A Holistic Perspective - 5

Two of the greatest theologians - Thomas Aquinas, a Christian from the West, and Sankara, a Hindu from the East - were humble enough to admit that their rational understanding of God was worthless and useless. According to Thomas true faith is always looking for an understanding intellect (fides quaerens intellectum). But faith cannot reach an understanding mind. Mind surrenders and gives assent without understanding. For instance, a child tossed into the air by a loving father does not fear any danger. Do our  authorities in religions all over the world know this truth, this surrendering without knowledge?! I think not. Because if they did, they would not be pontificating and dictating infallibly as God alone could. But even that God, who incarnated in the form of Christ as Christians believe, was tolerant enough not to stop Judas from comiting his vicious act of betrayal. In fact what he told him was: "Go and do what you have to do". Christ did not pronounce any dogmas greater than "Love one another as I have loved you", "There is no greater love than this that a person lays down his or her life for another person", "Do to others what you like others to do to you", "I have come to do my Father's business", "I am the way to the Father", "I live in my Father and my Father lives in me", "The one who sees me sees my father", "I came to proclaim the Kingdom of God", "The Kingdom of God is within you or in your midst",   "I came to preach the good news to the poor", "I came to free the captives and the oppresed". 

Do I necessarily need to believe that Christ is God? Do I necessarily need to believe in his resurrection? Do I necessarily need to believe in an after-life? Do I necessarily need to believe in God?  I do not necessarily need to  believe in anything.  I am not forced to believe in any of these things. I would like to believe in them. I know God will not fault me for who I am because he created me the way I am. God knows that I try to live my life the best way that I can. God knows that I discern God's will in everything I do. I know God will not condemn me for my beliefs as long a I am sincere and faithful to my conscience. I am not at all afraid of God. I am extremely grateful for the life I have been given, for the way I am led every moment of my life. I am afraid of only those who, in their ignorance,  think that they can represent God, can speak for me,  can speak for God.  I am only afraid of intolerant, evil humans who out of their human-conceived dogmas, religious fanaticism, or perverse ideas can kill me on account of their belief. But then Christ told to fear only the One who can throw our soul into  eternal hell. I have also no hesitation in saying here that I will go where Christ went, where Gandhi went, where Buddha went, where Socrates went. (To be continued)

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

A Soldier’s Father

Has India lost its mind? This is the first question that swirled through my mind as I saw video clippings pile up in my computer, all on the sad Delhi zoo tragedy in which a man in his middle age was killed by a White Tiger. The clips are widely circulated and I’m sure that it is not the world's charismatic megafauna that attracted the viewers but the pathetic end of a human being. This is not the first of its kind. Uncensored cruel scenes of human slaughters frequently appear in visual media. Without enough viewers this would not have happened.

I remember the story of an Indian by name Lachhman Singh Rathore. He was going to attend the last ceremonies of his son, Flying Officer Vikram Singh, who died in a flight collapse. At the base, when the chopper with this frail man in his 80s landed, Flight Commander Venki did not know how to tell this man that the remains are not at all distinguishable. Lachhman Singh Rathore took Venki to the edge of the concrete apron and spoke in a feeble voice, “I have lost a son, and you have lost a friend. I’m sure that you have taken great care in arranging the funeral. Please tell me when and where you want my presence and what you want me to do. I’ll be there for everything. Later, I would like to meet Vikram’s friends, see his room and, if it is permitted, visit his work place. I then would like to return home tomorrow morning.” I think that a sensible commander couldn’t have given him clearer instructions. Unless I tell you more about this great warrior patriot, you may not understand what I mean. He sired three sons and has laid to rest all three of them. His first son Captain Ghanshyam Singh of the Gurkha Rifles was killed in Ladakh in the 1962 War. His second son, Major Bir Singh, died along the Ichogil Canal in 1965 in an ambush. His youngest, Vikram Singh, who had the courage to join the Air Force, is also gone now. He had given more to our country than all of us combined.” Lachhman Singh Rathore, in fact is more Indian than anyone else - his sacrifice can never ever be repaid by the Country. But our Great Nation does not honour similar martyrs appropriately. Every time we look at the waiting list for Bharat Ratna or similar national honours, we see a long list of politicians, Olympians, cricketers and film stars.

Emma Goldman, a very popular political activist and writer of the West in the early 20^th cent. once said, ”We have to understand one another.” My opinion is that the present problem is not about ‘understanding others’ because we haven’t yet finished understanding ourselves. In a nation where new Age sages live deaf and blind in their quest to understand God, understanding anything is difficult.

Joseph Mattappally

Fission of the Human Mind

As economic development progresses, the consumption of energy is also increasing at a fast rate. As a result, man is engaged in exploring new sources of energy. The use of atomic energy for the generation of power has given some relief though it has serious environmental problems. However, since it can solve the problem of the energy crisis to a great extent, the subject of atomic energy becomes important for all.

When my son was preparing for the class X examination, I guided him in science. When I went through the chapter on atomic energy, I found it very interesting and drew some very interesting lessons from it. This is what I am going to share here. Here, some background of the concept of atomic energy is required. An atom consists of three basic particles, namely, protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons are located in the nucleus and the electrons revolve around the

nucleus in different orbits. A large amount of energy is released when the nucleus of a heavy atom is broken into two or more smaller nuclei. Similarly, when the nuclei of two or more lighter atoms are made to merge into each other, resulting in a heavier nucleus, then also a large amount of energy is released. The former is known as Nuclear Fission and the latter is known as Nuclear Fusion. Such reactions take place under certain special conditions. If we are able to create these conditions, the reaction can take place on a large scale also. The energy, thus released, is known as atomic energy. If controlled, this energy can be used for running a power plant and if not, the same energy can turn into an atom bomb.

So far, the control of the reaction has been possible in fission and not in fusion. The fuel or the radioactive substance commonly used in fission is uranium. When the nucleus of uranium is bombarded by a neutron, it breaks into two smaller nuclei and simultaneously, three neutrons accompanied with a large amount of energy are produced. These three neutrons again bombard three other nuclei of uranium and the process is repeated again and again. If the number of neutrons bombarding the uranium nuclei is controlled, we get energy at a constant rate which can be used for good purposes, otherwise the same device can have a disastrous effect in the form of a bomb. The control of the reaction is done by controlling the speed and the number of neutrons and for this we use a moderator and controlling rods in the reactor. When the reaction is in total control, the energy is released at a constant rate and can be used for power generation.

I shall now compare this phenomenon with the human mind. The human mind is also like a radioactive substance which keeps on emitting various thoughts. The thoughts are of various kinds but we can classify them in two categories. Some thoughts are active in nature while the others are passive. Active thoughts make the mind act and in the process, the power of the mind is made use of. Such thoughts may be called desires. Passive thoughts, on the other hand, do not make the mind act, but are simply observed by the mind. Thus active thoughts or desires can be compared with moving particles like neutrons, protons, etc., and the mind with a heavy radioactive nucleus, like uranium. When active thoughts strike it, tremendous energy is emitted by the mind like that in Nuclear Fission. However, to make good use of this power, certain conditions similar to those in a nuclear reactor should exist.

First of all, we should have a neutral attitude towards desires like the neutrality of a neutron. It means that an attitude of detachment should be developed towards our desires. It does not mean that desires should be absent but that they should be controlled. Only the neutral or detached thoughts are in a position to make the best use of our tremendous mental energy. Secondly, the speed of a neutron has to be at its optimum level. Either too much or too little will lead to no action. In the same way, active thoughts should neither be very fast nor very slow. That is to say, that moderation is required in our thinking so that our thoughts are able to tap the maximum energy of the mind which exists in abundance. This condition suggests that our lifestyle should be moderate in order to make the maximum use of our power.

The third condition is also very important. In a nuclear reactor, each neutron gives rise to three neutrons which have to be controlled after a point. The human mind also generates more and more desires which then strike the mind harder and make it release more power. Up to an extent, this increase is healthy because the mind’s potential is used in a positive manner. However, beyond a point, the generation of more desires becomes destructive. Therefore, it is necessary to absorb or control these additional desires to make the best use of the mind, very much like controlling the number of neutrons in the reactor.

Thus, detachment, moderation and regulation are three essential conditions for making the best use of our mind power. If any one of these is missing, the mind’s power will either remain unused or will become destructive. How to achieve these conditions is not the subject here but achieving them is certainly possible. It is up to us to use the mind either as a ‘Power Plant’ or as an ‘Atom Bomb’.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Be A Good Citizen

A good citizen is someone who respects others and their property, is helpful and considerate, willing to put others first. He listens to the views of others and thinks about what they have to say, helps people who are not in a position to help themselves, respects the environment and does not damage it in anyway. He works hard, is well mannered and pleasant and is always willing to learn. We are used to living under laws and patterns that are dictated to us by society but just following those patterns does not make us good citizens. To be a good person, one has to be full of values, principles, ethics etc.

An important aspect of being a good citizen is to help people. All around us, we can see there are people in need of our help. We should lend our helping hand not only to poor people but also pregnant women, old and sick people. Our small actions can make a big difference. If you have been blessed with a sound mind and body, it is your responsibility to look out for children, the aged, the disabled and those who are down on their luck and help them.

Another important thing for a good citizen is to have an active participation in his community. We can do this in a lot of ways. When elections come we must exercise our voting right and vote for the most deserving candidate. We should also participate in neighbourhood meetings for deciding about the maintenance of the streets and other matters and put forth our point of view. Be proactive and take initiative when you see problems in your community. One good citizen can be an enormous force.

Respect the people who live around us. We should remember that other people have similar rights like we do. Respect is one of the most important bases when living in a society. We all have freedom, but it is restricted to a certain point. We cannot consider a killer or a thief good citizens as they have violated that restriction. Volunteer to do good deeds such as tutoring at schools, visiting nursing homes, working at elections, helping disaster relief agencies, donating to hospitals or cleaning up a park or nature preserve.

If you live in an area where neighbours do not know each other, start a new tradition. Have a block party or a get-together. Get to know the names of your postman, garbage pick-up workers and show an interest in people you meet on a regular basis. As adults, we also have obligations to contribute to the society and make our corner of the world a little better.

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat

A Holistic Perspective - 4

Ramayana, one of the two Hindu epics, depicting human values, ideal relationships, and righteous living (dharma) is ascribed to sage Valmiki. Valmiki was a highway robber known as Ratnakar who took care of his family by killing and robbing people. Once when he was about to rob sage Narada, he was asked if his family also had part in his crime/sin as he was doing it also for his family. He found out that his family had nothing to do with his crimes even though they enjoyed the fruits of his criminal activity. That opened his eyes. He spent years in meditation so much so a big ant-hill (valmikam in Sanskrit) grew around him. Thus Ratnakar became the enlightened sage Valmiki, the reported author of Ramayana. Mahabharata, that contains the most influential book of Hindu scriptures, Bhagavadgita, is attributed to sage Vyasan, the grandfather of Kauravas and Pandavas. Vyasan is also reported to be the author of Vedas. Rama, the hero of Ramayana, is the creation of Valmiki. Krishna in Mahabharata is the creation of 

Vyasan. Ramayana and Mahabharata contain the teachings of Rama and Krishna, the two most important Avatars (incarnations) of God. Upanishads and Bhagavadgita may be considered to be the most important Hindu scriptures.  While  all scriptures may contain inspirational material that nourishes the soul and the spirit, the New Testament of the Bible, Upanishads, Bhagavadgita, the core Buddhist teaching, and the Socratic method keep me firmly grounded in the spirit, and provide me all I need for a great spiritual, righteous (moral), and human and humane living. Of all the Christian, Hindu, and Muslim scriptures, the New Testament of the Bible that contains the teachings of Christ, apart from Christianity as a religion, has a unique inspiration and place for me among all the scriptures from a definite historical and time-line perspective. 

I strongly believe that God gave humans all that is necessary to live a purposeful and fulfilling life right from the beginning. God in and through creation continually communicates with humans. Nobody including the first parents can thwart that plan. We do not know if Adam and Eve were historical persons. Even if they were, it is very difficult to believe that they could pass their sin to their descendants. It is difficult to believe in God's direct interventions in the Old Testament. It is also difficult to believe in the God of the Old Testament. Christ in the New Testament does not make any reference to the role Adam and Eve played in the history of salvation. What we have are interpretations including those of his disciples and followers. The God of Christ whom he calls Abba (Father) is infinitely compassionate, loving, caring, and forgiving. Christ came to proclaim the Kingdom of God and give abundant life to humanity. His teaching certainly succeeded in giving a clear direction to humanity. Humanity is taking its own time to gradually arrive at its destiny. Some special human beings, be they prophets or sages, help make the course corrections humanity needs on account of their awareness. There is, for instance, greater awareness of equality and human rights now than ever before. Monarchies, dictatorships, capitalism, communism, and consumerism have not served humanity well. Only enlightened democracy that meets the basic needs of all, that is devoid of corruption and discriminations, and that is grounded in spirit-life and a solid value system can bring humanity to its destiny.  (To be continued).

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Sunday Vs Weekdays

On Sundays I get up earlier than my usual other days. My wife says, “You are in a habit of doing things differently, just to prove that you are different.” May be she could be right. Traditionally Sunday has been classified as a rest day in many parts of the world. The oldness of this tradition can be traced in some parts of the world to be as old as twenty six hundred years old. Interestingly as we know the time units, such as year and days are based on celestial phenomenon, the time unit of week is just on the basis of human endurance. We feel that we had had enough regular and routine work for six days and we need a day of rest. In fact within last about hundred years, in many parts of the world people reduced the official working hours and started having two day weekends.

My argument starts right here. As far as the concept of rest after a particular period goes it is all fine. Many of us must have noticed that many times we find ourselves rather busier on Sundays than our other usual days. This is because we mentally keep collecting a list of lot of activities we just postpone for Sunday. If we carefully watch our habits and review our pending lists, there are many things we need not postpone. Today, if I can find hours and hours to do useless things on Facebook, I can definitely find time to bring my mother’s eye drop before the previous bottle finishes. It is just a matter of outlook. I have seen old people filling water in their eye-drop bottle as their son may not have time to. So friends! It is time to change the perception of Sundays or weekends. As there are deadlines in corporate lives, there are priorities in personal life too. Happiness is there in our priorities only.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

‘small Big Bang’

‘Do or die’, this is what William Shakespeare said about the available choices in life. Drilling in, we find that Shakespeare did not include unsuccessful people in the category of doer’s. According to him, most of the people are dead. At the same time we need to accept the fact that these ‘dead people’ also were doing something, according to social standards. Should ‘doing’ be redefined? Myself for sure will say ‘yes’ because there are clearly two types of people, the first insisting on imitating successful people and the next who carve their own roads. It is those from the second group that Shakespeare called ‘doers’. Interestingly, it is people from this category who usually soar high in life. I think that the present generation is afraid of following individual insights, identifying own aptitudes and living by that. Imitating the most successful has become our popular strategy, not knowing that history never repeats at 100% accuracy. Once a mentor is reported to have advised, “Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.” 

It was in August 2014 that Indian IIMs jointly released a book, ‘small Big Bang’, which contains detailed stories of thirty most successful Indian entrepreneurs. All these successful individuals could manifest what they intended. To them, doing was not peddling through the old much trodden tracks but attempting a strategy of their own everywhere. Global business skills were automatically flowing in. How can I forget another father story in which a son was advised, “It was Amateurs who started Google and Apple.” Yes, it was amateurs who established Microsoft and face book and it was a professional who built RMS Titanic. 

Sometime back, I remember to have read the story of a father remarking on his dream about his son. He said, “My dream is that my son decides what he wants to be.” This answer might appear quite odd to modern parents who have clear cut ambitions on their children. Ambitions and expectations are good unless they damage or distort the future of others, son or daughter. The young, with no earnings of their own, easily succumb to what others want of them and become what they actually never yearned to be. So what? A generation is built up around socially acclaimed professions and we find people terribly misplaced everywhere. We have cruel doctors and kind executioners, corrupt social workers and clean criminals, wealthy clergy and poor laity. Most people end up unhappy and pass away with a bad conduct certificate stating that this person never used his/her inherent talents. When shall we let others chase their dreams?

Joseph Mattappally

The Richness of Poverty

Over the past few years, television has made tremendous progress in our country. Not only has the number of programmes increased manifold, but the quality too has improved greatly. The competition between various channels has also contributed to the improvement. There is such a bewildering variety and number of programmes that it is difficult to decide what to see. However, some of the programmes are really good and have given useful messages to the viewers. Two serials from which I drew important messages are Nukkad and Junoon, messages which I would like to share.

The serial Nukkad was on the life in a street corner of a small town. All the characters of the serial were persons who could barely make their living. Some were not even employed and depended on the help of their colleagues. Some had developed the habit of drinking due to frustration. They were, at times, also exploited by vested interests. Overall, they were miserable people and had no apparent joy in their lives. On the other hand, junoon was a story of very rich people who had accumulated their lakhs of rupees by dubious means. Many of them were engaged in underworld activities and had intense rivalries with each other. Outwardly they displayed affluence and moved around in the upper class of society. But inwardly, they too were frustrated, and often resorted to drinking as a result thereof.

When we look at these two groups of people, some interesting observations can be made. In Nukkad the group as a whole appears quite cheerful and contented. They enjoy every moment of life despite all the problems they face. They try to help each other beyond their means. They happily accept the shortcomings of each other and genuinely try to help. There is no tension visible on their faces. Overall, the group, though beset by problems, is quite happy and enjoys life to the extent possible under the circumstances. The opposite is the case in the serial junoon. In this group, the characters are so busy amassing wealth that they have no time to enjoy life. The unfair, illegal means of making a fortune further adds to their worries. Not only this, they are always fearful of the police or of a rival or of their own men. This makes their lives very tense, rendering it totally joyless. Almost all of them have great tension in their family lives too.

This made me think about the very definition of richness or poverty. I feel these are not at all absolute terms but simply the states of mind. I find it difficult to say which of the two groups is richer. If one is richer outwardly, it is very poor inwardly and vice versa. The first group, despite being poor, is happy, while the second group is miserable despite all the riches. And if we go by the ultimate aim of living, which is happiness, it is the first group which achieves the objective and not the latter.

I do not intend to arrive at any absolute conclusion. I am just raising a question for those who feel that happiness lies only in having more and more riches, irrespective of the means of acquiring them. I am also not saying that happiness lies in poverty. Perhaps, the reality is somewhere in between. For true happiness there has to be a balance between the outer and the inner growth. In the examples cited, the happiness of the first group as well as the misery of the second group are both the results of their ignorance. But I feel that bliss, even if out of ignorance, is better than misery of any kind. From this point of view, the state of poverty has more richness.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Be A Good Employer

Becoming a good boss is not something that can happen overnight. It is an ongoing learning process with struggles along the way. But once you are able to achieve a perfect balance between the needs of your company, your employees and yourself, you know that you are on your way to becoming an effective and good employer whom people respect and revere. A good boss needs to possess certain qualities. He should have leadership skills because there is a significant difference between a follower and a leader and hence all good employees cannot be good bosses. A good employer treats all employees as valuable members of the organization, from the file clerk to the CEO. He provides consistent benefits and fair compensation plans commensurate with market and contribution. He treats all employees with respect and courtesy and requires that the same treatment be accorded at all levels of the organization. He realizes that because employees are humans too, some things are truly beyond their control. So if something goes wrong, allow for some human limitation but your tolerance should not be abused by your employees by giving mediocre results.

It takes courage to give out commands and manage a large group, especially to take on full responsibility of your employees’ actions. Hence you should be very selective in finding the right kind of employees. If you end up with people who will put your name and reputation in danger, your company will be in serious trouble. So, check the background of all your potential employees. Be optimistic and smile all the time. You cannot expect your employees to produce excellent results if they see you sulking all the time. You have to realize that teaching people takes a lot of time and effort, so you have to exercise utmost patience.

A good employer has genuine concern about his employees and realizes that they too have needs and feelings. Recognition, raise in workers’ compensation or rewards are some of the best ways to motivate your employees but you have to be tactful and keep them in discipline. During company outings, do not hesitate to show your employees the fun side of you. Joke and laugh with them and talk to them. Provide a learning environment for all employees to increase employee satisfaction. The rapid rate of change in technology demands that employees continually enhance skills and knowledge. Have an open door policy. A good boss has multitude rewards. You earn the loyalty and respect of your employees and your company progresses.

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat

Holy Scriptures: A Holistic Perspective - 3

A very short pre-historic, mythical story in Genesis forming a part of the Torah (Old Testament of the Bible) of a small group of people (Jews) in the most obscure region of the world, the Middle East,  written, according to most modern biblical scholars, between 600 and 400 B. C., is the basis of the Fall and Redemption of humans comprising the entire salvation history of Christianity, the greatest religion in the world. The entire Christian theology centers around Christ and the Old Testament background. It is good to remember that skeptical people of the time - that is, most of the people including all the wise, the learned, and the priests - referring to Jesus of Nazareth asked: What good can come out of Nazareth?  Similarly we can ask: What good can come out of the least important Middle East region of the time?  It is unthinkable that an all-knowing God, whose past, present, and future are the same, would want to test the first parents (Adam and Eve) according to the Bible the way he did. Is this God any different from a self-centered, capricious, narcissistic person?  Is this anthropomorphic, sadistic God playing with human lives, whom he had created as mere toys, for his pure pleasure? What kind of a God do we have here? Humans need rational options to make decisions in order to exercise their freedom that no other animals have. It does not make any sense that God would forbid Adam and Eve, the parents of humanity, to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They are in a dilemma. If they eat, they will have knowledge of good and evil. But then they would disobey God, fall, and stay in ignorance of good and evil all their life. 

How can one know one thing is good without also knowing another thing is evil? Did God want humans never to make a mistake? Never to fail? Was God asking from human’s unquestioning obedience and belief in God for humans' own good? Are we then saying that God did not know the kind of humans God created? But that would not make any sense either. How can we also think that God did not want humans to have the knowledge of good and evil that comes from eating the fruit of the forbidden tree?  Why did not God create a human being who would have freedom but who would always make the right decision? But that human will not have any choice with regard to one's destiny. Do humans need the knowledge of good and evil to live a meaningful and purposeful life? Let us assume creation took place before 4124 years before Christ according to the Masoretic Text ( the authoritative Hebrew Text of the Tanakh for Rabbinic Judaism). What about humans who lived before that time? How can they take part in the original sin? As you see we are getting deeper into this conundrum without a way out. Of course we can get into theological speculations and get contrived answers that compromise with our reasoning and intellectual integrity. Our smug satisfaction comes from a superficial self-righteousness that sacrifices reason at the altar of faith. This self-righteousness that permits no tolerance is what terrorist religions such as ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq) and the Taliban use to massacre humans, who do not believe in what they believe. A version of intolerant self-righteousness allowed Christians to persecute or kill other Christians who had divergent views a few centuries ago. A similar kind of self-righteousnes and arrogant  power also do not allow the State of Israel, against the warnings of their own righteous prophets in the Bible, to make reasonable compromises with the moderate Palestinian Authority (not the Hamas who do not recognize Israel) so the oppressed Palestinians can have dignity and their own state in the community of nations. The terrorist religions and organizations know little that the persons they kill in the name of God are also created in the image of God. (To be continued)

Swami Snehananda Jyoti  

Simulated World

“Are we living in a simulated world?”. This is the search I made on “Google” after watching a recent TV program on Discovery Science. The results were truly amazing. After reading some of the stuff on this topic, I felt like taking back all my previous posts related to the concept of God, Formless God, O Rama O Krishna etc.

These days some of the scientists in US universities are trying to put forth a hypothesis that the world we live in is actually a computer simulation created by some Aliens. The simulation is powerful enough that the actors in this simulation, that means our human race is also on the verge creating other such simulated worlds. Some researchers try to prove there point by creating computer based mathematical models that will scale up to the size we are ourselves present in.

There could be many scientific and philosophical arguments in favour or in against of such hypothesis but the argument by itself is definitely interesting. I took small advantage of this theory in counseling a friend who quarreled with his wife and was about to leave his house. He came to me two-three days back with a story quite similar to one we are habitual of listening in all such episodes. I had just read this great ‘Simulated World Theory’. I tried to counsel him that what you are doing and what your wife is doing is just a controlled simulated game being played by someone somewhere beyond your reach. You may label him God, You may label him Destiny. Be patient and watch the next moves being played by him. Don’t create your own moves. Today my friend returned to me with thanks, that the theory worked. Simulated next moves are better than what he had thought. So friends! Simulation or no simulation, use everything to power and steer your life to a positive side.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Chasing the Smartest

Where does the world spend most of its energy? Chasing the smartest is the answer. Rather than trying to improve our own records we compete with that of others. Look at the defense; every country and every force has an eye on the gadget, which can outrun that of its enemy. Look at the penal codes; it’s always changing to include the smartest. I remember the story of a smart farmer. His field was close to a public road and so he had problems with people stealing his water melons in the night. One day the farmer played a clever idea. He put a sign board saying that one of the fruits is poisoned. The trick worked and in the following night no fruit was stolen. However it was written under the sign board he put: ‘now two of the fruits are poisoned’. The story says that the more we think that we are smart the more we are humiliated. Look at the complex country rules with all its clauses and sub clauses. Every time we fix a loophole with a new sub clause, we see more loopholes developing in it. It never ends. See, two lawyers arrive at the pub and order a couple of drinks. They sit down and begin to eat the sandwiches they had brought in their bags. Seeing this, the angry waiter approaches them and says, “Excuse me, but you cannot eat your own sandwiches in here!” The lawyers looked at each other, shrugged and exchanged their sandwiches. We claim that the world has become a global village and everything has improved; the fact is that it hasn’t become a better place to live in. The more we advance the more we shrink towards ourselves. Unless we stop chasing the latest and the smartest and find more importance to values than inventions, things are going to be chaotic. 

It is here that I remember Dr. K S Radhakrishnan, former Vice Chancellor of Shri Shankaracharya University, who was a contributor to Indian Thoughts, some time back. He once said that the meaning of the Sanskrit word ‘Asteya’ is not restricted to abstain from stealing only. He wrote, “Asteya, specifically demands everyone not only to take something of somebody either by force or consent but also to give up everything that is not essential to ensure ones’ own existence. In this sense Asteya specifically says that one has to regulate oneself to fix his or her minimum as a prelude to establish law and order in a civic society. In short, law and order can be maintained properly not by the police force but by the self regulating individuals who firmly believes in values.” 

Joseph Mattappally

Remaining Unperturbed-06

All duality, every division between the actor and the act, between the experience and experienced, the observer and the observed, has to disappear. If we can be totally one with the moment at hand we will have learned the art of being one with every moment that is on its way. And then miracle will happen- both pleasure and pain will chasten us, enrich us, add to our beauty and grandeur. Then both happiness and misery will be our friends and they will have equal share in making us. And when our time to leave this world will come, we will thank both in tremendous gratefulness. 

The truth is that it is not only light that creates us, darkness has an equal hand in our creation. Not only happiness enriches us, pain and suffering has equal share in building our richness. Not only life is a moment of rejoicing and celebration, death also is a great moment of bliss and festivity. It is possible only if we can live each moment totally, if we can squeeze out every drop of juice the moment posses. Then we will not be able to say that happiness is friendly pain is inimical. No, then we will gratefully accept that happiness and misery are like our own legs on which we walk, and that they are together available to us. Then we will realize how we have tried impossibly all our life to walk on one leg alone- the leg of happiness. We have to be whole when we speak, we have to be whole when we are silent. 

Disorder begins when we choose. And the chooser is separate the world of choices is unending. 

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Living Like an Asymptote

The word ‘asymptote’ may appear strange to many, particularly to those who have not studied higher mathematics. Though the word finds a place in all English dictionaries, I feel it needs an explanation. To understand ‘asymptote’, one has to understand certain mathematical terms. First the term ‘curve’ is to be understood. It is a geometrical figure following a defined relationship in its two coordinates, a simple example of a curve being a circle. The second term to be understood is ‘tangent’. It is a line which meets the curve only at one point. Normally a line intersects a curve at two or more points depending upon the shape of the curve, but when it intersects or meets only at one point, the same line becomes a tangent. We have two types of curves. Some have a finite size while the others are infinite in size. The examples of finite size curves are a circle, an ellipse, etc., and the examples of infinite size curves are parabola, hyperbola, etc. Both types of curves have tangents. In fact, each point on the curve can have a tangent and these tangents follow certain mathematical rules.

Of course, there are no such rules for lines which are not tangents. Having understood this, the term ‘asymptote’ can also be explained. An ‘asymptote’ is a line which is just like a tangent but is not a tangent. This is so because the point of contact between an asymptote and the curve is at infinity. At infinity, the curve and the tangent merge into each other. Only a curve of infinite size can have an ‘asymptote’. It is quite difficult to grasp the concept of contact at infinity as it is only creation of the

imagination. ‘Asymptotes’ also follow certain mathematical laws. I studied this concept about thirty years back and it fascinated me greatly. Generally, students found it too difficult to grasp, but those who understood its concept, found it easy. I shall now relate the concept of tangent and asymptote with life in order to make it easy and interesting. The world we live in is like a limited size curve. A person living a worldly life is like a line which is a non-tangent. He has no rules to guide him and follows the path which suits him at a particular point of time. In other words, he lives a directionless

life, resulting in frequent intersection with the worldly curve which may be compared to the clashes or conflicts he comes across in his worldly life. The answer to this lies in living a properly directed life so that life becomes a tangent to the world. It means that the contact with the world is reduced to just a point. Such a person has very few clashes or conflicts with the world and leads a smooth life with the right direction. Tangents at various points means that it is possible to live smoothly, if one wishes to.

Having achieved this stage, one can switch on to a higher state of living. For this, one has to enlarge one’s vision to infinity. This is like shifting to infinite curves, from limited or finite curves. While one can draw tangents on each point here, an asymptote can also be drawn on such curves, meaning that while the line goes along the curve, it does not touch it at all, at least in the finite dimension. In terms of living, it is like living a life above the world. However, this is possible only when we have our vision

focused on infinity and is not possible in the case of finite vision. In such a state, there is no clash with the world and one can be above it while living in it. It is like the movement of a hovercraft which is above the water despite being in it. A comparison can also be drawn with the meeting or merger of an asymptote with the curve. As said earlier, this is possible at the infinite only. In terms of living it means that the ultimate aim of life is to achieve divinity, that is, to merge with the infinity. However, this is not possible as long as we identify ourselves only with the body and remain limited in our vision. As the bodily sense reduces, the vision gets widened. If the physical consciousness goes completely, the vision becomes infinite and a complete merger which is possible only after the body is gone, takes place. It is then like meeting or merging of an asymptote with the curve at infinite distance. This is, perhaps, the ultimate aim of living. The Creator or God can be compared with an infinite curve. Let us try to become its asymptote so that all along we are with it, and the gap narrows as we go through the path of life and ultimately merge into it when the body is totally gone.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Be Efficient

It is amazing how much time we waste, but if we are willing to make a few changes, our time can be used more efficiently.

First and foremost, use logic and commonsense and explore several options before proceeding. Accept and learn from your mistakes. Ask for help from someone who has more experience or skill. Be open to new ideas and amicable towards new perspectives. Speed your process and technique by planning ahead.

Make a list of ideas and even if you do not have time to proceed at the moment, you may have time to think about the most efficient procedure. When following instructions, read through the entire procedure before you begin and highlight important concepts. Learn the fundamentals before proceeding to the more complicated and use the proper tools and resources. A simple tool may be more appropriate for certain tasks. Always work in accordance with your priorities and finish the urgent tasks first. Be realistic in calculating the time required for each step. Set aside extra time for some unexpected delays. As you near the end of a step, begin thinking about the next. Divide your work into smaller portions and take breaks at intervals. A small project is less daunting and more easily accomplished. Stay focused because time can be wasted if you forget a step or get off track. Remove distractions to give your full attention. Complete one project before starting another for a sense of achievement.

Take a break as you need rest to replenish and rejuvenate your body and mind. Gently exercise to increase circulation and oxygen to your brain to think more clearly.

Limit your possessions as all possessions require your time and money to maintain. Get rid of unused and useless items. Buy time-saving, multifunctional and reliable items.

Organize your things and put everything in their proper place. This way you will not waste time in finding them whenever you require them.

Keep your thoughts focused on fruitful endeavours and be confident with your plans and proceed. Do the best you can and take pride in the quality of your work. Education allows you to adapt more easily. So offer your knowledge, skills and direction to others. Enjoy your spare time by doing things of your interest. 

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat

Mathematical Equation of Success

Just few days back, I read an interesting anecdote in the column ‘Smart Plus’, that was titled, “The Mathematics of Life”. It immediately reminded me of a mathematical formula of success that was invented during the episode I am going to narrate you just now.

The episode goes like this. One of my bright teammates got selected in a reputed Government of India Service. We all had collected to bid farewell to him. Immediately after the farewell, my friend took out an autograph diary and started taking autographs of all his friends. In the end he came to me. I asked him, “In what way would you like to be remembered here.” He replied confidently, “Sir! I want to be remembered like a bright mathematician from a small town”. “Okay dear! Then I shall give you this mathematical equation of success”. I took his autograph diary and wrote the equation that came to my mind as a first thought. It was written as: Success = (Dreams) to the power (Hard work x Honesty). One can read it this way that Success is equal to Dreams powered by multiplication of hard work and honesty.

My friend is really a successful man in life. Now he is on a very senior position in Government of India. He did come to meet me later and reminded me of this equation. Today as I read the article in ‘Smart Plus’, I could not stop myself narrating this story. I hope this equation can help many more people. So my Generation Z friends, “Power your dreams with Hard work done with Honesty, many-many times, and you are bound to get success.” Yes I know! Some of my friends would like to know, “What is Success?” The answer to this actually lies inside all of us. Sometime later, I shall try to share my thoughts regarding this question as well. Please stay in touch.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

The Known Face of the Unknown

I have a theist friend whose wife recently fell down and got up with a small fracture on her shoulder.  As I read the news what that first came to my mind was to shout, ”Rejoice!” Definitely, it is an odd approach, I know. I know something more. I know that the Universe speaks through situations and an accident is no exception. It was a few days before she was scheduled to fly abroad that the accident occurred. Whenever something unexpected happens in my life, pleasant or unpleasant, I attribute the same to direct presence of the Almighty. I don’t know how many of you take things that way. My philosophy is that the Universe is always communicating with every element under its’ care. When it comes to humanity, the communication is broken or interrupted because we know only the language of sound and fury. This knowledge is realization for me, and it equals no other knowledge in this world. 

People talk about unbelievable twists in life, which we usually call coincidences. There are a lot of enthusiasts who have tried to connect coincidences with cause and effect as explained in ‘Karma’. These twists appear like feeling not to go to the office one day and later learning that the whole building was burnt down that day. Even atheists agree on the possibility of a distinct Consciousness that cares each individual or every life on earth. Carl Jung the great psycho analyst also spent many hours drilling into the core of coincidences. He later came out with a theory that there is some sort of luminosity in every one’s life; almost in every decision making situations. It could be like a strong feeling not to go to some places at times or go somewhere without enough obvious reasons or to do something though not sensible or choose something that is not physically appreciated. Jung suggests us to follow the most luminous track whenever we are compelled to choose one. Do you believe in this luminosity? I think it is a theist who best responds to this luminosity, not a religionist who has conditioned his understandings to fit in a God who appears only through the front gate of Churches, Mosques or Temples. Those unexplained twists in life ask us to experience this mysterious care which shields each element in this universe. Simply because the why and how of this care and protection is not logically explained, in spite of experiencing this divine care and concern every moment, most of us live in fear and disappointments ending up everything in total mess.

This is the beauty of Indian Thoughts; Indian saints knew the art of communicating with the Higher Elements. They lived according to His Will and lived as if they are in heaven. Pleasure and pain made no difference in their life. Their lives appeared like a soft breeze coming from eternity and going to eternity passing through time as we have defined it. Nothing was coincidental in their lives; they had grown beyond the realms of cause and effects too.

Remaining Unperturbed-05

Krishna is not a witness. Of course he asks Arjuna to become a witness. Krishna is all the time aware that witnessing is only a means, a transitory phase. So he also talks of moments when even witnessing will cease to be. Krishna explains both to Arjuna- the means and the end, the path & the goal. And when he speaks about unperturbed and steady, he does not speak about means but the end, the goal itself. Most of us when we interpret Gita, we make the mistake. We think that he is talking about the means, the witness. We think if some one remains a witness in happiness and pain without experiencing it, without indulging it, he will attain to the state that is unperturbed and steady. 

But when we analyse, this a wrong approach. If someone only witnesses without living it, this witnessing will become a kind of tension, disturbance, and restlessness for him. Then that person will always be in defensive, trying to protect himself from pain & happiness. To really be undisturbed, to be relaxed and peaceful, it is essential that we are not at all conscious of pain & happiness. If one is conscious it means a kind of disturbance is happening, a kind of agitation is alive and there is separation between the two- the observer and the observed. This consciousness, this separation is subtle, but it is there. So long as one continues to know that this is happiness and that is pain, he is not integrated and whole. He is not settled and steady in himself. The self has not achieved to equilibrium, peace and wisdom. It is not a Sthitaprajna. 

Let us take some time in analysing this and then we will dive deeper into the ocean of wisdom. 

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

The Mathematics of Life

Mathematics has always been my best subject. I never scored less than ninety-five per cent marks in this subject and have notched hundred per cent many times. In my B.Sc. examination, I scored 150 out of 150 marks, breaking all previous records. In Engineering also, I was awarded the Cautley Memorial Gold Medal for Mathematics for scoring the highest marks in this subject. In fact, good scores in mathematics always helped me greatly in my academic performance. All this is not to highlight my personal achievement. The intention is altogether different but before coming to that, I would like to mention certain additional facts. The first is that this score was achieved effortlessly. The second is that I never studied the subject at the time of the examination. The third fact is that I studied only the book prescribed in the course. Lastly, there were some students in my class who were equally good in the subject, though I always scored the highest.

Now I come to the reason for this achievement. The first is that I always considered mathematics as a game which was a pleasure to play. It always gave me entertainment and refreshment instead of tiredness or boredom. Secondly, I paid maximum attention to understand the underlying principles of the subject. For example, in trigonometry, I understood the concepts of the Pythagoras’ theorem and it always helped me in solving the problems. Similarly, in algebra, I mastered numbers and for calculus and understood very definition of differential coefficient well. By this process I found each branch of mathematics easy and I performed well in all of them. I am still able to recollect and apply these fundamentals whenever required. Thus, the secret of an effortless performance was a clear understanding of the fundamentals of the subject. 

After finishing my Engineering course, I worked for sometime in an engineering company before joining the Indian Administrative Service. I found this service satisfying, despite the odds of public life. My engineering background helped me to adopt an analytical approach to administration, and enabled

me to perform quite well in the service. I feel that the mathematical approach helped me greatly in this achievement. Having completed over twenty five years of service and reaching the age when one should acquire enough wisdom to look at life in its true perspective, I feel that life is also like mathematics and the problems of life are similar to the problems of mathematics. If the fundamentals of life are understood, then life’s problems can also be faced easily. In that case, life becomes a pleasure and its difficult problems only add to the pleasure of living. On the other hand, if the concepts of life are not clear, even routine problems of life disturb us and we make ourselves miserable. Here I am not going into the details of the fundamentals of life. In brief, I would say that life is a wonderful opportunity for elevation and it should not be wasted on mundane affairs only, just as the purpose of mathematics is not merely to pass the examination but to understand and apply its principles in life. Similarly, the purpose of life should be understood in its true sense and it should be taken as an opportunity for achieving its goal. With that clarity in the mind, the difficulties attached to life become very small and add to the pleasure of living. Such people score high in the mathematics of life without much difficulty. In worldly terms, there may be more prosperous persons around them but when it comes to the examination of life, it is they who secure the highest marks. And all this happens

effortlessly.

So let us first accept the simile of life with mathematics and feel the urge to understand its fundamentals. Once we have the urge, we will find the way and help will come from unexpected sources. No doubt, a sustained effort is required on our part, but once the process of understanding is over, life becomes scoring as well as enjoyable, like the subject of mathematics. We can then easily aim to score cent per cent marks, no matter how difficult the paper is. At least, I am striving to score cent per cent marks in the mathematics of life too.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Pay Your Taxes

Taxes are the legal claims of the government of a country and all citizens are morally and legally bound to pay their fair share of tax. A large percentage of people who pay tax think as if the government is trying to steal their hard earned money, but it is not true. Money collected from taxes helps a country to become stronger and helps government provide a variety of services to its citizens. People earn lots of money using the prosperity of the state and prosper in their life. It is therefore, the right of the government to get its share from your income that you have made with the resources of the state. Therefore, everybody should pay his or her taxes regularly and willingly.

The government provides many services with our tax money. The infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, dams, railways which are available to the society, utilize tax money. Money collected from taxes is also used to provide public security like police, fire safety, army, navy and air force and to buy arms for them. Keeping roads clean, water treatment, street lights, trash removal and maintenance of public parks requires a lot of money. The government also provides some level of free or subsidized health services to its citizens including preventive immunization shots, disaster relief etc. Free education is also imparted to poor students. Maintenance of historic monuments, government aid, emergency relief, elections, agriculture, commerce, energy, urban development, treasury, judiciary are all funded by the tax money paid by us.

Taxes are imposed in many forms, for example: income tax, sales tax, excise, toll, house tax etc. Usually people with higher income pay a higher percentage of tax than the people with lower income and those with very low income do not have to pay tax.

Resisting taxes has risks. It could result in penalty and prison time and could complicate life immensely.

Chanakya stressed: “Taxes should be collected the way a honey bee collets the honey from the flower”. The flower is willing to give up its sweetness, but the bee also takes care that only a little is taken without hurting the flower. Regular tax payers get many financial advantages from the government and are respected by the government as well.

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat

GOD Created Love, We Created GOD

So much is going around these days in the media in connection with the concept of love and forceful change of religious beliefs that no one can be left around. Being a curious person I tried to understand the meanings again. Ah! The Wikipedia definition of religion was really wonderful. I quote the same as, “A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.” Please mark the last words again.

The definition of love at Wikipedia was even lovelier. I quote it here again as, “Love is a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection ("I love my mother") to pleasure ("I loved that meal"). It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.” I am amazed, that with such a nice understanding of things why we go wrong in interpretations. We do need to carry out this understanding of scholars to the masses in the right perspective. 

I firmly believe that the concept of GOD and the derived concept of Religion was definitely our creation. I do personally believe in this concept and I feel that it has played an affirmative role in our day to day life. The concept of LOVE was definitely natural. The moment I say natural, I am actually agreeing to the concept of GOD. I just read another article on ‘Deism’, the theory that propounds about the natural world without the existence of at least one super power as the theists believe. I am highly encouraged when I read the list of famous deists consisting of names like Abraham Lincoln, Aristotle, Plato, Benjamin Franklin, Dmitri Mendeleev, George Washington, Isaac Newton, James Watt, Jules Verne, Leonardo da Vinci, Mark Twain, Neil Armstrong, Thomas Alva Edison and many others. So friends! Let us belief, what we believe in, as long as we can serve our society and our country in a constructive manner. So bhaiya, “Hum to Mange Sabki Khair, Na Kahoo Se Dosti Na kahoo se bair” (I wish wellness for everyone, without being friend or foe to anyone).

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Orange Peels

Have you ever heard this? The first man to survive going over the Niagara Falls later died slipping on an orange peel. Yes, big people need not necessarily be masters of small things. But it should be admitted that quality of survival depends on one’s ability to manage small things too. Going through the success stories of great people we see that they had learnt to run over orange peels. Orange peels are our weaknesses. 

Our weaknesses appear mostly as behavioural disorders. It could be that you always want to accomplish a certain task as perfectly as you can but if you fail it stresses you for a long time. It could be that you have had problems showing up to work on time; it could be that you frequently get annoyed when someone teases you. Your weakness could be taking everything serious and getting quickly angry. It is hard for some people to mix up with others easily. Always putting new things and new ideas at work could also be a weak point, because others might not like this. There are perfectionists who spend much time checking and rechecking to ensure everything is done correctly. Weakness to a few is helping and doing things for others before oneself though it is a good sign of good leadership. Being short tempered is the weak point of many. There are also people who are anxious to have a good poker face. The most important thing is that we should be able to identify them and rectify the problems concerned. Criss Jami, a popular US writer, philosopher and performer wrote, “To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.”  Knowing your weakness leads to an awareness of own strength and learning to run over it through consistent practice make you the most powerful of the lot.

I remember the story of a young boy who decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. All the time his master taught him only one move. The boy continued his intense training, just trusting his teacher. Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won every step. His final was really tough. Amazed at his success, the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his master’s mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the Sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of Judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." 

Joseph Mattappally