10 ways to become more intuitive

Do you hear yourself often, ‘only if I were more intuitive’? Especially when you are at crossroads of life, where you do not know where to go. Or during times of trouble, when you are desperately looking for an answer but your inner voice seems to be as unresponsive as a dormant volcano.

Yet, intuition is not just a torchlight in the darkness. It is a tool that can help make better decisions at work and in relationships. It can also help you create a life that is uninfluenced by your and society’s prejudices and biases.

Fortunately enough, there are concrete ways to enhance the subtle power of intuition.

 Still the mind

We all have intuitive abilities. We all have that tiny voice that tries to guide us through life. However, the world fills our head with so many thoughts that we eventually lose the habit of listening to that voice. A daily meditation practice is a way to still your mind every day. When you silence your thoughts every day, you are able to listen to your inner voice with more clarity and ease.

Acknowledge the limitation of logic

Our logic depends on the knowledge that we perceive from our senses. This makes our knowledge limited. Our logic cannot be beyond what we know. Thus, logic and knowledge are intertwined in the same pool. When we recognize the universe and the truth are beyond that, we give a chance to our intuition.

Practice Sun Salutations

Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations are a set of 12 yoga postures. Its regular practice affects a mass of nerves in your stomach called the solar plexus that directly influences your intuitive abilities.

Feel contented

Whether we like it or not, desires bring mental noise and restlessness which don’t allow intuition to shine forth. Simply because this subtle power thrives on silence. Feeling contented is one way to satiate restlessness and cut unnecessary noise. You may wonder, how is it possible to feel content just like that? According to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the answer is being of service. As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “When a few people get comfort and relief because of you, then the happiness and contentment that you experience cannot be expressed in words.”

Tend to your gut health

Numerous studies have shown the connection between the gut and the brain. A healthy gut promotes intuition, wisdom, and the feeling of positivity. You can strengthen your gut by reducing stress and supplementing your diet with good bacteria. You can minimize stress from your life with yoga, meditation, proper sleep and diet.

Pay attention

Be more observant of the world around you and within you (the mind-body complex). As you pay more attention, your mind will be more rooted in the present and mental noise will reduce. Intuition thrives on the practice of attention and quiet.

Engage in right-brain activity

While the left-brain is involved in analysis and logical thinking, the right-brain promotes intuitive thinking and creativity. As the left side of the brain promotes thoughts, it can create noise when overactive. To silence the left side of your brain and activate the right side, you can get involved in creative pursuits and listen to music regularly or especially when you find yourself overthinking.

Slow down

If you feel tired or burnt out, your intuition is likely to weaken. On the other hand, a refreshed mind is the perfect home to intuition. To slow down and rejuvenate, get away from the world, and relax for a while. Go on a sabbatical, a retreat, an unplanned holiday, or spend time with nature. A treat to your soul is fuel to your intuition.

Focus on your values
Our minds are sensitive beings of their own. They get muddled in the world and get trapped in a vicious cycle of negativity. Negative thoughts clog our intuition. Yet, a focus on values like kindness, forgiveness, contentment helps one break the cycle of negativity. Keep a focus on these values and allow your intuition to blossom.

Be comfortable with your intuition
Many times, we ignore our intuition or run away because of the fear of the unknown. However, intuition is like a shy child. It will only blossom if you pay heed and allow it to blossom.

 

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UNKNOWN MANIBEN & an ungrateful Country

Maniben Patel was Sardar’s only daughter. When only 16 she switched to Khadi and worked in Gandhi Ashram!
When 17 she put all her gold bangles, earrings Gold Wrist Watch and all ornaments & jewelleries in a bundle of cloth and obtaining her Father’s nod, deposited them in Gandhi Ashram, for the cause of freedom.
All the garments Sardar used to wear after 1921 were woven out of the yarn made by Maniben.
Unlike Nehru’s daughter Indira, Maniben was a freedom fighter, who actively participated in the non-cooperation movement.
In 1928, in the Bardoli Satyagraha she helped out Satyagrahis in Camps.
She was arrested and Jailed in 1930 in the Salt Satyagraha!
Thereafter, she was arrested and jailed on several occasions.
Defying ban in Bardauli, arrested in 1932 again re-arrested for defying ban in Kheda and Sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, for arousing people in villages of Rajkot arrested in 1938!
Gandhiji complimented the girl that he had not seen another daughter like Maniben!
Under Gandhiji’s selective disobedience, Maniben was arrested in 1940 and was released from Belgaum jail in May 1941. When she again wanted to court arrest Gandhiji had prevented this frail girl for ill-health!
She got arrested during Quit India 1942 with
Kasturba Gandhi and released in March 1944 and again re-arrested in May 1944 in Bardauli and was sent to Surat Jail & then to Yervada jail!
She didn’t marry and served her father till
Sardar Died in 1950!

Here is a shocking episode relating to Maniben based on various sources, specifically Dr Kurien’s autobiography: ‘I too had a dream’!

Sardar Patel had no bank balance or property!
Even though he had substantial earnings as a very Successful Lawyer, he gave up everything after plunging into the Freedom movement.
He used to say: THOSE IN POLITICS SHOULD NOT HOLD PROPERTY, AND I HOLD NONE!
(Today Everybody in India may think Sardar a Big Fool)

When Sardar died, he kept nothing for his daughter!
With Sardar no more she had to vacate the house!
With no roof over her head and no money
Maniben had to fend for herself!
Obeying Sardar’s parting instruction, Maniben had gone to Nehru to hand over a bag and a book!
Dutifully, she took an appointment with PM Nehru, she handed over the bag and the book to Nehru in person!
The book was an Account Book!
The bag contained rupees Thirty Five Lakhs! (It was 1950)!
After delivering both to Nehru, she waited a while!
Nehru did not thank her!
Nehru didn’t enquire what she would do!
Nehru didn’t ask where she would stay!
Nehru didn’t ask if she had any money on her!
Nehru didn’t ask if she was in need of any assistance or help!
Nehru didn’t ask, if he could do anything for her!
Nehru, not to speak of sympathy, had shown absolutely no interest in her!
For him, after receiving the huge sum of Rupees 35 lakhs Maniben didn’t exist!

Maniben went back to Ahmedabad to stay with a cousin the rest of her life, forgotten by an Ungrateful Country !

Via.. Dr. Gour Mohanty

The Afghan Betrayal

It’s incredible to watch how fast the USA can forget the biggest attack on its soil, once again  turning its back on the dark world the AFPAK region,  and my fear is that whenever (not if ever) islamists attack the USA, it won’t be as simple and medieval as the 9 “11”.

Islam is the most violent religion in the universe, it advocates and justifies killing innocents in the name of God , they glorify revenge and allows pedophilia. Taliban, ISIS, and Al Qaeda are the true disciples of the Islam, they are blood thirsty monsters who want to destroy life on earth, the monstrosity they manifested on the innocent women and children in Afghanistan, would put the most dreaded historical monsters to shame.

Exit of USA is like a surgeon leaving the patient in the middle of surgery, within a week of the exodus of US forces, Taliban baked by Pakistan, has started wracking havoc on Afghanistan, they have already conquered 2 provinces and it will be only a matter of time, when Taliban will have the country and millions of men, women and children, under there bloody claws.

Reeling under popular political pressure, Joe Biden made the decision of abruptly leaving Afghanistan, no prise for guessing, who would be the first country the Taliban would come after, they are unabashedly supported by nuclear armed Pakistan, in fact they are proxies of the Pakistan Army.

Last time the US turned its back on Afghanistan, was right after the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of USSR, it resulted in 9’11, once again they are leaving the country in an even precarious situation, in the hands of Taliban, Pakistan and China.

In the last 20 years of US occupation, the various US administrations were concerned only about achieving the military objectives, they never tried to uplift the average Afghani, they spent billions on bombs and missiles, pounding Taliban and afghans in general, but not a single dollar was spent on education or health care which the Afghans needed so badly, its a deja vu, USA did exactly the same in the 80s when they supported Afghan uprising against the USSR.

I won’t be surprised that the next attack on the US soil would dwarf all earlier terrorist attacks, including 9’11, and it would for sure emanate from Afghanistan.

 

 

Communist Party of China –Celebrating 100 years of oppression ….

There are stark similarities between the Nazis and the Communist party of China, 1) They enslaved there own people, 2) They have (Nazis still exist, AKA White supremacists)  serious superiority complex, 3) They both were cowards.

China is a villainous bully, the only way to face them is by standing up against them, If a country shows slightest sign of weakness, it will surely loos its territory and its people will be butchered.

If a country really want to learn how to confront China, they must learn it from India, the only country in the world which opposed the pet project of “XI” Belt and road project and the way Indians confronted the Chinese on the Himalayas.

World must realise that is bully is actually the weakest one, he will seek vulnerable opponents to oppress, and will backoff if the opponent retaliates.

World must stop this evil ideology and must unite to overturn the vile government of China, must support the democracy to liberate more than a billion human beings.

This can only happen if the people around the world start discarding Chinese Goods, please remember that if you are purchasing any thing that’s made is China, you are supporting slavery and feeding the monster who will eventually come after you.

PERFECT PEACE

In the external universe there is ceaseless turmoil, change, and unrest; at the heart of all things there is undisturbed repose;  in this deep silence dweller the Eternal.

Man partakes of this duality, and both the surface change and disquietude, and the deep-seated eternal abode of Peace, are contained within him.

As there are silent depths in the ocean which the fiercest storm cannot reach, so there are silent, holy deaths in the heart of man which the storms of sin and sorrow can never disturb. To reach this silence and to live consciously in it peace.

Discord is rife in the outward world, but unbroken harmony hold sway at the heart of the universe. The human soul, torn by discordant passion and grief, reaches blindly toward the harmony of the sinless state, and to reach this state and to live consciously in it is peace.

Hatred severs human lives, footers persecution, and hurls nations into ruthless war, yet men, thought they do not understand why, retain some measure of faith in the overshadowing of a perfect Love; and to reach this love and to live consciously in it is peace.

And this inward peace, this silence, this harmony, this love, is the kingdom of Heaven, which is so difficult to reach because few are willing to give up themselves and to become as little children.

“Heaven’s gate is very narrow and minute, it cannot be perceived by foolish men Blinded by vain illusions  of the world; E’en the clear-sighted who discern the way, and seek to enter, find the portal barred, and hard to be unlocked. its massive bolts are pride and passion, avarice and lust.”

Men cry peace! peace! where there is no peace and strife. Apart from self- renunciation, there can be no real and abiding peace.

The peace which results from social comfort, passing gratification, or worldly victory is transitory in its nature, and is burnt up in the heat of fiery trial, and only the selfless heart can know the Peace of Heaven.

Holiness alone is undying peace. Self-control leads to it, and the ever-increasing light of Wisdom guides the pilgrim on his way. It is partaken of in a measure as soon as the path of virtue is entered upon, but it is only realised in its fullness when self disappears in the consummation of a stainless life.

“This is peace,

To conquer love of self and lust of life,

To tear deep-rooted passion from the heart to still the inward strife”.

If, O reader! you would realise the light that never fades, the Joy that never ends, and the tranquillity that cannot be disturbed; if you would leave behind for ever your sins, your sorrows, your anxieties and perplexities; if Isay, you would partake of this salvation, this supremely glorious life, then conquer your-self. Bring every Thought, enery impulse, every desire into perfect obedience to the divine power resident within you. There is no other way to peace but this, and if you refuse to walk it, your much praying and your strict adherence to ritual will be fruitless and unavailing, and neither gods nor angles can help you. Only to him that overcometh is given the whit stone of the regenerate is given the white stone of the regenerate life, on which is written the new and ineffable name.

Come away, for awhile, from external things, from the arguments of the intellect, from the senses, from the arguments of the intellect, from the noise and the excitements of the world, and withdraw yourself into the inmost chamber of your heart, and there, free from the sacrilegious intrusion of all selfish desires, you will find a deep silence, a holy calm, a blissful repose, and if you will rest awhile in that holy place, and will meditate there, the faultless eye of truth walloped within you, and you will see things as they really are, This holy place within you is your real and eternal self; it is the divine within; and only when you identify yourself  with it can you said to be “clothed and in your right mind . “It is the abode of peace, the temple of wisdom, the dwelling- place of immortality. Apart from this inward resting – place this Mount of Vision, there can be no true peace, knowledge of the Divine, and if you can remain there for one minute, one hour, or one day, it is possible for you to remain there always. All your sins and sorrows, your fears and anxieties are your own, and you can cling to them or you can give them up . Of your own accord you cling to your unrest; of your own accord you can come to abiding peace. No one else can give up sin for you; you must give up yourself. You can obtain freedom and peace alone by your own efforts, by yielding up that which binds the soul, and which is destructive of peace.

The angels of divine peace and joy are always at hand, and if you do not see them, and hear them, and dwell with them, it is because you shut yourself out from them, and prefer the company of the spirits of evil within you. You are what you will to be, what you wish to be, what you prefer to be. You can commence to purify yourself, and by so doing can arrive at peace, or you can refuse to purify yourself, and so remain with suffering.

Step aside, then; come out of the fret and the fever life; away from the scorching heat of self, and enter the inward resting-place  where the cooling airs of peace will clam, renew, and restore you.

come out of the storms of sin and anguish. Why be trouble and tempest-tossed when the haven of peace of God is yours!

Give up all self seeking; give up self, and lo! the peace of God your!

Subue the animal within you; conquer every selfish uprising, every discordant voice; transmute the base metals of your selfish nature into the unalloyed gold of love, and you shall realise the life of perfect peace. Thus subduing, thus conquering, thus transiting, you will, O reader! while living in the flesh, cross the dark waters of mortality, and will reach that shore upon which the storms of sorrow never beat, and where sin and suffering and dark uncertainty cannot come. Standing upon that shore, holy, compassionate, awakened, and self-possessed and glad with unending gladness, you will realise that

“Never the  spirit  was born, the Spirit will cease to be never;

Never was time it was not, end and begin nine are dreams;

Birthless and deathless and changeless remained the spirit for ever;

Death hath not touches it at all, dead though the house of it seems you will then know the meaning of sin, of sorrow, of suffering, and that the end there of is wisdom; will know the cause and the issue of existence.

And with this  realisation you will enter into rest, for this os the bliss of immortality, this the unchangeable gladness, this the untrammelled knowledge, undefiled wisdom, and undying love; this and this only, is the realisation of perfect peace.

who wouldst teach men of Truth ! hast passed through the desert of doubt ? Art purged by the fires of sorrow hath ruth .the fiends of opinion cast out of human heart? Is they soul so fair that no false thought can ever harbour there?

o thou wept through the dark night of grief? does it move (now freed from its sorrow and care) thy human heart to pitying gentleness, looking on wrong, and hate and, and ceaseless stress? O thou who wouldst teach men of peace! hast thou crossed the wide oven of strife? hast thou found on the shores of the silence, Release from all the wild unrest of life? from thy human heart hath all striving gone, leaving but truth, and love, and peace alone ?

sun salutation (Surya Namaskar)12 poses highly effective for weight loss

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) For weight loss.

Sun Salutation is said to be the complete body workout for weight loss. Yoga experts say that doing 12 sets of Sun Salutation translates into doing 288 powerful yoga poses in a span of 12 to 15 minutes! Sun Salutation is another example of how good things came in small packages.

Sun Salutation: Wholesome yoga workout for “busy bee” to loos weight

Face a time crunch? Want to feel fit but don’t know how? welcome to the world of Surya namaskar. Literally translated as Sun Salutation , Surya Namaskar comprises of 12 yoga postures, The best part about sun salutation is that it works well for those super busy people who often complain about not being able to do yoga because of a time crunch. Doing at least 12 sets salutation, preferable at sunrise, at a fast pace provides a good cardiovascular workout. If done at a slow pace, these postures help tone the muscles and can be relaxing and meditative. Moreover it allows you to enjoy the stretch and feel the body getting flexible.

Though pretty much an exercise in itself, Sun Salutation forms an excellent link between worm ups and intense yoga postures. Start your early morning yoga routine with some worm up stretches to ease out body stiffness. You can then do a few rounds of sun salutation to help increase body flexibility and also prepare the body to stretch more during the intense yoga posture sequence.

Why Sun Salutation is good for you?

But that’s not all. Regular practice of sun salutation offers a lot of interesting benefits for every part of the body.These yoga poses have a great impact on the heart, liver,intestine, stomach, chest, throat and legs- the whole body from top to bottom. It purifies the blood and improves blood circulation throughout the body, and ensure proper functioning of the stomach, bowels and nervous centres. Practicing Sun Salutation practicing daily helps balance three constituents – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha – that the body is made of.

More on benefits of Sun Salutation.

288 yoga poses in 12 minutes!

One round of Sun Salutation consists of 12 yoga poses, one set consists of two rounds of Sun Salutation: First stretching the right side of your body and then the left side. So when yo do 12 sets of Sun Salutations you are completing 12 sets * 2 rounds in each set * 12 yoga poses in each = 288 yoga poses in 12 to 15 minutes.

Surya Namaskar calorie calculation:

One round of Surya Namaskar burns upto 13.9 calories for an average weighing person. you can now set the target for yourself. Slowly you can increase the number of rounds of surya namaskar to 108. By the time you reach this number, you will find a leaner you.

30 -minutes workout calorie meter

Sun Salutation : Gratitude wit Yoga

Remember those school lessons on how the sun makes life possible on this planet? As a kid, we all learnt about the indispensable role of this glowing yellow ball, plays in our life, casting away darkness, breathing life into the creation. Now its our turn to say thank you to our closest star. Surya Namaskar gives up this opportunity . Sun salutation is a great way to exercise the whole body while feeling grateful to our revered life force, the Sun.

Eager to try out Sun Salutation for weight loss? Follow these simple steps on how to do Sun Salutation. All you need to do is get onto the yoga mat , flow gracefully from one yoga pose into another , keep smiling and enjoy the stretches. Add a dollop of gratefulness to the sun and make your sun salutation practice more scared and rewarding. You are now trending your way to a disease – free body and a relaxed mind.

 

Your Choice

There was a man named Thomas, every evening he would come drunk, stinking and bleeding from the wounds he got from the bouts he started,  he was unemployable, had no friends, unfortunately he had a wife Jenny (Unfortunate for her) and 4 kids, his wife would work as domestic help in the city, she would earn meagre wages that could barely feed her and her kids, she would hide the money from her husband.

Every evening her nightmare begins as Thomas walks in and started beating his kids and then his wife, he would succeed in snatching the money from his wife, he would often leave them crying and go to a wine shop and would drink till he is completely out of his senses.

One day when Thomas was lying unconscious under a tree, a sage who was passing by, saw him, the sage had supernatural powers, he placed his palm on the forehead of the man and closed his eyes, the sage could see his entire life under his closed eyelids.

The sage pressed his palm on Thomas’s forehead, but with force this time, a shock went through Thomas’s body, as if some one lifted him high in the air and then smashed him back on the ground, he was awake, probably after many years, and saw the sage standing in front of him, he got up abruptly he was shocked to see his body still lying under the tree, “Am I dead” he asked “no, but you will, very soon, let me show you what you did in your life, and where you will go from here” the sage waved his hand and Thomas saw his life started unfolding in front of him like a movie, he saw his parents, they were so happy when he was born, his first day at school, the first time he tested alcohol with his friends, how he was thrown out of his school, his father tried so hard to make him quit drinking, but he chose to run away instead, only to came back few days later, his marriage, death of his father and mother few years later, he saw his first child being born, he was so happy, that day he decided to quit drinking, but he could only control the urge for couple of days, he saw his kids crying, his wife working so hard and taking care of the house and the kids, tears started flowing from his eyes, but it was all past, and then the story came to the present time.

He saw himself getting up, he faltered his way back to his house, he saw how his family is scared to see him, his wife was in tears and begged him not to ask for money as there youngest child was not well, and has to be shown to a doctor, but he didn’t budged, he started yelling and shouting again, he pushed his wife and snatched her purse, opened it and took all the money inside it, he then left the house walking towards the wine shop, he could barely walk but he was walking anyway, as he reached the crossroad, he heard a screeching sound, he turned around and saw an uncontrolled truck rushing towards him, he was scared and heavily intoxicated, he couldn’t move an inch and the truck smashed his frail body, seconds later he was dead.

His neighbours rushed to inform her wife about the accident, instead of sorrow, he saw a sense of relief on her face, his kids were silent they were too young to react, but he could sense that they were not going to miss him either, a moment later the wife regained her composure and said “Sir my child is not well, I can’t leave him, can you please inform the municipal corporation officials to arrange for his cremation, as I don’t have money to cremate him, her neighbour knew what kind of a person her husband was, they nodded and left the family alone.

His family was relieved as there tormentor was no more, “this will be your future if you follow the current course of action, “Choice is Yours”, said the sage, Thomas was awestruck, he looked at his right, in the direction of the voice, but there was no one, the sage had disappeared.

He woke up, still intoxicated, he sat under the tree, his whole body was aching in pain, he waited for hours under the tree, he cried for hours and then mustered courage to get up on his feet and started walking towards his home, as he reached his home he knocked the doors softly, Jenny opened the door and surprised to see Thomas, as he would usually bang the doors while abusing her, she was surprised to see a calm Thomas, still stinking and dirty but calm, his eyes lowered as if burdened by guilt, after silence of a few moments, he looked at Jenny and asked “how is Samantha” there youngest daughter, Jenny couldn’t believe her eyes, for the first time in many years, Thomas as asked for his kids, Jenny started sobbing and said “she is burning in fever” I am taking her to a doctor”, she said in a very heavy voice, Thomas was controlling his tears as he know now that what he saw wasn’t a dream, “give me a moment, I am coming with you” he said and rushed to the bathroom, he cleaned himself, changed his clothes and was at the door in 10 minutes.

Jenny couldn’t believe what she was seeing, they went to a doctor and brought medicines for Samantha, to their relief she was suffering from seasonal throat infection and she will be fine in couple of days. As they came back, Jenny and kids were still in a state of awe to see Thomas’s transformation, they had a quiet dinner and all of them except Thomas slept peacefully.

Next morning, when Jenny woke up, she saw Thomas sitting besides her with a cup of coffee and cookies, she wanted to ask Thomas the reason for his transformation, but she didn’t had the courage, it was like a dream come true for her, as she sipped coffee, Thomas said “Jenny what I did to you and to our kids, is beyond repentance, I will stay at house and won’t go out for next 30 days, I think I will be able to quit drinking if I control my self for a month, and then I will work while you will stay at home and look after the kids. Jenny couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her eyes filled with tears of Joy, she nodded.

This time Thomas did what he committed Jenny, it was very painful for him especially the first 7 days, he would read Bible for hours, and after a month he was a transformed man, he knew tailoring, so he joined a tailor shop as assistant, he worked very hard and earned respect from his employer who offered him a pay raise, Jenny and the kids were never happier, in the evening Thomas would take his kids and Jenny to the park and he would cook on Sundays, few years lated Thomas bought a shop and started his own tailoring business, he also bought a bigger house for him self and his family.

One day when he was working in his shop all alone, on a new catalogue of designs, he sensed a presence, he was surprised to see the sage standing in front of him, he got up from his chair and ran towards the sage and hugged him, tears flowing from his eyes, uttering only one word “thank you” he then bend on his knees, but the sage lifted him, and looked at him smiling at him, “I still don’t understand what really happened that day, please tell what really happened” he bagged the sage “Thomas all I can tell you is that a I showed you the possible outcome of your current course of journey, it was you who opted a different course, you chose this future” said the sage smiling “always remember Thomas Choice is yours to make” the sage left.

Near death experience can alter the course of life, but is it really essential to have a near death experience to check the course of life and correct it? while all we have to do is sit back and contemplate on our life, basic things like who are we treating our family and our own body.

We have the ability to choose the correct course of action, all we have to do is to muster our inner strength and opt for it, remember “Choice is Ours to make”.

Remember always! That ‘imbalance’ Says, I’m balance!

Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place” – J. Lynn

It is important to find strength in redefining moments and come out stronger than before. When your life is out of balance.

In your quest for balance in life,

Juggling between the multiple tasks

At times torn apart by strife,

The you in you is often lost.

Reflect and introspect. Take a few steady steps,

Let not the you within you, wilt or wither at any cost,

The equilibrium you strive for Can’t be achieved when you are at war, With yourself.

Choose your battles, wisely, Let the you in you win calmly.

The pursuit for balance is perpetual,

Let the ‘you within you’ become a ritual.

Remember always! That ‘imbalance’ Says, I’m balance!

True Meaning of Education

What Does it Mean to Be Educated

Just like a passport is a pre-requisite to travel the world, similarly, a good education is a pre-requisite to lead a meaningful life confidently. Whom, then, do I call educated? The following is the definition of education given by Socrates approximately two thousand years ago.

First, those who manage well the circumstances which they encounter day by day; and those who can judge situations appropriately as they arise and rarely miss the suitable course of action.

Next, those who are honorable in their dealings with all men, bearing easily what is unpleasant or offensive in others and being as reasonable with their associates as is humanly possible.

Furthermore, those who hold their pleasures always under control and are not unduly overcome by their misfortunes, bearing up under them bravely and in a manner worthy of our common nature.

Most important of all, those who are not spoiled by their successes, who do not desert their true selves, but hold their ground steadfastly as wise and sober-minded men, rejoicing no more in the good things that have come to them through chance than in those which through their own nature and intelligence are theirs since birth.

Those who have a character which is in accord, not with one of these things, but with all of them, these are educated— possessed of all the virtues. – Socrates (470-399 B.C)

 

Acres Of Diamond

Hafiz was a farmer in Africa who was happy and content. He was happy because he was content. He was content because he was happy. One day a wise man came and told him about the glory of diamonds and the power that goes along with them. The wise man said, “If you had a diamond the size of your thumb, you could buy your own city. If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could probably buy your own country.” And then the wise man left.

That night, Hafiz couldn’t sleep. He was unhappy and he was discontented. He was unhappy because he was discontented and discontented because he was unhappy. The next morning Hafiz made arrangements to sell his farm, took care of his family and went off in search of diamonds. He looked all over Africa and couldn’t find any. He looked all through Europe and couldn’t find any. By the time he got to Spain, he was emotionally, physically and financially broke. He was so disheartened that he threw himself into the Barcelona river and committed suicide.

Back home, the person who had bought his farm was watering the camels at the stream that ran through the farm. Across the stream, the rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made it sparkle like a rainbow. He thought the stone would look good in his living room. He picked up the stone and put it on his mantle piece. That afternoon, the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling. He asked, “Is Hafiz back?” The new owner said, “No, why do you ask?” The wise man said, “Because that is a diamond. I recognise one when I see one.” The man said, “No, that’s just a stone I picked up from the stream. Come I’ll show you. There are many more.” They went and picked some samples and sent them for analysis. Sure enough, the stones were diamonds. They found that the farm was indeed covered with acres and acres of diamonds.

What is the moral of this story? There are many morals:

1. When our attitude is right, we realise that we are all walking on acres of diamonds. Opportunities are always under our feet. We don’t have to go anywhere.

2. When we don’t know how to recognize opportunity, it could slap us on our face and we would still not be able to recognize it. All we need to do is to learn to recognize opportunities.

3. People, who don’t know how to recognise opportunities, complain of noise when they knock.

4. Lost opportunities are easier recognised when they are leaving rather than when they are coming.

5. An opportunity only knocks once. The next one may be better or worse, but never the same one. That is why it is so crucial to make the right decision at the right time. A right decision at the wrong time becomes a wrong decision.

6. The grass on the other side always looks greener. There are two dimensions to the greener grass: a. It may be possible that the other farmer is taking better care of his grass and it is actually greener. b. Most of the time, however, it is only an illusion. Many times in life, while chasing an illusion, we lose out the opportunity right under our own feet.

7. While we are eyeing the grass on the other side, there are others who are eyeing the grass on our side. They would be happy to trade places with us.