious without reason, I know that I should be careful where I tread, and try to check inside and feel if taking a different course makes me feel better. When I feel good without any particular reason, I know that I'm on the right track.
Like I said in the beginning of the blog, this is personal, but I can see how the exact argument can be made in favor of the mind and all I would say is, "Do what you've learned from YOUR experience", because words don't teach, only life experience does. :)
The Head or the mind is a great tool, that lets us analyze and decode a problem, find solutions and is an information processor, whether you're interested in watching the grass grow or listening to a Nobel laureate's dissertation, depending on your level of training. The mind operates in the finite realm, which is why, trying to comprehend the enormity of the Universe or the beginning of time or the concept of God, mostly eludes us, if we used the mind alone.
Contrary to its most common association, emotions are not your heart. Emotions are felt there, but thats just one of the uses of the metaphorical heart. Heart is the part of you, that feels. Its like a magnetic compass, that tells you if you are going north or south.
Making a decision when angry or agitated is not acting from the heart. Infact its far from it. Finding oneself in a state of extreme anger or sadness is often the case when one is not connected with one's heart. (The cause may be justified, but the fact remains - you are not connected with your heart).
Feelings are great, because they cannot be controlled. Their expressions can be controlled, but not the feeling itself. For example, a success in something feels good inside, loss of a personal item/person feels not so good, however much you attempt to mask your feelings about the ups and downs of life. Feeling emotions is natural and what we are born with.
Some spiritual teachers abhor the use of the mind and many extremely logical thinkers deny the use of the heart, but I believe these are two tools that help us lead a better life and neither one in isolation would help make our lives more meaningful.
So what do you do when your mind tells you to do something and that doesn't feel right...or metaphorically, your heart says the opposite? In my personal experience, the heart has been right. Because the heart is intuitive and tends to know a little more than the mind - it can sense the unknown. This is not mystical or psychic - just a tool that all of us humans have. Not all of us have been taught to pay attention to how we feel. But that might just be the key to unlocking our future, or what we refer to as 'luck'.
When I feel anxious without reason, I know that I should be careful where I tread, and try to check inside and feel if taking a different course makes me feel better. When I feel good without any particular reason, I know that I'm on the right track.
Like I said in the beginning of the blog, this is personal, but I can see how the exact argument can be made in favor of the mind and all I would say is, "Do what you've learned from YOUR experience", because words don't teach, only life experience does. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
