Why Not an Extra Step....???

Also in "Free Press," Indore, Sunday 01/08/2010

        Human being is the magnum opus of God’s creation. There is no other creature or created thing that can equate with human beings. There are many qualities that make human beings very special and different from other created things. Philosophers say that it is rationality that makes human beings different from other beings, at the same time psychologists say, it is emotional side of human beings that makes them different, whereas religions say that human beings have soul, and God dwells within them and they are created in the image and likeness of God. Whatever may be the case, one thing is lucid enough: Human beings are different and very special creation of the Creator.

             Being so different and so special, we hardly ever realize our own real self and potentiality. Each one of us is extraordinary and unique. Boundaries to many of our capabilities remain yet undiscovered. Many of our potentials lie unrealized and unexploited. It’s only because we never try to do more than the required minimum. We never risk taking an extra step. It is not that all are alike and remain in their boundaries, but there are people who took and extra step, whatever may be the field.

           In the Holy Bible Jesus teaches not to do only what is required but more than that. He says, people love those who love them, but you should love even those who do not love you (i.e. an extra step in relationships). If anybody strikes on one cheek, show him another also (an extra step in patience). If anybody wants your shirt, give him also your coat (an extra step in charity). And those who take an extra step in any field, they prove themselves different and special – the real identity of human beings. Because of such daring act of theirs, they leave and indelible mark in the society for all to look up to.

          On May 22, 2010, Boeing 737 of Air India overshot the runway and hurtled down the cliff, taking 158 lives. It all happened just in seconds. Interestingly some 8 people escaped this fatal blow, to tell the tale of their daring encounter with death and victory over it. We heard it and read in the newspapers, as how they managed to escape. They did not just sat vulnerable and waited for their death but they took a further step… a step to choose life. No one knows when one will encounter with his/her ultimate enemy called death, but we have a choice to choose the kind of death we want. The fortunate survivors escaped because of their daring decision and act. Or this is one way of looking at it. Even miracles are possible, but miracles also take place in those person’s lives who prepare themselves for miracles.

           Many people come in the world, live an unknown life and die. Nobody knows anything about them after sometime. At the time of Mahatma Gandhi, there were millions of people, but do we know all of them? Only few people dared to take an extra step and left the world indebted to them

          One should reflect whether the work done by that person, is done to the full capacity one could employ. Can I not do little extra, can I not take and extra step and contribute a little more to make the world a better place? There are always opportunities around us, that will make our ‘extra step’ fruitful. So what are you waiting for?

- B. Johnson Maria

The Most Precious Moments!

           Have you ever pondered what your precious moments are? The moments which linger in your mind and heart even you don’t put an effort to recall them. Many times or rather most of the time we don’t realize what are the precious moments.

          Do you ever recall the moments when you introspected within and looked back and changed your course because you realized that you were on a wrong track. Those moments of such realization were the precious moments. Have you ever come across the moments when you realized your mistake of not talking to your old friend just because you had some misunderstanding? When you regained that friend; those were the precious moments.

             Have you ever spent some moments with your pet, some moments to know and understand that your dog, cat or other pet loves you so much and feels greatly happy when you are around? Have you ever spent some moments admiring the beauty in the potato plants or tiny tomato plants in your kitchen garden; or have you ever paid a little attention to that struggling plant on the roadside while you go to your work? Who takes care of it? If you spent moments to think about such things; those were the precious moments.

         Finally, all the moments that you spent to know God and love Him by admiring His creation and realizing that He has created you to love Him and work for Him, and be a better person. The moments spent realizing and doing His will are the most precious moments of your life.

- B. Johnson Maria

Just Think!

Live your life fully!

(Also in Inspirational Quote, Mumbai, April 2010)

        Just pull out yourself for few moments from the rat race of the day-to-day life, and recall the way you spent the previous day.... Did you do everything perfectly?.... Did you live each moment to the full?.... The work you did, whatever, was it done the best way it could be done.....

          We certainly make mistakes, and latter on we realize and exclaim, ‘if only I could have been little more careful’ or ‘if only I could pay a little more attention to that.’ If we are given chance to the moments when we made mistakes, we will certainly avoid repeating them. We make mistakes only because we are not fully aware of what is happening around us. We do not live our life fully. We do not enjoy it to the full. Just free yourself from all preoccupations. Just be in the present and live it fully; live it as though there was nothing before it, and the will be nothing after it. Just forget past and future; only be in the present. Live the present moments fully, feel the joy and serenity, and experience the optimum use of your abilities.

- B. Johnson Maria

“Watch thou thy thoughts”

           Published in Central Chronicle Feb 23, 2010

        Whatever a person does, is an extension and expansion of that person. If an artist draws a picture, it is the extension of his own thoughts, he expresses his very self. The way one talks, walks or behaves and executes his actions, through all these things a person expresses who s/he is. There is never a time when a person doesn’t express himself. Even when somebody is quiet or silent, s/he still conveys a message. We express ourselves through various ways, by our dressing style, by our walking style, by our talking style even by our writing style. There are experts for each of these fields to read and interpret our style.

          It is said ‘as you think, so you become.’ Our thoughts give direction to our actions and our actions give direction to our life. Good thought will result in a good life and conversely bad thoughts will result in a bad life. So one needs to pay a great attention to one’s thinking and thus the whole life as Great Greek philosopher Socrates would say, ‘Unexamined life is not worth living.’

        From where do we get our thinking? It is simple, human brain works like a computer. It processes huge amount of data everyday and analyses the same for its application. The computer works on the principle of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ means what input a computer is given; it will be the basis for output. So is the case with human beings. Whatever thinking we entertain so will be our actions. We cannot get good actions out of bad thinking neither can we get bad actions out of good thinking. Jesus says, ‘a tree is always known by its fruits. A good tree cannot bear bad fruits and a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit.’ In other words, ‘a good person will not do bad deeds similarly a bad person will not do good deeds.’

         One may ask ‘how are our thoughts affected?’ There are various factors that affect our thoughts. We need to evaluate how we provide input to our mind. Our five senses play very important role in this matter. They provide a variety of food for our thoughts. Gandhiji had hinted when he presented it with three monkeys, two of whom were directly indicating to the input devices of man. Whatever we see with our eyes, it gives platform for our thinking. Watching television can be a simple example. If a child watches programs full of violence; do you think late on that child will turn into a pious and non-violent person? This is the case with everybody, not just children alone. One needs to constantly refine and examine so as to what one chooses to offer to one’s eyes and how that can affect one’s thinking.

       Our thinking also depends on what we hear. Similarly a great role is played by what we read. It is said, ‘reading makes a man perfect.’ But if person enjoys useless reading or unhealthy reading automatically his/her actions will be fruitless and leading to misery. Swami Vivekananda said, ‘even if somebody sits whole life reading all the good books of the world, s/he cannot finish reading all the books in whole life time.’ There where is the time to read bad and useless books? There are several people, no matter to what religion they belong; many of them have not opened their scripture for a long time. We get wisdom and God’s message in the scriptures and once we have God’s message for guiding our life then what else do we need?

- B. Johnson Maria

The Superhuman Within!

Central Chronicle, Jan. 28,2010

                Many people died in the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The media report the toll to reach over two hundred thousand people losing their lives and a large number of people loosing their homes and families. But it is a great matter of inspiration that many were discovered alive under the debris even after a week. The rescue operations are still on. Just imagine a person who is not sure whether s/he will be rescued or not, yet incredible spirit of hope and entrenched will power to live, is not only worth noticing but a great inspiration for those who are easily disheartened with small difficulties in life. Their courage is to be greatly praised.

          There is nobody whose life is only bed of roses. Everybody, one or the other time, faces challenges and situations of trial and tribulations. There is sometime when one finds oneself in a condition where one feels totally vulnerable to the situations around. Things seem to move out of control. And yet, in spite of so much distressing state, we survive, we undergo it sincerily and come out of it successfully. There is something extraordinary within human beings that makes them different from other beings. This ‘extraordinary self’ expresses itself in various ordinary ways.

           Superman or superwoman is somebody we imagine, having extraordinary powers and abilities, but the fact is the special powers we attribute to these imaginary beings are actually possessed by us. Each one of us has a superhuman within us. At times this superhuman surfaces according to the need of the situations. Sometimes we ourselves force it to come up and be active in us, and sometimes it comes up on its own. Sometimes even the environs around us make it to show itself.

            When one has strong will power great things can be achieved. What seems impossible can be turned into possible. Only thing is, one needs to convince oneself that what one wishes to achieve and the abilities required to achieve it, are already within oneself.

- B.Johnson Maria

Do Good to others

Why are we here?

Published in Central Chronicle Jan,19,2010
"Weekend" issue of Free Press, Indore Jan 24, 2010.

           Human life or whatever life on this planet is a gratuitous gift of God. Human beings owe more than any other creature to God as they have been granted the finest and the highest form of life as numinous beings. The Holy Bible says ‘God created human beings out of His free will and in His own image.’ The Vedas say ‘human life is attained only after going through about 84 million lives of other grades;’ even the gods long to be born as human beings on earth. The potential divinity in the human beings is universally accepted by all; or in other words, all believe in the presence of God within the human beings. Hence, it is meant to be lived as a noble life. Nothing can equal the worth of human life.

Now the question rises ‘how do we live a noble life, or how do we make the human life as meaningful one? The answer is: by doing noble things! The only way to find contentment and meaning in human life is to do good to others as much as one can. Do you know from the world history or even from the history of India, the persons who are remembered for doing good deeds? The history is filled with the examples of such noble people who lived this principle of doing good to others to their last inhalation. Some of the stirring examples of such people are Mother Teresa, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and the list goes on. One thing is common in the lives of these great people ‘They lived for others.’ The real meaning of human life is to do good to others and be ready to lend a hand to others.

         Why one should do good to others? There is sufficient reason to live for oneself, one’s family and children etc. Is it not doing good to others and being of help to them? Just fulfilling your social obligation is not doing good. The good should be done to those who cannot reimburse the good done to them, and then only one receives the apt recompense for it. The Bhagvad Geeta says ‘do what is to be done, without expecting the fruit,’ in fact that is the true service.

          Mother Teresa never thought that by wiping the tears of millions of pitiable and suffering, she will be called ‘saint’ or she will turn into a great person. She did it only because she realized that God dwells in every person and she had to love that person for the same reason. The teachings of Swami Vivekananda were not meant for himself, but to teach the world to do good for others and comprehend the real worth of human life, and that’s why he has become ‘swami’ of many.

            One must become conscious that human life is not given again and again, hence to make this precious life meaningful, one should constantly aim to do good to others as much as one can because God dwells in all and because that is the purpose for which God has fashioned us out of His love.

                                                                                                                                                                     - B. Johnson Maria

Suicide is not the Solution!

Thinking of Suicide!
(Published in The Central Chronicle, Bhopal/Indore 13/01/2010
Weekend issue of Free Press, Jan.31,2010)

          It is said, “Man is the crown of creation,” which means that human beings are the best part of whole creation. We can measure the numerous heights, achieve great things and materialize our great dreams. Human beings have ‘reason’ that no other creatures have. We have memories and emotions; we have faculty of emotions that makes us the unique beings on the earth. However, all the capabilities and boundaries of human beings remain so far undiscovered. Nobody has so far set a limit that a man can do only so much. We have not yet learnt to use all the human faculties fully. Most part of the brain of an ordinary human being remains unused. We have powers that lie hidden and dormant within us.

          One of such wonderful faculties that we possess is our ability to re-live our past moments or live in advance the moments yet to come. We can feel the joy and feelings of same happiness as we had when there were moments of joy in our life but absent at present. We can re-collect all the joys and gladness and give ourselves an experience of same joy and happiness even when it is only a memory. We can also feel the joy of some incident yet to occur, just by mere imagination of such event. Such wonderful is our ability. On whatever we focus, that determines our inner state.

         It is also true with our negative feelings and emotions. We can experience constant pain, sorrow, and disturbance by just remembering our moments of trouble and agony. We can undergo pain and agony of something that hasn’t yet occurred. Inferiority complex is one example of such thinking and imagining in advance.

         In spite of being so superior and unique, there are times in one’s life that one forgets all the uniqueness that one possesses and situations force one to make a choice that should never ever be made in any circumstances. Due to momentary tension and depression, misunderstanding, failure, infidelity on the part of our loved ones etc. one decides to put an end to such beautiful human life. Alternatively, putting in other words, sometimes a person may become blind by some temporary forces that s/he decides to commit suicide. Very often, they do not realize the gravity of the choice they make. It is illegal and morally wrong. It is unacceptable.

             There is no human being in the world that has no problem at all. The only people who have total peace and serenity are the ones who lie in the tombs. Only because they have no life. At this point one may be reminded of the story of a woman who wanted her dead son to live and she was asked by Lord Buddha to fetch some grains from a house where there was no sorrow at all. The woman failed. The story teaches that pain and suffering, joys and happiness are but indivisible part of human life. At the same time, it fully depends on us as to how we choose to react to these. They are not above life; not even equally valuable to life. The life is much valuable than these few bundles of emotions and feelings. To get rid of our negative feelings we cannot trade with our life.

          On the contrary, one should remember that we are not machines or robots that we choose our emotions and reactions. When we are depressed, we calculate and choose the button to react. We are human beings and sometimes vulnerable to these emotions. One should never forget that it is very difficult sometimes to withstand the failures, the tension, the pain of the betrayal of the one whom we trusted most and had been faithful all the life. It is very difficult to live on when one is misunderstood by very own loved ones, when in spite of so much hard work and effort one meets with failure. Such moments make one to think that the very purpose of life is lost, it is of no use to make the life miserable simply and drag on, so why not to finish everything and retire to eternal rest, end the life itself. This is what a defeated person, who sees suicide as the best way to get rid of all troubles, thinks. Ending one’s life seems the best solution available to solve the toughest problems of life. However, such person, before committing the heinous act, must give a little thought to the following things:

• Before ending the life, just remember and recollect as from where you got this life? Is this life the result of the efforts of yours alone?

• Take such step only when you are 100 pc sure that there is nobody in the world who has no more sorrow, pain and suffering than you; when you are sure that you are the most unfortunate person in the whole world.

• Remember the persons whom you love most and just recollect the happiest moments spent with those persons. Also, remember the persons who love you most.

• Just give a little thought to the sincere smile of your parents who have brought you up from the very moment of your birth, even before birth. Remember the sacrifices they made to make you able and educating you.

• Remember some of the people who attempted to commit suicide but could not succeed and what happened afterwards?

• Even you decide to end your life, just imagine the pain your body will have when it has to part with life untimely and unnaturally. The pain your lungs will undergo when they are deprived of oxygen, the pain your neck will have when it is broken in case you hang yourself.

• If you shoot yourself or destroy by some other means, just imagine how much blood will be spilled all around, who will like to clean that blood? Would you like your body of which you took care so well, lies uncovered before the public?

• Remember the people who are related with you. How much agony and mental torture they will undergo when they are asked hundreds of questions by the police and various people after the suicide?

• Would you like people talk hundreds of things about you, which are not true, and you cannot prove them wrong because you will be dead and gone.

• Above all remember the fact that if you channelize your grief and give a different direction to your life, you can make the world a little more beautiful place to live. You feel your life is of no use to you, than can it be of no use to others? There are people who changed their life for others and did wonders.

• Can you use your life for the good of others?

• Remember that there is always somebody who loves you, who needs you; you just need to discover that person.

          Human life is most valuable and most unique, it’s free gift of God and we have no right in any case to reject this gratuitous gift. Nobody can presume that by taking such step like suicide, one can please others, or God or even him/herself. Ending life is not the solution to problems but facing them courageously certainly is.

                                                                             

                                                                   - B. Johnson Maria

What happens when we forgive others?

Why forgiveness?

(appeared in the Central Chronicle, Indore/Bhopal on 05, 01,2010)

           Human beings are multidimensional beings. We have social dimension that gives us the identity of beings that live in society; we have spiritual dimension that specifies our relationship with our creator – God; we also have psychological dimension that helps us to relate with ourselves as well as with others. Being in the society, we have to co-exist with each other and relate with each other. We cannot imagine a life totally independent of others. The food one eats, has reached to him/her with the help of many hands; the language one speaks, is not created by him/her, the clothes one wears are not one’s own creation. Putting it in a nut shell, one has to depend on others for a successful human life.

                Love is the only dynamic force that binds everybody together and that helps everyone to relate with each other in a meaningful manner. This love may be in different forms, viz. love of parents towards their children and vice versa, love of master towards servants and vice versa, love of God towards human beings and vice versa and so on. When this Love is missing from our life, our life becomes totally dry and meaningless. We find no satisfaction in life. The opposite of love is hatred, and hatred comes when we have something against somebody. When we do not forgive others we cannot live a peaceful life. Since we depend on each other, it is of utmost importance that we live with each other at peace.

               The attitude of unforgiveness brings lots of tensions and disturbances in one’s mental, spiritual and emotional life. When our heart is not at peace, we fall victim to many sicknesses. Many sicknesses are born because we are not at peace with others and consequently with ourselves. William Johnston, in his book Silent Music- the Science of Meditation, says “assuredly it is acknowledgement that up to eighty percent of modern sickness is psychosomatic in origin, or has a psychosomatic origin.” (Page 107). When we have no peace within, we are overcome by sickness, and peace within will be attained only when we treat others as we treat ourselves, when we have no grudge or anything evil against anybody, in other words, when we forgive those who offend us.

              It is very difficult to forgive someone who has hurt us, and it is still more difficult to ask forgiveness. When we forgive, we feel we are the losers, we are cowards; we are put down, but the fact is, when we ask forgiveness we not only become the winners but make others also winners. Suppose the other person is not ready to forgive, than you do it, you forgive the other person for not forgiving you. You will have peace, you will have well being, and you will find joy and happiness. Now it is time to begin to recollect whom you have to ask pardon and whom you need to forgive.

- B. Johnson Maria

Your Best Friend!

In this world of machines, when you feel human,
To share humanness, when you need someone,
When realize you’re lonely, lost and depressed.
Dull and discouraged, and need to be refreshed,
When you find, you’re in dark and need a light,
Defeated and rejected, feel unfit to win the fight,
When you find none to listen, and none to share
When all leave you, leave you without care,
You look for a place to sit in calm and peace,
Look someone with whom to share that peace.
I know a person, who can be your best friend,
Who’ll share your joys and sorrows, such friend,
The best friend is within you, that’s your “Self,”
No greater support but, you the greatest help.
Go with your self, sit and chat, share and care,
You’d realize, never realized before, he’s there,
Listen to him, tell him and seek his guidance,
“Self” is your own Guru, feel the renaissance,
Talk to your “Self”, listen to him frequently,
You’ll be good, better, and best consequently.

- B. Johnson Maria

Nature Meditation

You human beings!

           After searching a comfortable place, I sat peacefully on a piece of stone in the midst of natural grass and green trees. Many young and old trees, green with monsoon, with green and lively grass around and enthusiastic creepers. All seemed to flourish with life and joy, perhaps because of the previous day’s rain.

As I sat, trying to communicate with the nature, suddenly a thought occurred to me. The trees… how happily they are swinging and rejoicing, and when there is no water, or good soil, how miserably they die… what an undeserved death they get! I saw a bird, very happily singing and searching for food. I though, what a life they have… no time table for anything, no rules and regulations, no worry about anything at all. They live, exist and die an unknown death. When they will die, they don’t know, off course nobody knows about one’s death. What a waste of life! Only because they are not human. I was looking with contempt on that swinging tree, that restless bird, what is their life worth?

I felt as if the tree sensed what I was thinking… that’s why I felt as if it started to talk to me. It said, “What do you think, you are superior, you are great, just because you are human, just because you are rational, you can think, you have systematic life?” I looked in great surprise, it continued, “Look at us, we don’t bother about useless things, like you. Our heavenly father gives us life, and we enjoy it. We have nothing to regret, nothing to worry. When we get good rain, good mud, we rejoice that God our creator takes care of us. When there is no water, no productive land, and we have to die, we don’t feel bad about it, for it happens with the will of one who created us. We do only what He wants us to do. We know, he wants that when we are happy, we should rejoice, when we see our end, accept it. No regret for yesterday, no worry for tomorrow.”

I was dumb founded. It was talking philosophically, “You human beings! Because you have brain, you have thinking faculty; you use it worrying about useless things. You plan and re-plan, for what? Can you change God’s planning by trying to plan for yourself? When he gives happiness, you worry, how long this happiness will remain, how I can get some more happiness. Doing this, you ruin your own peace of mind; you lose the privilege of enjoying peace and happiness. When he gives you pain and sorrow, you start thinking about the causes of it, repercussions of it; in the process you lose the “fun” of facing them sincerely. You start blaming that your heavenly father does not love you and does not care for you.”

It kept on saying more, but I felt bereft of my thinking faculty, my brain had melted away. I got up quietly from my place and slowly moved as if ashamed of myself being a rational human being.

- B. Johnson Maria

Success

God has made every person as unique and a mystery in him/herself. A well-known western philosopher Nietzsche says that every truth is an interpretation. We interpret and understand things in our own way. Similarly success means different for different persons. It is decided according to the context and situation.
Success for me is something unique and very personal. It involves various steps. First I set a goal. This goal is usually the goal that contributes to my ultimate goal that is to be a real human being that God has created me to be. After setting the goal, I discover the opportunities and resources available to me. Sometimes these both are in disguise. I make the best use of these resources and opportunities. With full confidence and dedication I move towards my goal. That reaching to my set goal satisfies me and that is success for me.