BE LIKE RUSKIN BOND

 

If you have good health, you are young; and if you owe nothing, you are rich.

                                                                                                     - Ruskin Bond

One of the great influencers on my life is Ruskin Bond.  His book  A Little Book of Life which was purchased on a rainy afternoon in November, 2014 had completely transformed my life.

One of the secrets of Ruskin Bond being the happiest man even  is his child-like mind-set.  To become like him, your stars must also cooperate apart from your own willpower.     His another equally power-packed book A Book of Simple Living  - Brief Notes from the Hills  would make you  think simple and unified  with the world, without loosing your individuality.

There is a  world of  difference between  childlike and childish.  What I learnt from the books of  Ruskin is, you should not give up childlike nature though you grow up in age.  This tenderness reflects innocence which keeps you  boundless and eternally joyful.  His argument in favour of imbibing this unparalleled trait must be accepted without a word of dissent :

I have the temper of a child, and a tendency to be mischievous. And I still retain a child-like trust in grown-ups, which sometimes works to my detriment.  But it doesn't matter.    In the long run, the exploiters and manipulators meet with their comeuppances; they are their own worst enemies. Meanwhile, I will continue being an eight-year-old.   Recently, I was feeling a bit low, so I played marbles with the children. They won all my marbles, but I felt better !

The beauty of Ruskin Bond's literature is, you need not require any physical resources to become like Ruskin.  The only prerequisite is  an open mind to embrace the Truth.  With that mind-set, your restlessness dies down slowly leading to good health by which you feel younger irrespective of your physical age.

ARE U A GOSSIP MILL?

No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.

                                    

                            - Bertrand Russell

A large chunk of leisure time is spent unproductively by majority of us in gossip. If two people meet, they talk less of themselves and more of the world.

If you involve more in gossip, you will be in utter  chaos. Indulging in such unproductive and futile talk not only seep your energies but also negativity corrodes your system. Instead, you could use those energies for self-reflection so that you can tread a path of success.

Socrates gives a Triple Filter Test to overcome this problem:

One day an acquaintance met Socrates and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

Hold a minute, Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything, I’d like you to pass a little test. It is called the Triple Filter Test.

Triple filter?

That is right, “Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what you are going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. "

The first filter is TRUTH. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?

"No," the man said, “actually I just heard about it and ...."

All right, “said Socrates.” So you don't really know if it is true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?

"No, on the contrary...”

"So, Socrates continued,” you want to tell me something bad about him, but you are not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of USEFULNESS.

Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me? "

"No, not really. "

"Well, concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?

If everybody prevails on the wisdom of Socrates, we could channelize such unproductive energies for more creative pursuits.

LISTEN !

 

Listening is  key to effective communication . If you see your sense organs, it is apparent that the Creator has given you two ears and one tongue for a reason: listen double to what  you speak.  

Research reveals that people spend 70 % of their work life in communication, and listening occupies a lion's share of 45%. Talking accounts second with 30 %, reading and writing rank third and fourth with 16 % and 9 % respectively.

A good listener is always superior in his actions than a glib talker who runs out of words as well as energies. Without paying much attention, they indulge in futile talk which may help enemy to ascertain his plans.  

Listening is obvious to increase your analytical  and judgemental faculties.  Listening skills benefit a lot in personal life, like having great number of friends and improved social networking and more importantly a high self-esteem.

The importance of listening need not be over-emphasized for a marketing professional  whose job is to connect more with his clients. If you are a good listener, it will give a lasting impression at personal level and contribute to both to your personal and organizational growth.   For software professionals  this faculty is of paramount importance to know minutely the user experience for which they have to pay attention and this could be possible only through effective listening.

In nutshell, listening gives an unparalleled wisdom to know about the other person. So next time when anyone try to speak to you,  allow him/ her to do so, instead of interrupting in the middle. It is not only a good manner, but an intelligent way of tackling other person in consonance with his/her emotional needs.

TAKE A WALK !

Health, as the saying goes, is wealth. If health takes a back seat in your life and you thrust all your energies towards amassing wealth indiscriminately, you may not be in a healthy condition to enjoy your hard-earned wealth. This is the harsh reality of life and the sooner you realize it, the better it will be.

In the first place, the myth that the body is a ‘structure’ should be taken out of mind. It is in fact a set of processes. In order to ensure the organic processes happen as they should, you need to be in tune with nature and exercise should be treated as a non-negotiable activity of your daily life.

The simplest form of exercise is walking; it has a multitude of benefits both physical and psychological. A simple walk on a daily basis puts you on sound health. The testimony comes from none other than a grand old man of 102 years from Mahabubnagar district (Ayyavaripalli village in Veepanagundla Mandal ) of Andhra Pradesh.

Sesha Sarma, by profession a family priest, wakes up at the crack of dawn and starts his fitness regimen with 2 km walking even at this ripe age. When asked about the secret of his healthy life, he says that he has been walking and doing yoga uninterruptedly for the last 72 years.

Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician and father of western medicine sagely said that “Walking is man’s best medicine.   An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. One of America’s greatest philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson used to finalize his talks during his morning walks.

Henry David Thoreau in his much acclaimed essay titled ‘Walking’ (1862) says that walking only comes by the grace of God. It requires a direct dispensation from heaven to become a walker. T o support his assertion, Thoreau says that he can not preserve his health and spirits unless he spends four hours a day at least—and often more than that—sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.

While pitying non-walkers, Thoreau says that “When sometimes I am reminded that the mechanics and shopkeepers stay in their shops not only all the forenoon, but all the afternoon too, sitting with crossed legs, so many of them —as if the legs were made to sit upon, and not to stand or walk upon—I think that they deserve some credit for not having all committed suicide long ago.”

On the mechanics of walking, Thoreau says that you must walk like a camel which is said to be the only beast that  ruminates when walking. Health experts say that the best way to walk is to swing your arms while at it. Bend your arms at right angles to the elbows and swing them while you walk. This will increase the speed of your walk and keep the body in the aerobic zone (the maximum fat-burning zone).

Research reveals that walking increases the level of endorphins – naturally secreted hormones working in brain which increase the sense of wellbeing. A regular walk boosts the immune system, improves mood, reduces blood pressure apart from controlling weight. It is the best stress buster and keeps the head cool.

When it comes to right gear, wear apparel made of breathable fabric. Also invest in good shoes – a flexible, roomy toe to accommodate foot’s forward thrust; and a smooth sole.

Walking has both physical and psychological benefits. Unless a conscious decision is taken at individual level, fitness will remain as a dream.  Experts say that knowledge is of no avail to you if you don't  act upon. So all you need in the first place is, walk the talk!

STOMACH WISDOM

 

The other day, I fell ill, because, I ate cold curd in the mid-afternoon. My gut feeling cautioned me not to take it but impulse drove me and I bore the brunt of the situation. A sore throat accompanied by stomach ache showed me the hell.

After a long time, I was plagued by ill-health on so flimsy ground and I decided to tighten my belt. What I realized after deep contemplation is that my mouth is my guard post and the sentry there should be much more vigilant to protect the treasure called: Stomach. I took the vow to be more cautious for any faulty decision.

Being happy and falling ill takes a fraction of second. Though Nature is offering so many lessons, I rather half-shut my eyes so far and it is time wake up.

What I see is that I feel uncontrollable pangs of hunger at 6 pm in the evening and I must be alert and not to eat junk food during those crucial hours.

Health experts say that realizing what goes wrong would put you on a higher pedestal. The umbrella rule for taking food is this: Take food as medicine, otherwise, you are perforce take medicine as food.

FASTING AS A TOOL FOR SELF-AWARENESS

 

It is said in Ayurveda that you should take food as medicine, otherwise you are perforce take medicine as food.

In my childhood days, my mother put us on fasting every Monday in Kartik maas (November - as per Indian calendar ) and myself and sisters used to take circles around the kitchen during those hungry hours  when sumptuous food is served after evening puja.  To endure the pangs of hunger, she used to  advise us to immerse in our  regular activity rather  thinking  food every moment. It is a tradition laced with potential health benefits.

Now after three decades, I am  back to fasting with rekindled enthusiasm after I was  convinced enough of  its immense health benefits.  

In fact, fasting is a cleansing process which takes out the toxic substances from your body. Spiritual luminary Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev says Once in every 11 to 14 days, you may not feel like eating. On that day, you should not eat. You know, even dogs and cats have this awareness?  At least every 14 days, you could go without food. If you are unable to go without food, if your activity levels are such and you don’t have the necessary sadhana to support you, then you could go on a fruit diet. Just observe your own system, and you may notice that on certain days, you do not really need to eat. Forcing food on those days is not a good thing to do.

Fitness guru Rujuta Diwekar in her best seller " Don't lose your mind, Lose your weight' says Fasting is a powerful tool as a spiritual practice, but nowadays it is used mainly as a weight loss tool by 'experts'. 

All most all religions have fasting  embedded in their cultures. If you remain on fasting,  your decision-making  faculties would excel  and it  helps you gain more self-control.