Just a Thought about Life

There is a unity in human life, irrespective of difference in nationality, colour, creed, religion.  All over the world, persons with similar character traits can be seen.  A vast majority of people take birth, eat, sleep,  grow young, make money, marry, carry out routine prayers, produce children, grow old and die. Similar routine is prevalent all over the world; of course there may be outward differences, modes and methods of carrying out the things.

Large number of people just pass their lives in inner blindness, controlled by materialistic desires, lust and lie.  Of course, there may be persons with small desires and persons with big desires, persons who are striving for their first crore and persons committed to get nth crore.  But in actuality, there is no difference.  The net effect of greed and desires, big or small, on human mind is always the same.  

On the other side, there have been persons in every country who have devoted their whole life for finding the truth, the meaning and purpose behind this apparently meaningless existence. They have tried to describe life, sometimes in bulky books and at other times in one-line proverbs. Their paths may be different and at times may seem opposite, but their basic goal remains common –   to increase understanding of life, to arrive at a higher level of awareness and the final realization of the self. 

But these all are mere words.  No one can get real benefit from others’ words. We won’t reach anywhere even if we strictly followed these scriptures.  Each of us who wants to go further than the routine materialistic rat race, has to find his/her own meaning, his/her own goal and has to experience the ultimate reality first hand –   no gathered knowledge helps here.

Seeking More and More Wealth

A few days back, there was a news item in TV about a billionaire sportsman who had asked for income tax rebate in respect of the money he pays to his parents every month as the same was paying back of the money spent earlier by them on his education etc.
This is not the first instance of billionaires asking for income tax rebate.  At different times, rebates have also been sought on import of gifted luxury cars and other goods.  In fact, most of our richest persons miss no opportunity in getting tax rebate or for making more and more money through cheap land purchase etc. etc.

The hunger for money in our richest persons is just unstoppable.  Even if you possess 1000 crores, the lust for the next crore continues.

In contract, in America and European countries, billionaires donate a major portion of their earnings regularly for charitable purpose.  In fact, the richest of them (perhaps now he is no more the richest) donated almost half of his wealth for charitable purpose.  There was also a news item that following the magnanimous Bill Gates, forty top American industrialists and businessmen had asked government to take away half of their wealth through taxation or otherwise and use it for the public welfare schemes.

In India, there more saints and spiritual masters than anywhere in the world, helping in the spiritual advancement of persons and telling about the ultimate uselessness of the material wealth. Why are then the rich people in India more materialists and self centred than their counterparts elsewhere

Biggest weakness = biggest strength

A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. "Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened." No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue. "Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him.The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered.
"First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in
all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

Moral of the story: 
Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame God, for the circumstances and our self for it, but we never know that our weakness can become our strength one day. Each of us is special and important in this world, so never think you have any weakness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it….

Sharping brain…

There are two basic principles to keep your brain healthy and sharp: variety and curiosity. When anything you do becomes second nature, you need to make a change. If you can do the crossword puzzle in your sleep, it's time for you to move on to a new challenge in order to get the best workout for your brain. Curiosity about the world around you, how it works and how you can understand it will keep your brain working fast and efficiently. Use the ideas below to help attain your quest for mental fitness & turn your brain into a powerful thinking machine:

1. Read a Book

Pick a book on an entirely new subject. Read a novel set in Egypt. Learn about economics or philosophy . There are many excellent popular non-fiction books that do a great job entertaining you while teaching about a subject. Become an expert in something new each week. Branch out from familiar reading topics. If you usually read history books, try a contemporary novel. Read foreign authors, the classics and random books. Not only will your brain get a workout by imagining different time periods, cultures and peoples, you will also have interesting stories to tell about your reading, what it makes you think of and the connections you draw between modem life and the words.

2. Play Games

Games are a wonderful way to tease and challenge your brain. Suduko, crosswords and electronic games can all improve your brain's speed and memory. These games rely on logic, word skills, math and more. These games are also fun. You'll get benefit more by doing these games a little bit every day-spend 15 minutes or so, not hours.

3. Use Your Opposite Hand

Spend the day doing things with your non-dominant hand. If you are left-handed, open doors with your right hand. If you are right-handed, try using your keys with your left. This simple task will cause your brain to lay down some new pathways and rethink daily tasks. Wear your watch on the opposite hand to remind you to switch.

4. Learn Phone Numbers

Our modem phones remember every number that calls them. No one memorizes phone numbers anymore, but it is a great memory Skill. Learn a new phone number everyday.

5. Eat for Your Brain

Your brain needs you to eat healthy fats. Focus on fish oils from wild salmon, nuts such as walnuts, seeds such as flax seed and olive oil. Eat more of these foods and less saturated fats. Eliminate transfats completely from your diet.

6. Break the Routine

We love our routines. We have hobbies and pastimes that we could do for hours on end. But the more something is second nature, the less our brains have to work to do it. To really help your brain stay young, challenge it. Change routes to the grocery store, use your opposite hand to open doors and eat dessert first. All this will force your brain to wake up from habits and pay attention again.

7. Go a Different way

Drive or walk a different way to wherever you go. This little change in routine helps the brain practice special memory and directions. Try different side streets go through stores in a different order anything to change your route.

8. Learn a New Skill

Learning a new skill works multiple areas of the brain. Your memory comes into play, you learn new movements and you associate things differently. Reading Shakespeare, learning to cook and building an airplane out of tooth picks all will challenge your brain and give you something to think about.

9. Make Lists

Lists are wonderful. Making lists helps us to associate items with one another. Make a list of all the places you have traveled. Make a list of the tastiest foods you have eaten. Make a list of the best presents you have been given. Make one list every day to jog your memory and make new connections. But don't become too reliant on them. Make your grocery list, but then try to shop without it. Use the list once you have put every item you can think of in your cart. Do the same with your "to do" lists.

10. Choose a new skill

Find something that captivates you that you can do easily in your home and doesn't cost too much. Photography with a digital camera, learning to draw, learning a musical instrument learning new cooking styles, or writing are all great choices.