Prayer Is A Divine Act Of Absolute Surrender

Prayer connects us with the Supreme. Many situations and challenges in life help us realise that we are merely playing our role in the stage of life. Nonetheless, in our daily life, we consider ourselves to be the master of both our actions and the results thereof, but we forget that we have a right over our actions but not of the result. We wonder about the result even before any action is taken and thus lose focus.

Prayer is an act of surrender to the Supreme; we stoop in order to be elevated; we bow with utmost reverence, exemplifying utmost humility to the Almighty. The power of prayer is tremendous and helps us overcome the toughest of challenges, hurdles and misfortunes. The principle in life is to put in the best in our efforts and surrender our actions to the Lord for He would take care of the rest.

A prayer is a most pious act. The sheer act of praying is associated with purity; we purify ourselves by praying. The sincerity and honesty with which we pray disappear soon after we end the prayer. We perform our daily duties routinely, very differently from the act of praying. Consequently we tend to become insincere to dharmic principles.

We get back from life what we give to life. Our life involves others also and many a time the helping hand we extend to others is prompted by selfishness. The issue which bothers us is whether we have gained something and if so, how much, from any given situation.

However, dharma stresses on doing what is right and not what is convenient. We ought to do our dharma with utmost sincerity and honesty as well as to help others without any hidden agenda of self-interest.

Prayer is an activity which gives immense satisfaction. While we pray, we feel content and satisfied, but the satisfaction dissipates fast enough. Generally, we pray for our well-being in terms of health, wealth, happiness, peace.

Many a time, we look beyond ourselves too. Since we are genuinely concerned about our near and dear ones, we pray for their well-being also. However, we never apply this concept to the wider circle of people in our lives with whom we interact daily or even those we infrequently interact with.

Most often, we camouflage our jealousy with superficial expression of happiness, a smile or a few words of appreciation when we learn of the happiness of others. Just as in a prayer, the principle in life is to feel and be truly happy in others’ happiness. Only then can we have a sense of genuine well-being and sustain the satisfaction. Traditionally, praying has been a daily ritual in most households. It enriches the person, brings happiness and helps us to remain calm and contented in adverse conditions. A life well lived does not necessarily imply living a materialistic, consumptive life; it could also mean living a satisfied, happy, peaceful and enriched life. Thus, understanding the meaning and essence of life and setting right goals and priorities accordingly are essential.

Life throws up both challenges and opportunities. The art of living is to seize the opportunity to transform one’s life into a prayer and using the power of prayer to cut through the challenges.

Too much, too little sleep harmful for health

People sleeping for six to eight hours may suffer from cardiovascular diseases

Getting too much or too little sleep could be harmful for health, suggests a new study conducted in Britain. Jane Ferrie of the University College London Medical School here examined 10,308 participants between 35-55 years of age and found that a decrease in sleep duration among participants sleeping only for six, seven or eight hours was associated with a 110 per cent excess risk of cardiovascular mortality.

However, an increase in sleep duration among those sleeping for seven or eight hours was associated with a 110 percent excess risk of non-cardiovascular mortality.

On an average, most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested.

“In terms of prevention, our findings also indicate that consistently sleeping seven or eight hours per night is optimal for health,” Ferrie was quoted as saying by the science portal EurekAlert.

The research is the first to show that both a decrease and an increase in sleep duration are associated with an elevated risk of mortality by cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular means, respectively.

Go Natural

Eating organic food is good for your health

Switching to organic food is tough for many families who don’t want to pay higher prices or give up their favorite foods. But, by choosing organic versions of just a few foods that you eat often, you can increase the percentage of organic food in your diet without big changes to your shopping. . Opting for organic produce, doesn’t necessarily have a big impact, depending on what you eat. According to the US Environmental Working Group, commercially-farmed fruits and vegetables vary in their levels of pesticide residue. Some vegetables, like broccoli, asparagus and onions, as well as foods with peels, such as avocados, bananas and oranges, have relatively low levels compared to other fruits and vegetables.

So, how do you make your organic choices count? Pediatrician Dr Alan Greene, whose new book Raising Baby Green explains how to raise a child in an environmentally-friendly way, has identified a few “strategic” organic foods that he says can make the biggest impact on the family diet.

Milk:-
“When you choose a glass of conventional milk, you are buying into a whole chemical system of agriculture,” says Greene. People who switch to organic milk typically do so because they are rather concerned about the antibiotics, artificial hormones and pesticides used in the commercial dairy industry. One recent survey has found certain pesticides in about 30 per cent of conventional milk samples and low levels in only one organic sample. The level is relatively quite low compared to some other foods, but many kids consume milk in large quantities.

Potatoes:-
One survey found that potatoes account for 30 per cent of our overall vegetable consumption. A simple switch to organic potatoes has the potential to have a big impact because commercially farmed potatoes are some of the most pesticide-contaminated vegetables. A survey found 81 per cent of potatoes tested still contained pesticides after being washed and peeled, and the potato has one of the the highest pesticide contents of 43 fruits and vegetables tested, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Peanut butter:-
More acres are devoted to growing peanuts than any other fruit, vegetable or nut. More than 99 per cent of peanut farms use conventional farming practices. Given that some kids eat peanut butter almost every day, this seems like a simple and practical switch. Commercial food firms now offer organic brands in many grocery stores.

Apples:-
Apples are the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit, after bananas, and they are also used in the second most popular juice, after oranges. But, apples are also one of the most pesticide contaminated of fruits. The good news is that organic apples are easy to find in regular grocery stores.

Ketchup:-
For some families, ketchup accounts for a large part of the household vegetable intake. About 75 per cent of tomato consumption is in the form of processed tomatoes, including juice, tomato paste and ketchup. Notably, recent research has shown organic ketchup has about double the antioxidants of conventional ketchup.

Not in a good mood, Girl?

Hormone fluctuation may trigger mood disorders in women

Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual period and pregnancy may trigger mood disorders in women, a report said. A report released recently by the Society for Women’s Health Research said mood disorders and depression can occur at any age during a woman’s life. However, women seem more vulnerable during the menstrual period, pregnancy and before and after menopause.

During times of hormonal fluctuations, many women are able to emerge relatively unscathed. But for others, a normal hormonal transition can trigger mild to severe mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder — a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function, reported Newswise wire.

“Science has revealed clues as to why these changes may occur in some women,” said Peter Schmidt, an investigator in the National Institute of Mental Health’s Reproductive Endocrine Studies Unit.

“But further research is needed to definitively show what causes depression and mood disorders in women during hormonal transitions,” he added.

“Women need to be critically aware of changes in their moods during key life cycle events,” another investigator Sherry Marts said.

Vitamin D might extend your life

The ‘Sunshine Vitamin’ is good for your bones and cuts the risk of cancer and diabetes, doctors have said for years. But, a new study has revealed that taking the compound everyday might extend your life too.

A team of international researchers has carried out a study and found that taking a daily dose of Vitamin D lowers the risk of mortality — the findings have been reported in the ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ journal’.

“It’s very new to see (the effects of) Vitamin D on organs different than the bones. These are very ordinary doses. You don’t need four or five pills a day. You should probably get rid of all the other vitamins. At this point, that’s where we are. This is quite real,” according to lead researcher Dr Philippe Autier of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France.

In fact, the researchers came to the conclusion after analysing 18 trials involving Vitamin D supplements on nearly 57,000 patients. They evaluated doses ranging from 300 to 2,000 international units. The team members found that over an average of nearly six years, those who took Vitamin D had a seven per cent lower risk of death from all causes than those who
did not. However, according to the researchers, getting enough Vitamin D in diets isn’t enough — one should also spend ten minutes in the sun during peak hours daily to produce the currently recommended level of 1,000 IU of the compound.

Fish, liver and egg yolk are the only foods which naturally contain Vitamin D, though some other foods are fortified with it.

Common Man’s Gita: Gift of Jnaneswar

Crowds of pilgrims were waiting patiently on a cold winter morning on the banks of the Indrayani river at Alandi, near Pune, before the samadhi-shrine of Jnaneswar. The young sage-mystic’s interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, titled Bhavartha-Deepika — The Light of Meaning — is popularly known as the Jnaneswari. Referred to also as the common man’s Gita, Jnaneswari is part of the traditions of many households in Maharashtra for centuries.

The mystical dimension of the Jnaneswari gives a new hue to the Krishna-Arjuna samvad (dialogue) of the Gita. In Chapter IV of his bhashya, Jnaneswar comments on the strenuous efforts people make to achieve wealth, fame and comforts through various means including yajnas and pujas, and then exhorts all to do the real yajna of selfcontrol, in which the fire of yoga will burn all desires and ambitions.

The pleasure of attaining to knowledge of the Self far exceeds any sense pleasure, and that alone can bring the equipoise so necessary for consciousness elevation. Jnaneswar alludes to the awakening of the kundalini through yogic practices in detail, pointing out the transformation of the psycho-physical body through such practices, and mystical divine experiences which accompany such a rejuvenation of the prana.

Jnaneswar reiterates the Upanishadic call of alertness on this path to go beyond maya or illusion: “Those who try to cross it on the strength of their intellect get lost, those who try to cross using knowledge are swallowed by pride, those who take the help of the books are consumed by ego and arrogance, those who perform ritualistic actions get caught in issues of right or wrong, those who use youthful strength get consumed by lust, those who perform external yajnas are caught in the web of desire and ambition...”.

Jnaneswar says a wise master can help the seeker beyond dualities of the mind. He sees spiritual devotion as the highest form of jnana to “avoid the pitfalls of desire”. Bhakti and jnana coalesce in his description of Arjuna’s vision of Krishna’s vishwarupa wherein he sees Krishna in cosmic form, revealing the depth of Jnaneswar’s devotion and knowledge.

It is this call of spiritual devotion which Jnaneswar extends into a paradigm of cosmic love in his other major work, the Amritanubhava or “the nectar of wisdom”, an insight into the experience of the ultimate merger. Jnaneswar extends the bhakti principle to include a love for all beings, for that alone can provide an ambience of sharing, love and care in the realm of maya and duality. Jnaneswar puts this concept in the context of the union of Shiva-Shakti as “parents engendering this universe”. It is this divine parental love which is replicated on the existential plane and manifests either as bhakti towards the Self or as mutual love towards fellow human beings.

Miracle stories abound about Jnaneswar’s yogic feats, like making the bull recite the Vedas or riding on a wall to meet the yogi Changdev to crush his ego, but perhaps, the real miracle is the short lifespan of Jnaneswar in which he encapsulated many lifetimes, ending with what is called sanjivan-samadhi or the voluntary entombment of his physical body in the meditation pose. The samadhi-shrine of Jnaneswar at Alandi still draws the devout, particularly the common man with whom Jnaneswar forged a special bond.

Experience Yourself

You have the power of life and death, and the free will to feel anything that you can imagine or create

I was sitting outside on the balcony this morning with my morning cup of coffee watching the sun come up and feeling a cool breeze from the water below me. I was trying to imagine being in a realm where you could not experience the five senses.

What would it be like to know everything that is — to know all the secrets of the universe? What would it be like to know a fresh cup of coffee in the morning but not be able to see, taste, or smell it? What would it be like to know a sunrise, but not be able to experience it? Imagine yourself all alone in a space where you could only experience nothing. Now from time to time, i long to be in that space. At this moment with my cup in hand and the warmth of the sun on my face, i can’t imagine being anywhere else. I can imagine being God, being all there is, all knowing,and all-powerful experiencing just that. To know everything, and not being able to experience that knowing — no sensations, no feelings, no emotion — what would it be like?

After millennia of existing this way, how would you begin to know yourself, to experience your own magnificence? The creator had the perfect solution—He created life! He divided himself into small pieces of himself within his own body—creating time and space so that he could look back at himself from all aspects of self and see how magnificent he is. That is the sole purpose of life to experience self in every conceivable aspect or possibility imaginable. It is the perfect solution to a dilemma that the creator must have contemplated since his own creation.

You can know yourself, but until you have experienced that awareness, it’s just a thought with no purpose. I can imagine myself studying for years to be a doctor or a lawyer and then not being able to be either of it. There would be no purpose in the absolute world. The purpose of life is simply to experience being alive. It is humanity that acknowledges his existence and creates a purpose for his physical life. That purpose is experienced by the creator through you. You are in fact, the creator experiencing all things that it knows, in three dimensional physical life.

Within you, you have all the attributes and characteristics of the creator. You have the power of life and death, and the free will to experience anything that you can imagine or create. All your present belief systems and experiences are real only for the time that you are experiencing them. They are all illusions, they are your personal experiences while you are in the holodeck of physical life. They are imagined only.

They are meant to be sensationalised and experienced. They are addictive and sought after by all souls now present and those that will choose to come later. The return of the soul in different bodies facilitates the physical experience from different vantage points, and terms of awareness. All aspects of the one mind, the one soul, work together in a beautifully choreographed experience that is shared. There are no victims, only souls that are working together from free will to experience itself.

Find Your Purpose

Spirituality brings purpose and meaning to life. And as we develop it, we grow in wisdom and love

Spirituality lies beyond the material world of proof, beyond what can be measured or counted. It is made up of the inner life, the realm of belief, mystery, and faith. And yet for all the mystery that surrounds it, spirituality is vital to our well-being.

It is the foundation of our most closely held values, the seat of our trust and hope. Spirituality brings purpose and meaning to life, and as we develop it we grow in wisdom and love. We begin to experience a sense of awe, a sense of connection to all of life, and a deep reverence for the Divine. We find ourselves moved to prayers of gratitude and moments of spontaneous worship. Spirituality calls a human being to a life of trust and service.

When our spirituality is nurtured and vibrant, we are connected. This connection is both a sense of relationship to the Creator, Great Spirit, or God (divine force), as well as a relationship to all people and to Mother Earth (our life-giving environment). Spirituality takes us beyond our ego-centered lives by expanding our hearts with compassion towards all.

Spirituality does not dwell in a realm apart. It is not an extracurricular activity. Spirituality involves a reverent attitude toward all things because it awakens us to a divine presence in all things. In this way of seeing and being, all things and persons are interconnected and interdependent. In the Sioux native language, the word for the Great Spirit is Wakan, which means ‘the great mystery.’ Yet this spirit, full of mystery, is every bit as real as the visible, tangible world.

It is important to differentiate spirituality from religion. Some people have rejected religion in order to escape what they consider to be oppressive rules and regulations. In the process, however, many lose the great gifts of joy and compassion that spirituality brings.

Religion and spirituality are related and intertwined, but they are not the same. A person may experience spirituality without being a member of any specific religious affiliation, and even the most religious person may feel spiritually bereft. The true purpose of religion is to enhance spirituality through ritual and practice. This is accomplished when a person approaches his or her religion as a way to enter the great mystery, to become aware of the sacredness of all life.

Religion can become a barrier to spirituality when it insists on narrow, judgmental dogma, and estranges its followers from a sense of connection with the Divine. Religion serves us best as a vehicle to nourish and develop our spirituality.

It is possible, however, to get too caught up in the vehicle, the religious practice, while losing sight of the destination, spirituality, which is communion with the Divine and compassion for all. For modern, academically oriented professionals, like physicians and health care workers, spirituality is often a difficult subject.

Their training is framed by science. They depend on logical, analytical, and rational approaches, and for good reason. These approaches have successfully ushered in a host of lifechanging improvements in health care and technology. While honouring science and the mind, our cultural tendency urges us to devalue belief and mystery, but the result is costly: They are left spiritually starved and out of balance.

Some of life’s most difficult questions are the spiritual ones. What is the purpose of life? Where does real meaning come from? What is of real value in our lives? If there truly is a God who loves us, how could there be so much suffering and unfairness in the world? Part of our addiction to the busyness of life is an attempt to prevent ourselves from thinking about our mortality, the inevitable fact of our own death. But when we keep ourselves too busy to consider the purpose of our existence, our lives cease to have meaning. Strangely, it is only when we fully accept the reality of our mortality that we truly begin to live. This is the point at which we begin to enter into and learn about the spiritual dimension of our humanity.

As French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin remarked, “We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a physical experience.” Our spirituality is our true essence. It is that part of our life which relates to our soul, which from a spiritual perspective is connected to the Divine and is infinite. This lifetime is but the physical experience of our deeper reality, our spirit, which is our fundamental nature.

At this point, you might ask yourself several questions to help assess your own spirituality. Do i have a sense of connection with the Divine? Do i feel compassion for others? Do i feel awe and reverence? Do i live a life of trust? Am i called to service? Is prayer or meditation an important part of my life?

Look, God is Within You

We cannot know God when we do not know ourselves as God. We cannot be with God if we are not God

It is ironic that in a world of God worshippers, none of them would recognise God if they see Him, eyeball to eyeball. In fact in our present state of evolution if we did recognise Him, we would probably stick him up on a cross or make ceramic dolls in his image. As a race we don’t like to see our gods in person. We are much more comfortable following in our ancestor’s footprints with symbols of gods.

How would you know God? Many would demand that He performs magic tricks to prove Himself. Then if he did, they would declare Him a devil and turn Him away. Others would demand that he heal someone to demonstrate his worth and authenticity. And then once again crucify him as they did his son, so that they could see him rise up. It is not possible to see God while you are looking for him. It is not possible to feel his presence while you are trying to know him. It is not possible to know God while you are looking away from him.

I just read an excerpt from a chapter of a new book that is coming out by a spiritual author. I was delighted to read about how God is everything and that God is all we can know through our five senses. Literally he was saying what I have been saying all along and what other more advanced authors are saying. We are God and God does not exist outside of ourselves. He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.

We cannot see God when we look away from ourselves, we cannot know God when we do not know ourselves as God. We cannot be with God if we are not God. If you are God and you say that you are — why would you pray to God? The very second you call to God; you are creating another God outside of yourself. It is your words which command the universe to create what is your minds desire. When you talk about a car you are creating an image of a car outside yourself and that is what you will experience.

When you talk about God you are creating this thing which is not you — you are separate from it. You cannot know God or be with God as long as you talk about him, pray to him, or acknowledge that he is not you. It is not possible to know God while you are creating him/her. Because in the process of creating, he would not be complete.

It is language that separates us from ourselves. Because we are creators, when we speak we create. When we know something there is no need to speak, it does not have to be redefined or recreated. Knowing is absolute but it dissolves with every word that is spoken. It is not enough to know oneself as God unless one is prepared to speak as God. Saying that God is within us, or we are aspects of God or everything is God, will not take us to God. In the end, we must all know ourselves as God and speak as God if we are to experience the power of God.

As physical beings we are really God experiencing being physical using the body we believe is ours. To know God, you really just need to know yourself as that which you already are — God. And to be able to live with that knowledge it may be comforting to know that you, as God, have chosen to live here and experience limited physical life in your body. It is not necessary to recreate what you already are. Worshipping, praying, and creating physical symbols of who you are limits your power and keeps you physical — it is the paradox.

It is really not necessary to call yourself God, but to know yourself as God — unless of course you want to experience being the honoured guest in a specially built institution for those who call themselves God. The advantage of knowing yourself as God is that you will know that you are creating all the circumstances of your physical life and that you have the power to change it when you desire. Your life will not be a struggle, but an adventure and you will know the true purpose for being here.

Life will move easily for you, and you will live it time and time again, until you no longer wish to. The six billion bodies and the physical plane that it exists are your creation for your purpose. Know that it is perfect in its imperfection.

If worship, prayers, faith and images and statues help you, then it is appropriate that you have chosen them. But you will not know me until you no longer need them, and know that you are already where you say you want to be.

You are God manifested in the physical human body with the name your parents chose for you. You are not your body but that which gives live to it — you are God! I personally do not like the terminology, so the word God may be substituted for whatever works for you. I feel comforted in knowing that all things are life. I feel it all around me in everything that my senses can acknowledge. Therefore, for me the words are interchangeable and appropriate. I am life itself — i am all that is.

Let’s Strike At The Very Root Of Desire

Wants and desires have their roots in the urge for selfgratification. They are the distorted versions of the original sublime urge for a merger with the Divine. Having forgotten the true import and the primal goal of this urge, we engage ourselves in the futile task of somehow satisfying endless demands generated by the ego and senses. We need to only jog our memory.

When we embark upon the eternal chain of life, we are governed by two unique decrees under the Divine plan. Firstly, despite our divine origin, we fall under the spell of duality which creates an illusion of separation from the Absolute. Secondly, through a series of lives, unique to each one of us, we work our way back to the original non-dual state of merger with the Supreme.

We meander through many lives. Throughout this inevitable evolutionary process, on one side is the pull of separation from the One and, on the other, the longing for reunion. We experience constantly the outward pull of duality against the inward push of non-duality.

Duality has been created and so we marvel at and enjoy the world’s bewitching material extravaganza and the merger is offered so that we enjoy the ineffable bliss of Oneness. Both states are equally beautiful and one must endeavour towards experiencing both. Without this constant endeavour, life becomes meaningless. The illusion of separation through duality causes loss of wisdom, and reduces clarity of thought. This is spiritual ignorance or avidya. We flounder in avidya to get self-gratification. Wants and desires are thus rooted in avidya.

At some point in our evolutionary cycle, the true goal of life again becomes clear to us. We then get captivated by the idea of reaching it. As our aspiration increases, worldly desires slowly drop off. The endeavour itself becomes a self-fulfilling goal. It gathers momentum and propels us towards Divinity. Desires turn into an intense aspiration for the Supreme.

The spiritual path undertaken to reunite with the Supreme need not prevent us from having normal relationships, material goals, and enjoyment of wealth and comforts; nor should we be riddled with guilt for this. What drops off are greed and unquenchable, unreasonable, endless wants. Knowledge and guidance arise from within and inherent dynamism comes to the fore, although the goal and the path now stand altered.

In the striving for Oneness with the Divine, there are no desires. There is such a state of perfection and beauty that nothing is felt lacking. Nothing more is needed. There is a feeling of total fullness and completion. The urge to take the right action comes as intuition with a certainty that is born of inner knowledge. Then whatever action is undertaken springs from purity, from knowledge and from spontaneity, rather than from desire and selfish motives.

We are free now. Free of all the extraneous, detrimental, misery-begetting desires. Free from bondage. This is true freedom, known in spiritual parlance as nirvana or mukti. We, each one of us, can move towards this state by choosing to embark on a path that leads to the Divine, shorn of duality and externality. The feeling of oneness permeates entire creation, and unfettered, we move towards infinity.

Overcoming Life's Hurdles

Getting stuck is not only a necessary part of spirituality, it is a prerequisite to spiritual growth

If i were to diagram my spiritual life, it would look something like this: A continual series of ups and downs, through all of my life, moving in a slow upward direction, although some of the lows would seem lower than before and some of the highs would seem higher than before.

When i picture this graph, it is not encouraging at first, because the longer i live, the further away the end of the graph appears. It is very much like the elusive end of the rainbow — the closer i get, the further away it seems.

And yet there is something you cannot see on a one-dimensional diagram, something you cannot express with lines and words. There is a hidden excitement that begins to surface, a tingling of the soul that quickens my consciousness as i gaze at this trail of God in my life. I suddenly realise a great truth-the upand-down syndrome of my life is the fingerprint of God on my soul! It is the remains of my struggle of faith, the ups and downs of my ongoing dialogue with the God. It is the way growth looks.

I am beginning to realise that the spiritual life is not so much progress as it is process. It is not a continuous climb upwards as much as it is a continuous climb. It is not the victories that matter so much as the going on after the defeats. The longer the erratic dance of faith goes on, the less you care about what God is doing, and the more you want to know about God. Spirituality is, after all, about intimacy with God.

Look at the graph for a minute. Notice the low spots-flat, long at times, surrounded by highs. Whatever the low spots are, they appear to be negative. If the high spots represent the good or positive in my spiritual life and the low spots represent
the bad or negative in my relationship with God, then obviously the high spots are to be sought after and the lows are to be avoided.

But what if we do something radical? What if we remove those kind of value judgments from this graph? What if, in place of concepts like good and bad, positive and negative, high and low, we replace our value judgments with words like stalled and moving, or listening and acting, or stopping and starting, or waiting and not waiting?

What does that do to our understanding of the spiritual life? Maybe waiting is good and not waiting is bad. Maybe stopping is better than starting, listening better than acting, and stalling better than moving. Maybe one cannot happen without the other. Maybe stopping is necessary to starting, maybe acting cannot happen without listening first.

Of course, i do not believe there is many ‘maybe’ about it. I believe that our understanding of spirituality has been distorted and ruined by our artificial judgments and our one-dimensional understanding of our relationship with God.

Let me point out a couple of interesting characteristics of this graph. Every high is followed by a low and every high is preceded by a low. Maybe what the graph means is that you cannot achieve a high without first achieving a low. Maybe lows are not low at all, but just part of the highs. I would like to abandon the high or low model and rename these parts as ‘stuck’ and ‘unstuck.’ Maybe, getting stuck is necessary before we can get unstuck, which means that getting stuck is actually a wonderful place to be.

When you look at it like this, then getting stuck is not only a necessary part of spirituality, it is a prerequisite to spiritual growth.

Most people consider being stuck a negative, a sin of failure or burnout, an indication that a person isn’t working hard enough on their spiritual life. It’s a report card on personal prayer. If you feel stuck in your spiritual life, then you aren’t doing something right because no one should be stuck with God. Nothing could be more untrue. The truth is that everyone should stuck with God many times because it is the prerequisite to being unstuck.

Being stuck is a great moment. It may be characterised by frustration, loneliness, or detachment, but those things are only the vocabulary of our souls telling us we are in danger. It is the cry of our souls craving for more. It is our longings and yearnings trying to get our attention. It is a summons, a call from within. It is the glorious music of disaffection and dissatisfaction with where we are now. It is the anguish of our interior life pleading with us not to give up, but to give in.

It is the Holy Spirit stopping us dead in our tracks so we can read the words that God has written on our hearts-surrender. Surrender. Put your arms around your soul, embrace your anguish, respond to your summons from God. Get ready for the adventure of growing on to the next part of your life.

Getting stuck is worth whatever anguish you must go through just so you can hear God say to you, “hang on, you are about to get unstuck.”

You are the World

When you change the way you live your life you begin to influence the way others live their lives

What we have created individually and collectively is a world where we believe we are each a separate entity from one another and separate from the very planet that sustains us.

Because we believe we are separate, we go by the philosophy of “I have to look out for myself,” therefore, i will do whatever it takes to ensure i have enough of whatever i desire. If my desires impinge on your needs, my desires take precedence, because i am better than you. That is how our world is run today.

We believe in a system that says i can go outside myself into the physical world and do the things it takes to provide me with the possessions that i lack to make my life better and make me happy.

For too many of us this system does not work. Material possessions and being better does not seem to bring us inner peace and happiness. These concepts are elusive when you try to achieve them by going outside yourself into the physical world.

Think about this: Inner peace. Just the very sound of it tells us where to go. You can’t find it outside of yourself; you have to go inside. You have to go to your inner source. The source that gives all of us unbelievable resources, strength and guidance is present in all of us to use on our life journey. We need merely go inside ourselves to find it.

The key is to go inside yourself and reconnect with your spirit. You see, we are all made up as a three part being; mind, body and spirit. We are born into this world in perfect balance.

As we begin learning the ways of our journey we try to live in this balance. But when we encounter the external world, we find that our parents, teachers, and friends, with the
best of intentions, impart on us their interpretations of this physical world, along with all their rules and expectations.

The spiritual side of us does not conform to these external parameters, but eventually we priorities our lives around the external rules and expectations placed upon us by others and begin to lose the balance of our spirit in our day-to-day living. We become more and more controlled by the mind and the body.

So the mind, controlled largely by the ego, and the body, which we identify as our entity, are subject to the physical world with the total ability to create and adapt to it as we like; that is, with “free will.” And adapt we do. We buy into the separation mentality that says, “My body and existence is different and separate from yours, and so I must do what is best for me.”

Only by bringing the spirit back into the equation to create a balanced mind-body-spirit being do we come to understand that we are not separate at all, but that we are all one. Because we are one, what we do to another, we do to ourselves.

It is the wonderful golden rule that we all know, but which we rarely live by: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Wow! Can you imagine what our world would be like if we actually lived by the Golden Rule?

You can't live by the golden rule if you think that you are separate from everyone else. Only within the paradigm of oneness can the concept of the golden rule be achieved. This is what nuts and bolts Spirituality is all about.

When you change the way you live your life you begin to influence others in the way they live their lives. It is in this conscious change that we collectively influence how the human race evolves.

We are at a crossroads on this planet. We have created the ability to make this planet unlivable to the human life form. If we continue down the path that we are on now we could see this happen in the not too distant future.

Our present belief system has taken us to this point in our existence. Only a change in our belief system will determine whether we will continue on a path of destruction or allow us to follow another path toward a more enlightened existence.

You are totally at choice as to which belief system serves you. You can believe that you are separate from all things or you can believe that you are one with all things. You are always at choice in what you believe and how you create your life. Nothing has changed.

The key is to be aware of and understand what serves you, and what does not serve you. It is then up to you to create your life by making conscious choices as to what serves you best.

The choice is yours. It always has been and always will be.

The War Within

The battle that rages within us starts when we enter the world and continues until the day we die

The conflict that rages within is an integral part of all of us. It is the war between good and bad, right and wrong, hate or love, mercy or vengeance, want and need, lust and relationship and much more. It starts the very moment we open our eyes and enter this world and it continues until the day we finally close those eyes and leave this world. Those who remain are left to deal with our influences.

When we are born, conflict enters on a personal note through our body needs and wants. We cry, yell, annoy, interrupt — those of us who have raised babies understand. We care not about others, we only care about us. We recognise just what is required through our inner self. As we get older we shape those needs and wants via our senses, opinions, desires, environment, influences, education and outside impacts.

It is now that the true war begins not only with ourselves but also with every single being we come to interact with. Some of those interactions are good and some are bad. The bottom line we are consistently at war within and it is a consistent and constant battle. Now this war relates to the choices one makes. It could be said it is the path you chose. The inner being is the real you in effect your intellect, your spiritual being. That is who you are.

Our outer being most likely demonstrates that which we have installed as part of our shield, that book cover we show to all and which demonstrates that which we accept as right and perceive as acceptable by those whom we want to accept us. That which we have been taught, instructed and accepted as being right.

However, who is to say what is right or wrong? We all dream, fantasies, want, need, seek, and covet. It is however, the disciplines and controls, the safety mechanisms that we have set, accepted and installed that keep us on the path and which we perceive as good, verses that of bad. Well that is where society as a whole emerges. Society is the collective thoughts of many which are translated into laws, norms and traditions.

They are the outer forces or controls that we as a majority put into place to stop, warn, and allow for what is perceived as good for all of us. That is why conflict when you have the breaking or abuse of those norms, which have been established for the good of the whole. It matters not what your inner being thinks, desires or wants, it is what society, the group, the majority has established as norms and acceptable. Break them and there is a price to pay, no one greater then the whole. This is what creates tranquility, peace, security, safety, and society and reduce separation and conflict. Once we cross the line and break the law for one, a group and ideology and want to impose that and our will and philosophy on all without the acceptance of all we can expect anger, conflict or worse.

Our inner self should be open to the truth, the facts, the very roots of the entire issue and not selectively impose our thoughts while eliminating all others as bad, wrong, non important. So like the scowl or warning we put on our face that says very explicitly don’t get near me stay away and makes a precise statement, or when you role your eyes, make a facial or body gesture you are making a statement.

You see our inner being controls that which we show on our outer being, it is called non verbal communication or body language, we tend to not see this war raging in each on the outside of that person and it is a major stumbling block for unity. Many in their interactions key these responses, rightly or wrongly they draw a conclusion. We want to be right so we impose out views on everyone else. What is acceptable for one society may not be for others. Therefore tolerance must always be part of the war within and understanding and listening the tool for peace, acceptance, friendship. Yet, when we challenge that society by breaking its law, challenging its established and accepted norms or imposing what is appropriate then just who are the real problem makers?

It matters not in whose name you come, under what authority, quoting whatever religious text you want, you are imposing your will upon others. When we all come to understand that we are at all at war within and that this same battle rages in us all. That it is a war that is continual and it is a war of the body verses the soul, good verses bad, then we can begin to understand others.

When we no longer want to use or abuse another, but are satisfied with our existence, then all the exterior materialistic, negative influences of the ‘me’ becomes meaningless, non important or no real value.

Know who you are

Hiding behind a sea of emotions will keep you from growing into the person you were meant to be

Our whole purpose on this earth is to love others with complete and true love. But before we can do that, we must love ourselves. So, how is your relationship with yourself ?

Do you have a relationship with you? It’s a good idea to ponder into the deep side of you and meditate upon the mysteries of who you are, or better yet, of whom you can become. Before we can have significant and lasting relationships with others, we need to understand the person we are now and the person we can become.

Break free from your inhibitions and ask yourself, “Who am i?” “What is my purpose in life?” Answer with complete truth and honesty. Then live your life off that foundation. Base your life upon who you are.

Break free from your doubts and fears and be happy loving who you are. Once you love who you are, you will be totally free to love others. If our purpose on this earth is to love others, we certainly cannot truly achieve that if we are hiding inside our insecurities and not really loving ourselves.

Hiding behind a sea of emotions or a certain weakness will keep us from growing into the person we were meant to be. Being afraid to love others because of being hurt in the past also keeps us from trusting others enough to love.

The first step in growing out from self is to understand what your purpose, goals, ideas, and dreams in life are. Believe it or not, some folks aren’t sure what their purpose and goals in life are and live in a depressed state of aimless wondering and disillusionment. But it doesn’t have to be like that!

The focus here is to grow out from self by knowing first, who we are, and then working towards the substance of who we are. Who are you? What are you? Where are you going? Why are you going? Find it, seek it, acknowledge it, know it, and go after it with gusto! It’s like a caterpillar that eventually metamorphosises into a beautiful butterfly. All of God’s creations have the ability to turn into beautiful butterflies.

But not all of God’s creations will become beautiful butterflies. Why is that? A caterpillar doesn’t allow itself to be free from self. Whether it is through weakness or fear, a caterpillar must break free from what is holding it back by realizing it can become a butterfly.

A butterfly is free from the restraints of self. A butterfly has grown out from self and now seeks to love others with all the love it has while a caterpillar is still seeking to be loved by others. Unfortunately, many caterpillars do not know they have the ability to become butterflies and so remain in their cocoon until they die.

Come out of your cocoon and become the butterfly you were always meant to become. Learn to know who you are by having a truly honest relationship with yourself. Grow out of any negativities that may be wedged within your mental and spiritual capacities.

Low self-worth, fear, mistrust, insecurities, sin, and unbelief will keep you from discovering the natural and true person you really are. But when you have enough belief in God then you know He will keep you safe from those feelings that plague you or that would keep you from growing into the butterfly you were meant to be.

Fearful and insecure persons hide behind negative emotions and are enveloped within a particular weakness in their life. Unbelief is a weakness. Unbelief in the Creator is the biggest and most damaging weakness a person can carry upon their shoulders.

Get to know who you are, because that is what God wants for you. Come out of hiding, all you caterpillars, and become free butterflies!

What is Spirituality?

Spirituality takes us beyond our ego-centered lives by expanding our hearts with compassion towards all

Spirituality lies beyond the material world of proof, beyond what can be measured or counted. It is made up of the inner life, the realm of belief, mystery, and faith. And yet for all the mystery that surrounds it, spirituality is vital to our well-being. It is the foundation of our most closely held values, the seat of our trust and hope.

Spirituality brings purpose and meaning to life, and as we develop it we grow in wisdom and love. We begin to experience a sense of awe, a sense of connection to all of life, and a deep reverence for the Divine. We find ourselves moved to prayers of gratitude and moments of spontaneous worship. Spirituality calls a human being to a life of trust and service.
When our spirituality is nurtured and vibrant, we’re connected. This connection is both a sense of relationship to the Creator, Great Spirit, or God, as well as a relationship to all people and to Mother Earth. Spirituality takes us beyond our egocenterd lives by expanding our hearts with compassion towards all.

I have observed that spirituality forms the framework of many persons orientation to life; it does not dwell in a realm apart. It is not an extracurricular activity. Spirituality involves a reverent attitude towards all things because it awakens us to a divine presence in all things. In this way of seeing and being, all things and persons are interconnected and interdependent. In the Sioux native language, the word for the Great Spirit is Wakan, which means ‘the great mystery.’ Yet this spirit, full of mystery, is every bit as real as the visible, tangible world. It is important to differentiate spirituality from religion. Some people have rejected religion in order to escape what they consider to be oppressive rules and regulations. In the process, however, many lose the great gifts of joy and compassion that spirituality brings. Religion and spirituality are related and intertwined, but they are not the same. A person may experience spirituality without being a member of any specific religious affiliation, and even the most religious person may feel spiritually bereft.

The true purpose of religion is to enhance spirituality through ritual and practice. This is accomplished when a person approaches his or her religion as a way to enter the great mystery, to become aware of the sacredness of all life. Religion can become a barrier to spirituality when it insists on narrow, judgmental dogma, and estranges its followers from a sense of connection with the Divine. Religion serves us best as a vehicle to nourish and develop our spirituality. It is possible, however, to get too caught up in the vehicle, the religious practice, while losing sight of the destination, spirituality, which is communion with the Divine and compassion for all.

For modern, academically oriented professionals, like physicians and health care workers, spirituality is often a difficult subject. Our training is framed by science. In Western culture especially, we depend on logical, analytical, and rational approaches, and for good reason.

These approaches have successfully ushered in a host of life-changing improvements in health care and technology. While honouring science and the mind, our cultural tendency urges us to devalue belief and mystery, but the result is costly: We’re left spiritually starved and out of balance. Some of life’s most difficult questions are the spiritual ones. What is the purpose of life? Where does real meaning come from? What is of real value in our lives? If there truly is a God who loves us, how could there be so much suffering and unfairness in the world?

Part of our addiction to the busyness of life is an attempt to prevent ourselves from thinking about our mortality, the inevitable fact of our own death. But when we keep ourselves too busy to consider the purpose of our existence, our lives cease to have meaning.

Strangely, it is only when we fully accept the reality of our mortality that we truly begin to live. This is the point at which we begin to enter into and learn about the spiritual dimension of our humanity. As French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin remarked, “We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a physical experience.” Our spirituality is our true essence. It is that part of our life which relates to our soul, which from a spiritual perspective is connected to the Divine.

Love Yourself

When we look at having supportive, loving relationships in our life, why not start with ourself

Relationships are how we relate to others. We have a relationship with everyone that we know and who is close to us. This is not reserved for our family or someone who we are involved with. Every interaction we have with another is the act of relating. If we have a problem relating to others, this affects our ability to have supportive relationships. We have to ask ourselves if our relationships are supportive and if they are not, then ask ourselves why they are not. Everyone wants the perfect romance or marriage, but not everyone looks at the mechanics of how to have one. If we fail to have supportive relationships in our life, how can we have the perfect relationship?

Lets look at what is a supportive relationship. The word support is very important. It means that our interaction supports another. This means more than supporting another in their decisions or actions, rather through the act of supporting, we honor and validate who the other person is. In turn, this validates who we are. Both are supported, no one loses, no ego’s involved, and in so doing, we honor the relationship. This is what it means to have a supportive relationship. This is the desired goal. Now, how do we accomplish it?

There are several reasons why we may have problems relating to others. One primary reason is our behavioral patterns. These patterns are developed over a course of our lives. It starts when we are children, through to our adolescence, and by the time we are adults, we have established our behavioral patterns for our relationships. We can have both positive and negative behavioral patterns. What causes negative behavioral patterns? If we look at a person’s life, we can readily see which is negative or positive behavior. But we may not easily see the cause of the negative.

The cause usually resides in the past in which a trauma or an event occurred that effects how we behave in the future. If that event occurs again, or if something happens currently to cause us to experience that trauma again, that is when we respond to it. Situations can act as triggers, which may cause us to react to the person that is involved in the situation. This causes a negative behavioral pattern. Until we can identify the problem, we are powerless to do anything about it.

Whatever the situation was to trigger a reactionary response, the cause must be discovered in order to heal the original fracture. In Shamanism terms this is called a Soul Fracture. A fracture of the Self. Each self is part of the whole which comprises the soul. Soul Fractures occur for a variety of reasons and may or may not relate to this current lifetime. Traumas have occurred in past lifetimes that may or may not have been addressed. The Soul holds the body of these life experiences. Furthermore, the life process itself can be very painful for some. Past experiences that have dishonored, or invalidated who we are, cause us to close ourself off even more. These experiences build up over a matter of time and unless a clearing occurs, emotional or physical problems may develop.

If a problem has been identified, what can we do about it? One can try to clear it themselves, or one can go to a practioner who is adept at doing clearings. In order to clear, one must identify the original cause that created a behavioral pattern. Then, move through the experience of that situation, and experience the emotions that we have associated with it. Then, we must have closure or completion. This means completing it anyway that we are able. As long as, we feel that we have a sense of completion for the experience.

So, after we have identified the cause and received closure or completion, then we let it go. This does not mean to forgive or forget, that is not what it is to release. The act of releasing is our readiness to heal. Only after the experience has cleared can healing occur.

The healing process is a time when we must be very loving to ourself. If we beat up ourself about the experience that had caused us harm or our past reaction to it, then we cannot heal. In being loving to ourself, we validate what we had experienced at that time and our emotions for it. Our emotions are always valid. So it’s important for us to do this self validation in order to heal.

Love is the energy that helps us to heal, whether we give this love to ourselves, or we receive it from another. When we look at having supportive, loving relationships in our life, why not start with ourself ? Because that is where love comes from. This is what transforms our relationships and our lives. We must love the self first. And we cannot do that until we have healed and become whole.

Forget About Knowledge: Just Be Yourself

How can I be myself if I don't know myself?

Whether you know or not, you cannot be other than yourself. To be yourself, knowledge is not needed. A rosebush is a rosebush. Not that the rosebush knows that it is a rosebush. A rock is a rock. Not that the rock knows that it is a rock. Knowledge is not needed. In fact, it is because of knowledge that you are missing being yourself.

Knowledge is creating the problem. The rosebush is not confused. Every day it goes on being a rosebush. Not even for a single day does it become confused. It does not start some morning growing marigolds; it goes on being a rosebush. Knowledge is not needed for being. In fact, you are missing your being because of knowledge.

I was reading about a certain man named Dudley: To celebrate Uncle Dudley’s 75th birthday, an aviation enthusiast offered to take him for a plane ride over the little West Virginia town where he had spent all his life. Uncle Dudley accepted the offer.

Back on the ground, after circling over the town 20 minutes, he was asked: “Were you scared, Uncle Dudley?” “No”, was the hesitant answer, “but i never did put my full weight down”.

In an airplane, whether you put your full weight down or not, the weight is carried by the airplane. Whether you know yourself or not is not the point. Knowledge is disturbing you. Just think if there was a rock also on that airplane with Uncle Dudley, the rock would have put the whole weight down. Uncle Dudley is unnecessarily worried. He could have rested, he could have relaxed just like the rock, but the rock has no knowledge and Uncle Dudley has knowledge.

The whole problem of humanity is that humanity knows, and because of knowing, the being is unnecessarily forgotten.

Meditation is how to drop knowledge. Meditation means how to become ignorant again. Meditation means how to become a child again, a rosebush, a rock. Meditation means how just to be and not to think.

When i say to you to be yourself, i mean meditate. Don’t try to be anybody else. You cannot be! You can try, and you can deceive yourself and you can promise yourself and you can hope that someday you will become somebody else, but you cannot become. These are only illusions that you can go on having. These are dreams. They are not going to become realities ever. You will remain yourself whatsoever you do.

Why not relax, Uncle Dudley! Put your full weight on the airplane. Relax. In relaxation, suddenly you will start enjoying your being, and the effort to be somebody else will stop. That is your worry how to be somebody else, how to be like somebody else, how to become like a Buddha, how to become like Patanjali. You can only be yourself. Accept it, rejoice in it, delight in it. Relax.

Zen Masters say to their disciples, “Beware of Buddha. If you meet him on the way, kill him immediately”. What do they mean? They mean there is a human tendency to become imitators. There is a book, Imitation Of Christ. In a way, that title is very symbolic. It shows the whole mind of humanity. People are trying to imitate, to become somebody else.

Nobody can become a Christ. There is no need. Existence will be bored if you become Christ. It wants somebody new, something original. It wants you, and it wants you to be just yourself.

It's all in your mind

To get more prosperity in your life you should affirm that you are prosperous.

How would you feel and act right now if you had everything you wanted? Well, let’s just pause for a moment and visualize this: right now, see yourself acting as if you did have everything you wanted. See yourself acting in that way; capture the feeling of completeness and satisfaction that you would have. Luxuriate in that thought... What a wonderful feeling that is, and it is possible!

But let’s first ask ourselves how do we manifest prosperity? It is a fact that prosperity begins in mind. First as an idea, and then it comes into form. Thoughts are things and your thoughts create your reality. This, then, is absolutely true and in exact correlation with having enormous wealth and prosperity in your life. You can only have things that are in harmony with your thoughts. The great spiritual truth in regard to our wealth and prosperity is that God is the source and substance of your supply and people are merely channels! Well, it’s true on this human plane that it is people who hire us for our jobs, give us our paychecks, our bonuses and the like, but it is God that is the one true source.

When you are aware of this wonderful spiritual truth and incorporate that into your consciousness, you will begin to stop holding onto people, jobs and things so tenaciously and fearfully because they actually represent only one of many, many channels available to us. Stop giving your power away to these people and things and affirm, “This or something better.” Ease up. When we meditate and pray for more wealth and abundance in our lives, we don’t necessarily know where it’s going to come from and we don’t need to know.

To get more prosperity in your life you should affirm that you are prosperous. For those of you who are not familiar with affirmations or why they are important to your success, just think of them as positive statements that we can use to change our mind, belief system, attitudes and actions and therefore get the results we want. A fabulous affirmation for prosperity would be: “By day and by night, i am being prospered in all my ways!” Another great affirmation is, “I am now, in the process of attracting greater abundance, prosperity and success into my life in everything i am undertaking!”

Each one of us has the gift of free will or the freedom to think whatever thoughts we choose to concentrate on most throughout each day. Ask yourself right now what thoughts are you concentrating on right now? Are you thinking about prosperity and success in your life or are you thinking about lack and limitation? Your environment and your feelings will let you know exactly what you are thinking because they are an exact replica of your thoughts and beliefs. It’s true that no one can think of prosperity all day long and we are all in agreement there. As Emerson said, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” Your primary thoughts, the ones you concentrate on most, will be what you will see in the people you attract to you as well as in your life circumstances. One of the most popular sayings is ‘change your thoughts and change your life,’ but, of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day! It will take time to replace your habitual thoughts that are negative to more positive ones, but you can do it!

Domenic Polifrone once said if we wanted a new car that we needed to go down to the showroom and test drive it. He said it didn’t matter if we didn’t have one penny in the bank. Just go down to that showroom, get behind the wheel of that car and test drive it! Get a few brochures to keep. See and feel yourself driving and owning this beautiful, new car. Get into the consciousness of “i am prosperity and i am in the process of buying and owning this beautiful, new car!” Try it. This experiment works! Your mind is one of your most prized possessions. It has been said that you are the architect of your life.

Ask yourself right now what kind of life are you building for yourself ? A magnificent life or a limited life? Everything that has been available to everyone is also available to you. There is a wonderful quote which underscores this fact. He said, “No one is superior to what you might become!”

Start knowing that the potentiality of one is the potentiality of all. If anybody has wealth you can have wealth; if anybody has a beautiful home, you can have a beautiful home. Life is a state of consciousness. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Change your consciousness and change your world.

Spirituality is finding noble purpose

Happiness is a reflection of being positive and there's need to highlight positive news.

DOES leading an ostentatious life impede the quest for spiritualism? Can the two co-exist? Or are these two concepts in conflict? I believe leading an austere life is an easier path to obtaining the larger goal of living life for a greater good. Ostentation makes one turn towards oneself; look inwards, forgetting the greater good. As long as a person remains oriented towards a noble goal, I believe it doesn't matter what kind of lifestyle a person lives. What do we really mean by spirituality? To me, spirituality is about finding a subliminal purpose, a noble purpose in any important thing I do. Spirituality is finding a purpose beyond the mundane, beyond the easily achievable goals and targets.

Every human being has a special mission in their life. When that is fulfilled, it brings joy. I believe my purpose in life is to be useful to those around me. Happiness is interlinked with positive feelings. Happiness, for me, is to see the eyes of those around me light up with pleasure. So many good things happen, but they get lost in the negativity which surrounds us. We are enveloped by events and news, but what gets highlighted daily is negative news, which makes people depressed and unhappy. I think we should begin each day with good news. What would I choose? To me events which are very positive make good news. Economic growth of the country, showcasing the best of human spirit, the good work done by politicians — such news brings happiness to people. People are happy when they see that the events around them can make an impact on a larger chunk of society. Events and news must have an impact for people from all over the country and from all vocations — mothers, housewives, politicians. That brings happiness to people.

The film Chak de India brought happiness to a large number of people. The Chak de experience shows that youngsters want to see India do well, to win. They want a country that is disciplined. That makes people happy. People are happy when meritocracy is rewarded. It makes me happy when all the wonderful lessons life teaches us are conveyed succinctly.

Did you choose your life, or did life choose you?

Not many of us end up where we plan to be. But, is it such a bad thing for plans not to work out? There is no clear answer to this.

HOW many of us can honestly say life has gone exactly per plan and is what we always wanted it to be? Ask around and most will tell you the same story - how they spent a lifetime planning for a career and when it came to the crux, they realized it wasn't something they wanted after all. Or, sometimes what you plan just never works out. How many brides and bridegrooms have had last minute change of hearts?

Did former model and now roadside derelict Gitanjali Nagpal imagine in her heyday that she would be walking the streets in a short while? She possibly planned to be where her contemporaries Sushmita Sen or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are today.

But, wait a minute. Did even Sushmita and Aishwarya meticulously plan the lives they are living today? No, it doesn't seem so. Sushmita apparently had limited her choices to poet, doctor, linguist, journalist or being a Mother Teresa, and Aishwarya wanted to be an architect! And while Ash's life may well seem every girl's dream come true, her own littlegirl dreams were of blueprints and buildings rather than the Miss Universe crown and Bachchan bahudom!

True, not many of us end up where we plan to be. Consider this. Saif Ali Khan wanted to be a lead guitarist or cricketer; Juhi Chawla, a classical singer; Akshay Kumar dreamt of being a martial art instructor, while Rahul Bose wanted to be a professional rugby player. Both singer Mukesh and director Subhash Ghai nursed ambitions of being leading men! They are not living their lives as they planned them; rather life overtook their plans!

We all know that the last thing Sonia Gandhi ever wanted to do in life is what she is doing today with great élan! None of people's plans for their lives seem to work out. These people did not choose their lives; instead those lives chose them all!

But, is it then such a bad thing for plans not to work out? There is no clear answer to this, though it does feel good to know there's someone out there ready with Plan B! Sure, you may find this scary when you consider cases such as Gitanjali's. On the other hand, Aishwarya and all the rest have not just got a better deal than they planned for, but also seem quite content with lives they never dreamt of giving themselves. Maybe they are even grateful their original plans went awry! I mean, imagine 'Mother Sush Teresa'! Or Ash raising buildings rather than razing hearts!

Does that then mean any planning for the future is doomed to failure? And that one shouldn't plan at all? Not really. The problem is not with the planning; it's with the acceptance. The acceptance of whatever life unfolds for us. Problem is most of the time we are all expending energy trying to fight reality… we just don't accept things as they are — instead, we keep hankering after what could have been or what we had wanted!

Sometimes we get so pigheaded about these things that even when we can clearly see what has unfolded is far better than what was planned, we refuse to be happy. Zen masters nail it right when they say the problem is that most of us tend to go through life doing whatever we do just because circumstance or Destiny have made our life what it is today. They advise you to take your life in control immediately with even the smallest of changes and make the best of what you have.

In short, even if it isn't what you had planned really, make it a life that you have designed, rather than the one that fell to your lot. Do a quick reality check and adapt to Plan B rather than keep bemoaning failure of Plan A. Believe it, more often than not, it works out for the best…

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."