Like my earlier blog, this also has it’s trigger in the blog of a friend of mine, describing a religious charity event he witnessed sometime back in the chilly winters of Toronto.
The person observed and participated in a charity food distribution event organized by the local ISKON chapter, accompanied by devotional singing, dancing and the chants of “Hare Krishnaa “ and getting a bit disturbed by what he saw. He accepted that he is a Hindu by belief, and devotee of Sri Krishna and recently been reading the relevant literature of ISKON’s Krishna consciousness.
He may have started his ‘intellectual’ journey, but probably it was too early for him to get seeped into the ‘experiential’ and ritualistic aspects of what he was trying to fathom. Hence his doubts, discomfort and non-acceptance. The deeper bhakti-state of giving over to Krishna would not have allowed for any of the above intellectual/ emotional reaction, because the “me” is gone and only “Krishna” remains anywhere, everywhere.
However, kudo’s to his ability in fathoming his own thoughts and feelings, as a result of this innocuous event. This gave insight to a larger issue afflicting the modern, secular, educated mindset of today’s world.
For lack of better words I would like to call it a rejection, incomprehensibility and fear of the spiritual and related traditions of the culture. What finally emerges out of the material mindset absorbed in rational mathematical logic, is an active shunning of all that’s spiritual, religious and traditional. Finally it manifests itself as an apologetic barrier to anything spiritual. But my view is that the same mathematical logic, and rationality be taken to the extreme, and extended further even to the so called spiritual realm, and it may happen that the spirituality may turn out to be a logical manifestation of the same reality we live in.
Obviously some of the latest historical events and increasing polarization of the world politics around religion are major contributory factors to this mindset of denial. However I would like to speak against this denial, which may create a barrier to getting the most out of our history and traditions for a better today and future. Such denial often stops a free spirit of enquiry, which is detrimental to real knowledge.
Denying religion and a certain cultural ‘fact’ is as good/bad as denying your own roots, or history, but in spite, it remains an unassailable fact. We often see a twisting of historical narrative to further the contemporary gains or the ruling mindset; again a form of denial and inability/ fear of facing the stark reality. Active denial may lead us to a blind spot regarding what had been handed down to us via the evolution of the civilizations, including any good points they may have. Further denial is also a form of ‘extremism’ that many of us abhor. The needed position is not of denial/ apologism but of enquiry, analysis, tolerance and acceptance of what is the contemporary or current state of religiosity. Only when we approach religiosity in an open hearted manner, we may be able to open the bridges across various proponents and pave way for change from the present situation. Some of the best examples of this positive acceptance of spirituality is found in Buddhism as followed by Ashoka, Din-e-Ilahi as initiated by Akbar.
The first step towards an all embracing humanism and true secularity is not denial of faith, especially your own, but a free spirit of enquiry, and acceptance of the historical hand down of traditions. Only then one can begin the journey to multi-faith spirituality, because in essence all are very similar/ close to each other in their fundamentals.
As Mahatma Gandhi said “ I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”
Let us begin the first step not by denial, but by acceptance, and in the same way reach out to others.
Tathaastu!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Synopsis of the Year Past.
Friends, the trigger for this blog has been the readers, as well as my continuously growing sense of self mortification on seeing the date of my previous blog getting older by the minute. Many of you had been prompting me to write something again. Alarmed that my interest in blogging that was displayed before the end of 2008 is seemingly gone, I realized that it is high time to keep the blog updated if only once in a year. Also 2009 got over and we have already moved into 2010.
“I was busy in work and it’s challenges” may turn out to be a lame excuse after all.
After giving it much thought (and my bloody and bruised fight with procrastination) I decided to get back to writing, now when I am back to the ending winter season south of England.
To provide a sense of continuity would try to fill the gap of the last 1 year or so, and go for a synopsis from a ‘personal’ perspective. Hope this would be a catharsis of sorts, and may pave the way/ point to further writings on topics that interest me (and you).
So let me go back in time to the end of 2008.It was a strange time in the world affairs. The economic crash was at it’s worst and, the biggest (in terms of wide reach) recession was at still on nose dive. There were no immediate speculations possible of what the future would hold ; gross uncertainty everywhere. The biggest institutions were falling (ex Lehman), the governments were floundering and the predictors had failed miserably. The already low job security was at it’s worst with cost cutting making us realize that the ‘human resource’ so much touted in management high-circles was nothing but an expendable, insignificant, disposable and powerless entity in the ‘grander economic scheme’ of things that matter to people ‘who matter’.
From a different perspective, it was an era of global realization that we, the underdogs significantly outnumber the uber-dogs of the world, but still at the farthest point of the receiving end.
We all were nothing but “.. just another brick in the wall ..”
The receiving end of this ‘eco-taser’ was very much evident all around, colleagues, friends, relatives and everyone else. It was a sad realization that the democratic contract of the society of giving/handing power over to representatives and institutions, had made most of the population quiet powerless and the institutions becoming uncontrollable juggernauts. The bottom of the pyramid was crying under crushing pressure from the top. A change was needed, but from where?
It was in such tumultuous times I wrote the last blog, trying to gather some dregs of positivity, an elevating focus and hoping for a better era. And that was the beginning of Tathaastu – A Journal of Possibilities. And what better way to beat the feeling of gloom and doom ?
A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then..there seem to be some ‘green shoots’, and hope seems to be returning in some quarters. There may be more blood letting on the financial streets in the short term.. but then the situation should be in control. That is the hope (eternal).
Being jolted from the events around I decided to test the turbulent waters myself; crises may be the best time to try things rather than brooding on the shore. And what better way to learn swimming than jumping finally into the water (with an exit strategy – a life jacket of course).
Soon I had ventured far from my comfort zones, on an exciting and new kind of work, a different culture and faced with (exponentially steep) challenges with potential pitfalls on the way. It seemed I was starting afresh. And it was fun. Slowly and surprisingly it all fell into place and in no time one year was over.
And this move out of my comfort zone served another interesting purpose. A rare opportunity to have ample time with my-own-self. Apart from hectic work life, this was an year of immense learnings, explorations and insights. Some interesting bullet points of the year past were :
• Enjoying the British weather..whatever it may be (and being thankful when the Sun shines; one forgets such gratefulness to nature when in India). Indirectly one more step towards equanimity.
• Space to do a deep dive into the Self, with the help of a few thick tomes on psychology, as a guide. A dormant interest in the subject was hence revived ..and the explorations still continue.
• Contemplations on the nature of life, mortality, death and beyond, God (if there is) plus other things that are non-scientific and in the realm of belief.
• Enjoying my Sunday Subway Italian Toasted BMT with Red wine (and sleeping thereafter)
• Finding some great people to work with (and off work too), who combined ethics, professional soundness with a lot of human sensitivity.
• Getting back into the habit of writing a daily journal (yes I know there were gaps, but I still would like to call it ‘daily’) after my teenage years in IIT
• Having some very interesting conversations regarding life, technology, science, reality and it’s mis-perceptions
• Learning the complexity of Forex business, and gaining some more clarity about the economic mumbo jumbo behind it.
• Continuing the struggle with GTD (Getting Things done), and it’s concepts, ever growing lists, next actions and softwares that promise ALL can be done. I have still not given up and have evolved it into a “GTD by CTD” (* Getting Things Done by Cutting Through Distractions). Watch out David Allen when I come with my own edition with what you missed.
• Laying my hands on ‘The Secret’ and having a kerb side discussion about it with the cab driver who was dropping me back home at 4.00 AM in the cold morning
• Making friends with a ‘book-warehouse’ owner and spending hours and pounds to increase my already heavy collection of books of all hues
• Revisiting after 25 years the excitement of the Star Trek, becoming an addict to SF yet once again, and trying to buy the entire collection/ all the series.
• Introduction to the world of social networking and still figuring my way in that web2.0 world
• Developing a long wish list and still wishing..
So the quest continues, but to provide a fitting end, here are some of my key learnings of the year past:
• We control not the events but the interpretation and reaction to those events
• There are all kinds of people that make the world, learn to accept them and keep working on building bridges
• Openness, friendliness, sincerity, care and sensitivity follow the law of reflection
• Giving may be the best way to get.
• Being in a comfort zone may not be the best way to evolve; butterfly comes out when the pupa goes through the pain of fighting out of it’s shell
• You need to keep your spirits above the water before trying to keep your head above the water.
• One CAN ACTUALLY remain alive and sane (saner) without any television/ cable
• To err is human but to forgive is a ‘better human’.
• Try to give others the benefit of doubt, because you may need that benefit many times in your life.
Wishing you all better times ahead, and may you get what you ‘really’ want. Tathaastu!
“I was busy in work and it’s challenges” may turn out to be a lame excuse after all.
After giving it much thought (and my bloody and bruised fight with procrastination) I decided to get back to writing, now when I am back to the ending winter season south of England.
To provide a sense of continuity would try to fill the gap of the last 1 year or so, and go for a synopsis from a ‘personal’ perspective. Hope this would be a catharsis of sorts, and may pave the way/ point to further writings on topics that interest me (and you).
So let me go back in time to the end of 2008.It was a strange time in the world affairs. The economic crash was at it’s worst and, the biggest (in terms of wide reach) recession was at still on nose dive. There were no immediate speculations possible of what the future would hold ; gross uncertainty everywhere. The biggest institutions were falling (ex Lehman), the governments were floundering and the predictors had failed miserably. The already low job security was at it’s worst with cost cutting making us realize that the ‘human resource’ so much touted in management high-circles was nothing but an expendable, insignificant, disposable and powerless entity in the ‘grander economic scheme’ of things that matter to people ‘who matter’.
From a different perspective, it was an era of global realization that we, the underdogs significantly outnumber the uber-dogs of the world, but still at the farthest point of the receiving end.
We all were nothing but “.. just another brick in the wall ..”
The receiving end of this ‘eco-taser’ was very much evident all around, colleagues, friends, relatives and everyone else. It was a sad realization that the democratic contract of the society of giving/handing power over to representatives and institutions, had made most of the population quiet powerless and the institutions becoming uncontrollable juggernauts. The bottom of the pyramid was crying under crushing pressure from the top. A change was needed, but from where?
It was in such tumultuous times I wrote the last blog, trying to gather some dregs of positivity, an elevating focus and hoping for a better era. And that was the beginning of Tathaastu – A Journal of Possibilities. And what better way to beat the feeling of gloom and doom ?
A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then..there seem to be some ‘green shoots’, and hope seems to be returning in some quarters. There may be more blood letting on the financial streets in the short term.. but then the situation should be in control. That is the hope (eternal).
Being jolted from the events around I decided to test the turbulent waters myself; crises may be the best time to try things rather than brooding on the shore. And what better way to learn swimming than jumping finally into the water (with an exit strategy – a life jacket of course).
Soon I had ventured far from my comfort zones, on an exciting and new kind of work, a different culture and faced with (exponentially steep) challenges with potential pitfalls on the way. It seemed I was starting afresh. And it was fun. Slowly and surprisingly it all fell into place and in no time one year was over.
And this move out of my comfort zone served another interesting purpose. A rare opportunity to have ample time with my-own-self. Apart from hectic work life, this was an year of immense learnings, explorations and insights. Some interesting bullet points of the year past were :
• Enjoying the British weather..whatever it may be (and being thankful when the Sun shines; one forgets such gratefulness to nature when in India). Indirectly one more step towards equanimity.
• Space to do a deep dive into the Self, with the help of a few thick tomes on psychology, as a guide. A dormant interest in the subject was hence revived ..and the explorations still continue.
• Contemplations on the nature of life, mortality, death and beyond, God (if there is) plus other things that are non-scientific and in the realm of belief.
• Enjoying my Sunday Subway Italian Toasted BMT with Red wine (and sleeping thereafter)
• Finding some great people to work with (and off work too), who combined ethics, professional soundness with a lot of human sensitivity.
• Getting back into the habit of writing a daily journal (yes I know there were gaps, but I still would like to call it ‘daily’) after my teenage years in IIT
• Having some very interesting conversations regarding life, technology, science, reality and it’s mis-perceptions
• Learning the complexity of Forex business, and gaining some more clarity about the economic mumbo jumbo behind it.
• Continuing the struggle with GTD (Getting Things done), and it’s concepts, ever growing lists, next actions and softwares that promise ALL can be done. I have still not given up and have evolved it into a “GTD by CTD” (* Getting Things Done by Cutting Through Distractions). Watch out David Allen when I come with my own edition with what you missed.
• Laying my hands on ‘The Secret’ and having a kerb side discussion about it with the cab driver who was dropping me back home at 4.00 AM in the cold morning
• Making friends with a ‘book-warehouse’ owner and spending hours and pounds to increase my already heavy collection of books of all hues
• Revisiting after 25 years the excitement of the Star Trek, becoming an addict to SF yet once again, and trying to buy the entire collection/ all the series.
• Introduction to the world of social networking and still figuring my way in that web2.0 world
• Developing a long wish list and still wishing..
So the quest continues, but to provide a fitting end, here are some of my key learnings of the year past:
• We control not the events but the interpretation and reaction to those events
• There are all kinds of people that make the world, learn to accept them and keep working on building bridges
• Openness, friendliness, sincerity, care and sensitivity follow the law of reflection
• Giving may be the best way to get.
• Being in a comfort zone may not be the best way to evolve; butterfly comes out when the pupa goes through the pain of fighting out of it’s shell
• You need to keep your spirits above the water before trying to keep your head above the water.
• One CAN ACTUALLY remain alive and sane (saner) without any television/ cable
• To err is human but to forgive is a ‘better human’.
• Try to give others the benefit of doubt, because you may need that benefit many times in your life.
Wishing you all better times ahead, and may you get what you ‘really’ want. Tathaastu!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Greetings for 2009 and Beyond.
The Christmas season is on us, and the new year is just around the corner.
Some time back during a casual conversation among a group of friends, I asked the gathering what are they planning for the coming holiday season ? And what about any new year resolutions ? Without getting into the details, suffice it to say, that many of the answers reflected the bleakness that’s pervading our mental, political and economic landscape. Interestingly, during this year end, I have observed much less number of greeting mails so far, as compared to the previous years. (Hope that everyone is busy and waiting till the last moment.) Also there have been many reports in various publications regarding the increase in incidence of depression, suicidal tendencies, stress related symptoms and other psychological problems, many being triggered by the recent socio-politico-economic trends.
It is indeed a natural reaction to succumb to the sense of despair, hopelessness, gloom, impending doom and the negativity that’s being dished out in media and in our conversations. Therefore there is all the more need to get out of this state of mind, to correct the perspective, and to help spread some cheerful and uplifting thoughts. With this as a motivation I decided to pen this greeting-blog-post.
Apart from the regular partying, celebrations and travels which many would be enjoying this time of the year, here are some additional thought pointers for improving the general state of being. You may like to brainstorm or research further, and who knows, you may find a new year resolution here too. Here they are :1. Forgive others and forgive yourself, and be at peace with yourself
2. Develop a list of things, events, people, ancestors to be thankful for. Find reasons to be thankful about.
3. ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, and that holds true for these troubled times as well. This too will pass and the world will be different again.
4. This has happened before. Both in our personal lives and outside, there (may) have been tumultuous times and severe economic depressions. But people were able to come out of all that stronger and enlightened.
5. All in all, it is just a ‘chemical’ state of mind, YOUR mind. Be an observer outside of yourself, and see that it is all the chemicals that are playing havoc, coupled with your conditioning ? Be aware, and break free to be happy.
6. You may not control external events, but your REACTIONS you can. As humans we have ‘free choice’. Exercise it wisely to manage your reactions.
7. Use your reminiscences and memories of good times in the past to keep you going NOW. Derive some positive energies, motivation and enthusiasm from the recesses of your mind and use it to fight the challenges of TODAY.
8. ACT positive, successful, happy and enthusiastic; you will actually start feeling all that.
9. Bond with your family, by sharing/ telling a story. Tell about your personal anecdotes, a moving story of faith & survival and you will find the collective sense of enthusiasm and peace going up.
10. Remember that in any adversity lie hidden, the seeds of improvement. Use this time to plan anew and learning from past mistakes.
11. Make new friends and let the old one’s know that you fondly remember them. Renew the old ties and create some new ones. They will go a long way in your life, both in good times and bad times.
12. Do some charity and feel good about yourself as a ‘human being’, especially in these very materialistic and greedy times.
13. Do some exercise outdoors (if the weather allows), it will reduce your stress. Just take a walk in your neighborhood.
14. Wear a SMILE
15. Indulge in some tasty food ( in moderation though). Good food followed by a small piece of chocolate will give you a ‘high’ within no time; and it is legal!
16. Realize : Today is the ‘first day’ of the rest of your ‘life’. Stay with this thought for some time.
17. Try to learn something new, a subject, a skill, a new language, a software, a game or anything you may fancy. This will keep you positively engaged and keep your mental juices flowing
18. Create a daily list of 'Positivity' items. These are the items that you have felt good about, happy, elated, enthused, energised or for that matter anything that had a positive appeal to you. Dont restrict or wait for the bigger things. Even small events like a baby in the supermarket smiling at you, or, you finally were able to clean up your attic, would be fit to be added to this list. Read this list often preferably at the end of the day, turning back some pages. It could be a useful tool for searching, identifying, recording and re-living your happy moments, anytime, everytime and ALL THE TIME.
In the end, I would like to share an excerpt from the poem 'In Memoriam' by Tennyson. I had often found it rather uplifting.
With this I wish for you all BETTER and BRIGHTER times ahead.
Tathaastu – (It IS indeed possible!)
Some time back during a casual conversation among a group of friends, I asked the gathering what are they planning for the coming holiday season ? And what about any new year resolutions ? Without getting into the details, suffice it to say, that many of the answers reflected the bleakness that’s pervading our mental, political and economic landscape. Interestingly, during this year end, I have observed much less number of greeting mails so far, as compared to the previous years. (Hope that everyone is busy and waiting till the last moment.) Also there have been many reports in various publications regarding the increase in incidence of depression, suicidal tendencies, stress related symptoms and other psychological problems, many being triggered by the recent socio-politico-economic trends.
It is indeed a natural reaction to succumb to the sense of despair, hopelessness, gloom, impending doom and the negativity that’s being dished out in media and in our conversations. Therefore there is all the more need to get out of this state of mind, to correct the perspective, and to help spread some cheerful and uplifting thoughts. With this as a motivation I decided to pen this greeting-blog-post.
Apart from the regular partying, celebrations and travels which many would be enjoying this time of the year, here are some additional thought pointers for improving the general state of being. You may like to brainstorm or research further, and who knows, you may find a new year resolution here too. Here they are :1. Forgive others and forgive yourself, and be at peace with yourself
2. Develop a list of things, events, people, ancestors to be thankful for. Find reasons to be thankful about.
3. ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, and that holds true for these troubled times as well. This too will pass and the world will be different again.
4. This has happened before. Both in our personal lives and outside, there (may) have been tumultuous times and severe economic depressions. But people were able to come out of all that stronger and enlightened.
5. All in all, it is just a ‘chemical’ state of mind, YOUR mind. Be an observer outside of yourself, and see that it is all the chemicals that are playing havoc, coupled with your conditioning ? Be aware, and break free to be happy.
6. You may not control external events, but your REACTIONS you can. As humans we have ‘free choice’. Exercise it wisely to manage your reactions.
7. Use your reminiscences and memories of good times in the past to keep you going NOW. Derive some positive energies, motivation and enthusiasm from the recesses of your mind and use it to fight the challenges of TODAY.
8. ACT positive, successful, happy and enthusiastic; you will actually start feeling all that.
9. Bond with your family, by sharing/ telling a story. Tell about your personal anecdotes, a moving story of faith & survival and you will find the collective sense of enthusiasm and peace going up.
10. Remember that in any adversity lie hidden, the seeds of improvement. Use this time to plan anew and learning from past mistakes.
11. Make new friends and let the old one’s know that you fondly remember them. Renew the old ties and create some new ones. They will go a long way in your life, both in good times and bad times.
12. Do some charity and feel good about yourself as a ‘human being’, especially in these very materialistic and greedy times.
13. Do some exercise outdoors (if the weather allows), it will reduce your stress. Just take a walk in your neighborhood.
14. Wear a SMILE
15. Indulge in some tasty food ( in moderation though). Good food followed by a small piece of chocolate will give you a ‘high’ within no time; and it is legal!
16. Realize : Today is the ‘first day’ of the rest of your ‘life’. Stay with this thought for some time.
17. Try to learn something new, a subject, a skill, a new language, a software, a game or anything you may fancy. This will keep you positively engaged and keep your mental juices flowing
18. Create a daily list of 'Positivity' items. These are the items that you have felt good about, happy, elated, enthused, energised or for that matter anything that had a positive appeal to you. Dont restrict or wait for the bigger things. Even small events like a baby in the supermarket smiling at you, or, you finally were able to clean up your attic, would be fit to be added to this list. Read this list often preferably at the end of the day, turning back some pages. It could be a useful tool for searching, identifying, recording and re-living your happy moments, anytime, everytime and ALL THE TIME.
In the end, I would like to share an excerpt from the poem 'In Memoriam' by Tennyson. I had often found it rather uplifting.
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
With this I wish for you all BETTER and BRIGHTER times ahead.
Tathaastu – (It IS indeed possible!)
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