Insights

The Illusioned Word - Civilization

2008-01-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

The other day I just came across this word 'Civilization". Being a human being, anxiety led me to discover and understand something more about it. I immediately goggled (searched) it, as we call it today and found the definition as "a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)". I found myself to be pretty much correct in that it related to the society as it exists or existed at different points of time, like studied in history like Harappa civilization. By this time, I understood that at different times, society in various forms (civilizations) had been having different salient features. But somehow I was also forced to ponder at the current society which is thought of in the most advanced of all the stages.

The current society is talked about as the most developed one. But is that really so? There are quite big political, legal or religious organizations. Science has reached new heights. Same is the case with economy everywhere. But does that mean present human civilization has reached its peaks.

As a layman, I understood that early man didn't know how to cook or eat or dress up. But today's man takes great amount of care in his dress up or the food he eats. But does this basic thing to live or eat the sole criteria for any civilization. If we see around, human being today is controlled in every possible way simply to make him act in a desired way that is thought to be perfect. He is guided where to walk, when to walk and even what to do or not. There are fines and strict rules all around. The reason seems like making the human act in the assumed perfect way. Doesn't everybody know all these basic things for himself.

If all the rules and all the fines are removed for even a single hour, there will be chaos everywhere. Probably, man may behave as an early man except that he will eat cooked food and dress up with clothes. And the same way if an early man comes up and is put in the same structure as today, won’t he act the same way as today's man. It really seems quite funny.

On what basis do we really say that the present civilization is in the most advanced state. Probably, the times when there will be no rules to be acted upon and the human himself will know what to do and what not, would be the most civilized state.

Moving Attitudes

2008-01-19T23:34:00.000-08:00

A thought is something that makes human as a human.Whatever we do or speak is a mere consequence of our thoughts. In simple words, a thought is something in human brain that makes him unique from other living creatures in the world. We may call it an object that is an output of the mind's processing. Mind constantly takes in inputs from around in various ways. That may be listening to something, seeing something or even simply feeling anything. All the things happening around constantly feed the mind resulting in some thoughts. This thinking allows an individual to model the world and to deal with it effectively according to his goals,plans or desires. Scientifically speaking "Thinking involves the cerebral manipulation of information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions".

Have we ever wondered how beautifully a thought impacts us as a human being, constantly driving us towards our actions. A thought just comes and in less than a second it is gone and we are fed up with a new thought. Seems like they are constantly flowing in around us. We are happy at a moment for something and the next moment we find ourselves sad about the same thing. Although the object remains the same, but our thoughts change about the same. This is the beauty of thoughts that indulges us in different activities, liking or disliking something or somebody at different points.

Well, the real thing is that the most talked about thing in most of the success books around the globe and various motivational sessions, the 'ATTITUDE', is itself a result of these very thoughts. A positive attitude is what is recommended in various forms and words. Very true, what we think is how we become or what we do. A positive environment drives positive thoughts which drive a positive attitude leading to success. An attitude may be described as how we see the world and how we take the life. And life takes us the same way how we take it.

When it comes to attitude, we all know how important a positive attitude is but how many of us really have that at all the times. We feel good, feel motivated at certain times about the things and develop a great positive attitude about that. At a different point of time, we feel bad about certain things and attitude is transformed into negative, resulting from some negative thoughts flowing in mind.And we are just entangled in these 'MOVING ATTITUDES' moving us in different directions every time. Just like a sinusoidal curve, up-down..up-down...

99% people know what success is and whats the best of the best way to reach there where success meets you. But hardly 1% of those are successful. Most people develop positive attitudes at some point in life but still don't achieve the same levels. The difference lies not in the levels of motivation or the attitudes, but in the 'MOVING ATTITUDES'. These moving attitudes keep us away from the realms of success. They key seems like lying in maintaining consistent attitudes about all the positives in one's life. That’s what I call 'Consistent Positive Attitude'.

Thoughts for this New Year

2007-12-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

Countdown has already begun and its some 24 hours now when all the calendars hanging around for last one year will get replaced by the New Year 2008. A lot of excitement and zeal all around as the new year starts. Like every year, 2007 has also been a mix of good and bad events on all levels, international, national or personal.

Well, it seems a good junction between the past and the future, to look in retrospect and plan for the future. Lets analyse the past one year to see all the achievements, learnings and of course some bad things or mistakes we wish to avoid in the coming year to take ourselves ahead in the paths chosen by us.

Lets plan to create or define our own dictionaries including everything for us and exluding rest all junk.

'Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits'. Lets not do this to ourselves.

Wishing all my fellows on Planet Earth a more worthy Year 2008 ahead.

New Year's Day is every man's birthday. Celebrate it.

The Silent Mind

2006-09-10T01:20:00.000-07:00

Ever experienced sometime being with your Silent Mind? It has a lot of things to tell you; about you, your surroundings and all.
Everyday, rather every moment we are just lost in ourselves and the world around us that it hardly gives any chance to be with self for a moment. Life has become so complex that every time we tend to be engrossed with one problem or the other and in all this vicious circle, we have lost a mere sense of what a Silent Mind is.
A Silent Mind is not something very silent but free from unnecessary noises. A Silent Mind is something that gives you a real feel of what you are and not what you appear to be.
The truth is that without listening to this Silent Mind, mind tends to become and think so narrow that instead of solving your problems, it creates a chain of problems. And if you develop the habit of listening to it, it redefines the meaning of life for you.
Mind is a thing that is always working; 24*7 ; every moment something is going on. And the most beautiful thing in all this is that things going on change like a streak of lightning. You are very sad and suddenly you become so happy.
Have you ever just experienced how a particular thought enters your mind, what effect it has on you and suddenly how it leaves , simultaneously creating space for a new thought.
Just experience with your closed eyes for sometime how thoughts come and leave your mind and try to listen your Silent Mind what it has for you.

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY

2006-08-19T03:06:00.000-07:00

Today’s National Holiday (15th Aug.) made me have some thought over INDIA, my motherland who got free from the curbs of British in 1947. Till that time, this day is celebrated with a lot of excitement, excitement of INDIA being an independent nation.

I think the feeling of freedom is the best feeling for a human being and is worth celebrating. But are the people of INDIA really free today? Is INDIA on the right track of development? Is INDIA taking ahead the efforts of her great freedom fighters? Does INDIA today deserve to celebrate this day?

It may seem that the writer is against INDIA (or to be better called in INDIA as a Pakistani). But, I also love INDIA and have concerns for her, my motherland.

We are a great democracy, rather the world’s largest democracy. But the purpose of democracy is defeated in most of the cases. All the system is too much corrupted to be cleaned in the coming years.

For the last 60 years, our leaders have been unable to provide the nation with basic amenities as water and electricity.

The problems of INDIA can be just categorized under a single head called GOVERNMENT. If you are dealing with any aspect concerned with government, you are going to face huge problems in that. You are dealing with some government office or you are consuming something that is a government responsibility to provide, you are just screwed up.

Is this the so called Freedom which we are celebrating today???

And the hype is that we promote the leaders knowing that they are corrupt or have a bad background, that’s in fact the true INDIANism.

Don’t see any possible solution in the coming times for INDIAN democracy.

The Story of Discipline

2006-07-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

Different people, different Goals. But the bottomline is same – Discipline. Nobody can achieve any Goal of any kind without discipline. People set up Goals, imagine the end result ,fantasize it, plan out the possible course of action to achieve the same in a proper time frame. But gradually, that action lacks as was planned for that fantasy or GOAL , whatever it is.
But still, human being is a great creation of GOD. He now comes out with a new creation called EXCUSE and that too for himself to satisfy his very inner self that he is performing great and soon be with his fantasized GOAL and still feels good about him and the GOAL. The story continues till he realizes the significance of discipline in life.
Sooner or later, one has to learn this very truth about the discipline. There are 2 options – either learn it or life will make you learn itself. A very simple case of indiscipline is a person delaying the credit card payment. And the bank will soon fetch from him a huge amount as fine. So, it has to be learnt in any case. Better one learns it himself. Take control of your life or life will take control of you.
Everybody wants freedom to the fullest. But to tell the truth nobody can experience the true freedom without discipline. Indiscipline leads to one being controlled by life and the various circumstances. And these very things curtail freedom. To enjoy freedom, amplify your self discipline and your fantasies will no longer be fantasies.
There is always a struggle going on – struggle between head and heart , struggle between emotions and facts….The solution is discipline. And the result is either your goals or your excuses run your life.
I know all sounds very true and mouth-watering and everybody wants the same in life. But the more true thing about discipline is it is very easy to be not to be disciplined. And discipline is just an act of cultivation. Today’s actions will be tomorrow’s results. Sow it today and reap it tomorrow. And discipline will tell you which is the right season to sow and which to reap.

Come out of excuses; discipline is a key driver to success; and experience all your fantasies!!!

Journey to Exploration-I

2006-04-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

It was Tuesday and 20th September, 1983 when I started my journey on the planet Earth. I started exploring the new and amazing things around me. I started recognizing different things and giving them different names. I discovered something beautiful and called it a flower, encountered another thing of the same type and thus started categorizing different flowers by different names. I identified various colours by various names, saw the sky high above me and gave that colour the name blue. Lot of new things (not all to mention here) were around me and explored them one by one. Slowly and slowly I started making my own paradoxes of beautiful and ugly, good and bad.
Then, I explored different words, their meanings; gave different things different names. Started giving people around me different relational names, explored the words’Mother’,’Father’,’Brother’,’Sister’ and lots more.
Slowly and slowly, my so-called knowledge grew on and my exploration diminished. The paradoxes ,perceptions I made in my mind made my mind narrow which once used to be so open and was willing to let enter in any new thing through its doors .And I was happy unknowing of this bitter fact.
Then, I went to school; discovered more new things, new experiences and made more and more fixed perceptions. My mind had increasing number of fixed ideas. This is bad, that is bad. But why? This I never dared to question or explore for myself.
Things went on like this only all the time ;College ,job ,everywhere…..Not that I was not discovering or exploring but that my inner urge to explore was diminishing all the time. Mind becoming more and more fixed all the time and a junk of more fixed ideas each time.
Today, at the age of 22, when in my silent mind, I introspect myself and my journey till now, I want myself again to go back the time when it was ‘20th September, 1983’ and my explorative and open mind was working at 100%.As a reader, you might think and laugh what I am saying .But, for once try to introspect yourself and may be you also find this thing true for you and try to understand why this happened.
Science has upto this time not developed that much to take in the past (may be after some years we find those things) but having the same exploration power and desire is what we can have. There are more things unexplored than explored in this world.

Dishonouring Education

2006-04-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Education is a gift of GOD to humanity. It is the most sacred and divine thing on God’s earth and needs to be fair in all respects.But, the reservations in the education is just a step ahead in dishonouring God’s this very gift.
How can we think of a talent not getting the needed education just because another fellow belongs to some particular caste? This is just ruining the talent rather than developing and exploring it.Further, there are a no. of another reasons for eradicating all such reservations in education.
In the first place, that was history (after independence) when such castes really existed in India.But, in today’s scenario, this is hardly the case. There is no separate caste existing as such. The castes which existed that time have come out of age now. We talk of a state that is secular and free from the notion of castes. And by making reservations a part of our society, we ourselves are promoting the cause by identifying different castes

Doesn’t this Quota or reservations serve in political parties’ motive of electoral votes? Doesn’t in most of the cases benefit goes to the high class people with sons of politicians or high profile people getting into high esteemed institutions like IIT’s and IIM’s?Is the benefit (if such castes exist) really passed to the people who deserve it?

Rather, poverty is more widespread in India than any other thing. Can’t we just go by providing free education to anyone below poverty line (provided one has the talent and deserves the same)?

In such a scenario of reservations, had we have proper thought of the future? What will happen when rubber meets the road? Imagine somebody non-deserving getting into a medical college and becoming a doctor .Can our society rely on such a doctor when question is of life or death? Do our worthy law makers ever want to get themselves operated by such doctors?

Further, the real talent is being ruined and lost in the crowd due to all this. And we are laying foundation for an Indian future that is not bright enough.

If government really thinks for providing any privilege to such sections of the society, there exist a no. of other ways to uplift these sections.Probably,education is not the rightly and thoughtfully picked choice for the same.

It would be in the honour of Goddess Saraswati-‘Devi Of Vidya(Knowledge)’ to eradicate all reservations in society, whether it is regional ,religional or caste-based,and making education a fair thing for all.

GLOBALISATION EVERYWHERE

2006-04-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

‘Brain Drain’ has been much thought of being one of the negatives to the nation. We have a lot of students chasing their dreams into goals in foreign Universities and a large pool of talent working abroad. And till date this has been considered as draining the talent of the nation to other countries and thus harming the nation as a whole.

If we contemplate the same situation in today’s scenario where globalization is becoming rampant in almost every area that can be thought of, the so called ‘Brain Drain’ loses its whole meaning. New dimensions are being added to ‘Brain Drain’ with the Globalization.

That was a thing of past where nations were merely identified by their geographical entities or borders. Today, we live in a borderless world and boundaries have no impact. People and ideas are no more trapped by the notion of boundaries. We live in a world that is fast becoming FLAT (instead of round as perceived by Copernicus).

So, how does it matter whether an Indian mind (in India) is working for an American or an Indian mind (in America) is working for an American? Further, this is a good thing that we have increasing number of Indians abroad at good positions. That should be a thing of pride for the nation.Also, if we have Indian Nationals at good positions abroad; they can take India’s interest ahead at the Global Level.

Last but not the least; we are a billion plus nation. Do we have the infrastructure to nurture such a huge human resource? Answer is NO.So, its better that our human resource is being nurtured in other countries. The newly proposed Quota Regime will further add to this.

The much presumed negative thing is turning to be a great positive for the nation in the coming future.

An Evening with Gibran

2006-03-30T21:32:00.000-08:00

Nature is full of beauty ,the beauty that is endless and timeless.All the secrets of this universe probably lay hidden the very depths of Mother Nature.The very aspects of life are hidden somewhere around in Nature’s lap.Life gets a new meaning experiencing the nature in its true respects and thus discovering the hidden meanings in it.Yes,this is how this great evening with Gibran went on.
Kahlil Gibran,the famous poet and writer of his times brought to me these very aspects of nature in the real sense.I became familiar with the word ”BEAUTY” for the first time.The beauty everything around us possess is very much exhibited in the beauty of his writing.Not only the beauty of nature,also the beauty of meanings hidden in that beauty are worth to be explored.
I guess most of you (including me) often bypass this beauty due to their busy lives and consider oneself to be the most known person on this planet but being the most ignorant.I realized this thing for me spending this great evening with Gibran.

AWESOME GIBRAN!!!!!!!

The Power of Incentives

2006-02-24T01:20:00.000-08:00

Incentives,the thing that drives the whole world.Every action concerning a human in the globe is due to incentives.Whether the affect is positive or negative,its incentives that take control of the human ,that drives him to do anything.
Economic Incentives that make a human being to work,to earn money.Further,these drive somebody to indulge in the crime activities.Most of the activities are governed by this particular phenomenon.
Social Incentives that evoke an individual to be a good human being in the society,to have a good place in the society so that he has a status symbol in the society.This too prevents a person from being indulged in unsocial activities,to be a better part of the society.
Moral incentives,the thing that concerns with an individual as a whole.The thing that relates a person to his own.And the most powerful of all the above incentives(if experienced in real sense).No doubt the above two are ones mostly seen and experienced but this is the one that can provide a driving force for these too.If deeply thought or I say,if we have a insight into it ,we will see that it is the one that drives the above 2 forms of incentives also.
Incentives which are needed for anyone’s motivation can be best derived from my last and the best form .And if that is understood and achieved can show perfect results.Such is the power of incentives.

Universal Reality

2006-02-24T00:06:00.000-08:00

The world around us containing so much of things ,tangible and ethereal,which we see everyday ,experience every moment is very much presumed to be real.But what is Reality?
Is it the thing which we see,the thing each individual experiences?But in such a case that would be different for different people with different sensations and in different time frames .That does not make sense that its reality.
The smallest of thing which we experience each moment contain different perspectives ,each claiming to be the real one.And if there are that number of realities about a particular thing ,which one is real?
Isnt it the case that we usually take the appearance for reality.Anything that appears to us seems to be real to us.And as the appearance changes ,reality also changes for us.As our sensations for a particular thing change,the reality for that also change.Is appearance the meaning of reality?Is the reality a thing that is so dynamic in nature?i guess NO.Reality ought to be the thing that’s true in any time frame,in any sensational frame being constant all the time. And if dats true is there anything that can be considered to be being ‘REAL’?Or it is just another fake word in the dictionary which many authors have discussed too much?And that’s the irony I am talking of ‘Universl Reality’ not ‘Reality’.

MAKING THINGS HAPPEN

2006-02-08T23:42:00.000-08:00

Lot of mysterious (rather superficial) words besiege us that promise us to make perfect . Some common words to quote here include Motivation , Attitude , Self Esteem, Confidence …..the list goes on.Everybody wants to know the so called mystery of these words to succeed, TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
But does this really help??????????????????
This is the flow of thoughts that happened to me once.I realized that I don’t have any control over my life.I am just running on a path without creating mw own path(that needs to be perfect). I am just being moulded by external factors with each factor demanding me to act in a different way.After a deep insight into this ,I just jotted down 2 very simple words for me in my dictionary that (if implemented) would pave ‘My Perfect Way Ahead’
The 2 new much needed perfect words are ---‘ORGANIZE’ and ‘CONSISTENCY’.
Often we see ourselves too much engrossed in all the things (or activities) , that we enjoy being engrossed in all that without making anything Happen.We just don’t have time for any of the things.The really hurdle in our path is the ‘disorganisation of our lives’.We have become really so much disorganized that we have lost ourselves,our inner self (of which we use juz 5%,at max).
Lives have become so dynamic that consistency is lost .What our inner self demands of us or rather I can say,what we like to have in our life ; we don’t persist in that.And dats the irony.Being a human being (the most intelligent creature of GOD),we juz don’t know ourselves.
But,I don’t want to have my life 100% organized and 100% consistent in what I do.I just want to have a 10% more control over my life(10% more organized + 10% more consistent in what I do).
After all,we are in ‘SANSAAR’ and these external factors are gonna affect us in all the way.But I being a human being can make an effort to let these external factors affect me less.
And these 2 keywords are gonna help me pave my own path.

‘Mystery Of GOAL-The Seemingly Simple 4 Letters’

2006-01-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

GOAL,a word that is very precise ,very specific in meaning(although only for few who understand its real meaning) is the basic thing determining our lives ,our personalities and so on. Ironically, a thing ,which so elegantly determines the flow of our lives is unfamiliar to us?
Reading Eliyahu Goldratt’s ‘ The Goal’ , made me conclude that the Goal of a business is to make money or Cash flow.If we are increasing the Cash Flow ,we are moving towards the Goal of business. Money controls the whole business.The Ultimate concern of any business is Money.If at any time, value of money conflicts with some other value,then value of money wins.Money is ‘GOD’ for a business.
I guess if we ever recognize our true goal,then that serves as God for us.All decisions need to be made based on that only.Thus,Goal governs our lives totally.
I have seen some people who want to achieve their Goals of success,getting rich ,having security and so many things in order to be happy.Yet,they don’t achieve happiness not because they have not achieved their goals but because they choose the wrong goals.
This is all about ‘Confusing Means with Ends’.Actually(in this case), Ultimate Goal is Happiness; not getting rich or success or anything .They just need to serve as the means to attain the Ultimate Goal of Happiness .Happiness should govern the whole flow, not the other way around.
So far,I have assumed that we have one ultimate Goal.But, often we are so disorganized in ourselves that we have too many ‘GOALS’ or ‘GODS’ governing our lives.We have internal battles going on between our desires of love,friendship,making money and so on(actually list is endless) .We just carry on our lives with being ignorant of our most desired value,the value which should govern each and every action of ours.
Has anybody (or can anybody) ever be acquainted with the ‘GOD’ for himself?????
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….To be Continued till I get the answer or anybody among you comes across that.

Books for me

2006-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

BOOKS-The World Seems to be contained in these.But is it really so?
Ask a person 'who (or what ) is GOD?'or Ask a lover 'what is LOVE?'or Ask somebody 'what is pain?'
Not even a handful will be able to tell you. Not because they don't know but because they don't have the words to tell you or we can say they are handicapped in the sense that they are not able to express even their thoughts.
Ya,this is what books mean to me.....
They are not a source of'What is What?' to me rather they remove my this handicapcy.
They take me in the world which is mine but I had never dared to explore that due to my that particular handicapcy.
Today,m writing not because I am a good writer or I want to become so but because mu books have given me the power to do so.They have really removed my handicapcy in the real sense.