Just Stay...!

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.

"Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

 

The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.

 

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

 

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.

 

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.

 

"Who was that man?" he asked.

The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.

"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"

"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed. I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His Son was killed in Iraq today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this Gentleman's Name? "

 

The Nurse with Tears in her Eyes Answered,

“Mr. William Grey.............”

The next time someone needs you ... just be there.

Stay… tuned as well…!

Democratic Republic…?!?

Today, 26th January is the Republic Day of our greatest and wonderful nation called INDIA…! (Click on the title to read an informative article about this day and more...)

On this occasion I just wanted to share with you all the 10 Fundamental Duties prescribed by the Constitution of the nation to its every citizen. I hope, at least, after 62 years, we should read, understand and act in accord of these regulations and live up to it's expectations…

1. To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.

2. To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom.

3. To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.

4. To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.

5. To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.

6. To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.

7. To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures.

8. To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.

9. To safeguard public property and to abjure violence.

10. To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement.

Stay tuned and Be AWARE and responsible...!

Nature’s Law

Today let us try to learn something from Mother Nature and her mystical yet logical ways…

(To learn more philosophical stuff about Nature's Law, click on the title...)

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree and each apple has ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds! We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here.

It's telling us – “Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow”.

 

So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once.

This might mean:

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.

You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.

You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea and…

You might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.

 

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed.

We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

 

Law of nature is not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.

Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds. When things are beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life:

- You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.

- You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.

- Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry!

- That's what miserable people do!

 

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:

-Friends SHOULD return favors.

-People SHOULD appreciate you.

-Planes SHOULD arrive on time.

-Everyone SHOULD be honest.

- Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen!

So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

There's a better strategy: Demand less, and instead, have preferences!

For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:

"I would prefer this, but if that happens, it’s OK too!"

This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind...

You prefer that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day. You prefer sunshine ... but if it rains, it is ok too!

 

To become happier, we either need to:

a) Change the world, or

b) Change our thinking.

It is easier to change our Thinking!

 

It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem. It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness.

 

It's how you think about what happens to you!

Stay tuned... with Nature as well...!

Who Am I...?!?

While trying to understand the question ‘Who Am I’ and finding the answer for it, many eras have passed. Even in the 21st Century, with all the developed technologies and sciences, no one has an answer to this elemental and eternal question in the truest and fullest sense. But we have interesting expressions on the same every now and then… (Click on the title to read an essay about the same)

Today I want to share this poem titled ‘Who Am I?’ written by a schoolgirl…!?!

Who Am I?

A gift of God,

a blessing to this earth

That is what I am.

A person of substance,

a person who matters,

a person who can make others feel her presence

That is what I am.

A person who learns from each day,

a person who has courage for facing each day,

a person who has hope for each tomorrow

That is what I am.

A person having a yearning desire,

to get more and more knowledge

from the ocean of wisdom

That is what I am.

Someone who can give to others

If not the moon, if not the stars,

If not just gifts, if not just flowers

But a sweet smile on the face

which spreads happiness as long as it stays

That is what I am.

And this is the reason

why I am the happiest

When I am what I am...

Stay tuned and keep looking for yourself...!?!

Unique…?!?

Continuing with the last post… As a whole I think there is a tendency in most of us to underestimate just how powerful we are. Just how much potential lies inside each and every one of us – waiting to be explored and exploited. (Click on the title to read some inspiring quotes about 'Uniqueness')

The reality is if you discover just how special you are – and how much efforts went into making you unique – that you are – I'm sure you'd immediately know that nothing can truly keep you from achieving what you want to accomplish.

Friends, the journey is not always an easy one – very little of lasting or true value is first paved with an easy road. In fact, upon reflection we often find it's during the times which we believed to be most challenging that end up eventually serving to make us better, and more prepared to meet with success in our given endeavors.

What I'm suggesting is that the skills it takes to become that which we desire to be are learned most often through times of hardship or unrest. Certainly the good times and study in self-improvement plays a part, but don't discount the importance of life's challenges either. In the end all parts of our life can be valuable teachers.

We need only accept that each event – positive or negative – can hold in it an opportunity to be made better for having experienced it. Now that's certainly not to say that we're going to find some sort of joy in each and every one of life's events – certainly not the negative ones anyway, but learning – YES!

However, I believe it's worthwhile to look for the lessons that exist in both the good and bad in our lives. Being careful not to linger and overindulge on the negative. Remember, there is a huge difference between indulging and simply learning from and moving on...!

Always remember that your very presence is a gift to this world. Honor the creator which gave you that gift by developing and sharing your unique talents with the world.

More often than not you will find that you attract into your life what you put out…

Think over it and Stay tuned…!

Conditioned...?!?

Yesterday I found what I was not. Today I thought further to discover why I am what I am and here is what I remembered. I have heard this story in form of a song in Marathi ‘Eka Talyat Hoti Badake Pille Surekh…’ A song I always get sentimental with…

(Click on the title for this song in Marathi)

An eagle's egg was placed in the nest of a prairie chicken. The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking it was a prairie chicken. The eagle did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled. It never flew more than a few feet because that is what the prairie chickens did.

One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically in the open sky. He asked the prairie chickens:

"What is that beautiful bird?" The chickens replied,

"That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him because you are just a prairie chicken."

So the eagle never gave it a second thought, believing that to be the truth. He lived the life of and died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage because of his lack of vision.

What a waste! He was born to win, but was conditio1ned to lose.

Do not let people or situations or even yourself condition you to lose in life.

Stay tuned and A-W-A-R-E…!

Awake...?!?

Today while thinking about life, etc., I suddenly recalled this very first expression of Buddha when he became the enlightened one and I realized why I am thinking and worrying...

I am not what he was and probably we all are not...

It is said that when Buddha was first Enlightened he was asked,

"Are you a God?"

"No," he replied.

"Are you a saint?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

And he answered, "I am awake."

 
Stay tuned and most importantly A-W-A-K-E...!

Sankraman...!?!

Today is Makar Sankranti, the festival that marks the day when the sun begins its northward journey and enters the sign of Makar (the Capricorn) from the Tropic of Cancer. In other words, the sun moves from Dakshinayana (south) to Uttarayana (north). (For more details and significance of the festival click on the title)

This festival, unlike other Hindu festivals, is not dependent on the position of the moon, but on position of the sun. On this day, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn. To compensate for the difference that occurs due to the revolution around the sun, every eighty years the day of sankrant is postponed by one day. That is the reason it is on 15th this year instead of usual 14th.

The importance of the day was noted even by the Aryans who celebrated the auspicious day as a festival. Also, an episode from the great epic Mahabharata shows that people in early times marked the day as auspicious. Warrior-hero Bhishma Pitamah even after being wounded in the Mahabharata war lingered on till Uttarayan set in. Death on this day is set to bring Moksha or salvation for the deceased.

 

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious occasions for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of India in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervour & gaiety. It is a harvest festival.

To Hindus, the Sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Makar Sankranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in which we live, and begin to enjoy a new life with bright light within us to shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom, and knowledge, even as the Sun does from the Day of Makar Sankranti.

On this day of 'Festival of Transit' I have come up with some issues that need immediate attention and corrective transition, so as to say.

1. The ever-growing disparity in forms of ‘have too much’ and ‘don’t have enough’ has surpassed all boundaries while poisoning the social and cultural health of the society.

2. While being a global village through advanced technologies and fastest communication systems, world is witnessing the biggest outburst of racial discrimination cutting through the humanity deeply.

3. An honest belief and strong faith is scarce but pitiful helplessness and alarming uncertainty is in abundance providing opportunity for phony devotees and begging prayers.

4. The contaminated social scenario has paved path for the criminal activities being almost routine and our minds are developing insensitive to accept this as a matter-of-fact.

5. We can have 500+ people in our network but that never extends beyond a formality, why, we don’t even know 100s of them personally.

6. We have Twitter, Face book, Blogger and SMS that ends with ‘Take Care’, how many times we really mean it and do something in that accord…?!?

7. Globalization has taught and favored individualism and supported freedom of being, freedom of expression, but what about it never helped rising the thought process or social awareness of an individual in turn. On the contrary it only facilitated making every human more and more self-centered and narcissistic.

8. Women liberation and empowerment of women has definitely helped widening her potential horizon but it made her more insecure on other hand.

9. Of all the ages, Child-psychology has gained highest importance ever, so has the increased rate of child-death, child-abuse and child-labor.

10. Finally, while running like a donkey in the rat-race for making money, enjoying all the worldly possessions bought with all the money ‘would be’ earned from all the sources, thinking and expressing profoundly on the global and local issues among friends and on national television, calculating the amount to be raised for happy retirement in view of the exorbitant inflation rate, taking either alcohol or a sleeping pill for tranquilizer, when would we get time to think ‘where are we heading’ and ‘what happened to that little boy/girl inside with glittering eyes and innocent smile’…!?!

I can realize, it is quite a long post but I won't find such an apt occasion for this kind of dialogue. I believe you will understand my urge as always and start your Sankraman – the change…!

Stay tuned and welcome and celebrate San-kranti - The T-R-A-N-S-I-T-I-O-N...!?!

Life Etc...!?!

Today was the final day of 9th Pune International Film Festival and boy, what an experience…! I managed to watch only 22 movies and not all of them were good. Few, (like ‘Silent Wedding’ - greatest black comedy I’ve ever seen) were awesome and never to be missed while others were quite mundane and rest were painfully irritating and making absolutely no sense (at least to me…!)

Nevertheless experience was the criteria that won the battle between good and bad. As all the films were aimed at somebody’s life,  I recollected some profound thoughts about life and summarized them for you. Read, Learn and Get it right…! (Click on the tilte to read a collection of small articles about LIFE)

• I asked GOD to give me everything so that I can enjoy life…              

GOD replied – I have given you life to enjoy everything…!!

• Life never seems to be the way we want it, but we live it to the best we can…

There is no perfect life as such, but we can fill life with perfect moments…

• Life is so short

Break the rules, forgive & forget quickly, believe slowly, love truly, laugh loudly and never avoid anything that makes you smile...

• Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...

It's about learning how to dance in the rain...

• Life is what happens to you...

While you are busy planning it… 

Live Life to the fullest  and Stay tuned...!

Life...?!?

Life is like having a cup of coffee...

(Click on the title to listen to 'That's Life by Frank Sinatra...)


You sit by the side of the window, lift the cup and take a careless sip,

Only to realize, somebody forgot to put the sugar.

Too lazy to go for it you somehow struggle through the sugarless cup.

Until you discover un-dissolved sugar crystals sitting at the bottom...


---That's Life ---

Stay tuned for more about life...!

Risk...!?!

Do you take the Risk?

(Click on the title for more on Risk...)

To laugh is to risk playing the fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out to another, is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings, is to risk exposing our true selves.

To put your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair.

To try at all, is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken...

Because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they simply cannot learn, change, feel, grow, love, live... Chained by their attitudes they are slaves...

ONLY THE PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE...


Stay tuned for more risks...!?!

Beliefs...!?!

Here is a list of My 10 Mutul Beleifs as promised.

See if you find any of it useful...



11. I Believe....
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

12. I Believe...
That you shouldn't be eager to find out a secret, it could change your life forever.

13. I Believe...
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

14. I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

15. I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

16. I Believe....
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

17. I Believe....
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

18. I Believe....
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

19. I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

20. I Believe....
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

As I would be busy with Pune International Film Festival for few days from today, I might not write for a couple of days but you can keep checking for the new posts by staying tuned...!

I Believe...!?!

Today I am going to share some of my beliefs with you… As these are my beliefs, the list is a little long. I have to divide them into two categories – Personal and Mutual! Today here is a list of My 10 PERSONAL Beliefs… (To read philosophy of Belief, click on the title)

1. I Believe...

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;

They just make the most of everything they have.

2. I Believe....

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

3. I Believe...

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - You will find the strength to help.

4. I Believe....

That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

5. I Believe....

That you are responsible for what you do, no matter how you feel.

6. I Believe...

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

7. I Believe...

That heroes are the people, who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

8. I Believe...

That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry,

But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

9. I Believe....

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had & what you've learned from them AND less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

10. I Believe....

That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.

Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

Stay tuned for My 10 Mutual Beliefs, tomorrow...!

The More…!?!

The more sensitive we are,
the more generous we become…


The more generous we are,
the more joyous we become…


The more cooperative we are,
the more valuable we become…


The more enthusiastic we are,
the more productive we become…


The more serving we are,
the more prosperous we become…


The more outgoing we are,
the more helpful we become…


The more curious we are,
the more creative we become…


The more patient we are,
the more understanding we become…

The more persistent we are,
the more successful we become…


The more innovative we are,
the more integrated we become…


The more realized we are,
the more content we become…


The more studious we are,
the more learned we become…


The more aware we are,
the more enlightened we become…!

Until...?!?

I feared being alone,

Until I learned to like myself…



I feared failure,
Until I realized that I only fail when I don't try…

I feared success,
Until I realized that I had to try in order to be happy with myself…

I feared people's opinions,
Until I learned that people would have opinions about me anyway…

I feared rejection,
Until I learned to have faith in myself…

I feared pain,
Until I learned that it's necessary for growth…

I feared the truth,
Until I saw the ugliness in lies…

I feared life
Until I experienced its beauty…

I feared my destiny,
Until I realized that I had the power to change my life…

I feared hate,
Until I saw that it was nothing more than ignorance…

I feared love,
Until it touched my heart, making the darkness fade into endless sunny days…

I feared ridicule,
Until I learned how to laugh at myself…

I feared growing old,
Until I realized that I gained wisdom every day...

I feared the future,
Until I realized that Life just kept getting better…

I feared the past,
Until I realized that it could no longer hurt me…

I feared the dark,
Until I saw the beauty of the starlight…

I feared the light,
Until I learned that the truth would give me strength…

I feared change,
Until I saw that even the most beautiful butterfly had to undergo a metamorphosis before it could fly...

I feared death,
Until I realized that it's not an end, but a beginning…

My Resolution(s)…!?!

We have entered a New Year 2011 and the date reads 1.1.11. For this reason I have 11 resoultions for this new year. Mind to read it...?!? (For digging the word 'Resolution' click on the title)

1. Today I will invest my most valuable resource: my time, in the most transcendental work: my life…

2. Today I will face life with the conviction that this day will never ever return…

3. Today I will make of every ordinary task a sublime expression…

4. Today I will (L)earn honestly, live decently and share generously…

5. Today I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way trusting I will succeed…

6. Today I will delete two days from my diary: Yesterday and Tomorrow. Yesterday was to learn and tomorrow will be the consequence of what I can do today…

7. Today is the last opportunity I have to live intensely as no one can assure me that, I will see tomorrow's sunshine…

8. Today I will have my feet on the ground realizing my true being and contributing to make this world a better, if not perfect, place…

9. Today I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by, my only alternative is to succeed. I will spend each minute passionately to make of today a different and unique day in my life…

10. Today I will resist pessimism and will conquer the world with a smile and the positive attitude of expecting always the best…

11. Today I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints and my presence in the hearts of others…