The Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years. Scaling this time down to 46 years we have been around for 4 hours and our Industrial Revolution began just 1 minute ago.
Looking at it with above scale out life on earth is so negliblably negligably small that we don't practically exist from a cosmic perspctive. With respect to universe if we don't exist how can our problems,success failure exist. May be this can be co-related to the "Everything is an illusion form Gita".
All I am trying to say - "If we can reduce the weightage we give to success/failure that hits us everyday, we can stop these from getting to us. This means we have better inner peace."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Real World Ahimsa
Let me begin with a basic statement. I don't like Gandhi for a lot of reasons. But that is not the focus of this post. But the philosophy of Ahimsa I feel is relevant.It is funny contradicts the phrase "Criticise the idea, not the person" in this case "I like the idea, not the person". This is similar to I don't believe Krishna , God-demons but I do believe that Gita and its philosophies makes life better to live.
Ahmisa is the opposite of Himsa which means "Violence" this needs to be interpreted as not just physical violence but mental violence. I consider violence is an act performed to inflict PAIN be
it physical or mental. So ahimsa is the art of not causing pain to others in any form.
In this blog my quick thoughts at Ahmisa in the house and at work.
Himsa at home
- As children we talk back / defy parents.
- As spouses we scold / put down / insult / scorn our partners.
- As parents we do the same to our kids.
Himsa at Work
- Admonish subordinates when they make a mistake.
- Put down support staff.
- Launch verbal/non-verbal attacks on peer when in competition.
Somethings which come to my mind
- Never insult or scold loved one.
- React in a delayed manner. Hold back instant reactions.
- Consciously make sure you do not hurt anyone with words. Pain caused by words never heal.
- NEVER EVER INSULT people. You can never win by insulting, maybe you can put them down for sometime. It is difference between capturing and winning over.
- Even though people around you don't meet your standards in ethics/ hard work/ cleanliness/ sincerity whatever THEY STILL HAVE TO RESPECTED AS HUMANS. Having a bad habit is a criteria to treat another person as a lesser mortal. I guess that is also DISCRIMINATION. Discrimination in any for is bad.
I can hear people saying - "Dude, this is easier said than done , Thanks for the advice." :-)
- Never think low of another person just because the other does meet your expectations. He does deserve respect as a human being. For e.g. this could be your 3 year old kid who did not drink milk for the 100th time.
- There is no way you can expect to get respected by someone who you just insulted.
- More often than not the ones who are subdued momentarily look for a chance to rebel. A friend of mine after adjusting to his parents for 30 years refuse to come to India just his parents stay here.
If we make a conscious effort not to inflict pain even unintentionally to people around us , our lives will become better. I guess there is a "Self-fish" motive of wanting to do this , that being I having a peaceful and harmonious life with my surroundings.
Would love to hear from others if I am practical or too theoretical here.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Me compose and sang a song. WOW!! what is world coming too,
This is a song (listen here) I created by a cool software from MSR. Not for the faint hearted music lovers. :-) :-)
My own lyrics ( pretty naive..)Life is so simple
If your time was ample
But it is never simple
Coz of the tangles
We get in every angle.
Rather than wait for angels
Let's change the angles
To break our shackles
To break our shackles
To blow our blues
Break our shackles
Blow our blues
Life will become simple
Life will become simple
And FUNNY!!!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
CEOs Killed
I am looking at the headlines
1.CEO in U.S killed
2.CEO in India killed
3.Tata plant in West Bengal dropped.
4.Naxalite activity on the increase.
5.Call center employees killed/robbed.
Is there a pattern to the above news items. I can see something, I sincerely hope I am imagining it. This seems to a results of growing gap between the rich and poor.
In olden days money was not flaunted as it is today. When a poor person walks on the street he can see money flowing as clothes,mobiles,cars. Think of a poor middle class man walking through a mall with his family and can't spend anything but see people around just throwing money. There is a frustration building up inside him. My cab driver remarked a few days back "What will I do if all the software people increase prices so much?". There is an anger in the normal society against software or the new age industries (BPO/finance) which give great salaries.
I can see the anger against the raising prices not directed toward the economy but a group of society which is a sense responsible for this meteoric rise in prices.I think the new UPPER MIDDLE CLASS is the main culprit.
Few things happening for a middle/poor class in cities in India
1. They cannot practically live in the city. They have to travel at least 2 hours daily. Every minute of their travel they are getting angrier. Gosh I shudder to think how angry they will get with every passing day.
2.They cannot give their children basic education as all education costs have gone through the roof. Schools ask for both educated parents ( read parent willing to spend money freely ). The children grow up with anger.
There is so much anger brewing under the surface. I really worry how the society will be 10 years in future. Think of some form of Russian/French revolution where the poor raise as their basic existence itself comes under threat.
I think the middle class needs to become more aware of this situation and behave responsibly. I am not asking all to donate their wealth to the needy and become philanthropists.
A few things that come to my mind.
1.Don't throw money just because you have it.
2.Treat others especially poor with utmost RESPECT and CARE.
3.Try to lead a subdued life.
4.Avoid flaunting money. ( Imagine a wedding in an airplane, when poor cant even afford marriages in a temple).
5.Try to find ways to give employment. Don't haggle with you the labour class too much , just treat it as an opportunity to share your wealth.
6.Spend time talking to them understand that the wealth gotten is not easy money but hard earned. We feel why should I explain to some labour/domestic help about how I earned my money. I feel this to take upon a social responsibility of educating the poor that money is made not by luck but hard work.
Bottom line.
GIVE RESPECT FOR THE FOLLOWING
1.People around you.
2.Money that you earn and spend.
3.Feelings expressed by people working for you. Please note whether these feelings are right or wrong is irrelevant. They have to respected.
WE SHOULD LEARN TO RESPECT EVERYTHING AROUND US.
As a last the one aspect we respect least today is environment. I am sure it is going to hit us back. I had a wild thought that Tsunami was of nature expressing its anger.
1.CEO in U.S killed
2.CEO in India killed
3.Tata plant in West Bengal dropped.
4.Naxalite activity on the increase.
5.Call center employees killed/robbed.
Is there a pattern to the above news items. I can see something, I sincerely hope I am imagining it. This seems to a results of growing gap between the rich and poor.
In olden days money was not flaunted as it is today. When a poor person walks on the street he can see money flowing as clothes,mobiles,cars. Think of a poor middle class man walking through a mall with his family and can't spend anything but see people around just throwing money. There is a frustration building up inside him. My cab driver remarked a few days back "What will I do if all the software people increase prices so much?". There is an anger in the normal society against software or the new age industries (BPO/finance) which give great salaries.
I can see the anger against the raising prices not directed toward the economy but a group of society which is a sense responsible for this meteoric rise in prices.I think the new UPPER MIDDLE CLASS is the main culprit.
Few things happening for a middle/poor class in cities in India
1. They cannot practically live in the city. They have to travel at least 2 hours daily. Every minute of their travel they are getting angrier. Gosh I shudder to think how angry they will get with every passing day.
2.They cannot give their children basic education as all education costs have gone through the roof. Schools ask for both educated parents ( read parent willing to spend money freely ). The children grow up with anger.
There is so much anger brewing under the surface. I really worry how the society will be 10 years in future. Think of some form of Russian/French revolution where the poor raise as their basic existence itself comes under threat.
I think the middle class needs to become more aware of this situation and behave responsibly. I am not asking all to donate their wealth to the needy and become philanthropists.
A few things that come to my mind.
1.Don't throw money just because you have it.
2.Treat others especially poor with utmost RESPECT and CARE.
3.Try to lead a subdued life.
4.Avoid flaunting money. ( Imagine a wedding in an airplane, when poor cant even afford marriages in a temple).
5.Try to find ways to give employment. Don't haggle with you the labour class too much , just treat it as an opportunity to share your wealth.
6.Spend time talking to them understand that the wealth gotten is not easy money but hard earned. We feel why should I explain to some labour/domestic help about how I earned my money. I feel this to take upon a social responsibility of educating the poor that money is made not by luck but hard work.
Bottom line.
GIVE RESPECT FOR THE FOLLOWING
1.People around you.
2.Money that you earn and spend.
3.Feelings expressed by people working for you. Please note whether these feelings are right or wrong is irrelevant. They have to respected.
WE SHOULD LEARN TO RESPECT EVERYTHING AROUND US.
As a last the one aspect we respect least today is environment. I am sure it is going to hit us back. I had a wild thought that Tsunami was of nature expressing its anger.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Why this blog ?
A humble attempt to look at something which the world at large in a particular and I force myself to look at it from opposite angle. After there always multiple perspectives. Similat to popular Yin-Yang philosophy.
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