Rest is all we want. Rest unto our souls, the end of all our wishes and pursuits. In the morning of our life, we take the wings and fly to all parts of the world, seeking pleasures, riches and titles. We flew higher out of ambition and stooped low out of avarice, hoping surely that we will get somewhere as long as we flew long enough or high enough. It may not be exactly where we wanted to get to, but certainly we got somewhere. We tried all the extremes, to earn the living and make the living worthwhile. After many miserable experiments in the search for the prospect of finding it, we reach the evening of our life,. With tired wings and spirit, we retire to rest. We fondly recall our MIDDLE AGE, probably the happiest period in life, when the eager passions of the youth are cooled and the infirmities of age, not yet begun. Just as the shadows are so large in the morning and evening, almost entirely disappear at midday.
It is said that we suffer less as we grow older...that pain, like joy becomes dulled by repetition or by the callousness that comes with years. In one sense it is true. If there is no joy like the joy of youth, the rupture of first love, the thrill of a first achievement. God's great mercy has also granted that there is no anguish like youth's pain, so total , so hopeless. This never comes in after life, because the sufferer has lived and learnt.
Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright, the longer we live; and the reason for everything appears more clear. What has puzzled us before, seem less mysterious now and the crooked path look straighter as we approach the end.
It is said that we suffer less as we grow older...that pain, like joy becomes dulled by repetition or by the callousness that comes with years. In one sense it is true. If there is no joy like the joy of youth, the rupture of first love, the thrill of a first achievement. God's great mercy has also granted that there is no anguish like youth's pain, so total , so hopeless. This never comes in after life, because the sufferer has lived and learnt.
Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright, the longer we live; and the reason for everything appears more clear. What has puzzled us before, seem less mysterious now and the crooked path look straighter as we approach the end.
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2 LOVELY LOGIC
1. Make peace with the past, so it does not spoil your present.
2. What other think of you, is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost anything. Give the time, some time.
4. No one is the reason for your happiness, except you yourself.
5. Do not compare your life with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
6. Stop thinking too much. It is alright not to know all the answers.
7. SMILE ........ You do not own all the problems in the world.
2. What other think of you, is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost anything. Give the time, some time.
4. No one is the reason for your happiness, except you yourself.
5. Do not compare your life with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
6. Stop thinking too much. It is alright not to know all the answers.
7. SMILE ........ You do not own all the problems in the world.
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3 TO THINE OWN SELF...BE TRUE
We begin aiming for the best. Youth is naturally idealistic. But older and wiser people smile at our faiths. We want to prove them wrong. Secretly we believe in love, marriage, loyalty, courage and incorruptibility. We cherish in showering politeness to relations, compassion to strangers, wickedness to the bad, love for the good, obedience to the law, humility before the learned, valor against the enemies, patience and care to elders and shrewdness with women. We love the job for job's sake,exert our talents and try to distinguish ourselves. We plant ourselves indomitably with this seed of ideals and want to grow into huge proportions, startling the world. We never thought of retiring from this world, until the world will be sorry that we retired. Gradually we find that honor, compassion and truth do not mean so much as we thought. As years roll by, we find that love and marriage are good jokes; we discover loyalty is merely stupid and dull. We are overcome with self-satisfaction, distrust, weariness, cynicism and false values. Certainly the foundations of our ideals crumble with these punctures. We wonder what went wrong. Gradually, we begin to feel that the perfect path would have been the other way round. We could be born old and start growing younger, cleaner, simpler and more innocent, year after year, until at last, with a pure, noble soul of little children, we lay ourselves down to eternal sleep. The world would be much better that way.....
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I am truly blessed. I pray and thank GOD for giving me so much in life, especially sound mind. I am fortunate as many others don’t have as much. That is why I count my blessings. I feel guilty to ask or expect more. I enjoy finer things of life. I don’t believe austerity brings you closer to GOD or strengthens your faith. I believe in working hard and contributing whatever way I can. I also enjoy the fruits of my work. I don’t turn to GOD only when I need him. I share with HIM my moments of joy, success and a good deed done and also in moments when I think I have done wrong, to regret or to justify. Life does have its ups and downs, challenging moments. I seek strength and courage in PRAYER. There is so much that science and logic cannot explain. I strongly believe in Destiny.
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4 P R A Y E R
Make me normal, I would pray, Keep me balanced, day by day
Cool and gentle, if I can choose, ready to laugh and rejoice
Super Senior as I am now, full of experience, as you know
Ready to dish out my expertise and wisdom, left and right
With endless details, day and night, to prove my worth.
Always ready to speak and clarify on every topic or subject.
Sort out the problems and manage crisis, shell out solutions,
Gift and give away quick-fix remedies with free counseling.
It seems a pity, not everybody feel obliged to take it..
The circle of my friends keep dwindling or busy elsewhere.
Make me normal, I would pray, Keep me balanced, day by day
Cool and gentle, if I can choose, ready to laugh and rejoice.
I am growing old day by day, rattling and talkative.
Set me free from my fancy that all are eager to listen my talk.
Grant me the wisdom, to seal my lips and listen to their woes
Help me to yield my ears; hear their views and complaints
With sympathy , understanding and a bit of charity.
Silence me on my own gains and pains, which keep increasing
And my inclination to recount them also keep growing.
Make me normal, I would pray, Keep me balanced, day by day
Cool and gentle, if I can choose, ready to laugh and rejoice.
Make me sympathetic, helpful without being troublesome.
Teach me to appreciate; find stuff and skill in others
Make me sober and humble in my sojourn with friends
You know that in the end, I will need a few friends.
Give me the grace to tell them so, I need them more.
We begin aiming for the best. Youth is naturally idealistic. But older and wiser people smile at our faiths. We want to prove them wrong. Secretly we believe in love, marriage, loyalty, courage and incorruptibility. We cherish in showering politeness to relations, compassion to strangers, wickedness to the bad, love for the good, obedience to the law, humility before the learned, valor against the enemies, patience and care to elders and shrewdness with women. We love the job for job's sake,exert our talents and try to distinguish ourselves. We plant ourselves indomitably with this seed of ideals and want to grow into huge proportions, startling the world. We never thought of retiring from this world, until the world will be sorry that we retired. Gradually we find that honor, compassion and truth do not mean so much as we thought. As years roll by, we find that love and marriage are good jokes; we discover loyalty is merely stupid and dull. We are overcome with self-satisfaction, distrust, weariness, cynicism and false values. Certainly the foundations of our ideals crumble with these punctures. We wonder what went wrong. Gradually, we begin to feel that the perfect path would have been the other way round. We could be born old and start growing younger, cleaner, simpler and more innocent, year after year, until at last, with a pure, noble soul of little children, we lay ourselves down to eternal sleep. The world would be much better that way.....
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I am truly blessed. I pray and thank GOD for giving me so much in life, especially sound mind. I am fortunate as many others don’t have as much. That is why I count my blessings. I feel guilty to ask or expect more. I enjoy finer things of life. I don’t believe austerity brings you closer to GOD or strengthens your faith. I believe in working hard and contributing whatever way I can. I also enjoy the fruits of my work. I don’t turn to GOD only when I need him. I share with HIM my moments of joy, success and a good deed done and also in moments when I think I have done wrong, to regret or to justify. Life does have its ups and downs, challenging moments. I seek strength and courage in PRAYER. There is so much that science and logic cannot explain. I strongly believe in Destiny.
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4 P R A Y E R
Make me normal, I would pray, Keep me balanced, day by day
Cool and gentle, if I can choose, ready to laugh and rejoice
Super Senior as I am now, full of experience, as you know
Ready to dish out my expertise and wisdom, left and right
With endless details, day and night, to prove my worth.
Always ready to speak and clarify on every topic or subject.
Sort out the problems and manage crisis, shell out solutions,
Gift and give away quick-fix remedies with free counseling.
It seems a pity, not everybody feel obliged to take it..
The circle of my friends keep dwindling or busy elsewhere.
Make me normal, I would pray, Keep me balanced, day by day
Cool and gentle, if I can choose, ready to laugh and rejoice.
I am growing old day by day, rattling and talkative.
Set me free from my fancy that all are eager to listen my talk.
Grant me the wisdom, to seal my lips and listen to their woes
Help me to yield my ears; hear their views and complaints
With sympathy , understanding and a bit of charity.
Silence me on my own gains and pains, which keep increasing
And my inclination to recount them also keep growing.
Make me normal, I would pray, Keep me balanced, day by day
Cool and gentle, if I can choose, ready to laugh and rejoice.
Make me sympathetic, helpful without being troublesome.
Teach me to appreciate; find stuff and skill in others
Make me sober and humble in my sojourn with friends
You know that in the end, I will need a few friends.
Give me the grace to tell them so, I need them more.
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5 F O R G E T N O T
5 F O R G E T N O T
Keep these essential papers in place and inform at least one family member so that your heirs don't have to run from pillar to post to inherit what is rightfully theirs.
1) Primary documents
These include your birth certificate, marriage certificate, PAN card,passport, election ID card and the Aadhaar card. Will be needed when transferring assets to your heirs.
2) Insurance details
The purpose of life insurance will be defeated if your family is in thedark. Make a list of all the policies, mentioning the name of insurers,policy numbers, insured sums and the tenures.
3) Pension documents
If you have an NPS account, mention the account number and nomination details. Give the pension account number with your employer.
4) Property papers
All property-related documents should be in one place. If theproperty is mortgaged, keep photocopies. Mention the loan account number and the latest outstanding amount. If property is insured, mention policy coverage.
5) Bank account details
Make a list of various bank accounts, giving the name of the bank, the account number, holding pattern and the nomination details.
6) Bank locker details
Mention the name of bank, locker number, ownership pattern and whereabouts of the key. Maintain an inventory of items kept in the locker and update every time you operate it.
7) Demat account details
Give the name of depository partner, demat account number and nomination details. If possible, update the details of the securities in the demat account.
1) Primary documents
These include your birth certificate, marriage certificate, PAN card,passport, election ID card and the Aadhaar card. Will be needed when transferring assets to your heirs.
2) Insurance details
The purpose of life insurance will be defeated if your family is in thedark. Make a list of all the policies, mentioning the name of insurers,policy numbers, insured sums and the tenures.
3) Pension documents
If you have an NPS account, mention the account number and nomination details. Give the pension account number with your employer.
4) Property papers
All property-related documents should be in one place. If theproperty is mortgaged, keep photocopies. Mention the loan account number and the latest outstanding amount. If property is insured, mention policy coverage.
5) Bank account details
Make a list of various bank accounts, giving the name of the bank, the account number, holding pattern and the nomination details.
6) Bank locker details
Mention the name of bank, locker number, ownership pattern and whereabouts of the key. Maintain an inventory of items kept in the locker and update every time you operate it.
7) Demat account details
Give the name of depository partner, demat account number and nomination details. If possible, update the details of the securities in the demat account.
8) Other investments
Give details of the PPF account and folio numbers of other post office investments. Make a list of mutual fund investments, mentioning folio numbers, ownership pattern and nomination details.
9) Loans and Receivables
If you have taken or given private loans to relatives or friends, mention the amount and the date by when these are payable/ receivable.
10) Online passwords
Though these are to be kept secret, keep a list for emergency reference. Mention the website, the online ID and the password.
Give details of the PPF account and folio numbers of other post office investments. Make a list of mutual fund investments, mentioning folio numbers, ownership pattern and nomination details.
9) Loans and Receivables
If you have taken or given private loans to relatives or friends, mention the amount and the date by when these are payable/ receivable.
10) Online passwords
Though these are to be kept secret, keep a list for emergency reference. Mention the website, the online ID and the password.
Keep this in mind
This information is to be kept secret and accessed only if the main breadwinner of the family has either died or is in a medical emergency. Update the information regularly. How often you do this depends on your convenience and the changes in investments. The information listed above is very basic. you may want to add more details of other assets along the same lines.You may want to make an online version of this information as well, but make sure it is on a secure site.
The road to maturity takes time to evolve. From immaturity to maturity is a strange phenomenon. Sometimes it is sudden and many times it is uncertain. The symptoms are subtle. One day we discover that our mind is scattered and diffused and that we are burning our energy in anxiety. We also discover how to manage restlessness and tensions. The dark clouds hovering over us do not disturb us anymore. We learn that self -pity and resentment hurt only us . We find that talent is always admired and character is also rewarding.. We come to understand that most people are neither for us nor against us..... They are thinking about themselves. We learn that no matter how hard we try to please some people in this world, they are not going to like us........a lesson that is at first disturbing and then really quite relaxing. From merely skimming over the surface of life, we move over to a higher pedestal of outlook.
In middle age we never understand what the world is presenting to us. We are not thankful. We have no appreciation for all we are given. We are disrespectful to all these gifts. We become sick because we act in sickening ways, like how we eat because it is time to eat, not because we are hungry. We live life in the same way. We rarely experience what is before us now and we want something else. We pursue something or the other, not because it is required; and we are thwarted at every turn. Having more does not make us happier. But still we keep acquiring more and still more. We keep chasing and running after things that are plenty within ourselves. All the time our soul is craving and longing for something else. We do not realise why and where we are rushing to. The destination and goal is hazy but the race is on.
Only in old age, we retire ourselves and lean back to think of the past, our mistakes, our success and our accomplishments. Old age brings out the essential characteristics of man. If we prepare our minds to give up small pleasures, adjust with the younger generation, there will be no issues and regrets in old age. We should make some simple life changes. Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind age, it does not matter, say some people. So, keep busy always and do not think of old age. If you are young, you are not quite far away.
It’s not how old you are, but how you are old. anon ------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a busy morning, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I saw him look at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed and while re-dressing his wound, I began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer' s Disease . As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are? "
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, " She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is ." I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."
True love is neither physical, nor romantic.
True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.
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10. THIS WAY PLEASE
The priest visited the old man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. As he was about to start the prayer, the bed-ridden old man, spoke.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At the temple I used to hear the priest talk about prayer, but it did not help me.I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ' Prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with God. Here is what I suggest: Sit down in a chair and place an empty chair in front of you. In faith see God on that chair. Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now. 'He will be with you always.'
"So I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the asylum."
The priest was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue the same. Then he returned to the temple.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the priest that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head in the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"
The priest wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."
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11. S O U L M A T E
There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most. He adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her & gave her nothing but the best.He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men...!He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be in the other world..."
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep my company? ...."No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out: " I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go...!" The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
The 4th wife is OUR BODY.
No matter how much time & effort we lavish and adore, it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is OUR ASSETS,
possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is OUR FAMILY and FRIENDS.
No matter how intimate they were, the furthest they can stay by us is, up to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact OUR SOUL.
Often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual pleasure, It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. H AT S O F F
When I was young, I was crazy hearing the Beatles singing " I want to hold your hands". What a sensation it made those days. Every young man in love cherishes the exciting moments of holding hands of his lady-love. Holding and taking someone's hand is always the beginning of a journey.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. They held my pen, brushes, tools, rackets, balls, cycles, when I went to school, games and for my job.. It wiped my tears when I went off to far off places away from home.. They swam in the river and climbed the trees. These hands learnt and played musical instruments to entertain my friends. These hands played games and won accolades for me. These hands drew and painted bewitching scenes and made me an artist. These hands wrote and typed my thoughts and made me a writer of stories and articles. . They have held children, consoled neighbors, congratulated friends and shook in fists of anger when provoked. They clapped in excitement and appreciation. Everything, including the future was in my hands
With my wedding band, they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They have been raw, uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. They lifted him high over my shoulders, pushed, swung and rocked the cradle in which he slept. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.They look after me totally. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands hold me up, lay me down, keep me functioning and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of my achievements, where I've been and what I did with my life. When I caress the face of my children and wife, I thank my hands for transmitting the personal touch of love and care shown by me.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and hold when he leads me to His abode.. And He won't care about where these hands have been or what they have done. What He will care about is to whom these hands belong and how much He loves these hands. And with these hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the feet of God. I am forever indebted to my hands.
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13. M Y D A D D Y
Moments to go before Grand Finale of Miss India BEAUTY QUEEN, the 5 finalists were called out. It’s now time for the deciding question.
“If it were the last day of your life, who would you spend it with,and why?”
0ne of the judges posed the question to Contestant No. 3. The dazzling beauty thought for a few moments and then came the answer:
" A Father has a prime role to play in the life of his daughter. He is the first male that a girl comes across and hence, becomes the role model of her life. She sees the reflection of men in the rest of the world, through her dad and often perceives that all men should be like her father. Right from her childhood to adolescence to adulthood, he plays an influential role in her life. He is the guide, the saviour, the protector, a friend and most importantly, the ultimate caretaker, who nourishes her in the loving and protective atmosphere set by him. I have seen my daddy assuming multifaceted role, which keeps changing with the changing phases of my life.
I would like to dedicate the last day of my life to my Father, and those 24 hours I would want to spend in his company. MY HEART BELONGS TO MY DADDY. "
What followed was a thundering applause. The Judge looked amazed with the answer. ‘Is your lucky father around.’ asked the Judge ’Yes, he is very much there’, replied the contestant.
The Judge requested the lucky father to please stand up wherever he was.The proud father stood up and waved his hand. Thousands of eyes turned towards him, cameras and flashlights moved towards the proud father. And there was another round of great applause for him. He was touched. He was emotional. He folded his hands and thanked the crowd for the applause. There were tears in his eyes. He had received the greatest gift of his life from his daughter.
This is a true story of love, affection and dedication of a Daughter
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14. ELIXIR OF LIFE
Once a GURU was giving a discourse to thousands of his followers about SAMSARA संसार and worldly attachments to family, assets and pleasures. The agony and burden of earthly life was attributed to our inherent attraction to beauty, pleasure, fame, popularity, glory, possessions etc., and the associated anxiety of insecurity, of challenges and threats of losing them to others, as the mother of all troubles. The lecture was so enlightening and engrossing about the futility and meaninglessness of earthly life as against the everlasting state of nirvana or MOKSHA मोक्ष in heavenly life depicting the blissful experience of no desire, no sleep, no worry, no suffering and no regrets.
It was at this moment, a messenger of GOD appeared there and offered to take anyone willing, to such blissful place up there in heaven. The startled crowd was in a dilemma and for a long time, none appeared to accept the offer. An 80 year old man showed some interest and agreed to go with the messenger, at a later date, after witnessing the marriage of his grandchildren. When the messenger came again after a few years, the old man was already dead and had taken re-birth as a dog in the same household. The messenger recognized the old man and asked him to accompany him. The old man (now dog) said that he is now busy safe guarding the house, assets and his people and that he shall join him at a later date. The messenger came again after a few years and found that the dog had died and was reborn as a frog and living in the drain near the kitchen. The messenger of GOD reminded the old man ( now frog) about the earlier promise and offered to take him to the blissful heaven. The frog flatly refused and said that it was quite happy there in the drain with unlimited and continuous supply of food and drink from the drain. The Heaven was still the last priority.
This is the real story of life. Life seems to be an experience in ascending and descending. The passion and attachment to life's gifts are alluring for ever and the mind is reluctant to be deprived of that. The craze to attain and the anxiety to retain and safeguard it and the constant fear of not losing it, is the eternal anchor of life. Even GOD cannot help redemption of such living beings.
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15 W H Y M E ?
Arthur Ashe, the legendary tennis player who won Wimbledon championship, was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a deadly disease?"
To this Arthur Ashe replied: "The world over -- 50,000,000 children start playing tennis, 5,000,000 learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, When I was holding the winner's trophy I never asked GOD " Why me ? ". And today in pain I should not be asking GOD " Why me ? "
In life we go through plenty of events and experiences, some positive, good, happy or joyful and others negative, bad, miserable, sorrowful or painful. When positives happen in our lives we never question God as to " Why I have been singled out for such good and happy experiences ? " We never even express our gratitude. But when even minor negatives happen in our lives we immediately question God as to " Why I have been singled out for such bad and painful experiences ? "
If we accept the positives and good that happen in our lives without question and without even expressing our gratitude, then we should also accept the negatives and bad that happen in our lives without question. The source of both, the positive and negative events and experiences in our lives is our own praarabdha karma (actions performed in our past lives, which have fructified and as a result manifested our present lives.) We are ourselves responsible for it. So we have no choice but to accept them as they are. It is not easy, especially if we don't know the practical means to deal with it.
Spirituality helps us to deal with problems of life in an equanimous way. The more spiritual we become, the more spiritual knowledge we have, and more importantly, the more we practise that knowledge in our daily lives, we will be able to maintain calm, amidst all that is happening in our lives and the chaos around us.
Happiness keeps us Sweet, Trials keep us Strong,
Sorrow keeps us Human, Failure Keeps us Humble,
Success keeps us Glowing, But only God Keeps us Going
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16) OUTLINE OF LIFE
This information is to be kept secret and accessed only if the main breadwinner of the family has either died or is in a medical emergency. Update the information regularly. How often you do this depends on your convenience and the changes in investments. The information listed above is very basic. you may want to add more details of other assets along the same lines.You may want to make an online version of this information as well, but make sure it is on a secure site.
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6 from HERE to MATURITY.... The road to maturity takes time to evolve. From immaturity to maturity is a strange phenomenon. Sometimes it is sudden and many times it is uncertain. The symptoms are subtle. One day we discover that our mind is scattered and diffused and that we are burning our energy in anxiety. We also discover how to manage restlessness and tensions. The dark clouds hovering over us do not disturb us anymore. We learn that self -pity and resentment hurt only us . We find that talent is always admired and character is also rewarding.. We come to understand that most people are neither for us nor against us..... They are thinking about themselves. We learn that no matter how hard we try to please some people in this world, they are not going to like us........a lesson that is at first disturbing and then really quite relaxing. From merely skimming over the surface of life, we move over to a higher pedestal of outlook.
In middle age we never understand what the world is presenting to us. We are not thankful. We have no appreciation for all we are given. We are disrespectful to all these gifts. We become sick because we act in sickening ways, like how we eat because it is time to eat, not because we are hungry. We live life in the same way. We rarely experience what is before us now and we want something else. We pursue something or the other, not because it is required; and we are thwarted at every turn. Having more does not make us happier. But still we keep acquiring more and still more. We keep chasing and running after things that are plenty within ourselves. All the time our soul is craving and longing for something else. We do not realise why and where we are rushing to. The destination and goal is hazy but the race is on.
Only in old age, we retire ourselves and lean back to think of the past, our mistakes, our success and our accomplishments. Old age brings out the essential characteristics of man. If we prepare our minds to give up small pleasures, adjust with the younger generation, there will be no issues and regrets in old age. We should make some simple life changes. Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind age, it does not matter, say some people. So, keep busy always and do not think of old age. If you are young, you are not quite far away.
It’s not how old you are, but how you are old. anon ------------------------------------------------------------------
7. How are You...?
There's nothing the matter with me,
I'm just as healthy as can be,
I have arthritis in both knees,
And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze.
My pulse is weak, my blood is thin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
All my teeth have had to come out,
And my diet I hate to think about.
I'm overweight and I can't get thin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
And arch supports I need for my feet.
Or I wouldn't be able to go out in the street.
Sleep is denied me night after night,
But every morning I find I'm all right.
My memory's failing, my head's in a spin.
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
Old age is golden I've heard it said,
But sometimes I wonder, as I go to bed.
With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
And my glasses on a shelf, until I get up.
And when sleep dims my eyes, I say to myself,
Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
The reason I know my Youth has been spent,
Is my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went!
But really I don't mind, when I think with a grin,
Of all the places my get-up has been.
I get up each morning and dust off my wits,
Pick up the paper and read the obits.
If my name is missing, I'm therefore not dead,
So I eat a good breakfast and jump back into bed.
The moral of this as the tale unfolds,
Is that for you and me, who are growing old.
It is better to say "I'm fine" with a grin,
Than to let people know the shape we are in.
I'M FINE...! HOW ARE YOU ..?
I'm just as healthy as can be,
I have arthritis in both knees,
And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze.
My pulse is weak, my blood is thin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
All my teeth have had to come out,
And my diet I hate to think about.
I'm overweight and I can't get thin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
And arch supports I need for my feet.
Or I wouldn't be able to go out in the street.
Sleep is denied me night after night,
But every morning I find I'm all right.
My memory's failing, my head's in a spin.
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
Old age is golden I've heard it said,
But sometimes I wonder, as I go to bed.
With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
And my glasses on a shelf, until I get up.
And when sleep dims my eyes, I say to myself,
Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
The reason I know my Youth has been spent,
Is my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went!
But really I don't mind, when I think with a grin,
Of all the places my get-up has been.
I get up each morning and dust off my wits,
Pick up the paper and read the obits.
If my name is missing, I'm therefore not dead,
So I eat a good breakfast and jump back into bed.
The moral of this as the tale unfolds,
Is that for you and me, who are growing old.
It is better to say "I'm fine" with a grin,
Than to let people know the shape we are in.
I'M FINE...! HOW ARE YOU ..?
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9. T R U E L O V E
8. ॐ MEDICINE OR MANTRA
Abdul chants ‘Aum’ ॐ 30 times during his walk at park every morning and swears it has significantly helped in healing his acute arthritic pain.
“I used to pray seated in a chair because of acute knee pain from arthritis acquired from long hours of doing business standing. Thanks to the yoga asanas, breathing exercises and the chanting of ‘ॐ ’, I am now able to kneel on the mat for my namaz five times a day,” said the 50-year-old shop-keeper, talking excitedly about the wholesome healing experienced at the government yoga and naturopathy college hospital. “When the doctors explained that chanting ‘ॐ ’ is not religious but provides therapeutic gain, I readily agreed to follow that. I am happy I did it,” Abdul told Deccan Chronicle. The Doctor, an assistant professor of yoga, says she had prescribed ‘ॐ ’ chanting for even cancer patients, along with other naturopathy medicines. “....The chant controls the secretion of stress hormones and acts as a pain reliever. It is scientific as the chant creates a neuro and psycholinguist's effect while a positive aura forms around your body when you do it......”
There are several patients at the hospital — including Muslims and Christians — who have benefited from chanting ‘ॐ ’, prescribed along with yoga asanas and nature healers, and gained relief from ailments such as pain, insomnia, stress, stuttering and other speech difficulties.
The case of 55-year-old Thomas, a senior army officer tormented by ankylosing spondylitis for over a year, is another example. He has healed from chanting ‘ॐ ’ and practising asanas आसन and breathing exercises.
“Thomas’s case sheet reveals that after two months of practice, he could flex his joints and his sleep cycle got normal,” said the Doctor, expressing happiness that more and more patients are turning to ‘ॐ ’ and other natural healers.
Abdul chants ‘Aum’ ॐ 30 times during his walk at park every morning and swears it has significantly helped in healing his acute arthritic pain.
“I used to pray seated in a chair because of acute knee pain from arthritis acquired from long hours of doing business standing. Thanks to the yoga asanas, breathing exercises and the chanting of ‘ॐ ’, I am now able to kneel on the mat for my namaz five times a day,” said the 50-year-old shop-keeper, talking excitedly about the wholesome healing experienced at the government yoga and naturopathy college hospital. “When the doctors explained that chanting ‘ॐ ’ is not religious but provides therapeutic gain, I readily agreed to follow that. I am happy I did it,” Abdul told Deccan Chronicle. The Doctor, an assistant professor of yoga, says she had prescribed ‘ॐ ’ chanting for even cancer patients, along with other naturopathy medicines. “....The chant controls the secretion of stress hormones and acts as a pain reliever. It is scientific as the chant creates a neuro and psycholinguist's effect while a positive aura forms around your body when you do it......”
There are several patients at the hospital — including Muslims and Christians — who have benefited from chanting ‘ॐ ’, prescribed along with yoga asanas and nature healers, and gained relief from ailments such as pain, insomnia, stress, stuttering and other speech difficulties.
The case of 55-year-old Thomas, a senior army officer tormented by ankylosing spondylitis for over a year, is another example. He has healed from chanting ‘ॐ ’ and practising asanas आसन and breathing exercises.
“Thomas’s case sheet reveals that after two months of practice, he could flex his joints and his sleep cycle got normal,” said the Doctor, expressing happiness that more and more patients are turning to ‘ॐ ’ and other natural healers.
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It was a busy morning, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I saw him look at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed and while re-dressing his wound, I began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer' s Disease . As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are? "
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, " She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is ." I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."
True love is neither physical, nor romantic.
True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.
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10. THIS WAY PLEASE
The priest visited the old man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. As he was about to start the prayer, the bed-ridden old man, spoke.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At the temple I used to hear the priest talk about prayer, but it did not help me.I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ' Prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with God. Here is what I suggest: Sit down in a chair and place an empty chair in front of you. In faith see God on that chair. Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now. 'He will be with you always.'
"So I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the asylum."
The priest was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue the same. Then he returned to the temple.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the priest that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head in the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"
The priest wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."
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11. S O U L M A T E
There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most. He adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her & gave her nothing but the best.He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men...!He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be in the other world..."
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep my company? ...."No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out: " I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go...!" The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
The 4th wife is OUR BODY.
No matter how much time & effort we lavish and adore, it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is OUR ASSETS,
possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is OUR FAMILY and FRIENDS.
No matter how intimate they were, the furthest they can stay by us is, up to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact OUR SOUL.
Often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual pleasure, It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. H AT S O F F
When I was young, I was crazy hearing the Beatles singing " I want to hold your hands". What a sensation it made those days. Every young man in love cherishes the exciting moments of holding hands of his lady-love. Holding and taking someone's hand is always the beginning of a journey.
हम वोह है , जिन्दगी मे कभी साथ न छोड़ेंगे .
थामेंगे अगर हाथ तो , फिर हाथ न छोड़ेंगे
हम हाथ न छोड़ेंगे , तूफान से किनारों तक
Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you so well throughout your years. These hands, though now wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools,we have used all over our life, to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught the fall when as a toddler we crashed upon the floor. They put food in our mouth and clothes on our back. They held the hands of our mother, learning to walk with her. They tied our shoes and pulled on our boots. My mother taught me to fold my hands in prayer. " Whatever you do, make certain your hands are clean. " was her advice, both pragmatic and philosophical... As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. They held my pen, brushes, tools, rackets, balls, cycles, when I went to school, games and for my job.. It wiped my tears when I went off to far off places away from home.. They swam in the river and climbed the trees. These hands learnt and played musical instruments to entertain my friends. These hands played games and won accolades for me. These hands drew and painted bewitching scenes and made me an artist. These hands wrote and typed my thoughts and made me a writer of stories and articles. . They have held children, consoled neighbors, congratulated friends and shook in fists of anger when provoked. They clapped in excitement and appreciation. Everything, including the future was in my hands
With my wedding band, they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They have been raw, uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. They lifted him high over my shoulders, pushed, swung and rocked the cradle in which he slept. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.They look after me totally. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands hold me up, lay me down, keep me functioning and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of my achievements, where I've been and what I did with my life. When I caress the face of my children and wife, I thank my hands for transmitting the personal touch of love and care shown by me.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and hold when he leads me to His abode.. And He won't care about where these hands have been or what they have done. What He will care about is to whom these hands belong and how much He loves these hands. And with these hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the feet of God. I am forever indebted to my hands.
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13. M Y D A D D Y
Moments to go before Grand Finale of Miss India BEAUTY QUEEN, the 5 finalists were called out. It’s now time for the deciding question.
“If it were the last day of your life, who would you spend it with,and why?”
0ne of the judges posed the question to Contestant No. 3. The dazzling beauty thought for a few moments and then came the answer:
" A Father has a prime role to play in the life of his daughter. He is the first male that a girl comes across and hence, becomes the role model of her life. She sees the reflection of men in the rest of the world, through her dad and often perceives that all men should be like her father. Right from her childhood to adolescence to adulthood, he plays an influential role in her life. He is the guide, the saviour, the protector, a friend and most importantly, the ultimate caretaker, who nourishes her in the loving and protective atmosphere set by him. I have seen my daddy assuming multifaceted role, which keeps changing with the changing phases of my life.
I would like to dedicate the last day of my life to my Father, and those 24 hours I would want to spend in his company. MY HEART BELONGS TO MY DADDY. "
What followed was a thundering applause. The Judge looked amazed with the answer. ‘Is your lucky father around.’ asked the Judge ’Yes, he is very much there’, replied the contestant.
The Judge requested the lucky father to please stand up wherever he was.The proud father stood up and waved his hand. Thousands of eyes turned towards him, cameras and flashlights moved towards the proud father. And there was another round of great applause for him. He was touched. He was emotional. He folded his hands and thanked the crowd for the applause. There were tears in his eyes. He had received the greatest gift of his life from his daughter.
This is a true story of love, affection and dedication of a Daughter
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14. ELIXIR OF LIFE
Once a GURU was giving a discourse to thousands of his followers about SAMSARA संसार and worldly attachments to family, assets and pleasures. The agony and burden of earthly life was attributed to our inherent attraction to beauty, pleasure, fame, popularity, glory, possessions etc., and the associated anxiety of insecurity, of challenges and threats of losing them to others, as the mother of all troubles. The lecture was so enlightening and engrossing about the futility and meaninglessness of earthly life as against the everlasting state of nirvana or MOKSHA मोक्ष in heavenly life depicting the blissful experience of no desire, no sleep, no worry, no suffering and no regrets.
It was at this moment, a messenger of GOD appeared there and offered to take anyone willing, to such blissful place up there in heaven. The startled crowd was in a dilemma and for a long time, none appeared to accept the offer. An 80 year old man showed some interest and agreed to go with the messenger, at a later date, after witnessing the marriage of his grandchildren. When the messenger came again after a few years, the old man was already dead and had taken re-birth as a dog in the same household. The messenger recognized the old man and asked him to accompany him. The old man (now dog) said that he is now busy safe guarding the house, assets and his people and that he shall join him at a later date. The messenger came again after a few years and found that the dog had died and was reborn as a frog and living in the drain near the kitchen. The messenger of GOD reminded the old man ( now frog) about the earlier promise and offered to take him to the blissful heaven. The frog flatly refused and said that it was quite happy there in the drain with unlimited and continuous supply of food and drink from the drain. The Heaven was still the last priority.
This is the real story of life. Life seems to be an experience in ascending and descending. The passion and attachment to life's gifts are alluring for ever and the mind is reluctant to be deprived of that. The craze to attain and the anxiety to retain and safeguard it and the constant fear of not losing it, is the eternal anchor of life. Even GOD cannot help redemption of such living beings.
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15 W H Y M E ?
Arthur Ashe, the legendary tennis player who won Wimbledon championship, was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a deadly disease?"
To this Arthur Ashe replied: "The world over -- 50,000,000 children start playing tennis, 5,000,000 learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, When I was holding the winner's trophy I never asked GOD " Why me ? ". And today in pain I should not be asking GOD " Why me ? "
In life we go through plenty of events and experiences, some positive, good, happy or joyful and others negative, bad, miserable, sorrowful or painful. When positives happen in our lives we never question God as to " Why I have been singled out for such good and happy experiences ? " We never even express our gratitude. But when even minor negatives happen in our lives we immediately question God as to " Why I have been singled out for such bad and painful experiences ? "
If we accept the positives and good that happen in our lives without question and without even expressing our gratitude, then we should also accept the negatives and bad that happen in our lives without question. The source of both, the positive and negative events and experiences in our lives is our own praarabdha karma (actions performed in our past lives, which have fructified and as a result manifested our present lives.) We are ourselves responsible for it. So we have no choice but to accept them as they are. It is not easy, especially if we don't know the practical means to deal with it.
Spirituality helps us to deal with problems of life in an equanimous way. The more spiritual we become, the more spiritual knowledge we have, and more importantly, the more we practise that knowledge in our daily lives, we will be able to maintain calm, amidst all that is happening in our lives and the chaos around us.
Happiness keeps us Sweet, Trials keep us Strong,
Sorrow keeps us Human, Failure Keeps us Humble,
Success keeps us Glowing, But only God Keeps us Going
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16) OUTLINE OF LIFE
The story of Life is an ever interesting phenomenon. It is quite
intriguing to rewind and go back to your younger days, re-live those by gone
phases of childhood, school, college
days and beyond. One thing certain in
this exercise, is the fact that you were growing and continued to get older, day by day, year
after year.
I recall those wonderful, carefree days of childhood. I think I enjoyed a lot being a child, cared and attended to by one and all. Absolutely aimless, strain less and rejoiced being pampered upon almost every day. I had no idea how quick the time flew when I turned ten years, clearing the primary school courses. The school days were " fast forward" days ....absolutely dream like, wandering clueless... living the present... going with the flow…. never ending episodes of ever-green sweet memories flashing in serial sequences...
Suddenly I found myself closer to 30, not knowing how I got my job, what errands I did to earn my salary. Almost all the things that happened daily were quite fast, furious and forgotten.. I think I had transformed myself into a slave of all sorts, quite unconsciously, unaware of myself, in every role I played at home or outside.
At 40, I wondered how I had arrived that far, raising a family, children and also a career. Really a roller-coaster ride. I cannot recall those events with the ease with which I could, the younger earlier days. What made me who I am now, is the sum of all my childhood dreams, pursuits, skills, aspirations and opportunities. A try and triumph period.
50s were quite goal-oriented towards achievement in domestic and professional fields. The 60s were hectic with children charting their own careers and family, a sudden disruption from the established routine. Something has changed on the way.... towards old age and RETIREMENT.... The speed, strength and seriousness in pursuits were waning... The process of aging in such an unexpected way was quite surprising, annoying and irritating. Finding myself segregated from usual surroundings, cut off from my routines, struggling to find my footing in unchartered domains was a difficult situation to come to terms with. All my professional and official gusto and glamour vanished into thin air, leaving me with empty claims to boast to disinterested listeners, if any. Those who care to listen out of modesty or respect to my age were few to find, for my roving eyes. I was losing control over all the affairs, either domestic or professional. I could not make out whether others have taken over my fiefdom or I was losing my innate abilities and getting obsolete. I think that in this aging journey of life, this part of the phase is the most difficult to adjust or come to terms with. I found myself in a situation when my juniors in age either interrupt me, quite unusual, or even contradict my opinions or decisions. What is it that has happened suddenly for me to face this unexpected turn of event. Everything was sailing smooth so far.. With such a long life of experience, knowledge and acquired abilities, my sound opinions and judgments find no takers...quite shocking and lamentable...Worst still, I have to watch and even participate in the changed scenario irrespective or in spite of myself being an eligible decider.
I am only 65 and it is still the youth of old age. I begin to think that the time is already ripe and the inevitable should be gracefully accepted. Why not enjoy this turn of event as a welcome blessing to be celebrated as a well deserved boon. I am not a driver born to drive all my life.. Let me be a passenger and let others drive me wherever they want to. I have no goal or destination to reach and my journey is now out of my hands. I am no more in charge of anything, anybody not even myself... Come what may... Welcome.... Nothing is in my hands or control.. I am at the far end of my journey...Do not know when or where is the finishing tape.
When you reach 70 and still need no glass, walking stick, recognize all your friends and call them by name and surprise them recalling long forgotten incidents, you are envied. If you still smoke and drink your favorite brand, people wonder and gossip about how long you will stay. Your friends circle dwindles to a few numbers and others who know you just bow at your approach with respect. You find that your speech is reduced to a few mundane utterances for the day and no one is willing to sit and chit chat with you for long. The best option is to practice or pretend meditation; at least it is better than just sitting and doing nothing. Your old time colleagues and friends, witness to your best events, are scattered and lost. There is no scope of sharing and celebrating sweet memories. Trying to revive happiness from the past is no more a goal. You learn to be happy on your own. No wonder some tend to smile and talk to themselves and rejoice in their own solitary way. If you learn to get older before you get old, you can learn to overcome these problems to a certain extent. The longer we live, we find life more and more bright and explicit. The reason for everything, viz cause and effect, appear clear and intelligible. What puzzled us before seems less mysterious now. You learn to be passive and learn to accept things as they happen.
When you enter threshold of 80s, you experience timelessness. Each day looks like a month, each hour equal to a week; every minute takes its own pace. You do not care what month or day you are going through. If you are lucky, you may sleep more than awake. Or vice versa.. You may tend to forget things esp your glasses. keys, cell-phone etc., ( I drove to G.P.O. in my car and returned home by bus and found my car missing at home) You do not know what keeps you going and how long. Your activities are restricted either voluntarily or out of boredom. Nothing is interesting and no one is interested. You have difficulty in hearing, seeing or reading and that is very irritating. If you have no such problems, you must be a freak and God bless you.
90 and beyond, not much you can do and you may need special attendance on you by others. It is generally known as Grace Time or Waiting period or whatever it is. Mostly in horizontal position and occasionally vertical with support. Time and Date become irrelevant. Your family members generally introduce themselves while speaking to you. They are not sure whether you are sleeping, conscious, unconscious etc., You become strange and also a stranger. You start answering, even before a question is put to you. Either you do not understand who is speaking what, or they do not understand what you are speaking (actually, the dentures may be the culprit). It is all the same. Both are satisfied with that interlude. Many times, you live in your own world of solitary thoughts and your response to queries does not match. Each one presumes and understands in his own way. No one is to be blamed. Are we not close family members for decades..? Even eye-to-eye contact does not help much, much less shouting. This is the only age when your juniors actually shout at you, wondering whether you are able to hear.
Your skin begins to sag and your muscles begin to wither. Wrinkles in your face indicate where the smiles had been. First you begin to forget names, then you begin to forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down.. and so on..
As you get older, three things do happen, first your memory goes... then....You cannot recollect the other two things... If you look at the mirror, you won’t recognize yourself. Who am I ..?
I recall those wonderful, carefree days of childhood. I think I enjoyed a lot being a child, cared and attended to by one and all. Absolutely aimless, strain less and rejoiced being pampered upon almost every day. I had no idea how quick the time flew when I turned ten years, clearing the primary school courses. The school days were " fast forward" days ....absolutely dream like, wandering clueless... living the present... going with the flow…. never ending episodes of ever-green sweet memories flashing in serial sequences...
Suddenly I found myself closer to 30, not knowing how I got my job, what errands I did to earn my salary. Almost all the things that happened daily were quite fast, furious and forgotten.. I think I had transformed myself into a slave of all sorts, quite unconsciously, unaware of myself, in every role I played at home or outside.
At 40, I wondered how I had arrived that far, raising a family, children and also a career. Really a roller-coaster ride. I cannot recall those events with the ease with which I could, the younger earlier days. What made me who I am now, is the sum of all my childhood dreams, pursuits, skills, aspirations and opportunities. A try and triumph period.
50s were quite goal-oriented towards achievement in domestic and professional fields. The 60s were hectic with children charting their own careers and family, a sudden disruption from the established routine. Something has changed on the way.... towards old age and RETIREMENT.... The speed, strength and seriousness in pursuits were waning... The process of aging in such an unexpected way was quite surprising, annoying and irritating. Finding myself segregated from usual surroundings, cut off from my routines, struggling to find my footing in unchartered domains was a difficult situation to come to terms with. All my professional and official gusto and glamour vanished into thin air, leaving me with empty claims to boast to disinterested listeners, if any. Those who care to listen out of modesty or respect to my age were few to find, for my roving eyes. I was losing control over all the affairs, either domestic or professional. I could not make out whether others have taken over my fiefdom or I was losing my innate abilities and getting obsolete. I think that in this aging journey of life, this part of the phase is the most difficult to adjust or come to terms with. I found myself in a situation when my juniors in age either interrupt me, quite unusual, or even contradict my opinions or decisions. What is it that has happened suddenly for me to face this unexpected turn of event. Everything was sailing smooth so far.. With such a long life of experience, knowledge and acquired abilities, my sound opinions and judgments find no takers...quite shocking and lamentable...Worst still, I have to watch and even participate in the changed scenario irrespective or in spite of myself being an eligible decider.
I am only 65 and it is still the youth of old age. I begin to think that the time is already ripe and the inevitable should be gracefully accepted. Why not enjoy this turn of event as a welcome blessing to be celebrated as a well deserved boon. I am not a driver born to drive all my life.. Let me be a passenger and let others drive me wherever they want to. I have no goal or destination to reach and my journey is now out of my hands. I am no more in charge of anything, anybody not even myself... Come what may... Welcome.... Nothing is in my hands or control.. I am at the far end of my journey...Do not know when or where is the finishing tape.
When you reach 70 and still need no glass, walking stick, recognize all your friends and call them by name and surprise them recalling long forgotten incidents, you are envied. If you still smoke and drink your favorite brand, people wonder and gossip about how long you will stay. Your friends circle dwindles to a few numbers and others who know you just bow at your approach with respect. You find that your speech is reduced to a few mundane utterances for the day and no one is willing to sit and chit chat with you for long. The best option is to practice or pretend meditation; at least it is better than just sitting and doing nothing. Your old time colleagues and friends, witness to your best events, are scattered and lost. There is no scope of sharing and celebrating sweet memories. Trying to revive happiness from the past is no more a goal. You learn to be happy on your own. No wonder some tend to smile and talk to themselves and rejoice in their own solitary way. If you learn to get older before you get old, you can learn to overcome these problems to a certain extent. The longer we live, we find life more and more bright and explicit. The reason for everything, viz cause and effect, appear clear and intelligible. What puzzled us before seems less mysterious now. You learn to be passive and learn to accept things as they happen.
When you enter threshold of 80s, you experience timelessness. Each day looks like a month, each hour equal to a week; every minute takes its own pace. You do not care what month or day you are going through. If you are lucky, you may sleep more than awake. Or vice versa.. You may tend to forget things esp your glasses. keys, cell-phone etc., ( I drove to G.P.O. in my car and returned home by bus and found my car missing at home) You do not know what keeps you going and how long. Your activities are restricted either voluntarily or out of boredom. Nothing is interesting and no one is interested. You have difficulty in hearing, seeing or reading and that is very irritating. If you have no such problems, you must be a freak and God bless you.
90 and beyond, not much you can do and you may need special attendance on you by others. It is generally known as Grace Time or Waiting period or whatever it is. Mostly in horizontal position and occasionally vertical with support. Time and Date become irrelevant. Your family members generally introduce themselves while speaking to you. They are not sure whether you are sleeping, conscious, unconscious etc., You become strange and also a stranger. You start answering, even before a question is put to you. Either you do not understand who is speaking what, or they do not understand what you are speaking (actually, the dentures may be the culprit). It is all the same. Both are satisfied with that interlude. Many times, you live in your own world of solitary thoughts and your response to queries does not match. Each one presumes and understands in his own way. No one is to be blamed. Are we not close family members for decades..? Even eye-to-eye contact does not help much, much less shouting. This is the only age when your juniors actually shout at you, wondering whether you are able to hear.
Your skin begins to sag and your muscles begin to wither. Wrinkles in your face indicate where the smiles had been. First you begin to forget names, then you begin to forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down.. and so on..
As you get older, three things do happen, first your memory goes... then....You cannot recollect the other two things... If you look at the mirror, you won’t recognize yourself. Who am I ..?
You
can live to be 100. If you worry, you may die. If you do not worry,
you still die......
Why worry at all ...? Do not cry because it is over.... Smile because it happened......
See you later….. Bye
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Why worry at all ...? Do not cry because it is over.... Smile because it happened......
See you later….. Bye
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
17. I WILL COME BACK
“ TO BE ” or “
NOT TO BE ” BORN AGAIN . That is the question….
Socrates
said, ” I am confident, there is truly such a thing as
living again.. and that the living
spring from the dead...” Goethe, the
renowned dramatist and scientist said, “ I am certain, I have been here as I am
now, a thousand times before and I hope to return a thousand times again.” Sun sets to rise again.
I am myself sure,
I did not begin here afresh when I was
born. I have been growing from time
immemorial, in one form or other. I
never died.... I only changed…. born again and again with a new face….. Just because I do not remember the details, it does not mean, I did not do it. Life
does not begin with birth and end with death as we normally presume. Krishna tells Arjun, “ for the soul there
neither birth nor death. He is not slain when the body is slain…. For one who
has taken birth, death is certain… And for one who is dead, birth is certain….”
Our Vedas and scriptures are abound
with such instances of reincarnations and avatars..
I remember the
lullaby sung by the women in our villages,
when a baby is born in the house.
“ Who are you ? Who am I ? Who was your father ? Who was your mother ?
Why are you here ? ” We are not aware how many mothers we had so
far and with how many identities we have
lived thus far. We may be evolving as a result of our material or ethical activities, from one species to another, graduating oneself on certain unknown
parameters . I presume this process of
being born again and again will continue
endlessly, as long as we remain clueless to free
ourselves from this cycle of reincarnation. I think we continue to trap ourselves
in the network of our own activities and pursuits and find no way to free
ourselves.
Our scriptures no
doubt have explained that the soul, originally a spiritual entity, enters this
material world of our universe comprising of three modes viz., goodness,
passion and ignorance. The Rishis /Saints acquire the goodness mode, average humans embrace the passion mode and
the lower species to ignorance mode. The
Rishis and saints experience happiness
always, the humans swing between happiness and sorrow and the
lower species experience constant fear all throughout their life span. At death, the finer elements (mind, intelligence, and
ego) called consciousness (when combined) carry everything in a small particle of
soul to another body to suffer or enjoy yet another term. That would explain some persons displaying
extra ordinary powers, skill or talent
in certain fields like music, sports or scientific temperament… no doubt they carry over remembrances of their achievements in their previous birth, to advance further in that field, in this birth. Child prodigies are the best examples of this
phenomenon. If each one of us could
self-examine to explore this aspect, we might be able to understand and expand
our activities to the best of our advantage. This cyclical evolution of mankind
towards higher skills and talent may also lead to final redemption to some
other higher levels of life.
Dreams
and past life recollection may also give some clues to support the above theory
. Dreams no doubt reveal out- of- body experiences. Each night, the subtle body leaves the gross form and enjoys a different reality in
a subtle plane. Many times, I have personally felt while
dreaming, that I was far far away from
my body, experiencing visuals strange or
unrelated to my present life. When awakened by others while dreaming, I experienced rushing back at lightening speed,
to resume my body and to open my eyes. {
something like a driver leaving the car for an errand, with its engine running
and rushing back to recover his seat} I am convinced by the saying that we should
not disturb a person when he is dreaming
as it would be sometimes risky or fatal. Anyway,
out-of-body experience during dreams prove that the soul can leave the
body temporarily for its errands and
come back and let the dreamer remain clueless and confused. The visuals also vanish from memory
instantly. It is possible that the
impressions of our previous life episodes from the stock pile of our mind, are finding expression in our dreams. Sometimes, dreams come to our rescue to give hints and clues about problems tormenting the mind. A clear direction is also suggested in dreams
when we are in a fix. People have found
solutions to complex problems.
In
near death or accident cases also, this
out-of-body experiences are reported by survivors. Those lying in coma in death-bed for days
together are probably unwilling to leave their body and their attachments. It is also possible that the soul is reluctant
to switch over to another body or waiting for its own choice. Those dying premature with unfulfilled
desires and plans are believed to be born again to chase those dreams. Such souls are generally endowed with extra
expertise than others as they carry over their past knowledge. The last wish before death could also be the
guiding factor towards transmigration.
Past-life recollections could be another clue
or a red-herring. Many intriguing cases
have been recorded world-wide and found to be genuine. Researchers have found that children from all
over the world who have detailed memories of their former lives, began talking about it when they were two or
three years old and stopped by the age of six or seven, when they all lose memories of
childhood. According to some beliefs,
birthmarks indicate where death wounds occurred during a past life.
Anyway,
all these point to the never ending cycle of births and deaths a soul has to go
through till eternity, unless there is a way out to break this chain. Some form
of human experience can eventually show the way to redemption from this vicious
cycle. The real purpose of this life should be to free oneself from this cycle of
transmigration or reincarnation. The only way appears to be, to lead a spiritual life of purity from the
onset, just witnessing the activities of others, with total detachment to this worldly
attractions and leave this body,
uttering the name of the Almighty, with a prayer as the last wish, for
redemption once and for all.
“
TO BE “ or “ NOT TO BE ”
BORN AGAIN . That is still the question….
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When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of skill, talent, energy or spirit left and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
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very nice collection .. thank you for putting it in one place
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