THIS IS HOW I LIVE MY LIFE...WHAT'S YOUR CHOICE

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

-writer unknown

A TRUE STORY

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified into ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of the impending disaster, had carried her offspirng to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that toxic smoke would soon rise. She could have flown to safety, but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. She had been willing to die, so that those under the cover of her wings would live.

Is there a lesson here for you and for me? 

LIFE - AS I SEE IT RIGHT NOW..

There is no human on earth who is free of problems. And I am one such human. 

However, as much as I have experienced life, here is what I have realised. We as humans have a tendency to look at everything, especially our troubles, through a powerful  magnifying glass. And therefore, every small problem we have, seems huge, almost demon-like. If we were to take our problems like a pebble, and hold that pebble right up close to our eyes, it will even cover the sun from our vision. But if we were to hold the same pebble away from our eyes, it is just a small pebble and nothing else. Problems, when viewed in the background and context of our blessings, are mere challenges to be faced and to be overcome; but when we view them in isolation, they seem unsurmountable.

I, for one, am choosing to live my life to the fullest and walk on smiling, despite all the pebbles on my way. And my advice to everyone who wants to take it, is, take these pebbles in your stride, and they shall become your best friends...!!

I SHALL ALWAYS COUNT MY BLESSINGS AND NEVER MY TROUBLES

When I asked God for strength

He gave me difficult situations to face.

When I asked God for brain and brawn

He gave me puzzles in life to solve.

When I asked God for happiness

He showed me some unhappy people.

When I asked God for wealth

He showed me how to work hard.

When I asked God for favours

He showed me opportunities to grab.

When I asked God for peace

He showed me how to help others.

God gave me nothing I wanted

He gave me everything I needed.

-Swami Vivekananda

Slumdog Millionaire - My perspective

Quite A well made movie.....but certain points are worth a dekko.

Slum dog millionaire...

With everyone singing praises to Mr. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, let me offer a different perspective.

This film targets the easiest of targets: the ever placid Hindu. The hero is, of course, a Muslim in India, whose mother is burned to death by an attack on Muslims by barbaric, fanatical Hindu mobs. No need for subtlety in either dialogue or depiction here; the Hindu mob says: "They are Muslims. Let us hit them," and the hapless Muslims cry as they flee in terror: "The Hindus are coming! The Hindus are coming."

To make sure his point about Hindu devilry is not missed, director Boyle has a shot of a child dressed as Rama, one of Hinduism's most cherished gods. Imagine the outcry that would have resulted if Boyle had reversed the above: i.e., had a shot of a child dressed as prophet Mohammed or Jesus as Muslims/Christians hurried off to persecute members of another faith! But since Hindus seem oblivious to any and every insult, Boyle has not only gotten away with his blasphemies, but seems well on his way to awards and accolades.

The sledgehammer hits against Hindus and Hinduism does not end there. On the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the Muslim hero is asked a question by the TV host: "What weapons does Lord Rama bear in his hands?" Our Muslim hero answers: "If there was no Rama, my mother would have been alive." Again, imagine the outcry that would have resulted if the hero was a Hindu from Kashmir (Islamic terrorism has almost wiped out the Hindu population in Kashmir) and he had said: "If there was no Allah, my mother would be alive."

All said and done.. hope Mr. A.R. Rehmaan gets the Oscar ..though we in India know that he has composed finer music ..far superior to the scores in this film.

Just a Thought..

It is an irony that the breathtaking beauty of India is sold to foreigners for thousands of dollars and euros but is not available to see, for its own citizens. The country has become expensive to explore for the very people who live in it..

A lovely poem

This is a lovely poem I read somewhere...and so true too..

Who Owns?

When the stars glitter in the sky

When flowers blossom on the earth

And when things recur like this with no end

Even as the truth keeps changing

And gets changed everyday.

We remember,

No one owns any thing

And no one matters to any one.

Life ebbs out

Our pride and our wrath

Also ebb out

And the tales end

In a square of earth

Just as it did begin.

JAIPUR BOMB BLASTS

One more tragedy (Jaipur Bomb Blasts).

One more death toll.

Who do we blame?

What do we do?

I am sure every Indian has these questions in their mind right now. I do too. And this helplessness is killing me. I keep asking myself, What is it that I can do to stop all this? What is it that I can do as a citizen of this country?

I have only one solution. Every true Indian has to get vigilant. Not for his entire colony, not for the entire market place, not for 100 people around him but only for himself. Himself and the people around his immediate vicinity.

If there is a suitcase, a bicycle, a bag, a doll, a bike, a car or anything that is unaccountable, he has to raise a question. And the people around him can join in. In this way, slowly but surely, this will become a way of life for everyone. This will then create a vigilant society on the whole. Questioning done by the people of this country on what is not right or unnatural or out of place will create a sense of fear in our enemies.

This might sound far fetched, but in reality it isn't. We need to start today. We need to do it now. We need to be vigilant from right this moment..

Lets do it. Lets tell our enemies that we as Indians do not fear them. We will face them and defuse all their attempts to terrorize us. We will not be killed....

My Countrymen...Lets wake up! Lets fight!!

AN ARTICLE I READ SOMEWHERE

Salt, Pepper and the Spices of Life

You're sitting at a table, having a meal with some friends.
Bowls of soup are served to everyone at the table. Before
tasting the soup, the person next to you reaches for the salt
and pepper, and for the next 20 seconds vigorously shakes into
the soup more salt and pepper than you would use in a month.

You have a pained look on your face. These thoughts
immediately go through your mind: "Why would you put salt and
pepper in soup, or on any dish, BEFORE you taste it? How do
you know how much to add?" You might also think, "How can
someone put so much salt and pepper in their food?"

Of course, the roles could be reversed. You might be the one
who loves to put a lot of salt and pepper on your food and the
person next to you eats the soup without adding salt or
pepper. In that case, you think, "How can she eat this bland
soup without putting any seasoning in it?"

When it comes to salt, pepper, onions, garlic, curry or just
about any type of seasoning, we tend to see things only one
way - OUR way. It's hard for us to understand how someone
could enjoy food when it is not seasoned as we think is
appropriate. We cringe when we see someone "overdoing" or
"under-doing" the spices.

How we season our food is a matter of preference and personal
taste. There is no right or wrong way to use seasonings.
Furthermore, the way in which another applies salt and pepper
does not affect us in any way. They're not putting the salt
and pepper in YOUR soup. They are putting the spices in their
own soup.

Our world is so diverse, and yet it is difficult for us to
accept each other's preferences. Often, when we see people
doing things we wouldn't do, our mind says:

Why aren't they thinking as I think?

Why aren't they acting as I would act?

Your mind would often have you believe that your way is
superior. Your beliefs and habits are shaped by your genetics
and your environment. Each person has different genetics and
has grown up in an environment that is different than yours.
Why expect everyone to come to the same conclusion?

Our spiritual growth comes when we learn to accept that others
have different preferences, and we honor those preferences.
There is no universal religion that everyone will agree to
practice. There is no universal political viewpoint that all
will accept. There is no one way of raising children that all
cultures will agree upon. Marriage customs will vary from
culture to culture.

Getting people to agree on these issues is like trying to get
everyone to use the same amount of salt and pepper on their
food. It's not going to happen.

The diversity in this world is beautiful and we can open our
hearts to it. Within our own country and in our relations and

with people in other countries. We need to continually remind
ourselves that it's perfectly acceptable for people to have
preferences. Why can't we just smile and accept their preferences

and get on with life?

The next time you're tempted to judge or criticise the way
other people think or act, realize that in most cases, they're
just using a different amount of salt or pepper than you would
use. Allow them to have their preferences, and there is no
need to even consider what YOU would do.

Remain Blessed!

ASSUMPTION

Assumption, the most widespread virus that grips humanity. And here are some examples I give to prove my point..

1. Interviewee - He assumes he is not worth it. He feels dejected.

2. Interviewer rejects interviewee - He assumes we are not fit for the job just because we are nervous.

3. A friend does not pay attention - We assume she does not care anymore whereas she just might be deep in thought about something which cannot be talked about.

4. D.I.L about M.I.L or vice-versa - They both assume they will not get along with each other simply because that has become a norm in the society.

5. Husband and wife - Assumptions all through. Lack of communication and non-acceptance of who they are.

6. Father and Son - Ego, adolescence, no expression of love and thus assumptions that distance them from each other, towards no point of return.

7. An unappreciative boss - We assume he lacks compassion. In reality, he might himself be enduring a cruel boss.

I can go on and on but my list is illimitable.

Let us cease to be victims of assumption and realise that we are merely victims of our circumstances.

Let us start considering things from others perspective and understand their beliefs and their fears which make them what they are.

There is a film called 'Freaky Friday', where a mother and teenage daughter exchange bodies. It's a hilarious comedy where they both get to experience what it's like to be the other person and be in their situation.

We really do not need the power to exchange bodies. We as human beings already have been granted with immense potential to understand others viewpoints. All we need to do is put in the effort.

Think about it... its worth it..