'Sufficient' The existence of God!!

Lately, I have had blogger's block. A few of my dear friends have asked that I write again. Since I will have no time later, I thought I would post a quick and encouraging story I heard yesterday. 

It is from Charles Spurgeon and his contemplation of the verse "My Grace is sufficient for you..."  He was riding home and he compared himself to a little fish swimming in the Thames River, and he was worried that he might drink too much water and dry up the river. The Thames said to him, "Drink away little fish. My stream is sufficient for you."

Next he thought of a little mouse in the storehouses of Egypt. He was afraid that his daily eating would empty the supply and he would starve to death. Then Joseph comes and says, "Cheer up, little mouse. My granaries are sufficient for you." 

Then he thought of a man climbing a high mountain to reach its summit and dreading lest his breathing might exhaust all the oxygen in the atmosphere. The Creator booms His voice out of heaven saying, "Breathe away, oh man, and fill your lungs. My atmosphere is sufficient for you!" 

What is it that you think will exhaust the Grace of God in your life? Drink deeply, eat your fill and breathe it in, for it never runs dry........

Let's discuss about our culture!!!!

 

“The Americans have no culture,” says the young Indian population! This is, in fact, a common refrain we keep hearing from everyone. Talking to them, it would seem that only Indians have any culture at all, and many of them are very proud of it.

 

Let me not go into the debate that if America has no culture, why do youngsters want to go that very country and settle there. Instead, I ask them what is it that America lacks and what is it that makes them so proud of India’s Rich Culture.

 

The objections to America are about liberal values. Young people in India do not mention the word “sex” but what they believe is that sex is easily available in America, and that of course makes the country so un-cultural.

 

And what about India? “Oh we have traditional systems, the joint family, our civilization which is thousands of year old, our music, our dance and so forth.” The logic is that no other country in the world has all these things.

 

My heart lights up on hearing all this. Maybe the newspapers are wrong – all they do is report stories of young people having live-in relationships, “freaking out” at discos and the incidence of abortion among young, unmarried girls. So I decide to probe a little to see whether all this is wrong.

 

 

What about music and dance? The eyes of youngsters light up. “We love music,” they say. So, can they recite a raga or something else from their Rich Culture? Their eyes droop. “We can sing from a song from the latest movie,” they tell me. Fine, but is that their culture that they are so proud of?

 

Similarly, the dance is also junked. Most young people can sway their bodies to the Bombay movie songs but they would have nothing to do with traditional dances. “They are so boring,” they tell me.

 

But then where is the Rich Culture to be proud of? I mean, cinema is good, but every country has it. What I am looking for is those things that make India proud. My questions are now making the audience squirm. It turns out that the only cultural thing that they are proud of is the Bombay cinema. Some movies are cited where the extended family sings and dance and everything is hunky-dory. But, almost all the young people I talk to do admit that things are not so picture-perfect in families as are shown in the movies.

 

One quick thought to be mentioned is “But the Americans – they have sex with whosoever they want to. Americans don’t get married and if they do, they get divorced. We are much better off.”

 

Fine, if Americans are so liberal with sex, then what explains the fact that India has one of the largest growing population? Surely, our billion plus people did not come into the world without sex? Going by the population growth, it seems that Indians are having more sex, and much of it is extra-marital too. Very often it is within the family so that keeps it under wraps, but hardly anything to be proud of. In terms of having sex, are we different from Americans, or anyone else for that matter?

 

So what is our culture and what is it that we should be proud of? I still do not have answers to this. Looking around, I find that our Rich Culture means that Indians spit wherever they want to, love to talk loudly and uselessly, abuse the child beggars that are present everywhere. A person visiting us would not be wrong to say that our culture does not teach us basic hygiene. And, whenever young people want to have a good time, they usually have it when they start singing film songs.

 

I really wonder what makes our culture so great that we should be proud of. Young people are not learning any of our traditions. Marriages have become occasions for drinking and dancing to film music. I am hard pressed to see any strain of our thousand year old tradition that is so much touted by defenders of our Rich Culture.

 

Perhaps the young people also know this in their hearts, and do not mind braving it outside the US Embassy to get a visa anyhow, just to be able to leave their Rich Culture and go somewhere which they know is culture-less.

 

Culture and India’s Youth, can i have the real sense of culture please????

 

Give a quick thought to your concerns but a longer ones to your blessings!!!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;                                     
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
William Shakespeare

      The things which we felt at some point of time damn needed and without which we just can’t survive would no longer be the same as the time passes! And we all have witnessed it in every single stage of our lives. Why that condition turns out to be so futile in passing time? Why can’t our needs remain the same? Why can’t we stick to same choice? Cause life is all about opportunities!! We are not supposed to miss them.

Friends, I just gave a wider description about what we have gone through all these days and there seems nothing special rite? Of course nothing special, but let’s see how we are struggling………Many people say very big things  about society, our relationships and  interactions of the society and  a person, yes I do agree man is a social animal and we all are bound by its rules and regulations, how is it true that we can’t lead our life individually? Is it so true? We all are born alone and we die alone, do the loved ones come along with us when we are leaving? Do we try to stop living for the loved one’s departure? It does hurt obviously but again the mystery teaches us how to crack and manage with the rest of the things! Isn’t it amazing?  

Parents in front of children depart, children in front of parents depart, friends depart, loved ones depart….do we stop living? No we don’t and we are not supposed to! At some point of time we can just shed tears and say hmmmmmm that’s life!!  It does not mean that we all are so self centred, its just the way we choose to carry on…  neither the arrival nor the departure of someone can really affect the way of leading life. Somebody has rightly said that “ BARUVAGA BETTALE HOGUVAGA BETTALE BANDU HOGUVA NADUVE BARI KATTALE”  am not trying to be pessimist, but at some point of time, a sudden thought arises to mind why should we struggle so much, when death is unquestioned? Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway!

Again mystery pinches me and says don’t be a stupid you fool, "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”! That’s the beauty of life indeed!!!!

Strange beauty of life!!!

Dear friends,
                      Am all set to start my new most imagined blog! hope i will be able to express my views and share thoughts with you in this regard,let me start with life topic first.

                      Well, everyone of us have a very different approach and predictions about life. At last what all matters is the unquestioned surprises of life, which are not to be questioned but just to be gone through them. 'Mystery' that's what I name the life as!. ....................May be you can relate at some point of view to your life as well!!

                   I live my life to the fullest. I experience joy and fulfillment with every breath. I live each moment as if it were my last. When it comes to life, I take it to the limit!
I love myself unconditionally and treat myself with dignity and respect. As a result I am able to treat others with love, dignity, and respect. I have a value system and a code of honor that I live by. I have my own personal mission statement. I don't just talk my talk, I walk my walk. I am proud of myself every day. I know that I am a precious child of God and I treat myself with the care and nurturing of a precious child. I allow myself to make mistakes and be imperfect. And I love myself for my imperfections.


               These are my goals. These are my dreams. This is the Code that I live by. Do I live this way every day? No. Do I expect others to live this way? No. Am I closer to this ideal today than I was a year ago? Yes! I believe in progress rather than perfection. I believe that living life is like climbing a mountain. There is no elevator to the top. I reach the summit one step at a time. And at each plateau I get a different view, a different perspective of the landscape, and each day I am closer to my goals, and my dreams.
Some days on my mountain climb it feels like I'm strolling through a grassy meadow with a mild summer breeze blowing through my hair. Other days it feels like I'm climbing a sheer cliff wall and I wonder if I can even take another step. I'm afraid I'll fall and sometimes I feel like just letting go. But I don't. I don't ever give up. No matter what! I've watched too many people give up on their dreams. Give up on their goals. And I will NOT be one of them. I will get to the top!

               Today I am accountable to three people: me, myself, and I. Today I am responsible for my own thoughts, feelings, and actions. I no longer blame others for the situations I'm in. I see that it is much easier to point a finger at someone else rather than look at the three fingers pointing back at me.
I won't make excuses. I won't use the "yeah but," I won't whine and cry when things don't go my way. I know that there's a purpose for everything and even though I don't see it immediately, it doesn't mean the purpose isn't there. Just because the clouds hide the sun does not mean the sun isn't there.
So I say yes. Yes to taking risks and living outside the box. Yes to treating people the way I'd like to be treated. Yes to dreaming big dreams. And yes to taking life to the limit! Let me start with great potential!

Regards,
Ashu.