Encourage The Elderly

Encourage The Elderly 

To Make Them Feel Worth Living Still

I am  old,  but I have a lot to share with you young men !

The awareness to bring some hope in the old people especially in their tough times is very significant indicating willingness to do the same.

Old age itself is identified to be dependent on others. 

And who wants to depend on others for own daily physiological chores. In such situation old people are as helpless as a baby.

Add to this there is strong feeling that every body tries to avoid the old people.

They have this dominant feeling that they are good for nothing. And are a bundle of inevitable liability for others.

What possibly can be done to make them feel to be worth of some thing?

Our sarasar vivek ie power of discretion suggests that yes, we can do some thing significant in this regard.

If one tries,it will be found that old people have lived their life and have learnt some thing worth from their life experiences. They are willing to share their  life time wisdom gained  with young generation.

If young generation shows willingness to learn something from their life experiences,such old people will readily be willing to share the same. And this feeling being worthy of some thing will bring some hopes in their old age misery.

Giving them love and care is another effective way.

Communicating with them lovingly and respectfully will boost their health and develop their attachment with the family members.

And I think the one who is involved with old people emotionally in their tough days will find many possible ways to encourage such old people to feel hopeful in their last stage of life.

Next time .....

AYURVEDA LIFE HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

AYURVEDA LIFE HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

THE HIDDEN SECRET OF AYURVEDA

Yes, we all have the intense desire for longevity,  and who does not ?

For us, we believe, in ancient time people normally had life span of at least 100 years.

What could be the hidden secret of their longevity?

At the same time, we have deep desire  for healthy and quality  active life.

Here, the issue arises as to how to  gain knowledge and achieve health and longevity.

Our sarasar vivek suggests us to gain that knowledge to bring in the desired health, quality and longevity in our life.

In this context, while scanning the internet, I have come across very interesting and informative book written by Dr. Bhaswati.- Everyday Ayurveda ...

This is a treasure of wisdom for any genuine person seeking good healthy life by imbibing carefully the practice of daily life gained from the wisdom of our great ancestors. 

Why we should read the signals of our body ?

What should be our  ideal daily routine ?

What is the relation of our body and mind ?

What is its importance and inevitability in modern digital busy life ?

What is essence of Ayurveda ?

This books is effective means to gain access to the treasure of knowledge and wisdom of our great ancestors to learn about the path towards healthy quality life  and longevity in the modern digital busy life. 

 

Next time ......

The Digital Life And Easing The Burden On Our Mind-The Importance of Minimalism

The Digital Life And Easing The Burden On Our Mind

The Importance of Minimalism

Readers may recall my article on Why I hate modern Technology .....

Our sarasar vivek i.e. power of discretion guides us in our life.  It is for us to implement the same in our daily life. 

We have to accept the reality that -

• life has become hectic
• one is mentally exhausted with stress due to demands of modern life.
• this state of mind is inevitable
• even one is inclined to treat this state of mind as normal

But within, one has the hidden intense desire to find some effective method to get out of this state and lead a peaceful serene life.

While just wondering and contemplating over the issue, by coincidence I came to know about this books - Declutter  Your Mind-

What I came to know about the book is that it contains -  

• The powerful method used by success gurus such as Brian Tracy in order to help you focus on your most important priorities to save you time and free you from unnecessary stress -  Page 106 -

• Ten warning signs to look out for in order to avoid getting mental clutter and let it affect your life - Page 17 - 

• Eight helpful ways that would dramatically shift your thinking from negative to positive -  Page 41 - 

• Nine benefits on how meditation can help free you from thoughts of worry and anxiety -    Page 79 - 

• How to get more done in less time to avoid getting overwhelmed mentally and physically - Page 116 -

•  Seven strategies that are easy to implement for achieving the necessary work-life balance - Page 131 -

• How to effectively declutter your home to free up more space and provide a better stress-free environment - Page 164 - 

• The benefits of a less is more minimalist lifestyle and how to start freeing yourself from things you don't really need - Page 190 -

• A Bonus Chapter on being free from Digital Clutter - featuring eight proven ways on how to achieve digital decluttering and not let all the noise affect you. - Page 237 - 

• The main reason why your mind is filled with so much clutter - and how you can fix it - Page 61 ..

I am retired yet have a very busy lifestyle.  

I have never tried the Mindfullness or Minimalism before. Yet I hope I can experience freedom from mental clutter and improve my life.

If you also think so and  want to be worry- free and stress-free and get relief from all the mental and digital clutter, go for it. 

Next time .......

HOW TO FIND PEACE AND SERENITY IN DAILY LIFE ? - I

HOW TO FIND PEACE AND SERENITY IN DAILY LIFE?-I 

WHAT TO DO AND NOT TO DO 

In this section I will share  with my dear readers what not to do to find peace and serenity in daily life.

My personal opinion is that this entire exercise should be with ease and effortlessly.  

What does that mean ? 

It should be so easy and natural like the way we breath easily.

You know, we are not even aware of this fact that we do breath continuously.  

There is no effort to do so.  

It is natural.  

And our enthusiasm to do so should be like that of birds eagerly welcoming the rising sun !

A bird welcomes the rising sun !

The attitude should be that of a blooming flower in the early morning.

Now what not to do -

• Our thought should not be against the supreme values of life - freedom, peace and love.
• We should not bother others.
• We should not seek peace and serenity at the cost of others'.
• We should not be dependent on others in any respect.
• We should not poke  in others business.
• We should not speak unless required and essential.
• We should not get attached to the past.
• We should not worry about the future (our own and others')
• We should not compare our life with that of others.
• We should not expect anything from others.
• We should not criticize others.
• We should never try to improve others.
• We should not complain about anything.
• We should not neglect our health.
• We should not neglect our mental health.
• We should not ignore our mental diet also.
• We should not ignore our sarasar vivek i.e. power of discretion.
• We should not forget to apply our sarasar vivek in our daily life.

Now, about what to do ?

Next time .......

WHAT ARE IDEAL LIFE VALUES ?

WHAT ARE IDEAL LIFE VALUES ?

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT ?

Giving due respects to the life values makes us different from animals.

Ahar, bhaya,maithun and nidra are characteristics of animals. 

Meaning eating,instinct for survival,procreation and sleep in theses processes animal life is spent. What makes human being superior to animals?

Ability to think and aspiration for seeking happiness makes human being superior to animals.

For this, we have to be aware of the universally accepted human values. These are essential requirements for healthy coexistence, conducive life environment for all.

WHAT ARE IDEAL LIFE VALUES ?

Freedom, Peace and Love  are supreme values of life. 

Mercy,pity,love,compassion, looking at world as a family, and striving hard for welfare of all members of family irrespective of race,religion,castes, achievement of universal peace in healthy manner- these are the supreme values in the life.

Identifying and giving due respect to, make the ideal life values significant because they make life of every living being happy and fulfilled.

The core approach will be understanding sarasar vivek ie power of discretion and its application . 

And what is sarasar vivek ?

This vivek (thought process) enables one to discrete between the polarities - truth and untruth, right and wrong, ethical and unethical, good and bad and so on.  

Thus, sarasar vivek enable us to choose the right one while making decisions in life. And as a result, we are confident to accept the consequences of our own decision making. 

The most important power human being is unaware of!

For this quality reading is essential to strengthen sarasar vivek . And with strong sarasar vivek, we are confident and comfortable while living day to day life.

Quality reading only is not enough !

WHAT ARE IDEAL LIFE VALUES ?

And only having knowledge will not serve the purpose until it is followed in daily practice.

Therefore, reading only is not enough. Ability to apply sarasar vivek  in day today life is utmost important.

What do you think ?

Let me know in the comments please.

Next time ....

HOW CAN I MANAGE TO BE ALWAYS HAPPY ?

HOW CAN I MANAGE TO BE ALWAYS HAPPY ?

THE SECRETS REVEALED !

I always experienced earlier that being happy is easier than trying to become happy, which needed deliberated input of efforts from me.

And putting efforts into this, we get tired.

For example, breathing.  If we breath naturally, it does not lead to tiredness. But in breathing exercises, we do get tired and opt for natural breathing. Because we put efforts into that.

Apart from this physical aspect, there is more important aspect of our mind.

HOW CAN I MANAGE TO BE ALWAYS HAPPY?

But with experience I learnt that I could be always happy without any efforts  -

• by not having unrealistic ambition.
• by being happy in what I am ,and what I have.
• by respecting supreme values in the life for every living entity, i.e. freedom, peace, love and compassion.
• by not seeking happiness for me at the cost of happiness of others.
• by having healthy attitude towards every aspect of life.
• by putting efforts meaningfully for having good health.
• by having good and sound mental health.
• by being independent to the fullest. (Fortunately, financially also!)
• by helping others to the possible extent.
• by leading a healthy life.
• by not interfering in other's business.
• by speaking only when needed and requested.
• by having positive approach.
• by not getting entangled in past memories.
• by stopping worrying about the future.
• by being in the present.
• by following my own sarasar vivek ie power of discretion. 
• by enjoying sunrise every morning, as far as possible.

HOW CAN I MANAGE TO BE ALWAYS HAPPY?

Beautiful sunrise !

HOW CAN I MANAGE TO BE ALWAYS HAPPY ?

The above implementation has significantly helped  me to be happy always. 

And I must say that it is a continuous process yet easy one to implement.

I am 100 per cent sure that this will be equally applicable to any one.

What is your experience ?

Let me know.

Next time .....

WHAT IS MY INSPIRATIONAL SOURCE ?

WHAT IS MY INSPIRATIONAL SOURCE ?

AND WHY IT IS MOST EFFECTIVE ?

The Mother Nature!  What else it could be ?

  

 

• The above flowers and plants are not special one known for beauty and fragrance.  
• They are ordinary ones,do not require any special care.

The mother nature gives every living entity full scope at all stages in life from birth to death to bloom and achieve the utmost development.

One can observe how beautifully these flowers have bloomed irrespective of their challenging surroundings, least bothered about whether any one is there to  look and admire them.

I really get inspired no doubt that I should put rigorous efforts  for my  own personal development  to the fullest, overcoming all the adversity and challenges. I need not bother whether any one appreciate and admire the same. 

That is what the mother nature desires from us human being.

Next time......

POST DEEPAVALI !

POST DEEPAVALI !

THE FEELINGS !

So, DEEPAVALI is over.

This DEEPAVALI was indeed celebration of festival of lights.
There are different types of Diyas used for lighting decoration. And it is feast for eyes indeed !

Diyas of various shapes and kinds.

Colourful Rangolis!

Rangoli design is a unique way of displaying artwork for keeping the Diyas in a artistic way.

Securing the Diya Prakash !

Akash Kandil (Sky Lamp)

Deepavali Snasks (Farals) is a main attraction both for children and the aged ones alike. 

These are sweets and salty items and go well with the winter season.  

During Deepavali, lunch and dinner are just for name sake. 

Special Deepavali snacks (Faral)

This Deepavali, I and my family has had this wonderful experience of arrival of unexpected guest. Before Deepavali, this parrot had visited our premises on two three occasions.  And this was a special one which he also seemed to enjoy it to the fullest.

Unexpected Deepavali Guest !

So much friendly indeed !

In childhood, on the last day of Deepavali, we used to feel very disappointed that the festival days are over.   

At this age, no doubt, one gets nostalgic and mind goes back  to the past several Deepavalis.  But every Deepavali one gets the opportunity to meet one's senior relatives and seek their blessings, which definitely encourages one to live life enthusiastically and meaningfully.

And one looks forward eagerly for the next Deepavali !

What do you say ?

Next time ......

MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS MY LOVED ONES WHEN THEY MAKE ME FEEL SAD

MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS MY LOVED ONES WHEN THEY MAKE ME FEEL SAD

THE NEED TO DO SO

   image credit: pixabay

It is often our experience, and the disappointing one no doubt, that even after being nice to our loved ones,  we are made to feel miserable, sad and disappointed by the same people with their careless attitude.

Philosophically , it is not advisable to resort to tit for tat approach, disappointment, sadness as this attitude leads  to one's own downfall on the spiritual path.

MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS MY LOVED ONES WHEN THEY MAKE ME FEEL SAD

I  have had many such experiences in my life but I treated such occasions as challenging one for me to adhere to my own attitude of being nice to my loved ones  in spite of getting hurt and agitated. And I have successfully overcome on such challenges,albeit at some cost related to my health.

Because having sarasar vivek  ie power of discretion we must be awareof the need  to give importance to good,positive aspects in life.

We must understand the significance of meaning of polarities in values like good and bad, right and wrong, natural and unnatural, justice and injustice, ethical and unethical, healthy and unhealthy, truth and untruth and so on.

 And this awareness leads one to make right and appropriate choices while decision making in life.

Therefore generally I do not allow feeling of getting miserable and sad to overcome me and my attitude.

MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS MY LOVED ONES WHEN THEY MAKE ME FEEL SAD

Then what I do ?

• I try to be aloof from such feelings.
• Listen to the inner voice ie sarasar vivek which is my strongest guide in life.
• I concentrate to maintain my positive attitude and develop the same.
• I am 24 hours aware that it is my decision to look at positive aspects.
• It is my own responsibility to adhere to the positive aspects of every person I interact with.
• Because of my sarasar vivek I am able to make right choices between the polar values in the life.
• Because of this I can make meaningful and significant decisions.
• I am fully prepared to accept the consequences of my own decisions in life. 
• And the restraint.

In fact,this sarasar vivek plays important role in every body's life.

Only we have to be aware and comply it's guidance in totality.

What do you think ?

Comment please.

Next time ......

WHAT IS SELF IMPROVEMENT ?

WHAT IS SELF IMPROVEMENT ?

AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT ?

In this article, I will share with my readers my own experiences gained in pursuit of goal of achieving self improvement.

The purpose of self improvement is to achieve peace and serenity in daily life.

First step towards self improvement is self awareness. 

This is as good as understanding one's own potential strengths and weaknesses. This of course needs  willingness to admit one,s  own drawbacks.

In a way this requires certain ability to think. i e Vivek.

The basic requirement is to understand the meaning and significance of the supreme values in the life - 

• freedom
• peace
• love
• non-violence
• compassion 

This enables one to develop awareness of these values in respect of every living entity.

Further step is to understand the polarities in values like 

• truth and untruth 
• ethical and unethical 
• right and wrong 
• moral and amoral
• healthy and unhealthy
• normal and abnormal
• healthy and unhealthy
• natural and unnatural and so on.

This understanding enables one to make right choices while making decisions in life. Not only that,the whole exercise gives one confidence to accept the consequences of own decision making.

This whole process prompts one to understand one's overall personality and decide what is required for own self improvement.

And we must understand the significance of human value. We are one step ahead in evolution compared to the animals whose life is controlled by basic instincts of ahaar, bhaya,maithun and nidra ie food,survival, procreation and sleep.

We human being seek happiness and ultimately the peace of mind.

Self improvement is a meaningful step in the above direction.

What else can enable  us to gain wisdom other than quality reading ?

Quality Reading = Wisdom, Wisdom and Wisdom-Nothing Else !

When we learn from experience, wisdom is gained.  But if we go on getting experience and learning some thing,  then one life will not  be enough.  Hence, we must opt for quality reading to gain wisdom from wise people.

Do you agree ?


Next time ......

WHAT IS STRESS MANAGEMENT ?

WHAT IS STRESS MANAGEMENT ?

UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS STRESS

Stress is built up when a person  faces  physical and mental hurdles in fulfilling his desires and ambitions.

A stress can be 

• a positive one which keeps an individual motivated.
• a negative one where the stress level affects one's body and mind.

Stress for a shorter period may lead to -

• headache
• tiredness
• feeling of getting scares
• worry
• agitation
• insomnia

Stress for a longer period may lead to -

• chest pain
• upset stomach
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• getting anger
• lack of confidence 
• hopelessness
• lack of motivation 
• obese

Stress affects one's performance inversely  i.e. more the stress less the performance.

HOW TO MANAGE STRESS EFFECTIVELY ?

• Meditation

A way of meditation

• Morning Walk
• Running
• Jogging
• Exercise
• sports and games
• cycling
• playing stress balls

Creative hobbies like -

• Dancing
• arts like drawing, painting, sculpture, 
• Music (singing, playing, listening)
• Quality reading
• Movies, dramas
• Seeking happiness in the nature

Beautiful plant looking fresh!

Beautiful sunrise.

Beautiful Sunrise 

• Learn to say sorry and forgive and forget others.

Suggestions for avoiding stress (remember stress is inevitable in day today life)-

• Get relaxed
• Meditation

Beautiful flower to meditate 

• Relaxed breathing technique
• Massage
• Bath
• Prayer
• Dialogue with loved ones
• Expression of feelings
• Avoid negative thoughts
• Cry when feel like crying
• Smile 
• Stop thinking about the past
• No worries about future
• Be compassionate
• Allot constructive time for self.
• Healthy Diet
• Be positive
• Avoid competition
• Avoid comparison

Let us put efforts and gain control over the monster !

Next time......

HAPPY DEEPAVALI !

HAPPY DEEPAVALI !

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT - VICTORY OF LIGHT OVER THE DARKNESS

FESTIVAL OF LIGHT 

Ideal for meditation

Lighting every where !

Deepavali
Image source : Shutterstock

So, here it is, Deepavali has arrived.  Welcome all !

Deepavali is festival of lights. 

It is celebration of the victory of light over darkness. 

In Upanishada, the prayer is universally  famous -

• Om Asatoma Sadgamaya 
• Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya 
• Mrutyorma Amrutam Gamay
• Om Peace, Peace and Peace ! 

meaning 

• Oh God, lead me from ignorance to the truth
• from the darkness lead to me to the light
• from death to immortality
• Om Peace, Peace and Peace !

 The darkness here is a symbol for all  negative forces in human life - 

• poverty 
• ignorance 
• violence 
• hatred 
• cruelty 
• injustice 
• amorality 
• greed 
• lust 
• exploitation of the weaker, and so on. 

This is equally applicable to the darkness within human mind.  

And the light here is a symbol for all positive forces in human life -

• Prosperity
• Truth
• Non-violence
• Love and compassion
• Kindness
• Justice
• Morality
• Moderation
• Contentment
• Development

With the exact feelings and the spirit  expressed above, let us welcome Deepavali !

H A P P Y  D E E P A V A L I    !

Next time .....

My challenge! Do absolutely nothing for one hour!

My challenge!  Do absolutely nothing for one hour!

ARE YOU READY TO ACCEPT IT ?

I know your response.  You are instantly ready to accept this challenge.  Go ahead. Accept it and try it out.

Ah, yes, you can sit comfortably.  But now, my dear friend, do not move at all.  

• No moving your palms- your feet- no looking here and there anxiously.  
• No, no, do not get up from your seat.  
• No, no, do not even try to speak.  
• No gestures of uneasiness, my dear friend.  
• No yawning.
• Just sit.  Just sit idle, doing nothing.  
• What you say?  What if you could move your legs, feet or palms, or fingers, or simply whistling?
• No, my dear friend, just sit doing nothing.  That is the challenge. 

Now there you are.  I knew very well you will agree and accept the fact how much difficult it is to sit idle and  doing nothing.

Let me to share with you the reality that doing nothing makes us feel restless, agitated. 

Now it is our firsthand experience that if we do not have anything to do we grow restless.  We try different poses to sit, still we are not satisfied.  Then we shake our foot or toes, or fingers.  We suddenly remember to have forgotten reading newspaper.  Then picking the newspaper we try to go through the news.  Then suddenly we throw the newspaper aside and switch on TV, surfing the channels, then we pick up the mobile phone, try to see any miscalls, messages etc. or we may suddenly feel thirsty or hungry and go to the kitchen to find some thing or open the fridge to have some drinks and so on. 

My dear friend, to stay with our self only requires tremendous  strength to face the real ' I '. 

And that is what we are afraid of.

We must understand the significance of sitting alone doing absolutely nothing.

By doing so we at once come in contact with our real self.

At this moment we must be careful not to speak with our mind. 

Instead, by focusing on our mind,without trying to control, we can make our mind calm and peaceful.

This is the time also to train our sense organs to perceive the world around us we need to instead of perceiving the world our sense organs want us to.

Remember the proven fact that restless mind affects our health.

When our mind is agitated, the breathing speed is uneven and higher, the blood pressure is higher than normal and so on.  This leads to abnormality in blood pressure, diabetes, and other such lifelong problems and consequent medications.

Therefore, meditation is advised to overcome such problems. 

Why not to adopt this simple but  effective,natural, proven method than inviting the health issues?

What do you think?

Next time....