DON’T BE A SLAVE TO YOUR DESIRES

DESIRES are integral to human nature. All men and women have a strong inclination towards fulfilling their desires and this is their greatest weakness. 

Consider the one who has taken his own desire as a deity, whom God allows to stray in the face of knowledge, sealing his ears and heart and covering his eyes—who can guide such a person after God (has abandoned him)? Will you not take heed?

Desire is an essential part of one’s personality. But it is like grease to an engine and not like the driver of that engine. Desire can serve as a motivating force, but mindless yielding to desire will be disastrous. To succeed, try to steer your life in a rational manner. Don’t give in to your desires. Remember that where desire is blind, reason has the capacity to discern the true nature of things.

It is said that man is a slave to desire. But this saying expresses only half the truth. The human mind is full of desires but at the same time, it also has the capacity for logical thought.

When your mind is overwhelmed by desire, examine that desire in the light of reality. Assess it for its potential returns, and objectively evaluate the feasibility and consequences of fulfilling it. Judge by all the possible effects it can have whether good or bad. If you are satisfied that its results will be beneficial, go ahead with fulfilling your desire—but with great care and planning.

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Where desire is blind, reason has the capacity to discern the true nature of things.

Don’t run after your desires. While following your desires, check, re-check and re-evaluate them as you go along. It is important to turn back if you find that you have taken a wrong step. Stop before reaching the point of no return.

There are different kinds of desires, some of which are improper too. You have to distance yourself from desires of this kind. Always keep in mind that every desire must remain within certain boundaries. Even good desires have their limits.

Right desires are helpful for the development of your character. And bad desires are detrimental to your personality. Pursuing your bad desires can ruin your future to the extent that you can never recover from their effects. Therefore live a life that is reason based and not desire-based.

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Desire can serve as a motivating force, but mindless yielding to desire will be disastrous.

Never judge a desire for its own sake—always judge it in terms of the results of its fulfillment. This is the only criterion to determine whether a desire is good or bad. Desire cannot be eliminated, but it can certainly be controlled. Don’t become a victim of your desires. Prove to be well in control of your desires and success will be yours.

Intelligent Designer

When we behold a magnificent machine for the first time, we immediately become aware of the skill of its manufacturer. In the same way, if we observe the world and ponder on the many wonders it contains, the Creator Himself will appear before us; we will gaze on creation and see there the face of the Lord.

Planning based on remnants

GERMAN statesman Otto von Bismarck observed that politics is the art of the possible. This aphorism can be extended to include planning. Planning should be done on the basis of what is available of what remains. Such planning can be termed as ‘planning based on remnants’.

In chalking out a course of action, it is preferable to do one's best and accept whatever be the outcome. Quite often unrealistic expectations to see total fulfillment of one’s expectations lead to disappointment. Discontentment with partial results makes it a case of ‘it should be all or nothing’.

This goes against the law of nature. It is sensible to accept and be content with achieving even a part or a fraction of one's expectations. Nations which launched their initiatives with great enthusiasm, ended up as failed states. They could neither achieve what they set out to do, nor retain what they already possessed. The following Hindi maxim applies to their case: “Aadhi chhod ke sajji dhave, aadhi rahe na sajji pave”– “One who runs after the whole, leaving behind the part, loses both the part and the whole”.

A contrary example is the achievements of Japan and Germany. After World War II, both nations lost large areas of land. Germany lost to theSoviet Union the eastern part of its country including part of Berlin. Japan had to surrender the Okinawa Islands, to the United States. Both countries made plans for their future economic development by first setting aside what they had lost. The result was miraculous: Germany, led by its first post-war Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, emerged as Europe’s industrial leader. Similarly, Japan under the wise leadership of Emperor Hirohito, rose to be the economic superpower of Asia.

This is the miracle of planning based on the remaining part of a whole, unlike planning which entails the pursuit of an erstwhile whole. The best principle in life is not to be concerned with what has been lost, but by planning wisely to avail of what is still extant. Sooner or later, one will emerge as a super achiever. This holds true for both nations and individuals.

Another good example is Singapore. Previously part of Malaysia, Singapore was expelled from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 and became an independent state. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore likewise adopted the policy of planning based on remnants. Singapore though a small fraction of the size of Malaysia is today far more developed than Malaysia.

All individuals and nations have ambitions which they seek to fulfil. Wise planning for the fulfilment of a goal requires adjustment between personal ambition and available resources. Good planning is realistically weighing one’s personal ambitions vis-à-vis available resources. We cannot change the course taken by the external world, nor can we master nature. Our only option is to make a realistic adjustment between our ambitions and the resources available in the real world.

Secret of knowledge

To acquire higher knowledge, you need a mindset that admits that you do not know, not a mindset that insist that you do know.

TURNING NEGATIVE INTO POSITIVE

The Art of Conversion

MAHATMA GANDHI spent twenty years in South Africa. In June 1893, he went to Pretoria in the Transvaal, a journey which took him to Pietermaritzburg. He bought a first class ticket and took his seat in a first-class compartment. Railway officials ordered him to move to the van compartment, since non-whites were not permitted in first-class compartments. Gandhi protested and produced his ticket, but was warned that he would be forcibly removed if he did not make a gracious exit. He refused to comply with the order, he was pushed out of the train, and his luggage tossed on the platform in the extremely bitter cold of the winter. Mahatma Gandhi says that this experience changed the course of his life.

He became a champion of the anti-apartheid movement, an important part of his freedom struggle that started in 1920. Although the experience was violent in nature, his response was positive. He adopted non-violence for his anti-apartheid campaign.

Mahatma Gandhi’s approach points towards the capacity of man. Man is capable of staying positive in any situation. He can manage negative experiences and convert them into positive ones. This is the art of emotion management, the great secret of success.

Man is capable of staying positive in any situation. He can manage negative experiences and convert them into positive ones

Moral Degradation

Irrational argument or using the language of allegation is the sign of an irresponsible person

 or one who has become morally deviant.

THE FAULT OF MAN

ONE of the main disclosures of modern physics has been that
the energy reaching the Earth from the Sun is the result of
nuclear reactions at the centre of the Sun. As the physicist
Fritjof Capra wrote, nuclear processes at the centre of the
Sun are of singular importance for our planet, “because they furnish the
energy which sustains our terrestrial environment.” — The Tao of Physics.

The fact that nuclear energy transmitted by the sun reaches the earth in
the form of light and sustenance shows that nuclear energy, in the hands
of nature, is a source of life for the world. But the same energy in the
hands of men becomes an instrument of death and destruction.
What is the reason for this starkly contrasting state of affairs? It is that
nature has no power of its own; whatever it does conforms exactly to the
will of God. We, on the other hand, have been invested with freedom. Just
as nuclear energy, when it emanates from nature in the form of sun’s rays,
is a source of light and sustenance for the planet, so religion, as revealed
to us by God, is a source of light and sustenance for the spiritual world—it
nourishes our souls and guides us onto the path of eternal salvation.
But just as men have mishandled nuclear energy, they have mishandled
religion. They have used it to advance themselves to positions of power,
to win esteem, to accumulate wealth for themselves at the expense of
others and to spread conflict, hate, division and suffering in this world.
The author Richard Dawkins, in his famous book, ‘The God Delusion’,
blames religion for much of the bloodshed in the world and many of the
ills in society.

It would be wrong to blame nuclear energy for the potential of destruction
it holds for us, because that would be due to its misuse, not to any fault of
its own. In the same way, it is wrong to blame religion for the evils which
men have perpetrated in its name. This is the fault of man, not the fault
of the divine religion which he corrupts.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE TRUTH

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE TRUTH

GOD manifests Himself on earth through truth. Disbelief in the truth is disbelief in God. There is no greater crime than to refuse to accept the truth after it has been made plain. Truth emanates from God, so whoever rejects it is, in fact, rejecting God. There is nothing strange about the truth. It is inherent to human nature, yet people fail to accept it. This is because they are psychologically inhibited from doing so. Acceptance of the truth might disrupt their materialistic life-pattern. They might have to lower their worldly status. If the truth is presented by some insignificant person against whom they are prejudiced, they are reluctant to acknowledge it. Psychological barriers such as these dominate their minds preventing straight thinking. They reject matters, which a little honest thought would surely have led them to accept as the truth. Since man is being tested in this world, God does not make Himself manifest in visible form; He appears in the form of truth. Man must recognize God as enshrined in truth and bow down before it. When truth appears on earth, it is as if God has appeared in all His majesty. Rejecting truth on the grounds of prejudice, pride or expediency, is to reject God Himself. It is a failure to recognize God in the truth. It is equivalent to placing yourself above God and giving precedence to your own petty requirements. They will wander helplessly, forever abject and forlorn.  Since man is being tested in this world, God does not make Himself manifest in visible form; He appears in the form of truth. 

ACCEPTING DEFEAT

IN 1831, an American citizen went into business. In 1832 his business failed, so he entered the field of politics, but without any success in that sphere. He reverted to business in 1834, and was again a failure.

In 1841, he had a nervous breakdown. Once recovered, he again entered the political arena, in the hope that his party would nominate him as a candidate for Congress. His hopes were dashed, however, when

his name failed to appear in the list of candidates. The first chance he had to run for the Senate was in 1855, but he was defeated in the election. In 1858, he once stood in the congressional elections, and lost once again.

Once defeat is accepted, one is immediately in a position to start life’s journey afresh.

The name of this repeatedly unsuccessful person was Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). So great were his services to his country that he is now known as the architect of modern America. How did Abraham Lincoln manage to gain such a great reputation in American political and national history? How did he win his way to such a high position? According to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the secret behind his success was that “he knew how to accept defeat”. This great secret of life is realism, and there is no form of realism greater than accepting defeat. To do so is to acknowledge the fact that, far from being ahead of others, one is behind them. In other words, it is to know where one stands in life. Once defeat is accepted, one is immediately in a position to start life’s journey afresh, for such a journey can only commence from where one actually is; it cannot start from a point that one has not yet reached.

ARE YOU REALLY STRESS !!!!!!!!!!

EVERYONE, young or old, complains of stress or tension a common phenomenon of our times. There are several centers established in order to enable de-stressing but these provide, at most, only temporary relief. None of them offer any permanent solution. Tension is only the negative term for a positive phenomenon. What is generally called tension is, in fact, a sign of a healthy life. It is not an evil but a blessing in disguise.

Your mind has unlimited capacity, but this capacity, which is a gift of nature, is in the form of potential. You need to turn this potential into actuality. How should you go about doing this? Your potential can

be realized only through being exposed to different kinds of stress or tension. Stress awakens our mind; stress activates the natural processes which lead to intellectual development. Stress plays a role in developing our personality. In volleyball, there are two players — the spiker and the setter. The spiker has the key role of hitting or spiking in this game but he needs a setter, for without a setter, no spiker can play his part properly. It is this process of setting or boosting which is going on in the life of every human being. When you face stress of any kind, don’t despair. Take it as a challenge. Take it as an intellectual booster. Stress is a positive sign, a healthy activity. It unfolds your mental potential. All great men have been faced with great problems. But these problems only increased their creativity, and became the source of revealing a fresh dimension to their personality. The English poet, John Milton, has several major works to his credit. His masterpiece was ‘Paradise Lost’ which he wrote after he had lost his eyesight. Almost all creative people have had to surmount similar difficulties. When you come face to face with stress, don’t take it as a negative phenomenon. Look upon it as a challenge and try to meet it. You have to activate your mind in a positive direction. Don’t lose your positivity; don’t resort to the language of complaint.

Stress awakens our mind; stress activates the natural processes which lead to intellectual development.

When there is stress in your life, face it as a normal phenomenon and try to continue with your normal routine. Then, very soon, you will find that your stress has propelled you towards your betterment. And you

will surely find that your post-stress situation is an improvement on your pre-stress situation. Mahatma Gandhi was once subjected to humiliating treatment in South Africa. Prior to this, he was an ordinary lawyer, but as a result of this incident, he went on to become the ‘Father of the Nation’. When you perceive an opportunity, and you try to grasp it, and for some reason you fail to achieve your goal; then you might suffer a feeling of tension. But you should know that there is no end to opportunities in this world. If you fail to avail of one opportunity, then don’t take it as the end of everything. There are many other opportunities in life — in fact, the world is full of them. So, if you fail in the first instance, then try to avail of the second or the third opportunity, and so on. There is no full stop to opportunities — only commas! So, instead of allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by tension, adopt the formula — ’try, try, try again’. This is the formula for de-stressing yourself. Living in worry or stopping your creativity is not the solution. Instead of stopping your thinking processes, enhance them and you will soon discover that the stress you felt was, in fact, acting as an intellectual booster in your life.

There is no end to opportunities in this world. Keeping Calm In The Face Of Adversity

“It is only if he does not lose his nerve and keeps his mind open to what is practical that he will be able to overcome the obstacles in his path”.