Why people shouldn't follow a single ideology

Why does everyone believe you need to subscribe to some ideology to become relevant? The truth is when you choose an ideology, you lose a part of yourself. How? Let me explain.

Every ideology comes with some good points, and some evil. Just as the person forming the ideology, the ideas are also fallible. When we, the common people read the ideology, we're impressed with the great ideas it suggests. Then, we see the evil, and aren't sure what to do with it. Sometimes, we ignore that part. At times, we go in denial about it.  Or we decide to accept is as the lesser evil. After all, evil is part of everything. 

Then, there are parts of the ideology which are not good, or evil, but which we don't really agree. We treat them the same way we did evil. We compromise.

Almost no one completely accepts any ideology, they compromise, and choose the best fit. So, in reality you're changing yourself to fit in someone else's ideas.

Instead, why not choose nothing? Don't choose a side. Choose everything you like from different ideologies. Leave out what you don't agree. Then, add what is missing—the secret ingredient. Some idea, a thought close to your heart.

Stand for yourself, your ideas. Don't adjust for the ideology. Make ideologies accommodate your views. 

Remember, people are not for ideologies; ideologies are for people.

Under the Kalpavruksha

The Kalpavruksha is a mythical wish-granting tree. Under that tree all your wishes are fulfilled. Everyone wishes for a Kalpavruksha. It would make them succesful. It would make them rich. It would make them happy. Not necessary to all the three. The Kalpavruksha, you see, comes with a catch. Haven’t you heard about the Man who found the Kalpavruksha?

Image Courtesy: Pixabay

The Man who found the Kalpavruksha

*An old friend (read eight year old) told me this story when I was four and a half. For years later I was worried that I might accidentally stumble upon a Kalpavruksha. I have no idea who is the original author of the story. I’m going to stick to her original narration in my retelling.

The story

Kalpavruksha is a tree that fulfills wishes. It looks like any other tree, so it’s difficult to spot it. One day, a man was returning home after a visit to the neighbouring town. He had to cross an area of wilderness. The sun was blazing that day. The weary man decided to rest under a tree for a while.
The cool shade made him feel a little better; he started thinking.
This tree has such big branches, I can’t even feel the heat. If only the tree could give me something to eat.
As soon as he thought the words, all sorts of different fruits appeared before him. The man was surprised, but hunger overruled his curiosity. He chose the fruits which he liked, and ate them. After eating his fill, he was thirsty.
He thought, would the tree give him water too? It did.
Now, that his hunger and thirst were satisfied, the man’s thoughts took a different turn. Had he stumbled upon a Kalpavruksha? Wow, that would be great. He would have everything he wanted. He should try asking for something. He was about to just that, when a sinister thought entered his head.
What if it was some ghost playing a trick on him? The ghost might appear right in front of him anytime now.
Lo and behold, the ghost appeared.
The man was terrified. He couldn’t think of anything except that the ghost might eat him.
And that was the end of the poor man.

The catch

Having a Kalpavruksha comes with a great risk. It cannot differentiate between positive and negative. Whatever you wish you get. One negative thought, and you are done.

Life is a lot like Kalpavruksha. It tries to fulfill your wishes to the best of its capacity. Optimism grants you happiness, while pessimism the reverse. Most of our life, we let the negative thoughts cloud our positivity. Result—the wrong wishes are fulfilled. And we go through life dreaming of a Kalpavruksha without realising we already have it.

Think positive. Let life help you realise all your dreams.

Image Source: Dan Fador at Pixabay
Image is CC0 Creative Commons

What do you think about life, and Kalpavruksha? Do share your views.

The Agony of The Ugly Duckling

I loved The Ugly Duckling story as a child. Today, I admire it on so many levels. Many people criticise it as the ugly duckling has no part to play in its transformation. After all, nature did everything; what did the poor bird do? Wait for the usual course of nature. But that’s the whole point of the story, isn’t it?

The ugly duckling never existed, not in the real sense of the word. It was never a duckling; it was always a swan. The only way a tiny swan would seem odd, clumsy, and ill-favoured was trying to fit it into attributes of a duck. All its variations made it unacceptable as a model duck. If the little bird had been brought up as a swan, no one would’ve termed it ugly. The little swans are supposed to look like that, act like that. The ugly duckling had a horrible time, because everyone perceived it a duck.

The irony is that though the ugly duckling doesn’t actually exist, it exists everywhere in the world around us. It exists in our mind, and outlook. In fact, it is so much imbibed in our DNA, that our society is full of ugly ducklings. But, instead of blossoming into magnificent swans, they mature into beautiful ducks.

Slaying dragons

Most people think dragons don't exist. That is because they are relying on fairy-tale description of dragons―huge creatures with wings and numerous limbs, having serpentine traits, breathing fire and brimstone.

But dragons do exist. They don't live in far off mythical lands away from civilization; they reside closer to the real world. The dragons live inside us, mingle with our thoughts, and taint our actions. They arise in wee hours of night to disturb our sleep. They prey on your peace of mind, and can grow to a monstrous size if allowed.

These dragons are born of guilt, and fear. They are the ghosts of our past and present mistakes, the product of the negative words and actions of the society we live. These dragons sow the seeds of self-doubt, and hatred. They keep on pointing our faults, and insecurity. They over-shadow the light of hope, destroying our faith, confidence, and self-esteem.

This is where the fairytales save us. They teach us right from childhood that dragons can be destroyed, if only you are brave enough. Real courage doesn't involve fighting dragons in a far-off mythical land. Real courage is fighting the dragon within yourself. It comes with a great risk of getting hurt, and having scars which would last a lifetime. It is the courage to face all the perils of life, and survive. It is to persist despite of the fear. Then, finally you slay the dragon and win.

All you have to remember is that however powerful the dragon might be, it can still be defeated. Dragons exist so that you can be a hero too. Never give up on yourself.

Which dragon do you think is the most difficult to beat? 

The art of staying happy

Never make friends with an unhappy person. They tend to make your life miserable. You know how it is said, that misery loves company. It's true.

So, what do you do in when most of your friends are unhappy, and consequently negative? According to a camp I attended, let go of those friends. If your friends are negative, and are passing their sadness on to you, it's time to make new friends. I call such advice crap. Never ever listen to such foolish advice.

This isn't a way to stay happy and positive. It's a sure shot method of staying selfish. Selfishness can never bring long lasting happiness. Joy wanes in isolation; it multiplies with sharing.

Tell me, haven't you ever been unhappy in your life? We all have. So, should our friends leave us because, we rub our negativity on them? Friends stay, and help us cope at such times. That's why they are called friends.

Remember, passing on your moods work both ways. Don't let go of people because, they inflict their sadness on you. Instead, cheer them up. Let your joy rub on them. Spread positivity around you. Infect them with your happiness. This way you'll not only help your friends, but make many true friends.

The art of staying happy doesn't include shying from unhappiness. It incorporates, spreading happiness to such an extent that it bounces back at you. Real optimism lies in erasing negativity around you, not negative people.

Keep smiling!

How do you manage to stay happy? What is your secret to happiness? Do share with us.

Original Image Courtesy: Charuhas Acharya. Original Image modified with permission. Image is copyrighted © Charuhas Acharya. Do not modify or re-use the image without express permission of the copyright owner,  Charuhas Acharya @ A Glimpse of Paradise.

Compassion is easy

Compassion is the most primitive instinct of man, and also of animals. You might have observed, how your pet understands your need for comfort. It is the language of the soul. Compassion is natural. It is the first feeling evoked in our heart, when we hear of any tragedy.

Ironically, compassion has become scarce in the world. Civilisation has managed to bury compassion into the depths of our heart, where it struggles to resurface. People feel, it isn't worth to waste time on compassion, which they fear conflicts with competition, the trend of the modern world.

However, compassion is easy. You don't need loads of time, and money to offer compassion. A kind word, a sympathetic touch, an understanding smile, and an unselfish act are the weapons of compassion. Far from making your life tedious, compassion leads to happiness of both the persons involved.

It is different from pity. Pity emanates from your ego, when you feel sorry for someone's plight. It is easy to satisfy pity with a small donation. Compassion, on the other hand, arises from love, where the adversity affects you as much as the sufferer. Compassion does not let you rest, till you've tried your best to resolve the problem.

I've often heard people saying, “It's sad. There's nothing anyone can do to help.”

They are wrong. There's always something, you can do. Lend your sympathetic ears, comfort them with your continuous support, be there for them. Often, compassion is all that people need. Time takes care of everything else.

I read a story once.

After a nerve-racking journey, the author's friend smiled, and thanked the reckless taxi driver.

The astounded author asked his friend, “How can you praise him instead of criticising?”

The friend replied, “My smile, and kindness made him happy. Now, he will pass it on to the next customer, who in turn, will pass it to someone else.”

A single act of kindness can lead to a chain of compassion. Start a chain of kindness, every morning.

You can join by using the hashtag #1000Speak. Check other posts at 1000 speak for compassion.

Post by Shankhnaad-The sound of change.

Dutch lessons

Netherlands vs Mexico match in round of 16, besides being an amazing match also gave some life lessons. Mexico had almost made into quarter finals when there was a dramatic twist in the last few minutes.

This was one of the Fifa matches, I'm glad I did watch. The match gave valuable insights to life.

People watching the match on big screen at Museumplein, Amsterdam

• When the going gets tough the tough get going

   

  The dutch players demonstrated the expression to thrive under pressure. Only three minutes were left and Mexico had almost won. The dutch tried their best in spite of the odds piling against them.
  
  Life also keeps on piling problems at us. If we let the problems affect us, then we start losing hope. We have to remember at such times that victory wouldn't be so much sought if it was very easy. tough times help us prove our mettle, don't let them discourage you.
  
  

•  You can't be sure of the outcome till the end of the game.   

   

  By the end I was going to switch off the television thinking Mexico had qualified. That got me thinking. How many times have I given up trying thinking it's too late?
  
  The game can change course in the last two minutes, never quit trying till after the last second. Most of the times, we quit just before the game was going to turn on our side.

The winners win because they don't breakdown or give up. Remember, winners aren't born, they are made. Every life is a making of a winner, some follow through, some quit.

Get up and follow your dreams, happiness is awaiting you at the next turn.

That which is right

I’ve wondered how people brand each other, either conservative or modern. As I see it, both the terms are illusions. If you are in agreement with the current values, then you are modern. The problem is modern keeps on changing. The values which are modern today might be outdated years later. It must be exhausting to keep up with the latest values. Liberals (today’s modern trend) might blame the conservatives but they aren’t very fast to embrace real progressive ideas either. The real progressive people are remembered in history as ‘the man who was ahead of his time’. The poor guy is thought a weirdo in his times.

Poems worth knowing - 2

Recently, I came across a poem written by Krushnaji Narayan Athalye, the poem serves to remind that good and bad attitude both are just as problematic when taken to the extremes. The key to finding happiness is to find the middle.

It is a 20 stanza poem written in the style of Manache shloka by Saint Ramdas. The below mentioned stanza is my favourite. Pardon my translation, I tried my best to convey the meaning.

अति कोपता कार्य जाते लयाला

अति नम्रता पात्र होते भयाला

अति काम ते कोणते हि नसावे

प्रमाणामध्ये सर्व काही असावे!

             -

atii kopataa kaarya jaate layaalaa

(Excess anger leads to failure of your work)

atii namrataa paatra hote bhayaalaa

(Excess humility gives an impression of cowardice)

atii kaama te konatehii nasaave

(Never do anything in extremes)

pramaanaamadhe sarva kaahii asaave

(Everything is good in moderation)

The search continues...

Life has been defined various times. Whenever, anyone has time on their hands. he sits down and contemplates on the mystery of life. Life according to me, is a quest. We are all in search of something or the other. It might be the search for recognition, perfection or some higher ideals like working of the universe or life on another planet.

The truth is everyone has their own search, and so a different pathway of life. A poor man is in search of wealth, the wealthy man in search of happiness, the sick man in search of wealth, the lonely man searches love and so on. The truth is whatever your search is, it continues as long as you are alive. If you find whatever you are looking for, you realize you have lost something else and the quest begins all over again. 

So in order to not lose something on the way, you need to look at the larger picture. It’s not just about the quest but the reason behind the quest. Why is this quest important to you? While embarking on your quest, remember to enjoy life along the way because some things can never be found once you lose them.

The important thing is to remember you aren’t alone in this search. Your family, friends are part of the search team. Be careful not to leave behind any of your team-mates while you are busy completing your quest. They may slow down the search at times, but they add to the fun. 

What is your quest in life? Have you found your goal? Are you satisfied now? I’d love to know your views.

Disclaimer: As I have already written, ample of free time forces us to speculate on philosophies of life. Since, yours truly has much of this free time on various days, I might postulate various theories as regards to life. It wouldn’t be decent of you to point out that some of my theories contradict each other. ;) :P

Whisperings of the soul

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 47; the forty-seventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

 

When you want to understand emotions, you can’t rely on the spoken word. Sometimes, the heart is too full for words. Sometimes, words are not enough. The deep seated feelings seldom find their way towards the lips. They are hidden in the corner of the heart. When they manage to leave the heart, they get stuck in the throat, and at times wander to the eyes.

In this respect, the nature is similar to humans.The nature speaks through the gushing waves, the chirping birds, and the rustling waves, but it is more eloquent when it speaks through silence. The silent sea speaks louder than the turbulent waves. The sun rises, the dewdrops glisten, the stars shine and the flowers dance in silence. Silence is the language in which God speaks, we need silence to get in touch with our souls. It is a language that transcends boundaries. Some things need to be felt not said.

We are busy talking about everything, we seldom find time to listen. When we do listen, we are so wrapped up in ourselves we tend to forget to hear the words left unsaid. The pain, the agony and the hurt are often missed. These depressed emotions which don’t find words, find a way through tears, or sometimes, through the blood let out of a cut wrist.

Silence must be heard. It is an unseen and unheard cord which binds people together. A reassuring pat, a silent smile makes all the difference. An extensive vocabulary may make you knowledgeable, but it is worthless if you don’t have the wisdom to listen to the unsaid words. You might know many languages but your soul knows only two - love and silence. Remember, when the soul talks listen with your heart.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 01

Pursuit of Happiness-1

I have always wondered about happiness. It seems like happiness comes in life in moments and remains elusive as ever. However, everyone goes on an eternal pusuit of happiness. In Manache Sloka, Saint Ramdas says ‘ Jagi sarva sukhi asa kon ahe, vichare mana tuchi shoduna pahe’ (Who is the happiest man on this earth? Try if you can find him) indicating that such a person doesn’t exist.

All religions promise to deliver an eternal happiness. Maybe, it’s this promise which attracts man towards religion. Each one of us wants to be happy. We want to hold on to the moments which make us happy and stretch them forever.

 

The so called box

"Creativity is outside the box," they say.

"Think outside the box," they say.

As a child, I saw the same world and there was no box.

When, and how did the box appear?

 © Kiran Acharya

Quarrelling by the rules

Have you been in a quarrel where you don’t talk with your friend or significant other wishing all the time that the other person ends the quarrel? Well, now you can follow these rules of quarreling shared by Mukta of Muktangan at ‘Vedh’, Thane. According to her, the rules work wonders at Muktangan and also in personal life.

Rules of quarrelling

• No change of subject

  This rule states, If you start a quarrel on a topic, you have to continue to argue that topic. You can’t jump to some other topic by bringing something the other person did the previous day but stick to the same subject.
   Normally, when a fight ensues we tend to bring forth all the previous irritating topics related to the person. For example, if you are quarrelling about someone forgetting something, ask them an an explanation for that thing only. Don’t start how the person takes you for granted and doesn’t keep things in their proper place.
  

Belonging to an average world

The world in numbers

We live in an average world. For anything to be perfect in our world, it has to fit in a range. There are proportions to describe beauty, intelligence and every other attribute. People may detest Maths but they worship these numbers religiously.

View point

   It’s all in the point of view

Have you observed the city from the top? Everything looks small. The trees, the massive mountains, the magnificent towers, all are reduced to a tiny speck.

It is the same with our problems. They appear big when we are attached to them. If you distance yourself from your problems they are not that daunting.

Be prepared

A boar was sharpening it’s tusk in the forest.

A fox saw him and was surprised, “Why are you sharpening them now? I don’t see any danger around.”

“When danger arrives, I wouldn’t get time to sharpen my tusks,” the boar replied.

How to deal with setbacks

Now, that you know the truth about setbacks, you have to move to the next step, dealing with setbacks. The effective handling of setbacks paves the way for your success. Don’t get back into the race immediately. If you’ve had a severe setback you need to address your injuries. To win long races, stamina is more important than speed.

Four steps to deal with setbacks:

1) Give an outlet to your feelings:

Setbacks cause a feeling of depression and inadequacy. To overcome these negative feelings is the foremost objective. These feelings don’t vanish if you try to suppress them. Instead, they occupy some small corner of your brain and try to plant doubts about your success plans in the future. You need to channel them and and convert them to positive feelings. Remember, the law of conservation of energy, the same law applies to your feelings. Emotions aren’t created or destroyed, they change from one form to another. Let us see, how you can change negativity to positive.

• Don’t be afraid to cry. Once, you have done with crying, you might feel a lot better.
  
• Life isn’t just about goals and dreams. There’s more to life than that. Hang out with your friends and family. They are always there to support you and cheer you up.

The truth about setbacks

So you had a setback? Congratulations. I am not crazy, I really mean it. Though they tend to have depressing effects, setbacks are a necessary part of our life. They aren't present to keep balance between happiness and sadness. They are essential to increase your real success.

Setbacks aren't failures, they are just stops between your start point and destination. You fail only if you you give up at this point. Do you leave the train if it stops at some station before your destined station? Then, why ditch your dream after a setback?

No one wins every battle in life and wins the war, too. The only people who seem to have won life's every battle are the ones with faulty memories. Liked this line, click to tweet.

We never introspect or reconsider our plans when we are on the track of success. Success boosts our ego but setbacks help us to reevaluate our decisions, to know whether you were actually on the right track in the first place. There are many theories of ancient times like some of Aristotle's observations which are proved wrong now. The only reason, those theories were accepted in the first place were because someone established them successfully. They weren't right, nobody cross-checked them, then.

Setbacks spin you around, that's why your life seems upside down. Don't give up your dreams based on an illusion. Give yourself some time. Once you settle down everything becomes clear. When you have a setback, don't quit. You've got a chance to analyze yourself and your methods. You can deal with setbacks and bounce back effectively. Think about it.

How to deal with setbacks:

Don't underestimate yourself

Once a farmer found an egg in an abandoned nest. He brought the egg home and placed it among the hen's eggs. In due course of time when the egg hatched, a baby eagle came out. The baby eagle grew up with other chickens and was practically one among them.

Once a stranger visited the farm. He was horrified to see the eagle behaving like a chicken.

“This isn't right,” he said. “An eagle should be soaring the sky not picking worms in the garden.”

The farmer shrugged. “It doesn't matter. He thinks, he is a chicken. We can't make him fly.”