Read something beautiful today... The first magic of love is the ignorance that it can never end.
The exact quote is in the side panel but will move on. This quote will not be there in a few days. But its message will now be here. Whenever anyone chooses to see it, feel it, live it... it will be here.
When we love, we forget that once ignited this flame will never die. It is, infact, not even a flame. It is a gentle fire that drives life and gives it the warmth that is needed to sustain life.
Love is that gentle feeling that spreads a warm glow across the horizon. It is that warmth that is at the centre of existence. That defines the quality of life we lead.
It is like the lotus in a pond. In the water and the dirt, but untouched by it.
Magically, love transforms everything it touches. It soothes burns of suffering souls and warms the chill in the lonely bones.
It makes people insecure with the fear of losing it all because it would mean the end of life for them. It also makes people so secure that they will be able to move mountains because love is in their life.
We choose whether we make it our strength or our weakness...
Whether we bloom despite the muck or succumb to it.
Whether we reflect the light of the skies or choke with the dirt...
The knowledge that love can never die is ours to choose or to overlook. It does not change the nature of love...
Love only grows.
It can do nothing else!
And when love grows, it expands the vessel that contains it. It spills over to flow all around when the growth of the vessel cannot keep up with it.
Either way, love transforms everything it touches. And makes it immortal.
Flowering on clouds . . .
where will this road take us?
The woods are lovely dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep...
Sometimes, we get lost in the beauty that surrounds us on our journey. Sometimes, we even lose a track of the journey all together. And stop. We stop to drink it all in. We stop to let the Maya sink in. And enjoy the moment. The journey is, however, the whole epic. It is what the soul is here for
We may realise it and wake up from our slumber. We may not realise that we are sleeping and mistake the dream for the reality.
The dream will come to an end. The reality is eternal. The souls take on a form- the body to travel through this dream, this reality. It is not possible to have the experiences without this body . And yet, the body is not what the soul is!
The road may be long, and lonely. The soul is never alone.
The road may be hard, yet only for the body. The soul does not need the road. Nor does it need the support the body seeks.
We all came alone. We will depart alone. It is between these two punctuation marks that we must fill each other's existence with love, grace and abundance.
Where will this road lead?
Where will that one take us?
Is the road less travelled really that difficult?
Choices?
Life presents several choices. Sometimes, we are aware of our choices. Mostly we do not even realise we are choosing.
The choice to go on or to stay on...
The choice to be happy or seek happy...
The choice to be in the here and now or to be in the past or the future....
The choice to have and be friends or to give up on people in your life...
This is only a beginning of a list that might be as unending as the calculation for the value of pi!
And as fascinating!!
Each choice opens a new possibility. And each choice defines a new reality. We assume that time moves on. We take for granted that the people in our life will grow with time and look for a better future. We always have the choice, however, to realise that WE move through time. And the secret to self realisation is not in waiting for tomorrow to bring us better tidings nor wish we could relive or change our past.
We let our reflexes take over rather than be aware of what our choices are. We are so lost in trying to live that we forget to live!
We see darkness... and let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of the dark but what is in it!
We reach a pinnacle... and let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of the height but of falling down!
We see people around us... and often let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of people but of rejection!
We fall in love... and sometimes... let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of love but just of not being loved back!
We fall... and let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of trying again but simply getting hurt for the same reasons!
We choose fear over a clear and present joy, love and contentment.
We can choose otherwise!
Sometimes... the choices are not so clear.
How do you choose between good and good? How do you choose between a child and another? How do you choose between light and light? We choose only for a moment- and in that moment we redefine our existence. We choose a reality that we inhabit and forget that reality. For our life to be joy, we need to be more aware of a moment... in eternity... in infinity... NOW
The choice to go on or to stay on...
The choice to be happy or seek happy...
The choice to be in the here and now or to be in the past or the future....
The choice to have and be friends or to give up on people in your life...
This is only a beginning of a list that might be as unending as the calculation for the value of pi!
And as fascinating!!
Each choice opens a new possibility. And each choice defines a new reality. We assume that time moves on. We take for granted that the people in our life will grow with time and look for a better future. We always have the choice, however, to realise that WE move through time. And the secret to self realisation is not in waiting for tomorrow to bring us better tidings nor wish we could relive or change our past.
We let our reflexes take over rather than be aware of what our choices are. We are so lost in trying to live that we forget to live!
We see darkness... and let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of the dark but what is in it!
We reach a pinnacle... and let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of the height but of falling down!
We see people around us... and often let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of people but of rejection!
We fall in love... and sometimes... let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of love but just of not being loved back!
We fall... and let fear take over. We forget that we are not afraid of trying again but simply getting hurt for the same reasons!
We choose fear over a clear and present joy, love and contentment.
We can choose otherwise!
Sometimes... the choices are not so clear.
How do you choose between good and good? How do you choose between a child and another? How do you choose between light and light? We choose only for a moment- and in that moment we redefine our existence. We choose a reality that we inhabit and forget that reality. For our life to be joy, we need to be more aware of a moment... in eternity... in infinity... NOW
What is Free will?
Is there a thing called destiny? Is everything we are supposed to do, or feel, or live predetermined? Is everyone in our life there because they are predestined to be? Is everything in our life so because it is supposed to be?
What then, of free will? If no matter what we do, we will get and experience only what we are supposed to, why do we work?
Man- Human being- is a unique creature in the Universe as we know it. There is no other creature that has the faculty of Intellect and the drive of emotions that is modified by ethics or morals. In as much as we judge and determine what we will do or not do and what will be acceptable behaviour, we are exercising not only free will but also activating forces that will carry us in a given direction. Thus, destiny is a general direction that the life proceeds in and free will may modify our experience by opening up alternate possibilities.
Destiny and free will operate only under laws of nature. The laws are universal- like gravity. If you choose to put your bare hand into a burning fire, your fingers will experience the phenomenon of getting burnt. You may choose not to touch a raging fire, and you will not get scorched. Two alternative existences- equally openable by a single choice. That choice is Free will.
Destiny does not preclude action nor does she promote inaction. There will be circumstances like a flood or an earthquake or even a bereavement or loss of job or separation that may not be affected by our exercising our free will- these only create the milieu in which our internal environment will shape our existence.
Sukha and Dukha ( Joy and Sorrow) are like the spokes of a wheel. They will rotate and cyclically be on top or at the bottom. The wheel is our existence, its motion our destiny and each spoke has equal importance in our life and must be treated with equal regard. THAT choice- of treating each spoke with equal regard is ours- each moment. And that is the realisation of self that our scriptures ordain as the ultimate goal of the soul...
सुखापतितम सेव्यं दुखापतितम तथा ,
चक्रवत्परिवार्तानते सुखानी च दुखनी च।
Action is needed even for Destiny to manifest.
What then, of free will? If no matter what we do, we will get and experience only what we are supposed to, why do we work?
Man- Human being- is a unique creature in the Universe as we know it. There is no other creature that has the faculty of Intellect and the drive of emotions that is modified by ethics or morals. In as much as we judge and determine what we will do or not do and what will be acceptable behaviour, we are exercising not only free will but also activating forces that will carry us in a given direction. Thus, destiny is a general direction that the life proceeds in and free will may modify our experience by opening up alternate possibilities.
Destiny and free will operate only under laws of nature. The laws are universal- like gravity. If you choose to put your bare hand into a burning fire, your fingers will experience the phenomenon of getting burnt. You may choose not to touch a raging fire, and you will not get scorched. Two alternative existences- equally openable by a single choice. That choice is Free will.
Destiny does not preclude action nor does she promote inaction. There will be circumstances like a flood or an earthquake or even a bereavement or loss of job or separation that may not be affected by our exercising our free will- these only create the milieu in which our internal environment will shape our existence.
Sukha and Dukha ( Joy and Sorrow) are like the spokes of a wheel. They will rotate and cyclically be on top or at the bottom. The wheel is our existence, its motion our destiny and each spoke has equal importance in our life and must be treated with equal regard. THAT choice- of treating each spoke with equal regard is ours- each moment. And that is the realisation of self that our scriptures ordain as the ultimate goal of the soul...
सुखापतितम सेव्यं दुखापतितम तथा ,
चक्रवत्परिवार्तानते सुखानी च दुखनी च।
Action is needed even for Destiny to manifest.
A life well lived...
What really makes for a life well lived...
Is it the love you give or the love you receive? Is it the things you can buy or give away or the knowledge that all things are momentary and they, too shall pass?
Or is it the relationships you build, and peace you spread?
It is, may be, a little of all these and then some more.
A life well lived is one that is full of love- that you give and you receive. It is a life that scatters for all around you to gather. It is not in acquisitions but in give always that one finds more satisfaction. And always, the finest and most memorable moments are not ones we have spent alone but ones we have shared with others.
Our remembrances and memories are mostly of times spent with and for our loved ones. The more we spread love, the more happiness we have in our own life. Some professions allow us to experience this happiness and joy more easily. Teachers, doctors... Fortunate are those who can find their calling in professions that allow us to make a difference to lives we touch. And we MUST be grateful for that opportunity as well as be able to do what fate and fortune allow us to.
A life well lived would be one lived in the NOW, in the present moment, being fully committed to fulfilling each role to its fullest.
A mother who is not committed to mothering and a teacher not committed to teaching, a father not committed to fathering and a soldier not committed to soldiering are all not living a life of significance. They are all wasting the moment. They are all wasting their life- their opportunity to live well.
We all have several roles to live and to fulfill, and each role we fail at is another step away from a life of significance. This failure is not a failure that generates a red mark for us. It is a failure that generates more work for the soul.
How many people would be affected and how deeply by your absence?
The world will still go on... But there will be some souls who will deeply miss those who make a difference...
It is this that defines a life of significance.
Is it the love you give or the love you receive? Is it the things you can buy or give away or the knowledge that all things are momentary and they, too shall pass?
Or is it the relationships you build, and peace you spread?
It is, may be, a little of all these and then some more.
A life well lived is one that is full of love- that you give and you receive. It is a life that scatters for all around you to gather. It is not in acquisitions but in give always that one finds more satisfaction. And always, the finest and most memorable moments are not ones we have spent alone but ones we have shared with others.
Our remembrances and memories are mostly of times spent with and for our loved ones. The more we spread love, the more happiness we have in our own life. Some professions allow us to experience this happiness and joy more easily. Teachers, doctors... Fortunate are those who can find their calling in professions that allow us to make a difference to lives we touch. And we MUST be grateful for that opportunity as well as be able to do what fate and fortune allow us to.
A life well lived would be one lived in the NOW, in the present moment, being fully committed to fulfilling each role to its fullest.
A mother who is not committed to mothering and a teacher not committed to teaching, a father not committed to fathering and a soldier not committed to soldiering are all not living a life of significance. They are all wasting the moment. They are all wasting their life- their opportunity to live well.
We all have several roles to live and to fulfill, and each role we fail at is another step away from a life of significance. This failure is not a failure that generates a red mark for us. It is a failure that generates more work for the soul.
How many people would be affected and how deeply by your absence?
The world will still go on... But there will be some souls who will deeply miss those who make a difference...
It is this that defines a life of significance.
Living on an island of isolation is creating an existential black hole.
Living in a private world of your own is an extremely isolating experience. Each of us does have a private world inside our head. And then, we grow- physically, mentally and emotionally.
We begin to share our private world and include friends, lovers and family into it.
We begin to become a paradise of inclusion and shared living with many hued leaves and flowers, with multitude of scents and aromas.
There may still be nooks and crannies in this Garden of Eden that may remain private. These are few and far in between. And they are dark corners where, sometimes, we ourselves do not want to enter.
The sun of love can only shine into the garden if we drop the walls and break the fences. The flowers and the grass can grow only if we nurture them, water them, care for them and donot walk all over them when they are delicate tiny tendrils.
We must learn to communicate and include. Communication joins people and allows the sun to shine through. Loving in your own private world isolates. It breeds darkness and loneliness and cobwebs.
Even if one enjoys isolation, one cannot survive as an island of humanity. Even in the deepest of oceans, life that survives is either that which captures light from other sources or one that gives out light of its own.
Gravity, too attracts. Gravity holds people and even planets together. One does not experience negative gravity anywhere in the universe. It is a force that attracts and holds together anything and anybody that comes close enough. Light, and thoughts are the only two entities capable of escaping this private garden, and entering it at will.
Light- that we shine.
Thoughts- that we share.
If we refuse to share our thoughts and our light, we refuse growth. We refuse and reject the very purpose of our journey in this world. We are here for a reason. And that reason cannot be isolation and death. It has to be growth and eternity.
We do need to say and show what we want to be able to include people in our private gardens. These gardens can become beautiful only by including not excluding.
The only thing known to survive in the Universe in isolation is a black hole. And even a black hole allows entry... It has an immense gravitational force that attracts- and attracts EVERYTHING that comes close to it. A black hole is isolation is not on account of not allowing inclusion but actively excluding escape.And at the core of a black hole is Singularity where space and time merge and where everything ceases to exist - no time, no space, no light.
Finality. Death.
Till we are alive and vibrant, we take in and give out air; we take in and give out light; we take in and give out sound. We maintain a two directional flow of energy to and from our bodies, our private gardens.
When we begin to revel in not giving out, we can only become black holes. Not gardens of Eden in paradise of vibrant life.
We begin to share our private world and include friends, lovers and family into it.
We begin to become a paradise of inclusion and shared living with many hued leaves and flowers, with multitude of scents and aromas.
There may still be nooks and crannies in this Garden of Eden that may remain private. These are few and far in between. And they are dark corners where, sometimes, we ourselves do not want to enter.
The sun of love can only shine into the garden if we drop the walls and break the fences. The flowers and the grass can grow only if we nurture them, water them, care for them and donot walk all over them when they are delicate tiny tendrils.
We must learn to communicate and include. Communication joins people and allows the sun to shine through. Loving in your own private world isolates. It breeds darkness and loneliness and cobwebs.
Even if one enjoys isolation, one cannot survive as an island of humanity. Even in the deepest of oceans, life that survives is either that which captures light from other sources or one that gives out light of its own.
Gravity, too attracts. Gravity holds people and even planets together. One does not experience negative gravity anywhere in the universe. It is a force that attracts and holds together anything and anybody that comes close enough. Light, and thoughts are the only two entities capable of escaping this private garden, and entering it at will.
Light- that we shine.
Thoughts- that we share.
If we refuse to share our thoughts and our light, we refuse growth. We refuse and reject the very purpose of our journey in this world. We are here for a reason. And that reason cannot be isolation and death. It has to be growth and eternity.
We do need to say and show what we want to be able to include people in our private gardens. These gardens can become beautiful only by including not excluding.
The only thing known to survive in the Universe in isolation is a black hole. And even a black hole allows entry... It has an immense gravitational force that attracts- and attracts EVERYTHING that comes close to it. A black hole is isolation is not on account of not allowing inclusion but actively excluding escape.And at the core of a black hole is Singularity where space and time merge and where everything ceases to exist - no time, no space, no light.
Finality. Death.
Till we are alive and vibrant, we take in and give out air; we take in and give out light; we take in and give out sound. We maintain a two directional flow of energy to and from our bodies, our private gardens.
When we begin to revel in not giving out, we can only become black holes. Not gardens of Eden in paradise of vibrant life.
Our Journal- I love...
Sanjay did it again! He impressed me! We wanted to do something more meaningful than TV with our Dinner time and came up with the idea that we would write and share what we wrote. We ALL wrote.
Our first topic was- I love... dated 17/5/10
Sanjay wrote-
I love me... but me is not just my individual self. Me is defined by my world around me- my family, my friends, my work etc. My work gives me an opportunity to do good to others, to serve and to make a difference in this world. It also provides for my and my family's needs. My family is what I have been and what I will be. It embodies love on a more perceptible plane. Friends denote fun and freedom and all the other things that I enjoy doing when I am not working or fulfilling my family commitments.
Strangely I also love all the difficulties I encounter in my path of living because it is these very difficulties that give happiness its true meaning.
I also love God.
And I wrote-
Along with 'time', 'love' must arguably be one of the most used words in English language. And, like time, we live it, feel it and have it intricately woven into the fabric of our life but we cannot define it!
I love... two very powerful words that can begin a cascade of feelings. I love my family, first and foremost. I am defined by them- mother, daughter, wife, sister- They are all the roles that give me the opportunity not only to love freely but also BE loved infinitely. I cannot imagine a life devoid of this contentment. Friends, too occupy an important place in this 'scheme' of my universe.
Moving away from the Animate and the highly animated, I will have to say, I LOVE BOOKS. At any given moment, I could be reading three to five books! One in the bathroom, one by the bed-side, one in the car for the red light stops, and one in the purse are quite the usual. Books transport me to another Universe- and bring alive possible alternate existences. It is as real a world that we live in, breathe in and can feel the texture of. Yet, it is a world that we cannot touch...
My being a doctor gives me a definite high feeling. It is a profession that allows me to interact with several people who are usually highly appreciative and fuel my innate need to be appreciated as an individual who makes a difference. I was once told by a friend that it is possible to love several people and things at the same time. I have since realised that to be a BIG truth.
Each new experience of love expands the heart to be able to take and give ever more...
Thank god for this blessed feeling in our lives...
Our first topic was- I love... dated 17/5/10
Sanjay wrote-
I love me... but me is not just my individual self. Me is defined by my world around me- my family, my friends, my work etc. My work gives me an opportunity to do good to others, to serve and to make a difference in this world. It also provides for my and my family's needs. My family is what I have been and what I will be. It embodies love on a more perceptible plane. Friends denote fun and freedom and all the other things that I enjoy doing when I am not working or fulfilling my family commitments.
Strangely I also love all the difficulties I encounter in my path of living because it is these very difficulties that give happiness its true meaning.
I also love God.
And I wrote-
Along with 'time', 'love' must arguably be one of the most used words in English language. And, like time, we live it, feel it and have it intricately woven into the fabric of our life but we cannot define it!
I love... two very powerful words that can begin a cascade of feelings. I love my family, first and foremost. I am defined by them- mother, daughter, wife, sister- They are all the roles that give me the opportunity not only to love freely but also BE loved infinitely. I cannot imagine a life devoid of this contentment. Friends, too occupy an important place in this 'scheme' of my universe.
Moving away from the Animate and the highly animated, I will have to say, I LOVE BOOKS. At any given moment, I could be reading three to five books! One in the bathroom, one by the bed-side, one in the car for the red light stops, and one in the purse are quite the usual. Books transport me to another Universe- and bring alive possible alternate existences. It is as real a world that we live in, breathe in and can feel the texture of. Yet, it is a world that we cannot touch...
My being a doctor gives me a definite high feeling. It is a profession that allows me to interact with several people who are usually highly appreciative and fuel my innate need to be appreciated as an individual who makes a difference. I was once told by a friend that it is possible to love several people and things at the same time. I have since realised that to be a BIG truth.
Each new experience of love expands the heart to be able to take and give ever more...
Thank god for this blessed feeling in our lives...
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