"Excerpt 1.2"

The campaign to save our planet earth we usually see on social media. I am not against the campaign to save our planet rather very intrigue to know how many of us really got the message? By the way, the campaign messages we received on WhatsApp and on Facebook account are without doubts beautifully structured with facts and figures.

I wonder if our solution to the message is just to forward it again to another friend. If that's the goal of the message, then we are just trying to save our planet by words not by deed.

Awareness is good. There are 1.65 billion monthly active users on Facebook and WhatsApp has a user base of 1 billion. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the scale of the figures and to think, can we really make a difference? Is there anything we can do as individuals?

This spring season I have planted few trees. Hopefully by next year, all the trees will grow up another feet and so on. Nelson Mandela said, ‘It's not the kings and the generals who make history but the masses of the people.’

Moving on to the title Excerpt 1.2, “Citizens live through positive contribution”. Excerpts from the prologue by Swami Budhananda.

The first point to remember is the glory of man. That was one that Swami Vivekananda, time and again, taught us: ‘Never forget the glory of man’. When we all live for ourselves, think that the whole universe is accountable to us and we are not accountable to the universe, we are at the wrong end.

Therefore, two things must go hand in hand. They are:

1. Awareness of the great potential of every human being and that
2. we have to grow towards attainment of self-fulfilment, not by each of us singly, but together.

We must also believe that all of us can be looked after well. Our sorrows and sufferings can be minimised and there can be ever so much more happiness for all, of all, if only we own all of us our own.

The important point to remember is that to help manifest everyone's great potential is the business of every advanced civilisation. Our ancient teachers taught us to set in motion within oneself a self-chastening process to go together with keen ‘other-regarding’ process. In other words, self-development and the development of everybody else should go on simultaneously. It is not enough if we have a vast land, rich natural resources, mighty rivers, highly talented people and other endowments. What is important is to learn the art and science of turning these things to good account, in the service of man. To learn to do this and to teach to do is the business of enlightened citizenship which is of supreme importance for every nation in this world, particularly, India. As the Buddha says, that which is most needed is a loving heart.

Up next, Excerpt 1.3.

"Excerpt 1.1"

Most people say love is the most beautiful thing in this world. Although I'm not a love guru but maybe in hindsight I appreciate the greatness of love which compelled me to blog about it. The truth  is that I write for those who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they are so terrified, for those who are afraid to fall in love because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.

We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't. Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTIONS and in truth. I John 3:18

Anyway let’s come back to the topic. In my last blog, I posted an excerpt from the book “Journey to enlightened citizenship”. Today as well, it is another thoughtful excerpt from the book. Afterall I plan to post all the excerpts from the book here on my blog periodically. I hope you will like it.

Citizenship is every individual’s responsibility. Excerpts from prologue by Swami Budhananda.

When we light a small earthern lamp, without a question and with least hesitation it sheds its humble light. It does not look around to watch if any other lamp is shielding its lustre. It is not dismayed also if no other light is burning in the vicinity.

It is content to be given to shed it's own little light. It is not worried how much more darkness needs to be removed from the world. Is it a small privilege to be given to remove even a jot of darkness?

The small is beautiful. Have you not seen a tiny grass flower? Nature needed to exercise all its talents to create that tiny flower, complete in its own size of glory. If little things had no meaning they would not be there. Scientists have by now told us how much power, mystery and glory are there in the tiny atom.

Let us not be nervous about our smallness. For, without grains of sand even the loftiest monuments could not be built. In fact, the ultimate brick of the greatest monuments is the sand particle.

There are people who think too highly of themselves. They have what is called a superiority complex. That abominable thing is too bad for themselves, and not good for others.

There are, again, those who think too lowly of themselves. They have an inferiority complex. This is worse than the superiority complex. They think that they are good for nothing. By continuously thinking that way they really become so.

Such people can never become good citizens. When we discuss momentous issues concerning mankind, and the responsibility of doing our mite, they throw up their hands and dogmatically declare that small persons like them can do nothing about these great problems.

So they shy away even from discussing these problems. Taking shelter behind their so-called or supposed smallness, they take an inverse pride in declaring that they have nothing to do with the ambitious scheme of solving world problems.

We should clearly understand that even a small lamp has the capacity and the privilege to give light. Enlightened citizenship is every individual’s responsibility. That is the spirit of the times.

Up next, Excerpt 1.2.

"Excerpt 1.0"

Precisely a week ago, while I was smoking a cigarette in the storeroom, I found this old book ‘Journey to enlightened citizenship’ laying on the floor, perhaps misplaced. The rats had their own some share of the book cover but the main pages stays intake.

The book has exceprts from the speeches given by some of these thoughtful individuals. I believed the book aims at helping the reader gain yet one more perspective of the multi-faceted ideal of citizenship. In fact, it is an interesting book and it yearns me to blog about it.

And here, I feel I'm obliged to share one of the excerpts ‘Paraspara Bhava’ or mutual concern by Swami Budhananda from the book.

The very concept of citizenship presupposes that we are aware of the fact that we live in a society. In this society others also live, besides oneself. And everyone is intrinsically important. These are the basic facts.

Remember, man, by and large, has not yet proved by his conduct that considers everyone as intrinsically important as himself. In India at least we have not proved it!

It is in this context that some Vedic concepts would appear to be simply amazing. Take, for example, the Vedic idea of Paraspara Bhava or mutually of concern. This idea has its root in a highly developed social consciousness, which is not so much in evidence in our times, as it should have been good for us to have.

Cultivation of purposive mutuality of concern is entirely possible and most urgently needed in a modern  state and society. Only when honestly and wholeheartedly we respect the fundamental rights of one and all, can we be enlightened citizens. 

But psychologically, the best guarantee of everyone's fundamental rights is in the discharge of everyone's fundamental duties to others, taking into account the fact that we all live in a world of rising aspirations and dimishing natural resources.

Therefore, control of appetites is one of the individual important disciplines for the enlightened citizen. You take from the world what you barely need and give to the world as much as you can.

If you feel disquiet when you find so many high-power lights burning in the open railway yard, and go to the person concerned to request to put the lights off, you are an enlightened citizen.

If you stop to close a wayside municipal tap from which water has been flowing to no purpose, you are an enlightened citizen.

This is being great in little things, without being watched. The enlightened citizen is a concerned citizen. Wastage anywhere hurts his sense of economy. A saving anywhere improves the credit balance of all.

FYI: Excerpt 1.1, coming soon.

"Continuation"

In my last blog, I wrote about hope and love. Strangely, I’m doubting myself if it was really me who posted the blog. I thought I knew what I was writing about although it was not wrong. However reality is stubborn and unforgiving. Or, maybe I'm forgetting ‘patience’. Damn right, patience is the need the hour.

Recently I came across a beautiful verse about love from the Bible. It says, “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. Love never fails.” —I Corinthians 13:4-8

By the way, I’m no evangelist or a hardcore Christian but just a guy trying to understand what I'm  feeling, no matter what it takes. In fact, who want to be the person wandering about in a library not knowing which book to read or even without touching the books?

The general consensus with trying to “find” love in our dating lives, is that too often we look at physical appearance, popularity, or wealth. And too often we, unfortunately, negotiate love when it has nothing to do with the surreal things. I believe love is best seen as devotion, patience and action, not exclusively based on how we feel.

Obviously our emotions are involved, but they cannot be our only criteria for love. And sometime our emotions can become too impatience. Like the maxim from the Bible verse, love is patient, and so on.

Food for thought: It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience. Julius Caesar.

"Hope"

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu.

To some extend or even more,hope seems to the engine in our life after we have come of age. I believe ‘hope’ keep us away from committing suicide when the chips are down. And no offence to people who think of committing suicide today.

I recently met a girl whom I really want to share the rest of my life with. There and then, I felt she is the one. HOPE….. without love is hopeless.

I wish the romantic movie we see today are true wherein a guy fall in love with a girl and then, a happy ending. Reality is strange though it is worth it. We pray to God for strength and He gave us mountain to climb. I guess the mountain is the strength. In the same manner, I pray to God for love and He gave me one but I got to earn it.

Food for thought: You can't blame gravity for falling in love. Albert Einstein.