Lord Krishna's 'Seekh' In My Words

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

• What is truth?- All of us meet a circumstance in our life, where the situation demands us to speak the truth but we are unable to muster courage to let it out. A fear engulfs us. Whether it about speaking about an experience or an incident or taking onus of a mistake is not truth, it is mere simple retelling. Sometimes even while retelling the fear of hurting another persons sentiments becomes a hindrance. Then what is truth? Despite of being ensnared by fear, stating the facts is truth. Truth is fearlessness. Fearlessness is the nature of soul. Isn't every moment the right time to speak the truth?

• Wishes, desires, expectations and cravings are the vehicles that drive society- If someone asks you, who are you? Then what would your answer be? You will soon realize that your desires define your life. Your success and failures become your identity. Despite of dying a million deaths, we do not forego our desires. What is important here is ray of wisdom. Failures and defeats are nothing but knowledge and power to rise above all and achieve your ambitions.

• An advice can change your life- Different people offer varied advice in a particular situation, which we accept on the basis of what suits our mind. So it is that other people control our lives on the basis of their opinion? 'Dharma' states accept only that advice which signifies righteousness. As a pilgrim's advice is to make offers to god but a burglars advice is to steal by any means. Accept an advice that confirms righteousness, since it could have ramifications for your entire life. 

• Making an incident the center point in life- A mountaineer decides to climb a peak and makes a strategy to reach the top. Most often, all his plans shatter and he needs to improvise to avoid falling in the pit. Similarly, we tend to make a situation, one hurdle a center point of our life which hinders the pace of our life. Such a person cannot attain success, happiness or peace. So make yourself worthy of life and adapt to change. 

• Why we should live in the moment- Either we are dwelling in the past or busy making plans for tomorrow. In the thought process, we forget today. We forget to live and experience life as it slips by every moments. It is a universal truth that we cannot foresee the future. We can only be courageous and embrace the future as it comes along. This will make this very moment full of life. 

• Danger of preconceived notions- Man against Man, Culture against Culture and Nation against Nation is nothing but a preconceived notion derived from others. Murders, deaths and bloodshed are born out of these preconceived notions. Sometimes parents along with blessings bestow upon their children the venom of hatred, which signifies death. Darkness creates fear so it is important to think with a rational mind and leave behind all preconceived notions. 

• Fear that resides within us- Fear is an anticipation of future sorrows. It has nothing to do with present. It is a figment of our imagination. Hence, the sooner we liberate ourselves from fear the better it is. 

• Human Weaknesses- All of us have a weakness. Do you know of any such person who has it all? Often we make that one weakness a center point of our life and remain dissatisfied all our lives. But there are some people who with their hard work and persistence subdue that weakness.Weaknesses are bestowed by god but limitations are created by man himself. 

• Human Expectations- Human relations are based upon expectations. We only love those who fulfill our expectations. They are often broken since they are formed in ones head. The other person fails to know them, leave behind fulfilling them. This is where struggle is born, all relationships become struggle.

• How decisions affect our lives- Can we eat while running? No. We have to take decisions throughout our life which have life altering ramifications. In such situations, mind becomes a battleground. So can we take wise decisions with a warring mind? No. 

• We blame others for unfulfilled desires- We hold others guilty for our failures based upon anger and arrogance turning into vengeance. Punishing someone for this is injustice. Basis of justice is mercy and compassion. 

• Worrying about future is unnecessary- Problem is the reason for the birth of a solution. After emerging out of a problem you move a step ahead in life. Individual will be wiser and high on confidence. A problem is an opportunity to change yourself. 

• Basis of decision making- Reflect your own life and see was future the basis of most of decisions in your life? Before every decision one must ask his heart if the decision is born out of selfishness or righteousness? 

• Benefits of past experience- Parents having borne all experiences in life, they often try and formulate a life path for their children. They claim to foresee all hurdles. However, don't situations change over a period of time? Are they not doing them more harm than any good? The focus should be on building character and not security. One must provide their children the motivation to struggle because that is what makes a person rock solid from within. Joy and security are a by product of one's actions. Virtue and learning builds character which leads to a better future. 

And I continue to learn....

Individualism vs Collectivism - A Perspective

    This world is an amalgamation of individuals, being the truest minorities who together formulate larger cultural spaces. Their inclination towards a particular 'way of thinking'  makes them either an individualist or a collectivist. Hence, the reason being for a way a society behaves at large. Exposure and upbringing are two attributes that effect the mental make up of a person who thrives among a set of people. Non-conformists more often than not, break the stereo types. Generalizations suggest African and Asian countries being collectivists as compared to the individualistic dominance in their western counterparts. 

    Collectivism is based upon the principle of 'greater good'. This is highly subjective since it is a by product of human perceptions and rationalization. It's foundations are based upon ethics, which is nothing but cultural conformity on what is right and wrong or good and bad. For instance, Indians weigh relationships and emotional chords higher than personal ambitions. This is an outcome of a naturally intrinsic unquestionable loyalty which has been incepted into our minds. Being or not being selfish is a choice and it does not determine if one is not a collectivist. Similarly, a marriage means 'it needs to be worked out' which is a collective effort. It is togetherness and functioning as a cohesive group in order to take everybody along rather than turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the environment. 

     'Racism' is collectivist in nature since it involves ostracization and alienation of those who are not similar in any which way. United States of America is ranked as a number 1 Individualistic society and at the same time number 1 for being the most racist country, India being number 10. This clearly is a dichotomy between the two which implies that our thinking is somewhere bound by our ecosphere. 

    Individualism on the other hand is driven by the concept of 'Self-Interest'. Individualists are rational optimists who don't reiterate conventions and want to jump to greater echelons in life. At the same time they believe is societal prosperity and growth which is imperative for their personal growth. After all, an individual can't grow in isolation when the industry is static. When society at large is maverick, self-centrist and highly independent,it is individualistic. A young European boy becomes independent at an early age as compared to his eastern counterpart. But again this is highly circumstantial and conditional. Although, given a choice someone living in an individualistic society is most likely to be accepting for the same.

    Quality of life is denigrating in a society as it moves towards individualism.Since people are regarded as having smaller social support networks, lower emotional competence and poorer mental health. Yet, Britain and States are ranked much higher in quality of life indexes.

     In most of the cultures both kinds of being co-exist. Even in a highly collectivist society, individualistic people can be found who are attributed as innovators. But at the same time might be moral perpetrators. The most developed nations such as the United States, United Kingdom are regarded as individualistic societies. Developing nations like India, Brazil and Russia are collectivists. These upsurging resurgent nations are emerging super powers. So is collectivism the future or are we gradually moving towards individualism? Food for thought.