A day for getting lost
A day for finding your way
A day for enjoying the sights
A day for absorbing the culture
A day for photographs
A day for 'new' silence
A day for getting back
A week's experience, one day at a time
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Purpose. Bell the Purrrrrpose Cat.
Something I think about often is the reason why we exist. I've come across and considered (at least superficially) multiple philosophies ranging from
a1) we all have a clear purpose in life and must find it......... or
a2)......... we will end up achieving our purpose come what may............. to
b) ........we exist because we have sinned in our previous lives and will continue to exist till we are 'good' enough to go back to the Universal power (this being our purpose) we all came from.... to
c) .......there is no purpose in life as such; we must just learn to live every moment and take things as they come because there is very little under our control and the world is a random and dynamic place where nothing is predictable.
My mind is however inclined to believe that we all have a purpose or a mission that may be predetermined or perhaps a purpose/mission that secretly evolves with our own growth (character, ambitions dictated by the situation etc). I am not sure why every single thing that happens to us happens the way it does but I do believe in the so-called coincidences that seem to know just what we need, help us understand what is important and take us closer to what we - deep in our heart - believe we must be doing and so forth.
I think it takes a lot to NOT 'see' and 'pursue' this purpose. Though, I have no concrete ideas on what these 'bad' influences pulling us away from our actual purposes could be. (The symptoms could be lack of confidence, failure to grab and hold on to excellent opportunities etc).
Oops. I'm on the verge of forgetting what I started out to write this post for. My message - I have a strong suspicion that identifying our purpose is very easy if we just pay a little more attention. The purpose is more often than not...
a) Staring us right in our face and is as obvious as the reflection in our mirror. Almost everything we do is adding up and leading to that obvious purpose/mission.
b) Lurking just beneath the surface of our lives and all it takes may be one or more consecutive or spaced out events/incidents for it to bob up and get all our attention. Seen from another angle, all it needs is perhaps a little coincidental tap for it to emerge and show up in all its glory. In retrospect, most of the events and situations we were involved in becomes an obvious link to the newly recognized purpose.
c) Perhaps embedded slightly lower down, somewhere in the recesses of your life but it could be easily nudged out with a little bit of external help/support from the 'important' people around you (your role models, parents, teachers, friends etc. People who have the wisdom to see what's hidden within you even though it may not be visible to you)
If there are people who are convinced, during the last leg of their lives, that they seemed to have lived their lives without any clear purpose whatsoever, then maybe that was their very purpose - to simply flow along the river of life and enjoy its various currents minus a single or key destinations.
Notes: I have a couple of books that talk about identifying one's purpose in life but I'm yet to read them. Once I read them, I'll perhaps come back to this post and find out what I would 'still' agree with or disagree with. ;-)
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a1) we all have a clear purpose in life and must find it......... or
a2)......... we will end up achieving our purpose come what may............. to
b) ........we exist because we have sinned in our previous lives and will continue to exist till we are 'good' enough to go back to the Universal power (this being our purpose) we all came from.... to
c) .......there is no purpose in life as such; we must just learn to live every moment and take things as they come because there is very little under our control and the world is a random and dynamic place where nothing is predictable.
My mind is however inclined to believe that we all have a purpose or a mission that may be predetermined or perhaps a purpose/mission that secretly evolves with our own growth (character, ambitions dictated by the situation etc). I am not sure why every single thing that happens to us happens the way it does but I do believe in the so-called coincidences that seem to know just what we need, help us understand what is important and take us closer to what we - deep in our heart - believe we must be doing and so forth.
I think it takes a lot to NOT 'see' and 'pursue' this purpose. Though, I have no concrete ideas on what these 'bad' influences pulling us away from our actual purposes could be. (The symptoms could be lack of confidence, failure to grab and hold on to excellent opportunities etc).
Oops. I'm on the verge of forgetting what I started out to write this post for. My message - I have a strong suspicion that identifying our purpose is very easy if we just pay a little more attention. The purpose is more often than not...
a) Staring us right in our face and is as obvious as the reflection in our mirror. Almost everything we do is adding up and leading to that obvious purpose/mission.
b) Lurking just beneath the surface of our lives and all it takes may be one or more consecutive or spaced out events/incidents for it to bob up and get all our attention. Seen from another angle, all it needs is perhaps a little coincidental tap for it to emerge and show up in all its glory. In retrospect, most of the events and situations we were involved in becomes an obvious link to the newly recognized purpose.
c) Perhaps embedded slightly lower down, somewhere in the recesses of your life but it could be easily nudged out with a little bit of external help/support from the 'important' people around you (your role models, parents, teachers, friends etc. People who have the wisdom to see what's hidden within you even though it may not be visible to you)
If there are people who are convinced, during the last leg of their lives, that they seemed to have lived their lives without any clear purpose whatsoever, then maybe that was their very purpose - to simply flow along the river of life and enjoy its various currents minus a single or key destinations.
Notes: I have a couple of books that talk about identifying one's purpose in life but I'm yet to read them. Once I read them, I'll perhaps come back to this post and find out what I would 'still' agree with or disagree with. ;-)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N
This post occurred to me out of the blue. Funnily enough, I am even unable to recall whether it came to me when I was about to drowse off yesterday night or this morning when I was trying to sit still for a while. Parenting is a topic that is very close to my heart and I believe if we focus on and know how to bring up children and (as a result) every family in the nation is a happy family, it might be the end of most problems our society faces today.
C - Coach the child (Being a coach is not the same thing as being a teacher)
H - Help when you're needed or Hold her hand as she walks her path
I - Inspire the child through your own actions and through other mediums like books, stories etc
L - Love the child irrespective of her flaws and faults. Laugh (share humorous moments) with the child as often as possible.
D - Demonstrate things rather than just resorting to rhetoric (very stale piece of advice in parenting)
R - Reward and Recognize the child appropriately (drawing a balance between over-rewarding and under-rewarding may be extremely difficult)
E - rElease the child from your grip and let her lead her own life except in situations that need you to be protective
N - Nudge the child when nothing else works (Use tactics that are provoking but subtle. Note that Nudging is very different from Pushing or Forcing). But DO NOT Judge the child! As Mother Theresa said, where there is judgement, there can be no place for love (not reproduced verbatim)
I love acronyms or rather actual words that are given the form of an acronym. More often than not, I believe it is possible to creatively expand actual words into alphabetical pieces that make meaning independently and then as a whole. I have no idea what this technique is called (I'm sure someone must have coined a term for it) but I love it as it is one of the best ways to remember things.
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H - Help when you're needed or Hold her hand as she walks her path
I - Inspire the child through your own actions and through other mediums like books, stories etc
L - Love the child irrespective of her flaws and faults. Laugh (share humorous moments) with the child as often as possible.
D - Demonstrate things rather than just resorting to rhetoric (very stale piece of advice in parenting)
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| Google Images |
E - rElease the child from your grip and let her lead her own life except in situations that need you to be protective
N - Nudge the child when nothing else works (Use tactics that are provoking but subtle. Note that Nudging is very different from Pushing or Forcing). But DO NOT Judge the child! As Mother Theresa said, where there is judgement, there can be no place for love (not reproduced verbatim)
I love acronyms or rather actual words that are given the form of an acronym. More often than not, I believe it is possible to creatively expand actual words into alphabetical pieces that make meaning independently and then as a whole. I have no idea what this technique is called (I'm sure someone must have coined a term for it) but I love it as it is one of the best ways to remember things.
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| Google Images |
Saturday, October 09, 2010
The Nature of Life
A quiet walk down the beach at sunrise
A slow ride across the sea at low tide
A trip through fields of tall grass and bright flowers
A silent hour opposite the tall mountain
A frozen moment beside the roaring waterfall
Soothing music at the foot of the motherly tree
Ears tuned into the melodious songs of birds galore
A journey that follows the flock of gliding birds
A celestial nap under the star-lit sky
A stealthy glance at the full moon
A brilliant book in the middle of nowhere
Is what packs life with its ultimate punch
A slow ride across the sea at low tide
A trip through fields of tall grass and bright flowers
A silent hour opposite the tall mountain
A frozen moment beside the roaring waterfall
Soothing music at the foot of the motherly tree
Ears tuned into the melodious songs of birds galore
A journey that follows the flock of gliding birds
A celestial nap under the star-lit sky
A stealthy glance at the full moon
A brilliant book in the middle of nowhere
Is what packs life with its ultimate punch
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Enemy In-me
I could kill my enemy
I could simply contemplate killing my enemy
I might hate my enemy
I might tolerate my enemy
I might ignore my enemy
I might forgive my enemy
I might not even know my enemy
The decision or ability is mine
Because the enemy, also, is within me
I could simply contemplate killing my enemy
I might hate my enemy
I might tolerate my enemy
I might ignore my enemy
I might forgive my enemy
I might not even know my enemy
The decision or ability is mine
Because the enemy, also, is within me
Parent - No Ideas for Rent
One of the most important things a parent can perhaps coach the child on is to not find comfort in someone else's agreement/approval but to go in search of her own mind.....in search of her own version of the truth and enjoy a 'personal' learning experience.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Habitat Day
Reproduced in good faith - Post for "Habitat for Humanity". Please consider lending your support!
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This Monday, Oct. 4, Habitat for Humanity will join efforts around the world to mark World Habitat Day. I'm reaching out to ask if you would help spread the word by posting about it on Aa..Ha [Thinking Inside The Blog!]. World Habitat Day is a day the United Nations has set aside to call attention to the dire need for affordable, adequate housing. I've put together a site with facts, videos, photos, banners and even a way to submit your own photo to the World Habitat Day Photo Wall, so please feel free to repost any of it:
http://worldhabitatdaynews.org
If you are able to post about this, it would really help spread the message of the housing need around the world and ways to help improve many lives. Please let me know if you have any questions and if you are able to help. Thank you so much.
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This Monday, Oct. 4, Habitat for Humanity will join efforts around the world to mark World Habitat Day. I'm reaching out to ask if you would help spread the word by posting about it on Aa..Ha [Thinking Inside The Blog!]. World Habitat Day is a day the United Nations has set aside to call attention to the dire need for affordable, adequate housing. I've put together a site with facts, videos, photos, banners and even a way to submit your own photo to the World Habitat Day Photo Wall, so please feel free to repost any of it:
http://worldhabitatdaynews.org
If you are able to post about this, it would really help spread the message of the housing need around the world and ways to help improve many lives. Please let me know if you have any questions and if you are able to help. Thank you so much.
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