Women you are Blest!

        Free Press, Weekend, Sunday, March 07, 2010

              “Women you are blest. You have taken upon yourself the creator’s work and are his helpers. You open the way to recovery and ever renew the outworn world. Quietly, bravely is beauty’ form you carry within you the preserving force of universe and for the fallen, the broken, the deformed, the gracious touch of the lovely.”

        These noble words of great Indian poet Rabindra Nath Tagore most aptly articulate the real worth, dignity and place of the women. Philosophically speaking ‘every reality has two sides, whether it is good or bad, light or darkness, knowledge or ignorance and so on. One has no meaning without the existence of the other. Without tasting the acrimony of failure we will not know the syrupiness of success. To put it in context, man is incomplete without woman. Can we imagine a society or world for that matter, without women?

          A man is borne by a woman in her womb, with great care. She brings forth the new life, sacrificing her own comforts; she provides the best circumstances for the baby. The man, in his childhood, has a woman as his sister to play with him. When he grows up and becomes ready to be responsible in society, gets married with a woman; she gives him the real meaning of being a man, a complete man. She is always there to help man in every test and time till the end of life of a man. She is there at every crossroad of man’s life to give a hand to him, to be his aide. But is she only an aide? Doesn’t she have her own independent identity, her own penchant and dislike, her own independent existence? She is not created just to be a helper to man alone, but her existence is complimentary to that of man.

        If we skim through the timeline, it is very clear that women are beginning to comprehend their real dignity. They are not less in any matter. They have their own identity and full right to assert that. Mrs. Indira Gandhi probably meant this when she said, “to be liberated woman should feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity. Woman should be more interested, more alive and more active in the affairs of society, not because they comprise half the human race.” These words though spoken in the past are now being fulfilled. Woman is changing her susceptible image into the image of an able and independent being. There are numerous examples of women coming forward to assert their identity and are shining.

            She has been created by God with certain purpose and accordingly endowed with abilities and capacities. She has a compassionate heart with immense patience. Mother Teresa is one of the best examples of how a woman can feel for the suffering humanity. The present president of our country stands as in icon to indicate to the women of our country, that nothing is impossible for a woman that is possible for a man. Kiran Bedi, Medha Patekar, and several other ladies with “iron will” give a strong message that women have the aptitude not only to change somebody’s life but can give a new direction to society. With all the inimitable qualities possessed by a woman one would admiringly say ‘women you are blest.”

- 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

A Visit to the Monument of Love

(11-02-2010 to 14-02-2010)

        Only God’s love is eternal. No human beings can make their love eternal whatever way they try to do so. However when one comes across the Tajmahal of Agra, one is tempted to think that even human beings have a desire to make their love eternal even they don’t exist eternally. Tajmahal simply keeps the love story of Mumtaj and Shajahn ever alive.

           Though I was born hardly 80 km. away from this monument of love, but whenever I visit it, it gives me always a new insight and new meaning about love. This was a coincidence that we were there on the eve of the Valentine’s Day and what more special can be on this occasion than to be near the world known monument of love. Though our train was late by four hours but our enthusiasm and excitement was not reduced. We stepped down at Agra Cant station at 8:30 in the morning. The bus was ready to receive us. Straight we headed to the Pastoral center of Agra situated at Wazirpura road. There we were fascinated to see the old church built by the emperor Akbar around 600 years back. It is known as Akbar’s Church. After quick breakfast we moved to the great monument. Since we were quite early so we didn’t have to stand in log queue. Each time I go to Taj I find the number of visitors increasing. Everyday is like a festival there. We see people of different languages, different countries, different cultures all together different background. Seeing such a scene one can with ultimate firmness say that love knows no boundaries. All admire it.

           After exploring this beauty we moved on to another beautiful monument the Red Fort. We got a guide here to explain things about it. He told us many things and very interesting to know. After seeing the Red Fort, we came back and had our lunch and immediately moved to Fatehpur Sikri. It is another monument about 40 km away from Agra. It is actually the tomb of a Sufi sage Chisti. Here also people from all faiths come. It was here that Akbar built a mosque, a church and a gurudwara. It was here that he founded an ideal religion known as deen-e-elahi, a mixture of all the prominent religions of India. It is said whoever makes a wish wholeheartedly on this tomb, it is always granted. But those who have direct contact with God don’t need a mediator. After seeing this historical place we came back, had our supper and moved to the railway station. Indeed it was a memorable tour.

- B. Johnson Maria

Looking through the "Third Eye"

Concern of Every Individual

Central Chronicle Feb. 09, 2010.

Also in Free Press "Weekend" issue, Feb 21, 2010

                 All the created things, animate or inanimate, vegetative or aquatic or belonging to any form or category are interdependent on each other for their existence and subsistence. They directly or indirectly contribute to the growth and co-existence of others on this planet. All play their roles to keep this nature and environment in equilibrium. These facts we learn at our primary schools and are very much familiar with it. But the fact worth-noting here is that we, as human beings don’t apprehend the grade of responsibility that falls on us towards the wellbeing of the nature. Many great heads and organizations talk a lot on this issue trying to draw attention to the plea of the nature. There are also organizations and individuals who take concrete steps to do something concretely for the health of the nature but their contribution is like mite of the poor widow in the donation box.

               The Holy Bible says, ‘God created everything and saw that everything was good and beautiful, and at the end He took a little clay and formed the man (representing all human beings) and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. God gave man the dominion over whole of His creation and asked him to be the ‘steward’ to take care of the creation. He put man in the Garden of Eden. But man disobeyed God and faced the consequences.’ Even today human beings disobey the Creator and heartlessly exploit the creation and off course unaware of the repercussions. The frequently occurring natural calamities and disasters remind us of our responsibility towards nature but perhaps we think it to be the job of the experts and environmentalists and not of every individual. The truth is that every one of us individually is responsible to protect the environment and ensure healthy existence of humanity and other species of beings.

         According to Indian spirituality we are made of five elements namely earth, water, fire, wind and sky which are also five elements actually present in the nature. Alternatively, one can say that we are created out of nature thus our very existence is because of the nature. So when there is imbalance in the nature, will not be our existence in danger? Is it not our own responsibility to take care of the nature, to ensure our own existence? If the earth is polluted, the air remains no more pure and the water becomes noxious with chemicals and turned into undrinkable, can we still expect a pure and healthy human race?

             Apart form physical crisis; there will be also spiritual and religious crisis. Man claims to be rational, spiritual and wisest among the creation, but from where do we get this wisdom? We have Vedas and great epics containing wisdom handed down to generations. But remember this wisdom was the outcome of the deep contemplation and reflection of the ancient sages who sought it amidst the nature. Our religious sense and civilization have their origin in the nature. If there will be no trees and forests, will the spiritual seekers seek wisdom and peace on the busy crossroads? What do we have in stock to pass on to the coming generations, the looted nature? God dwells in the nature, we know it well. If the nature is destroyed then where do we stand?

- B. Johnson Maria

The author can be contacted at

johnsongwlr@gmail.com

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