HOW TO BE A STRONGEST MAN ?

The strongest man in 
the world is the man who
stands alone

                         - Thomas H. Huxley

Muscle power alone can't denote potency.  Right proportion of mind power with it takes you to the winning path.

 Being strong and sturdy means having self-conviction, perseverance, inexhaustible desire to overcome all the obstacles.

The real test is when you get a series of failures but still keeps your head high with one more attempt.  In this process, some times, you are forced to be alone and  failures cloud your  enthusiasm.  Then turn your mind, remind yourself with these  immortal words of Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam :

F.A.I.L means : First Attempt In Learning
E.N.D. means  : Effort Never Dies
N.O means      :  Next Opportunity.

The world would always respect those who are real-life heroes instead of reel-life heroes. Mahatma Gandhi personifies this   quality.  This fragile and wiry man shook the British Empire with his one point agenda of  ousting British Raj from India through non-violent path.

So be the strongest, physically, mentally, morally and ethically !

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.

BLESSED I AM

 

Enthralling evening sky !

Sun as a crimson disc is on the western horizon.

Grass under my foot is radiant  with greenery.

My heart is dangled with joy by Nature's mystical beauty.

Suddenly pangs of gratitude slid me into reflection.

I thanked Almighty for not choosing me as a tree to remain stationary.

Nor a crawling ant destined to be under walkers' feet.

Not even as a stray animal hamstrung with daily ordeal of survival.

Blessed I am a  HUMAN  in the tapestry of  Creation !

WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT ?

He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself  is enlightened.

                                                                                                - Lao-tse

Life should not be seen only from the prism of suffering.

No doubt that suffering would give you heavy pain, but it also gives valuable lessons to make life robust in terms of actions and  endeavours. In fact, seeing the sufferings of people pushed the Buddha to the path of enlightenment.

Many people wrongly connote that enlightenment is simply denying all the worldly pleasures and lead a hermit's life in the forest. This concept is totally ridiculous. Enlightenment is a possibility field to know the mechanics of life beyond physical realm and  find your connection with the Creator.

The essence of enlightenment is respecting life in whatever form it is. When you become sensitive to everything around you, it means you are perfectly in tune with the symphony of the universe.

Once you   know your position in the universe, you feel so humbled of your tininess. Astro-physicist Joel Primack, a pre-eminent cosmologist who pioneered the Double Dark Theory opines that about 70 % of the universe is dark energy, 25 % is Dark matter. There are 4 % of invisible atoms and interstellar space. Helium and Hydrogen is 0.5 %.  The stars and planets form less than 0.1 % of the Universe which includes, humans.

Enlightenment happens in personal space and more so, it is a subjective experience. All the life situations should be seen in the larger frame so that you get a better understanding of  slice due to you. Excessive wavering for the things which are not due to you is totally unwise. America’s famous talk-show host Oprah Winfrey suggests  to write ‘Gratitude Journal’ daily so that you can count your daily blessings to lead a serene life.

One major road block in the path of enlightenment is our mindless comparison with others in material comforts of life. We are so obsessed with comparison mania that is the root cause of all sufferings. The solution lies with  a sense of gratitude which comes  just by watching those who are  in more agony.  In fact enlightenment is not a transferable energy/product   which we obtain from the market. It is a natural state which is well within you and it could be reached only by ' Self Search'.