Tuesday, June 2, 2009

228+ stories, hopes, dreams... lost in Atlantic

I feel deeply sad about the passengers, crew and pilots of AF447 which went missing after it 'encountered severe turbulence' and 'reported technical failures'. 228 people- all of whom might have called their loved ones in Paris or saw them off at the Rio Airport before boarding the plane- would now remain just as a memory in their hearts. 228 stories, hopes and dreams are drown into the deep waters of the Atlantic.

My condolences to the families and friends of the people on board the AF447. My God give them the strength to withstand the great loss.

Bhagwad Gita says, "the soul is never born, nor it ever dies... even though the body is slain, the soul is not.(2/20)" and "as a man shedding worn-out garments, takes other new ones, likewise the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others that are new. (2/22)"

I am sure all those souls who ceased their association with their bodies and their loved ones, shall continue their journey to eternity at some other place, in some other form - and shall always remain as sweet memories in the hearts of their families and friends.

God bless...

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Life is a test match

Life is a test match

- It’s a long game with more than one innings. Love, dream job, goals, etc. lost once, can be regained later.
- You need not play shot on each ball. Some balls are better avoided. Not all problems need to be solved. Some are better left to time.
- You can’t predict the outcome of the match at the end of the first day itself. Mahatma Gandhi was just a lawyer at 25.
- No need to look at the scoreboard after each ball. If you keep doing your best, things will take care of them.
- Patience is at least as important as technique (intelligence).
- Boundaries do come. Opportunities do come, continually.
- You won’t be able to score big single handedly, every time. It’s a team game.
- Still, if you perform well, you shall be noticed, even if you lose the game.
- In the end, most important is the fun you had in playing.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Arguments against believing in stars

I have tried hard to understand how the Mars or the Jupiter affects my life. I really wanted to know how my destiny is locked in the triangles and squares of the ‘kundli’. Unfortunately, I couldn’t explain to myself that a mass of gas and sand that is millions of miles away from me was responsible for the circumstances of my life, which, rationally, can be more attributed to my own actions (or lack of actions) than anything else.

Came to think about it, and I started analyzing why people believe in stars. There are some arguments for astrology. One is: in the universe, each particle, each atom affects the atmosphere around it. The same way, each particle or atom is affected by that same atmosphere. The bigger the particle, the bigger is the influence. That way, the most influential particles in the universe around us can possibly be the sun, the Saturn and the Jupiter. We all now that even the ocean gets affected by the moon in terms of tides in the full moon. So, humans, who are less powerful than the ocean, are subject to the effects of the positions of the sun, the moon, the Mars, the Saturn, the Jupiter and other planets and stars. Logical isn’t it? Just one point is missed. The ocean doesn’t have free will. Humans do. We can wake up or go to sleep anytime we want. We can work hard for what we want. We can just will and make tunnels under the sea, or travel in the air, or build skyscrapers or run planes into them. We can do all these, without a thought of what the Mars is planning for our lives. Just as we can will our minds not to be affected by a bad boss or an irritable spouse, we can will not to be affected by the stars and the planets. How? Simple. Just by not thinking about it. By analyzing the causes of our problems and working out solutions for them.

Now for the believers. We say that we believe in God. At the same time, we wear stones and somehow think that it would protect us from happening of undesirable events. But if we really believe in God and have full faith in Him, we should accept that whatever He shall do to us shall be in our best interest. If the belief in God is strong enough, the question of believing in stars does not arise.

Psychologically too, it is always tempting to blame the circumstances of our lives (or the happening or non-happening of something) to someone or something other than our self. And what better scapegoats than far away mass of gases that are never going to come and complain why we are discrediting them for what happens with us!

They say astrology is mathematics. Mathematics also has another concept called probability. Let us buy that stars do affect our lives. The probability of them affecting our circumstances positively and negatively over our life time is equal. Stars can not be angry on somebody for full sixty years! They might be favorable to us or against us for a particular period of time, the probability of both, in the long run, shall be equal. This means that the positive and negative effects of stars shall even out over a period of time and, consequently, what improvements we want in our lives and our world entirely depends on our own actions.

Also, most of the times, the analysis of the stars is more like post-mortem. It doesn’t always and accurately predict some good or bad happening or non-happenings beforehand. What’s the use of it then?

Our physics professor had a really wonderful concept. In Gujarati, the gender of all the planets of the solar system, including the sun, is male, except the earth who is a female. He used to say that there is only one sister between nine brothers. So whoever hurts the sister, in terms of polluting her, is going to attract the anguish of the brothers! He, who takes care of the earth, need not be afraid of her ‘brothers’.

Ending with a saying in Gujarati, that a man is affected more by his ‘purvagrah’ (prejudice) than any other ‘grah’ (star or planet).
-Issued in ‘universal’ interest on behalf of the Sun, the Uranus, the Neptune, the Jupiter, the Saturn, the Mars, the Mercury, and other planets and stars by ‘Antariksh’ himself!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

we are free people..... really???

so they say,
that man is free

n if he s not, he must strive for it
freedom is his birthright

n indeed we r free
we can choose wht to say
wht to wear
wht to eat
where to go
whom to meet
wht to see
whom to elect
wher to put our money
whom to marry (well, in more cases than not!)
how many babies to have
wher to live n whom to live with
where to work

we r proud citizens of the largest democracy of the world
or for the Westerners, they r the citizens of the most affluent societies the world has ever seen
n also the 'free-est'

in short, the world, the humankind, is free... free to make choices

really?

lets dig dipper

whenever we make choices, our choices are governed by our perceptions
perceptions are made by, wht we r brought up seeing, hearing, thinking, writing and experiencing...
just think how much different we could have been had all these 6-6.5 bn people were living in the seventeenth century, or seventh, or in the times of Buddha or Christ or Krishna?

or think, how differently we wud live, act and think if the communication channels we have were available with us 100 yrs before?
how tht wud have shaped our world? n how tht wud have shaped our selves?

if we were living in a world where spiritual thoughts were more 'popular', where service to others was more attractive profession n where the biggest achievement wud have been to do good of as many poor as possible....
wud our choices be the same????

wud we still run after jobs in MNCs n corporates?
wud we still regard money as the only criteria for success?
wud we still garner wealth at all cost?
wud we still compete more than co-operate?
wud we still feel jealous for our neighbor?

i think our choices r not 'free'
they r guided by our perceptions
n by wht everyone else thinks - the popular opinion

the test is
whenever making a choice
ask urself - wud i do the same if i were living with Christ?

I dont mean to 'market' Christ, Buddha or Krishna
well, actually i do.
not because they r those whom i believe in
but because they represent the principles, the rules, the guidelines - which if applied faithfully - wud result in the welfare of our race, undoubtedly.

the most imp truths of the universe r also the simplest

its by giving tht we find peace n not by longing
the best moment in my life is not when someone/something made me happy, but when i made someone happy
the best mode of taking revenge, is by forgiving

back to the point

freedom n truth pass the test of time
if something wasn't true 2000 years back
n now it is, then examine it more carefully, it wud turn out to be something else (may b its just wht everyone s thinking, but it wont 'the truth').

if something was relevant centuries back
n its difficult today, tht doesnt mean its not relevant

it just means tht we as a race have deteriorated our moral standards whereby good and relevant things have become more difficult to practice by the day

the best example is: Mahatma Gandhi n his thoughts
in India, on every 2nd Oct and whenever a film containing some reference to his life or thoughts releases, ther s (compulsorily) used to be a 'debate': are Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts equally relevant today?

(well i think ther cant be anything more childish, rubbish, insane or ridiculous than this question, but here i m assessing an issue as objectively as possible, so no personal comments!!!)

well, Mahatma Gandhi didnt 'invent' new thoughts
actually whtever we regard as his thoughts, werent completely his own
indeed he formulated new strategies and techniques to practice them
but the thoughts like Truth, Non-violence, Aparigraha, Non to steal anything (n many more) were always there - many great men before the Mahatma had preached as well as practiced them.
the only thing is they were the ideals which the Mahatma had courage to follow

n which we do not

COURAGE
thts the word

see, i do not follow any of the principles of the Mahatma
but i dont give reasons for tht
i accept tht i dont have the moral courage to follow them n so i do compromise

but tht doesnt mean tht those truths r NOT relevant
it just means that, as i said earlier, we have deteriorated our moral standards so tht those truths are more difficult to practice...

thus, to be truly free, we must have the courage to do the right
CONSCIOUSLY
we must KNOW wht we r doing, why we r doing it and THAT IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

or at least, accept tht our choices are not free!!!

(n.b. - the views may prompt u to think- antariksh preaches but does he practice? well, i dont preach, i just share... i m just an imperfect (or, potentially perfect) soul striving to make some positive development in myself (whrein i fail miserably manyatimes!!!) ... i m just sharing wht i thought or felt to my fellow travelers in this journey to eternity...)

Friday, February 23, 2007

a rebel growing....(edited from 'a rebel growing old')

I m experiencing it for a quite a while now. i never knew tht difference btween age of 20 n 25 wil be this wide.

i was a rebel. a complete rebel. i never used to take things as they r just bcoz they were as they were. i wanted to change. i ya i wanted to change everything. at tht time i wanted to become nobody else but the prime minister.


but for sometime i feel i m growing old. (strange! feeling of growing old when u turn 25 from 20!!!) the mental energy level is down consistently..... confidence is at its lowest......
i cud make the pattern.
n thts why i m worried.

worry

thts the newcomer!
i just felt wht worry means.... til now it was just wht others did!

i wil try to analyse the causes
so, whts the difference between the age of 20 n 25?
i lost 5 yrs - but i gained a coveted degree n good amt of experience
gone thru much emotional pain - but also became emotionally matured
lost some friends - made many

its true tht right now i m not at the place wher i wanted to see myself when i was 20. but stil i m quite satisfied, now i have a clear mental picture of wher i m headed






although i have grown old - my Guruji hasnt
He is the ultimate resource of Youth
of Energy n of Power
of Confidence n of STRENGTH

the Great Man who roared : STRENGTH IS LIFE - WEAKNESS IS DEATH

i may lose everything - but i wil never lose HOPE
HOPE - the power tht has helped mankind in the ages of darkness

i wil regain my energy n power n confidence
coz its ther only wher it always lied
in ME

my post wil always end with Hope n Positivity.

well thts me!

love to the reader

have a nice day
antariksh

well now its the edited, sorry, included part....

i have moved fwd from 'i wil regain my energy n power n confidence'....
actually i have started regaining.....

its 3rd of July today, n the second half of the year shall be for 'capacity building'.....

n hey u shall be receiving my posts more frequently and more regularly now.....

catch u tomorrow dear reader,

have a nice day, again.
antariksh

Topic for tomorrow: analysis of the causes: what happened?

Saturday, January 13, 2007

responsibilities of our celebrities

shah rukh khan comes in ads of Himani products, Santro, ICICI Bank, Pepsi n many more....besides acting in films....

sachin endorses Reynolds, Pepsi, Visa card, Adidas, Boost....besides playing cricket.
Movies n Cricket r India's most followed religions
n stars of this two are demigods....

continuing with the demigods....we assume they earn at least Rs. 3-4 crores p.a. (very conservative estimate taking into a/c the taxes tht they pay) from their respective 'core competencies'ordinarily u can lead a reasonably rich life with this kind of income.... but additionally they also endorse products....
reason?lets guess

to take care of future.... after all, after 5 yrs u wont see shah rukh singing around the trees or sachin opening indian batting....so, we must plan for the rainy day! see they both have families to feed...

or may be ther s one way to be in public eye when movies are in the pipeline or when india is not playing....

one humble (& wild) reason may be: to make ppl buy more thru their influence so the demand increases, production increases n more employment opportunities are created.

or Lust for more money??? (oh u thought this reason too??? so bad of u to think tht!!)

u wud agree tht this ppl do possess ability to influence the mass more than the bureaucrat or the politician or the industrialist. they can make ppl do one thing or make them abstain from doing it. they can, in a sense, lead them

n dont they see the need to lead them?

ther r so many issues wher they can make a great contribution.e.g. ther r thoundands of slum children who r not going to school in mumbai. sachin can start something like teaching 10-15 such children in his house when he is free. and publicize tht. he can tel the youth n school going children who r his admirers to take up tht task in their own localities....he can INSPIRE them....

can u imagine wht kind of wave tht can create?youth today is hungry of a 'hero'....the youth always needs a hero whom they can imitate. he can be the real hero he need not do much. he just has to endorse a compaign...just as he endorses Pepsi. may be he can write personal letters to the groups who r doing such work....
some may say thts not his work. his work is to play cricket n not to be a primary school teacher. we have the govt to take care of tht.

sure! may be endorsing brands too is not his work. n we have trusted the govt to teach our children for last 60 yrs n we know how good it is doing. (hey our children go to private schools, we wont let them at the mercy of govt schools!) but for slum children, well the govt wil take care of them....we pay taxes for tht....
ther r many unsung heros in our countries who r teaching such children at their residence or r themselves going to the slums... being a primary school teacher is also not their work.... but they have wht many of us have forgotten for long....Compassion....n a sense of Duty....

perhaps i m asking too much of a man who didnt pay (n made it authorised) for customs duty of his ferrari which he could have afforded to pay. i m writing this para with some bitterness (n therfor with no exclamation marks) coz he was my hero befor tht. he cud have gained respect from a billion ppl by paying rs. 1 crore- a cheap bargain. (incidentally fire dept of mumbai city wasnt given waiver of customs at the same time on imported trucks)

teaching slum children is just an example. these ppl can do many things.... coz they have what it takes : the ability infulence & inspire.

but do u think they wud do tht?
or even wud they think of doing smthng like tht?
unlikely
reason: these r not 'great' ppl
they r just 'normal' ppl with some great ability in one area
although sachin's dedication n shah rukh's energy level are things which shud be imitated, they are stil ordinary ppl who r working for their families....just like crores of others....

i m not criticizing anybody personally
i m just exploring wht else they can do with the power they have

one thing i have learnt is not to complian when u dont have a solution to offer
so each n every post of mine shall conclude with some solution with wht-we-can-do-abt-tht para.
but this time it wont be a para, but a full article abt a great opportunity we have been presented by our democracy.... wil publish asap...

comments invited

God bless
have a nice day!
antariksh

logic behind my blog name n address

hi!

the heading goes as 'seeking the ultimate truth'
n the bolg address is 'whatmattersafterall'

i think what matters after all is the 'ultimate truth' which i m seeking....
Lord Krishna says somewher in BagwadGita ".....jyare anek siddhanto sambhaline vibhram ma padeli tari budhdhi jyare nishchal thai ne samta roop samadhi ma sthir thase tyare tu yog ne paamish...." (2.56)
(when ur intellect, confused by learning n hearing all types of principles, rests on the seat of equanimity u wil reach 'yog')
although i m millions of miles away from attaining 'yog', my buddhi (intellect) is for sure in vibhram (is confused)...

i read a lot...although still very less by my own standards... but i do read a lot...
n i invariably get confused.....
as to wht is the meaning of this
i mean everything..... business, trade, politics, family, friends, relations, religion, life itself....i mean the world as a whole....
different ppl have different views to see the world......Lakshmi Mittal wud differ in his world view from Sri Sri Ravishankar....who wud differ from Amitabh Bachchan.....
i get confused as to wht is true - really true
wht stands the test of time......wht was relevant 5000 yrs back n stil as much relevant now n wil remain relevant for yrs to come.....

thus i m seeking whts the ultimate truth

n the good news is tht i feel i have found it out!
cheers! but whts it?
the answer is right wher the que lied: BhagwadGita
n teachings of Swami Vivekananda

i know now i just have to follow them....i wil find at least something....

keep reading my posts...u wil get my point....

god bless
regards
antariksh