The Pencil..leaves a mark...

A disciple was watching the master  write a letter. At one point  the disciple asked:

‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’
The master stopped writing the letter and said :I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’Intrigued, the disciple looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.

‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

1. ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
2. ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person
3. ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
4. • Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
5. ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action

Moral : Reality is dreamt before it is defined in action ..always , repeatedly..dream well

My-Dream , time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including My-Dream. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left.  Except for My-Dream.

My-Dream was the only one who stayed. My-Dream wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, My-Dream decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by My-Dream in a grand boat. My-Dream said, "Richness, can you take me with you?"Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

My-Dream decided to ask Youthful-Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Youthful-Vanity, please help me!""I can't help you, My-Dream. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Youthful-Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so My-Dream asked, "Sadness, let me go with you.""Oh . . . My-Dream, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"Happiness passed by My-Dream, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when My-Dream called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, My-Dream, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, My-Dream even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder, My-Dream asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered."Time?" asked My-Dream. "But why did Time help me?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable My-Dream is.

Moral :

The best beginnings of our lives ,may sometimes end in sorrow ;but even on our darkest days ,the sun will shine .So we must do our very best ,whatever life may bring ;look beyond the winter chill .

Although the cares of life are great ,hands are bowed so low ;the storms of life will leave behind ,the wonder of a rainbow. The years will never take away ,our chance to start anew ;

It's only the beginning now , So My-Dreams can still come true.

the fountainhead

I read the book long back and again read it in the last few weeks ..wanted to try and capture the essence of the book..very difficult , but i tried ..a lot of you might not read this completely ,but some might ..only read it if you have patience and time ..anyway , i wanted to write it ..

Fountainhead weaves the main characters around the philosophy of objectivism, which even now several consider as a radical philosophy. The novel is about how individualism is a corner stone of human life .The novel revolves around the central character Howard Roarke his struggle in system defined world ruled by collectivism and the heroine Dominique.

There are 3 more characters. .shall write about them first , they are around this world in plenty..

• Ellsworth Toohey who is a columnist and a cheat. He represents people who want to rule the mob but using means of inducing guilts, altruism, degrading self respect and promoting mob thinking.

• Peter Keating needs somebody to help him make decisions as he is always unsure. His insecurity leads him to committing sins as he moves on the ladder of success, he ruthlessly tramples on many people to reach his objective.

• Gail Wyand , who is media baron and pulls the string. He sells and creates news , what people want to read . Interestingly what he sells in news papers is applicable today too, People even today love masala .Ironically in novel he runs two ads on his front page. One requested readers to donate money for broke scientist who is trying to invent some phenomenal thing while another ad does requested readers to donate money for an unmarried pregnant lady whose boyfriend was goon and gets killed by police. People respond to both requests. Scientist gets hundred odd dollars , while the lady gets thousand dollars . News today is forced to sell masalas , scandals and such stuffs because they sell easily .
  

For Howard his work is his passion and he feels most committed to do what is right in his work. His motivation for working and living is his own ego, and he practically ignores the ideas of others. Roark has a self-confidence that Dominique finds irresistible. He inspires confidence and fear in people because they know he is right and he will not stop till he has completed his tasks, he has a lot of followers .Even then the mercurial world is sometimes too happy to celebrate the fall of a hero, and he gives up power and riches for what he felt was correct –for they all feared his ideas. Completely unpretentious by nature, he neither humbles nor gratifies himself. His work speaks for him. He is neither driven by compliments nor is flattered by a compliment. He does not feel too much a part of the mercurial world and its celebrations and idle chatter. 

However, the world around him misinterprets the ego and therefore fears it for they know it will succeed .He remembers and misses Dominique.Dominique is his mirror ego .They found each other by chance, attracted by a supernatural force, move together, love each other which brings a lot of pleasure and also brings pain , they walk separate paths for a while and are pulled back together. She understands his potential and the power they can create together.

Dominique recognizes man's capacity for achievement, and this is the only thing she loves. Because she reveres man at his highest and best, she loathes most members of the human race, who fall below man's potential and are non-performers. When she sees the manipulative Peter Keatings, the power-hungry Ellsworth Tooheys, and the masses that prefer Keating's work to Roark's, it fills her with despair. She is committed to the facts, to truth, to her mind's most honest judgment — not to the opinions of others. Dominique is a thinker. The willingness to think for herself is what enables and demonstrates that though independence is not a guarantee of arriving at the truth, it provides an individual with a self-regulating method.

Their relation is quiet complex one which starts with instant attraction and instinct, becomes intense, proceeds with seeking power on different roads. They are afar but their thoughts and actions are similar, though they pursue it differently, and finally they come together and the relation evolves into soul mates. 

In the end Howard Roark triumphs, with Dominique by his side standing at the top of the masterpiece he designed.

The novel usually jolts people who feel the idea or philosophy behind the book, Objectivism. But as one thinks deeply and rationally it makes perfect sense. The influence of the social herd clouds the identity, as does the normally divided mind of man.We associate with the most convenient acceptable human ,social form. Only when we seek the deeper consciousness within, do we move to the wider truth.When we look at history, it is those people who challenged big objectives and progressed on their path regardless of who was with them charted the progress of humanity to a better future. Charles Darwin, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, Gorbachev, are some of the examples.

giving love

One day a young boy was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart . There was not a mark or a flaw in it. The young boy was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an middle aged man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."The crowd and the young man looked at the man's heart. It was beating strongly ... but full of scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in ... but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges.

In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people stared ... how could he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought? The young boy looked at the middle aged man and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said.

 "Compare your heart with  mine ...mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the man, "Yours is perfect looking ... but I would never trade with you. 


You see, every scar   represents  each occasion I gave my love to someone  I loved..... I tore out a piece of my heart and gave it... and often i would get back me a piece of  her heart which fits into the empty place in my heart ... but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away ... and the other person hasn't returned a piece of heart to me. These are the empty gouges ... giving love is taking a chance.

Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have had and maybe still have ….and I hope someday it may  be returned and fill the space . So now do you see what true beauty is?"

Moral: Humans change as time, situation changes . Only few want to remember what life was before, and who's always been there even in the most painful situations ...


Never take someone for granted .Hold dear persons close to your heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones. For life is queer with its twists and turns as everyone of us learns ...for time and tide wait for none ...

The rose

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it. 

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom... it died. 

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves , our situation and see only the thorns, the defects. 

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential. 

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. That someone who constantly knows "the rose in you " along with the thorns is important .... One of the greatest blessings a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them. 

This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose and fragrance " within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

Moral : Time and tide change ..never let the good in you be washed away , because it took time ..difficult but that is what makes a rose a rose ...

the humble giver

Message : It is difficult to share what we have with others. We might spend it on necessities or luxury or just blow it away . many of us on our special occasions spend a fortune on cakes , parties and cookies ..which is good ; howmany though remember to share it with the less fortunate .

...i have known someone who would start the most special day "a birthday " by giving food /fruits/money  to the poor in the morning  .. :) It does not not need riches or pedigree to be a giver . Some people can . I have yet to learn this maybe …I was humbled reading this story in the papers ....

A beggar on Saturday showed that it does not take deep pockets but a large heart to help the needy. Khimjibhai Prajapati, a 64-year-old beggar in Mehsana, donated clothes to 11 poor hearing- and speech-impaired girls of the Shrimati Kesarbai Kilachand School for Deaf. Khimjibhai presented a rare sight as he limped into the school on his crutches, wearing tattered and unwashed clothes. He placed the brand-new clothes in the hands of 11 eager girls. Khimjibhai bought these clothes from a saving of Rs 3,000. Khimjibhai has been begging outside the Simandhar Swami Jain Temple and Hanuman Temple in Mehsana for the past decade. He also lives around these temples.

"I just need two meals a day and some money to send back to my wife in Rajkot who is sick with ulcers and lung infection," said Khimjibhai. "Otherwise, whatever I earn, I use it to buy food for the poor and hungry people. I have wished to do something for these girls for a long time and I am happy that I donated clothes to them."

Thoughtless Blows

There's one truth in life I've observed


While walking with people , talking with people , knowing people

The only folks we really wound ,Are those we love the best.


As we walk through the mercurial world , we laugh for it is seen best to laugh


We dress for we feel we belong , we eat and be merry for that is what the audience wants 


We flatter those we scarcely know,We please the fleeting friend and invite the unknown guest,


And deal full many a thoughtless blow ,to those who loved us best.


..but hey ..with so many blows they might not be there one day any more..


Remember, we all stumble, every one of us.  That's why when we stumble it's a comfort to be held by a hand ,and be made stable by the ones who loved us most , for when we were with them ,we had  no masks ,no pretence ..they liked us the way we were..


...however the mercurial world only knew the mask ..and responded to the mask

the gift of magi

O Henry story which is lovely : )

On the day before Christmas, Della has only $1.87 in savings with which to buy a gift for James Dillingham Young . Still there was not enough for the wonderful present she dreamed of getting for Jim. Times are tough. Jim’s salary, formerly $30 a week, is now only $20 a week. Suddenly, Della gets an idea. Whirling about the room, she lets down her hair. It is one of two prized possessions between her and Jim, the other being the gold pocket watch handed down to him from his father. A moment later, Della goes down the street to Madame Sofronie’s shop, where the sign reads “Hair Goods of All Kinds.” There, Della sells her hair for $20. 
.......

After shopping for two hours, she finds just the right gift, a platinum fob chain to replace the old leather strap attached to his watch. It is simple and elegant, and it costs $21, leaving Della 87 cents. After returning home, she uses curling irons to give herself a new hairdo, puts coffee on, gets pork chops ready for frying, then prays that Jim will like her new look.

 It is seven o’clock. When he walks in, he stares at her. His gaze is long and unrelenting. Worried that he is displeased with her appearance, Della tells him that she sold her hair “because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present.” Jim seems bewildered. 
.......“You’ve cut off your hair?” 
......."Cut it off and sold it,"  Della says. 
.......“You say your hair is gone?” 

A moment later, he comes out of his “trance” and enfolds Della in his arms. Then he takes a package from his overcoat and tosses it onto a table. He tells her nothing she could do would make him love her any less. However, he adds, the package will explain why he reacted strangely upon seeing her. After opening the present, she cries out with joy, then bursts into tears. Her gift is a set of expensive, turtoise-shell combs she had long eyed in a shop window. To comfort him, she says, “My hair grows so fast, Jim!” 

Then Della gives him his present. Jim had sold his pocket watch to buy the combs. 

.Della and Jim had given perfect gifts. They had each other, they “sacrificed for each other the greatest thing they treasured .”  What they gave as presents was worth far more than the chain and the combs. 

Message : Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. It is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own...it is impossible to forget .

your aura ..energy

Auras and energy fields are believed to be around definitely people. That is why very often we feel nice meeting someone and also can feel hesitant when someone walks into the room. We might also feel the world just seemed to swim into the most divine orbit when someone touched us , and the world seemed to flash by.

These energy field auras also are believed to change with the way a person might change.

With stressful situations, expectations of achievements, relationships, and “keeping with the masses “, people do succumb to drastic actions and their aura, energy changes dramatically. Very often people plunge into negative thoughts ...it is said all forms of energy in and around the body start moving towards the negative field .It might only take a little attentiveness to know what is going on inside us . Are we feeling negative for the right reason, with the right person, at the right time or are we just negative? Are we annoyed with something and passing on our annoyance through our communication to something else, someone else?

As the song goes on positive vibes

We need some positive vibes for these rainy days

Let the sun come out keep push these clouds away
Let the vibes blow like the ocean breeze ,Keep your heart pure, conceive your own dreams
Respect yourself, be somebody who cares, Do not worry about the rat race ,Keep the  head straight, Find  pace, create space
Detach my whole scene from this wicked rat race

All of this affects your aura, your energy fields Robert Bruce, an aura expert says even colours have auras, so what colour clothing you have on will affect the colour of your aura. According to Bruce- The human aura is both an energy field and a reflection of the subtle life energies within the body. These energies make us what we are and what we seem to people .The aura possibly reflects our health, character, mental activity and emotional state.

Energies and auras of people change …be conscious of what you were and what you are, it starts reflecting and changes your being –that is why it is known that you will  start resembling the company ,habits you keep –in the way you think ,act ,react ,speak…for sure !  So take care of your energy fields ..

Love ..and the art of living

Someone once preserved this article ..


Love is that it can't be betrayed. If love can be betrayed, then it is not love. If you love someone unconditionally, how can that love be betrayed? Because you never expected anything out of that, still giving your love. You are giving your love, radiating it; if somebody accept it good else also well because both are happening outside. If the other accept then they will get your love else they wont get it, and that is the difference. It is not that you are not giving -- you go on giving your love but only the other side is closed. This is the secret of all the people who created history. Only the love outlives and nothing else.


Love and life both are not a commodity, it is a sheer gift. One of the reasons why love is so scarce in this world is because we are expecting that people should deserve it, only then can they get it. Absolutely  wrong. When you love someone, you can't say why, you can't answer; you can simply say "I love." There is no rationality in it. You can't get love by force; you can't even win love by power; it is not the power that wins; it is peace, it is love, it is consciousness, which goes on winning.


Look at the whole history – the powerful have not been of any importance in human growth, and they have not been able to hinder anything that is of authentic value.


 Love is not the past, not the future, It is the present; You can't say you loved someone or you will love someone because love is neither the past nor the present. If you say so, then your love is political and you expect something in return. If your love is always in the present and unconditional then I hope you will never have any enemy or adversary. You will never be jealous or selfish, but you will be conscious. All that you can do is be more loving, be conscious and let forgiveness and loving unconditionally be your habit – Love people not for any reason at all. 


Just loving is so good, so beautiful, so intrinsically blissful, that it is not a question whether the person who is loved deserves it or not.

What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined for life? to strengthen each other ,to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories.People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.It is with that person you can be who you are , with no masks , no pretense and no pressure to belong to the drudgery and dance of the mercurial world...

That possibly is love and  the art of living.

power of words ..

An old Buddist master spoke to his students “ Tonight I would speak to you about the power of words and wise speech . According to Buddha the wise speech is truthful , gentle ,helpful . And the wise one ignores the wrong, harsh  speech of others“.A young discisple said “ sir I do not understand . Stones can hurt ,theft can deprive , but words are just sounds , they can mean nothing ..i disagree”

The old master said “ little one, if you were not such an ignorant fool , you would understand ..so sit down and do not bug me , and stop interrupting “.Red faced the disciple sat ,eyes moist , fists clenched and hurting deep ..he was shaking ..the master asked “ little one – you seem disturbed ?”

The discisple blurted “ you are older , you hurt me , insulted me , you cannot be a master and a teacher ..you words hurt me ..you are a fraud” . The master replied ..” ahha ..the wrong words do make an impact .”

Words give birth to ideas ,create emotions , rule the hears of men and women , and can be constructive or destructive .

In the bible it says “ A gentle answer turns away wrath , but a harsh word stirs up anger “ , and so it is said that wise people must choose their company carefully , for the company influences the kind of words , speech , for their speech can become a part of our responses ..

The ear affects the soul, the soul affects the body ..every word impact the listener ..so god gave us two ears ..one to listen to good words and the other to ignore the bad words or the harshness that people or the world can speak ..

So choose to let kind words into your ear ..they will enter your soul..amen

Message : what we habitually say in our heads , we usually end up saying with our lips , which ultimately directs our feet “

So , my dear ..friend ..

..ignore the unkind words of people , word ..allow the nice , kind words to come in ..do not let someone’s diatribe ,unkindness impact ,affect you ..…

Beauty and Fun with Mathematics

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E
1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!
If you find this interesting share it .Have a nice day ; God bless ...

The 9 pm call - a true incident

For Leander Paes it is payback time. In June 2003, India’s most successful tennis player lay on bed diagnosed with neurocysticerosis –a paralytic brain function that took him off the tennis court. The person who helped him pull through this black period was the former World No 1 Martina Navratilova.

She was 46 and he was 30..a 16 year age difference , but together they were conquering the world.

They won the Australian open , Wimbledon. Their partnership spilled off court and they became very close friends .When Leander lay in the hospital , she refused to play with anyone else. Her connect ,reassurances pulled him through.

In February 2010 , Martina was diagnosed with breast cancer .The devastated champion said “it was like my own 9/11” . Just before going public with the diagnosis she called Leander ,she did not tell him anything ..but their relation being what it has been made Leader sense the break in her voice. He called her back and when he heard the news , he was shocked …he asked her what could he do..

She said “ you be my champion now , be my 9 pm call “.

Leader explained that when he was bedstricken , Martina his friend would speak to him everyday ,especially every-night at 9 pm , and talk to him , ask him how he was doing . She would take a complete update . She continued this , till he was all okay for she stood behind him, with him. She was always a call away.

Says Leander , “Now it is my turn to be her 9 pm call”

Life turned a full circle .

Message : In life at some time or the other , you have surely  relied on some-one close  for a long time ,  to get  that support ; be it emotional , physical , or just to be the “safety –valve “ where you felt better after speaking ,meeting ,loving , dating ,interacting ,just because that someone was there. You developed a bond…for that 9 pm call ;  knowingly –unknowingly it put you on stable ground  .

But when the time came did you have the tenacity, patience to return the 9 pm call for as long  …till that someone got on stable ground ? ..No ?  majority   people do not .they are too busy, they forget and have too many reasons to avoid it .

..do you have someone who needs you to return the 9 pm call…

Hey but did I tell you . .remember …life turns a full circle ..:)

The road of life ..

The journey of life is certainly quite unpredictable with its twists and turns . In a moment it makes you happy and the next moment it throws you in a state of despair.There are moments you feel there is someone by your side and the next moment that someone just walks away ...without a  look back or a goodbye .
One meets people , makes friends , associations , lovers ,some of them stay by and some of them walk past ..but life is strange for at times it brings back old connects Life is a journey, enjoy the ride !Life is but a stopping place,A pause in what`s to be, A resting place along the road,to sweet eternity.

We all have different journeys, Different paths along the way,We all were meant to learn some things, but never meant to stay...Our destination is a place, Far greater than we know.For some the journey`s quicker, For some the journey`s slow.And when the journey finally ends, We`ll claim a great reward,And find an everlasting peace,

It is captured well in the poem of Robert Hastings -

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.

We are traveling by train, out the windows,

we drink in the passing scenes of children  ,waving at a crossing,

cattle grazing on a distant hillside, row upon row of corn and wheat,

flatlands and valleys, mountains and rolling hillsides

and city skylines.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.

On a certain day, we will pull into the station.

Bands will be playing and flags waving.

Once we get there, our dreams will come true

and the pieces of our lives ,will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle.

Restlessly we pace the aisles,

damning the minutes - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

Sooner or later, we realize there is no station,no one place to arrive.

The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream.

It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto. It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad.

It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.

Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today. Regret is reality, after the facts.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles.

Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often,

swim more rivers, watch more sunsets,laugh more, cry less.

Life must be lived as we go along. …The STATION will come soon enough.

                                                                                                         .

 In fact the song of an oldie Anand also possibly captures the same essence

Zindagi ...kaisi hai paheli, haaye ;Kabhi to hansaaye kabhi ye rulaaye ;Zindagi...

Kabhi dekho man nahi jaage peechhe peechhe sapno ke bhaage ;Ek din sapno ka raahi chalaa jaaye sapno ke aage kaha ;Zindagi...

Jinhone sajaaye yaha mele sukh-dukh sang-sang jhele ;Wahi chunkar khaamoshi yu chali jaaye akele kaha

Zindagi...

So friends 

The tide recedes but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand

The sun goes down ,but the gentle warmth still lingers on the land

The music stops, but it still echoes on its sweet refrains

For every joy that passes, and someone you miss by ,something beautiful remains , forever ....

So watch your thoughts for they become words

Watch your words for they become actions

Watch your actions for they become habits..

Evolving karma of Communication Style

A discussion which was taking place ..communication of emotions through technology , personally ..recapped

The communication tools of –mobiles , chat sites , social sites viz orkut , facebook have significantly changed the way people express their emotions .

Till a few years back when people experienced emotions , they met each other and expressed themselves –the emotions were of joy, sorrow , ecstacy ,anger , hatred , love ..but they met .

With time cameras and cards started to take centre stage , when people started capturing emotions . A still photograph ,an archies card was a beautiful way and expressive style to keep the emotion for posterity , for ever .

Nowadays , the greetings are expressed through and SMS , emotions expressed through chat sites , social networking sites which would have varying degrees of controls to allow some people to share those emotions and to tell the others that they are not invited .

The technology obviously is in keeping with the times and has its advantages , viz

• You are linked to quite a few people
• It is also seen as a social badge by the number of friends you have
• You can quickly tell quite a few people your opinion and exchange of information is fast
• You can exchange emotions , photographs , long distance
• Time is a constraint and emotions are quite a few , which can be exchanged

But it also seems that it takes away personal connect

• since people are ok without meeting each other
• ecards with time ,get barred and lose their message
• since you can exchange emotions /photographs long distance ..people avoid or do away with meeting each other  
• Even now when I see people look at still photographs , they walk down the memory lane and the flashback brings the moments alive

In fact in a movie “Up in the Air” people had different takes ;  but what I also saw that IT made emotions mechanical and hollow ;  there were people being fired from the web ;which took its negative toll on emotions ; In fact in the movie the girl who was the proponent of the web firing idea was dumped on phone , SMS. It only seemed to tell the  people being fired /dumped that while “ you/we  were there personally when we all needed each other  , but  now we do not need you and do not have the time to meet you and say goodbye, good luck “.. or maybe one is   not sure of what one would say and express…but this seemed somewhat incorrect …

And I know,  cases of relationships which have had their bright moments ,ending with the partners being dumped on the phone ..

Message : This in no means questions the fact the technology enables emotions ; in fact it only highlights that technology should not take away precious emotions .

..but one thing is sure there is nothing like a personalized interaction while sharing joy or sorrow , it just is more humane ..and correct for the relationship , correct for the people involved …whatever it must have been ..we owe it to the times we shared..wheel of life moves a full circle

The mannequin

Somewhere in Russia, in a place where the world was cold and  mercurial ; was a store famous for apparels .In the 2 storeyed store where people came and went there was also a male mannequin on the first floor. He was good to look at but was a mannequin ,a non-living statue ; he also had feelings ,but because of being where he was they were buried for years ..

One day an angelic girl walked in. She had been newly recruited .As she climbed the stairs , the mannequin looked at her and as she passed by she looked at him. Something transpired . She somehow liked the eyebrows of the mannequin and maybe his smile .In the mornings ,evenings in her spare time ,everyday she would talk to the mannequin about herself, about things which impacted her , which used to impact her and generally. The mannequin started to feel his heart melt with her voice , her look and her presence ,but he was a statue .Somehow they both hoped the mannequin would start living .God was watching and wanted both of them to be happy ..so god whispered some words in the mannequin’s ears

The next day as the girl was talking and held the mannequin’s hand, by magic the mannequin seemed to come alive, the fingers moved, the eyes met and the hands grasped .They were overjoyed . With time they started talking about each other’s pain , pleasure ,sharing things and also traveled whenever the store allowed the girl to take the mannequin out on a road show. The girl took great care of him, his looks, his clothes, his general wellbeing and when she felt the mannequin seemed tired she would ensure he was rested .The mannequin also started speaking , hoping and ,dreaming .A lot of talking seemed to make his throat go hoarse , the girl angelic that she was even got him medicines…and surprisingly the statue  felt his throat become better.

The time they spent together started increasingly, but was also limited to when the girl would go home, and the store would lock the mannequin. They would feel so hurt .The relationship was strange but pristine , for unknown were the reasons the hearts came together .They also probably started loving each other more than anything else.

As the lovely time passed, some dark clouds gathered .The store owner started becoming nasty; some old friends of the girl came in town ; the pressures and need of  worldly relationships  was also heavy on the girl, the mannequin was struggling to come out of the store to spend more time .The store owner would lock the mannequin more often ;and the girl was shifted to the ground floor .

They both were now able to spend less and less time together, they talked less, virtually traveled less .The mannequin seemed , felt less alive .The absence of the girl , her presence ,her voice seemed to choke him. But could he express , he did ;however since he was a statue his pain was not visible .The girl was pained as well , she would still come as soon as she got free , look at her mannequin ,talk , hold hands ;but she was unable to take the mannequin with her forever .The magic words which would have set the mannequin alive forever got lost.  

With time the girl came less , talked less.. the mannequin would always wonder , hope , wanting to see her ask her what happened , hoped that all of ok with her in the world and also felt envious of all who might want to talk to her, were able to talk to her ;would look to hold her hand .

Gradually the girl stopped coming, hours changed to days, and days to weeks .People started observing  that probably the mannequin’s smile was replaced by a sad look and something which seemed like a permanent tear .…the mannequin remembered what Kahlil Gibran had whispered in his ears- ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation

…the mannequin, waited and waited.. wondering if she remembered him. at all, the way he looked , his voice …he is still waiting for her; she was the only one who ever warmed his heart...and made him come alive ..

Message from the mannequin (who did not seem to do much  )  : Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. It is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own...it is impossible to forget….kal ho na ho

believe in yourself

An accident deprived the village headman of the use of his legs , he took to walking on crutches. He gradually developed the ability to move with speed -- even to dance and execute little pirouettes for the entertainment of his neighbors. It soon became a status symbol in the village to walk on crutches, and before long everyone was doing so.By the fourth generation everyone walked with crutches. The village craftsmen became famous for the quality of the crutches they produced.

One day a young boy presented himself before the village elders and demanded to know why everyone had to walk on crutches since they had been provided with legs to walk on.

The village elders were amused that this upstart should think himself wiser than they so they decided to teach him a lesson. "Why don't you show us how?" they said. A demonstration was fixed for the following day. Everyone was there when the young man hobbled on his crutches to the middle of the square, stood upright, and dropped his crutches. A hush fell on the crowd as he took a bold step forward -- and fell flat on his face. ith that everyone was confirmed in their belief that it was quite impossible to walk without the help of crutches.

The boy got up again , dusted himself, and after a few stumbles started to hobble and walk …the villagers thought it was a miracle !!

Message: Never lose faith in your ability to ask questions and move ahead when you know the answers ,even if he others are not trusting .Avoid the company of people who are unable to think beyond; the mercurial world teaches people to be followers and not use their minds.Do not doubt yourself because others could not understand ...

adapted from :the prayer of the frog

i want to be happy

Once, a young lonely  boy, despondent and lonely, walked through a meadow and saw a small butterfly caught in a thorn bush.  The more the butterfly struggled to free itself, the deeper the thorns cut into its fragile body.
   

 Filled with compassion, the boy released the butterfly. But, instead of flying away, the butterfly transformed into an angel and said gently, "To reward you for your kindness, I will do whatever you like.”The boy thought for a moment, and then replied, "I want to be happy!"
   

 "Very well," the angel said. Then the heavenly creature leaned close to the boy and whispered something in his ear.

 Many years later, as the boy lay on his deathbed after a full and happy life, his friends gathered around him. "Won't you tell us your secret now," they pleaded. With a labored smile, the man answered,"An angel told me that no matter where I went in life, I would find people who needed me-- people rich or poor, young or old, meek or self assured-- and helping those people SMILE would bring me happiness and satisfaction."

Somewhere in your life there is someone who needs your smile. Are you willing to be an angel  ? Share a smile, for it goes a long mile, fill someone’s day with happiness, each day is a gift, that is why it is called a present...give someone a present today …share this secret …I hope I did 

Waiting for the Right Choice ?

People spend a lifetime trying to find a right choice...some people get stuck without the right choice .some people change their selves –their conversation , their looks , their being to be part of a crowd to find the right choice …But hey is that the right choice ..That is because we want people to conform

• To being there continuously
• To love us unceasingly
• To become trophies because the society wanted so, the parents wanted so...because time is passing by ..not because we wanted so...

Hence at times people are pressured to feel the absence of someone permanent, the pain of not having to say...i own him, her …This pressure makes them become what they are not ,but they clone other s who they thought were better at this ,,but they were not ..they or their circumstances forced them to comply .In a college we want company as it is out of fashion to be alone, when of marriageable age parents and peers force people to get hitched...for that is natural...but not doing so, does not mean that they were correct.So there must be someone who is ok to every-one and fits your picture ...but hey fingers of the hand were never equal.

So when you choose to look for a soul-mate do you put up conditions unending? The concept of soul mates is so much heard of, very difficult to experience...but as is written

• A soul mate is somebody with whom one has a feeling of deep and natural affinity, love, intimacy, sexuality, spirituality, and/or compatibility. A related concept is that of the twin flame or twin soul – which is thought to be the ultimate soul mate, the one and only other half of one's soul, for which all souls are driven to find and join.
• This feeling is automatic

A soul-mate is one where you can feel the pain , you can feel the pleasure , where you can be your self and not have to put up a pretence .The gaze they have is honest , the conversation the truth ..you can be your self..

 So why do we search so much .at times when we find someone who we felt was a soul mate ..why do we test it continuously??. so come-on  let us connect with who we felt were our soul-mates..made us happy ,sad and we felt wee could conquer the world.. and then feel a little better , rather than feel unhappy..

Life will find its own meaning...for unknown are the reasons people and hearts come together...they met for some reason …maybe your soul-mate was not the traditional definition this world had…but if you felt comfortable...let the connect remain..kal ho na ho.