leap of faith

 

how do you cross a river ...

.. from one shore to another ... without swimming or boating? (not even paddle/dive) .. you can walk on it! (provided it is frozen - just wait for the time and opportunity) :-)

this is something that usually happens every year - at least the weather is cold enough for sufficient period of time .. i guess, we walked on frozen credit river some 15 years ago as well :-) see here

innocence of screen-agers

during March break - i was involved with kids camp

one young chap (even below the minimum age mentioned) somehow was part of the group .. and obviously i could not include him in all the coding related activities meant for little older kids .. he happily was passing time playing games on the desktop computer ..

on roblox (i need to learn/explore that platform more) he might have come across something similar (as above pic) .. and i might be busy in some other corner of the room when he requested some money from a fellow camper (he assumed he has to pay for some kind of "upgrade") .. the other kid also just passed a $20 bill (note) and did not bother what our friend was up to .. 

during the lunch break, the kind/generous 'lender' mentioned to me that he cannot go out and buy his lunch because he is out of money (he had given $20 to the youngest camper!) .. on further inquiry we figured out that the innocent screenager had clicked the button next to CD drive and "inserted" the bill/note "inside" assuming it was some kind of system to pay for his "upgrade" in his game .. i thought they were all joking and did not believe the "story" till they convinced with some "green" shade i could sense inside the drive - unfortunately the note was stuck inside and we could neither get it out nor confirm its presence. i called the IT support desk and mentioned that i might have the weirdest "problem" they have ever heard of - and i requested someone to come physical down to the computer lab we were in ..

the technician happened to be my former student - and he said he needs to "unlock" the hardware first and then take the system to their "shop" to actually open up the case and see if they can get the money back :D

i requested him to take at least a picture for me - it was such an interesting 1st day of the week long camp :)

ahh, the innocence of the screen-agers these days !!

more similarity/difference :-)

one more pic to add to the earlier post -> https://www.uniqideas.online/2021/08/similardifferent-howwhy.html

similar/different? how/why?

 

I recently came across a posted - showing leaves from a single tree and posing interesting questions about several leaves .. how are they similar? how are they different? why are they similar? why are they different? ... http://www.khaydock.com/Art/Rain%20tree%20poster%20english.pdf

and then while my daily 2km run/walk today (day 20 of 100 - hdor.com) i noticed a bunch of leaves fallen from one tree .. thought of having some pics of my own :-)

life?

i have read somewhere (some long time back?) -

life is a bitch .. and then you die

Certainly, it sounded pessimistic to me - so, i had to twist it to something happier

Life is a BLISS .. and then you FLY :-)

why be angry? let go :-)

past weekend, i was reminded of a childhood incident - i am kind of ashamed, but i was very young - (when my age was somewhere between 5 to 7?) - and i have forgiven myself now :-)

[from Intenet search]

i was mad at my elder sister for something (since we both were so young - it must have been something trivial or silly - which i don't remember) .. and started running after her - she started going around our dining table - and since she seemed to be out of reach, my 'anger' increased - i noticed simple knife on the table - and i grabbed it in my right hand and started scaring her with that .. while i was 'blinded' by the 'rage', i started to rub the knife on MY own left palm (while continuing to chase her) .. after a round or two around our small dining table, i started feeling some pain and noticed that my sister too had stopped going away from me (saving herself) but came towards me pointing to couple of drops of blood that had fallen on the ground from my delicate and hurt left palm (or fingers) ... soon, i realized that with intent to just express my anger at her, i had actually hurt my own self - And, yes, I forgave my sister too :-)

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned" .. internet search attributes this quote to Gautam Buddha - so, i tag this post on 6th May 2020 (Buddha purnima)

want to hop on the 'happy' train?

universe is a 'happy' bus (or train) ... it takes any happy passenger that hops on to wherever he or she wants to go :-)

it probably doesn't like whining or unhappy folks - hence it makes them detrain for sometime ... don't worry - it goes round and round - so it will again happily take you onboard once you have dealt with your cribbing - so, be cheerful and you will get where you want to go !!

vasundhara वसुंधरा

earlier (long back) i had written about 'बहु-रत्ना-वसुंधरा' ... recent news/blog on Google Earth View has reminded me about that ... not only there are so many 'jewels' on this wonderful planet earth - the world (वसुंधरा) itself is gem in itself - we often forget to appreciate the wonderful beauty since we get caught up with details around our life but loose track/awareness of the 'big picture' - the Google Earth View now has not 10s or 100s but 2500 such big pictures :)

one from https://g.co/ev/13823 is show below

what is meditation? 1

well, i think - who am i to say anything about topic like meditation? am i 'qualified' enough ..

but then - i am not planning a 'thesis' on the subject - i can share at least what it means to me? what do i feel ... :-)

so, just my personal views on what is it?

i think it is simple act of spending time with oneself - we all (especially in this busy city lifestyle) get caught up in so many things - work, family and what not is ever demanding - we seldom have time to 'think' - to 'see' our self - to talk with and listen to our own inner voice.

but seemingly 'simple' act also gets complex - since it is not 'urgent' - we tend to easily postpone it .. it is not always 'attractive' enough - we are so used to 'satisfy' our (external facing) five senses almost all the while - if any of the sense is not 'pampered' we don't like to 'waste' our time ..

so, this simple act needs strong resolve and discipline :-)

in fact, sometimes it can get 'scary' or 'ugly' - we all have 'unknown unknown' quadrants in our mind/brain - and while spending time with ourselves we might end up wandering in that 'dark' space - we didn't even know existed - hence, we are 'faced' to see our image which we do not want or like

so, only a 'brave' person can continue such 'soul searching'

now - when you explain it to someone like that - only a brave, committed person can do such a 'boring' task which does not appeal to any of the senses - who in their sanity going to even attempt doing it - that too 'regularly' :-) ? ... well, it is not something to be tried out in ideal situation -- i think if one keeps attempting (despite of several lapses) one gets 'braver' or 'more disciplined' ... and one enjoys long lasting benefits - of 'clearer' inner vision ... it can even turn your 'heart' attacks into 'heal' attacks.

there is no 'perfect' or 'ideal' meditation ... it is always 'work in progress' for me .. it helps if it is done in presence of positive 'symbols' and objects to get power to fight the 'internal demons'

wish all of us can get on with our 'samudra manthan' where we might face the dreaded poison on the way - but our motivation is always the blissful nectar that will eventually certainly show up - because there is only 'happy endings' for meditation - if it is not happy it means you have to still go on ! :-)

balloon story ...

I do not recall where/when I heard the story - I think more people should know and put it in practice in whatever ways they can in their given situation :-)

A group of kids were put together in a room with as many balloons - each kid's name was put up on one balloon - they were asked to find their "own" balloon - while they frantically tried to be "the first" they realized it was not easy - in fact, some balloons popped (blew off) - and hardly one or two might have found their own 'named' balloon after several minutes.

The same 'experiment' was repeated - but this time with little different set of 'instructions' - they were asked to pair up the balloon with the child whose name was on it (it was not competition anymore - rather collaboration) - the group soon realized it was much more calm environment (less anxiety) and many rightful owners found their 'own' balloon in comparatively less time.

i guess in life too - running blindly after my own happiness is more stressful and less effective/rewarding than even making a humble attempt to pair up someone with their joy

[I found one version here - https://www.slideshare.net/RishibhaKurichh/balloons-in-a-room]

visualize

The Secret resurfaces :-)

 I came across this article .. Visualizing Your Future Can Hack Your Brain and Change Your Life - and it makes me grateful again - the central thought is reminded once again ..

sources of happiness

lot of things bring joy ..

learning and creating are two important (inter-connected as well?) activities that do make me feel happier :-)

just recently - got to use https://www.autodraw.com/ for coming up with some quick illustrations .. though i had heard about it earlier - probably spent more time just now - see one sample below

what are you creating/learning ?? :-)

another perspective on oneness?

'we all are connected' is such a cliche ...

our ancestors have been saying (from time immemorial) that 'world is one family' (वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam)

as i prepare myself for the 12 Oct Chicago Marathon (in support of Samskrita Bharati), i got to experience the universal oneness during my recent trainings:
- the other day, i was returning back from a long run - and crossed another runner on the way - we greeted each other with just a smile. she quickly glanced that i was not carrying any water on me & immediately asked if i needed some to drink - offering her bottle of water to me - who was nothing but a complete 'sweaty' stranger :) ... a very small gesture maybe but it felt good and made me think - intrinsically we are one

latest technology too is helping us feel more connected:
- today, after 1 hour of long running, i was feeling little tired and suddenly heard a beep on my smart phone - it was a 'like' and 'comment' on my in-progress training (through my endomondo app) from a long lost friend/acquaintance who is sitting half way across the globe in a different time zone - i got the necessary boost with this real-time moral support from someone who could overcome the barrier of time and distance - and i went on for next half hour

'may all be well' (सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः. sarve bhavantu sukhinah)

zoom out!

[Image from Pixabay - http://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2011/12/13/14/31/earth-11015_640.jpg?i]

life is like a painting - if you see things that you do not like (some spots or rough patches), simply 'zoom out' (ie look at it from a distance) so that you enjoy the 'big picture' - the whole 'canvas' (of this universe) as painted by the almighty is certainly 'picture perfect' :)

nature is forgiving :)

recently, we were fortunate to participate in a tree planting activity ... while volunteering, it occurred to me that 'nature is forgiving' (just like mothers) - even if you make a small mistake here and there, the plants will still do well - how comforting, isn't it?

so, don't worry too much about few wrong turns you might have taken in the past - just enjoy the journey and you will have fun :)

time is NOT money ...

... it is much more precious !!!

money lost can be earned back - but same is not true for time :)

are you 'playing' with your life?

it is summer (yay!) - and we were visiting few natural wonders in the nearby 'city of waterfalls' - where one or two adventurous folks had gone to the edge of the waterfall to enjoy the ultimate (insider's) view ...

there was a group of visitors who were 'shocked' at the sight - and one of them quickly exclaimed - 'these guys are playing with their life!' - when I turned to glance, I noticed that someone amongst them was carelessly enjoying the nature with a lighted cigarette in his hands ... and it took a lot of effort to stop myself from blurting - "isn't smoking as good as 'playing' with one's life?"

It then occurred to me - we are all playing with our life - in some way or other - we may not notice it (the way a third-party onlooker can see it clearly) ... question is not whether or not ... it is 'how'? are we playing in a manner that is 'fun and rewarding' or is the game 'dangerous and draining us' ... 


whatever is the answer you give to your own self - remember this - course correction is always possible - and everything is in your control - you can quickly take charge of your current actions - so that the future results are what you want them to be! :)


how is your game going?

potential

every seed comes with the intrinsic power to become a full blown tree; 

every dream comes with the power to materialize :)

don't just think, FLY!

my latest creation-in-the-cubicle: don't just 'think-out-of-the-box', but 'FLY-out-of-the-box' :)