...is a lot of things-naturally! I am a mother, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister, a daughter and a woman.Plenty of ideas flit about in my head leaving little room for peace at times.
But something I saw today on TV especially worried me.It was a new game show which dangles the proverbial "cash prize" for nothing more than 'telling the truth'.Mere curiosity prompted me to catch 20 minutes of the show and I regretted having done so.
How can you betray the love of your family, the trust of your friends and the security of your relationships for the sake of money? Is it worth it?
Hey, we all have secrets...who doesn't?But should we be compelled to take that on air and exhibit it to the world at large?
Who takes the blame here?The producers of the show or the contestants? Both are responsible, I guess.When money drives you to remorselessly admit to improper behaviour, rankling hatred, unfulfilled fantasies, of what value will that money be if and when you win it? You have lost the peace of mind which you sacrificed to get it anyway.
I must say I agree with this writer when he poetically rips the show apart for its callous nature, scheming underhandedness and martyred effect of the 'game show' scenario.
All I want to say to the contestants is, if you have to make money, do it the hard way;work for it.The "honest" way does not seem worthwhile. A broken marriage, a failed relationship, the anger of your family,friends and co-workers hardly seems to add value to any money you may win.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday, September 01, 2008
My Guru, Guide and God
Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba. Four words that lit a lamp in my life in the October of 1994.
That was the first time I heard of this entity; this being who did miraculous things, chief among them being, the transformation of the individual soul.
We all need a guiding principle in our lives, to help us make the right decisions, to walk us down the chosen path, to lift us up when we are down in the dumps and to bring us to earth when we have our head in the clouds. For most of us, that principle can come in the shape of a loved one- a parent,a child, a sibling, a friend, an elder- and for me, He appeared in the form of Bhagwan Baba.
There are times when I worry- often unnecessarily- about the insignificant nothings in life such as , "does my neighbour like me for who I am or what I can do?" or "did I say that the right way or did I offend her sensibilities?"
Then there are other times that I don't think twice about such things...finding them too trivial to be dealt with.Swami,however, has always been with me...guiding me to the one thing that makes me happy-being me.That's right.
It's only when you are content with yourself that you can be happy for others and happy with others.
That was the first time I heard of this entity; this being who did miraculous things, chief among them being, the transformation of the individual soul.
We all need a guiding principle in our lives, to help us make the right decisions, to walk us down the chosen path, to lift us up when we are down in the dumps and to bring us to earth when we have our head in the clouds. For most of us, that principle can come in the shape of a loved one- a parent,a child, a sibling, a friend, an elder- and for me, He appeared in the form of Bhagwan Baba.
There are times when I worry- often unnecessarily- about the insignificant nothings in life such as , "does my neighbour like me for who I am or what I can do?" or "did I say that the right way or did I offend her sensibilities?"
Then there are other times that I don't think twice about such things...finding them too trivial to be dealt with.Swami,however, has always been with me...guiding me to the one thing that makes me happy-being me.That's right.
It's only when you are content with yourself that you can be happy for others and happy with others.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Why women can't get along
- Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another.
If women and men can't get along, blame it on gender bias. If women and women can't get along, blame it on ego, obstinacy, high-handedness, loftility...need I go on?
Hardly any situation can exist without a certain degree of discord. In a way, that's fine, because it adds variety and spice to an otherwise monotonous existence.But when the same discord threatens to break up the very fabric that weaves us together, it moves out of the 'variety zone' and travels into the 'resentment zone'.
New ideas, opinions, judgements are all fine...within limits and when they do not spill put of hand.
But put a bunch of women in a room, ask them for their opinions on a subject, and stand back. Chances are you may just miss being drowned in the tsunami of the response. And I mean tsunami in the full essence of that word- violent, unexpected, unstoppable. That's how most reactions are to any situation where women alone are involved.
The basic premise behind this volatile situation is that women can't stand each other. Why?
It seems to me that women don't like each others' successes. They delight in finding fault, proving their point and are in a constant battle to present their one-upmanship (or should that be one-upwomanship?). Ask them what makes them jealous and you are most likely to hear that they don't like the way their neighbour's life is happier, fuller or more satisfying(although you will never actually hear that from any woman;)!
I have a 2 year old baby girl. My biggest concern now is, will she too grow up to be one of us 'women'? Or will the world be a more open forum where views can be expressed without anger and annoyance?
Somehow, I hope it all works out in the end.I can do without all the resentment and the negativity.
Monday, July 07, 2008
How would you live your last years?
Well-made movies can send out multiple messages simultaneously.
Which would you rather be? The one who knows when he is going to die or the one who lives everyday not knowing around which corner Fate waits to deal the last card?
Take The Bucket List, for instance. Here you have two old men, who are in the last stages of their lives, wanting to live their dreams before they 'kick the bucket'. Until I saw this movie, I was unable to confidently assert which one I would be. Now I know that I would rather not know.
As Carter (Morgan Freeman) puts it: You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.
The two men set out to achieve their dreams before the sun sets on their lives. How they go about it makes up the rest of the film. What sets the film apart are the performances of two of Hollywood's finest actors( but obviously!) and the humorous yet poignant portrayal of the inevitability of that final curtain call.
Nothing you do in this lifetime would make any sense if it weren't for the way you touch people's worlds and are touched in return.
It is easy to love people who love you back.The challenge lies in loving those who either can't or won't make it easy to be loved. For they are the ones who need it more.
Ultimately how you live your last years will depend on how you have lived the earlier ones.
Which would you rather be? The one who knows when he is going to die or the one who lives everyday not knowing around which corner Fate waits to deal the last card?
Take The Bucket List, for instance. Here you have two old men, who are in the last stages of their lives, wanting to live their dreams before they 'kick the bucket'. Until I saw this movie, I was unable to confidently assert which one I would be. Now I know that I would rather not know.
As Carter (Morgan Freeman) puts it: You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.
The two men set out to achieve their dreams before the sun sets on their lives. How they go about it makes up the rest of the film. What sets the film apart are the performances of two of Hollywood's finest actors( but obviously!) and the humorous yet poignant portrayal of the inevitability of that final curtain call.
Nothing you do in this lifetime would make any sense if it weren't for the way you touch people's worlds and are touched in return.
It is easy to love people who love you back.The challenge lies in loving those who either can't or won't make it easy to be loved. For they are the ones who need it more.
Ultimately how you live your last years will depend on how you have lived the earlier ones.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Keep the mind alive!
With more of the world going digital, there has been a sharp dip in the need to exercise our brain.
We don't have to remember phone numbers anymore---our phones do that for us.
Forget postal addresses--it is the age of e-mail and our friends are all just a mouse click away.
Don't have good handwriting? Relax...the speed of your keyboard typing is more important now.
But, all this comes at a great price! Weakened brains and minimal use of our grey cells.
Recently, I realised this truth and started to tackle some mental puzzles,doing crosswords and playing scrabble.
What worries me more is that our children are getting a direct entry into this digitised world and have no room left for creativity, genius or mental kung fu.
We have to pull up our socks and make sure that books are read, games are played and numbers are memorised. Let us not make robots of our kids.
We don't have to remember phone numbers anymore---our phones do that for us.
Forget postal addresses--it is the age of e-mail and our friends are all just a mouse click away.
Don't have good handwriting? Relax...the speed of your keyboard typing is more important now.
But, all this comes at a great price! Weakened brains and minimal use of our grey cells.
Recently, I realised this truth and started to tackle some mental puzzles,doing crosswords and playing scrabble.
What worries me more is that our children are getting a direct entry into this digitised world and have no room left for creativity, genius or mental kung fu.
We have to pull up our socks and make sure that books are read, games are played and numbers are memorised. Let us not make robots of our kids.
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