Empty Platform and Departing Train

Empty Platform and
Departing Train

The departing train and the empty platform can make anyone philosophical! Here is my poem

Until the train arrives, 

the platform is a living, 

lively place. 

When the train arrives,
everyone on the floor
gets on to a made race.
When the train departs,
some feel good,
some feel relieved.
The train does not care!
But it carries loads of
relationships and dreams.
The platform turns empty
and hearts heavier.

Mindfulness with Trees

What is Mindfulness ?  Being there where ever you are!

Trees seem to be literally manifesting Mindfulness through times.
The sight of trees remind me of wisdom, experience and magnanimity.
The bark of trees reminds me of the skin of a elephant.
The branches of trees resemble a nervous system.

The vigour in the branches tell me of strength and vitality, courage and confidence.
The web of branches remind me of harmony.
The entangled branches represent art form of life.

Talking of advaitam, Thirumular says

marathai maraiththathu  maamadha yaanai
marathil maraindhadhu maamadha yaanai
மரத்தை மறைத்தது  மாமத யானை
மரத்தில் மறைந்தது மாமத யானை 

(Translation - the huge carved wooden elephant hides the tree; the huge carved wooden elephant is hidden within the tree.  When you see the elephant, you dont see the tree; when you see the tree, you dont see the elephant).

When you live next to a tree, you become its neighbour.

Next time, when you see a tree, see if you can say Thanks from your heart.

Photo Credits:  Ganesh Subramanian @ August Minds

A Resting Week for me

Everybody needs a rest and I seem to getting it this week!

Photo Credits:  Boots clicked by Ganesh Subramanian on a field.  (c) August Minds

How I handled Yelling!

Last night, there was a guy known to me who screamed over phone losing his temper "You are a fool. You are an idiot". I repeated it until he decided to bang the phone down.



I did not tell my family as they were sleeping. I was literally undisturbed. Thanks to the Optimist Club Creed,

my focus was literally on the solution part. I had 3 choices.



a) To ignore him

b) To write a letter to him that I want to bury the differences

c) Walk into his house to tell that I am not angry at him.



It turned out that yesterday was his wedding anniversary. When I called him, he was taking bath. I wished his wife my message - part (b) and their anniversary wishes. Evening I sent out him a letter.

Dear friend,

It’s a coincidence I called you on your wedding anniversary.  Belated wedding anniversary wishes to you and your wife.

Friend, I am not going to talk anything about what happened yesterday.  I am under the influence of certain principles which I am practicing in my life.  I have attached the same with this letter.  That’s one of the reasons  I did not react to yesterday’s incident. I am only responding to you.

I called your home this morning to tell that I hold no negative grudges against you and that we can resolve this if we speak out.  I thought that would lift your day’s spirit – being a first day of the week.

Our kids play together – so, they will certainly learn from what the elders do. 

I have nothing much to say.  Lets bury the differences.  Lets revive our good old relationship.

Invite me for a coffee this weekend, we will have a friendly chat.

Discovering meaning of life

Just rising above the new year resolutions, let us ask ourselves, 'what is the meaning of my life'?

Viktor E Frankl, the author of Man's search for meaning, says we can discover this meaning of life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.

This may too sound philosophical, but the author has undergone a terrific experience where in he lied naked among the flesh and dead bodies in a Nazi camp and finally manage to escape. This experience helped him in devising a psychology study called Logotherapy.

He also speaks of an optimisim in the face of tragedy, where in one (1) turns suffering into a human achievement and accomplishment, (2) derive from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better (3) deriving from life's transitoriness (such as death) an incentive to take responsible action.

Especially, with referene to the 3rd point, its just not death, but all the moments of life that are dying and will never recur. This very thought is a reminder that challenges us to make the best possible use of each moment of our lives.

He says, "Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now".  What a powerful statement! Thats going to be my guiding principle for me this new year. I am going to create a poster out of it and stick it to this page sidebar as a constant reminder.

He has a message for students in America and Europe - "Do not pursue success.. as you are going to miss it..as unintended side effect of one's dedication for greater cause than oneself..". 

He also fondly quotes the German philosopher Nietzsche, "He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how".

Friends, lets make the best of our times, we are living in days that is terrific and unique.

Reference Links:

Wikipedia Reference on Man's Search for Meaning

Amazon Customer Reviews

Forces that rule us

I am struck by the thought we are ruled by certain forces: Religious, Spiritual and Inner Forces.



Religious forces - These are man made and what made sense in some context is senseless for the rest of the ages. But the followers take religion as their identity and live and die for it.  We have certainly control over these forces.



Spiritual forces - Spiritual is not same as God. May be its opposite. I believe in spiritual forces that do the weave the entire world. Nobody would have thought of the electricity till we saw the electric forces in action. Electric force is invisible, cannot be felt, but it activates. Same with spiritual force. That's exactly is God. God does not wear colourful dress and a crown, with garlands, and bunch of sweets and fruits in front of him. I find it absurd why I am still stuck there. We have certainly control over these forces.



Inner Forces -  All our inner forces - good and bad - results of our thoughts, experiences, hormone activities - low and high, lifestyle,  something which we can streamline with lots of discipline.  My dream of dead fishes have no relevance until I really understand the reason. We have certainly control over these forces.



See, we have control over all these forces. Life is to live.