Contemporary human values in a materialistic society

I am not the only one. All of us are dazed, amazed and confused!!! It is a common topic for discussions across the world. People discuss this over tea tables, lunch meets, dinner and almost anywhere and everwhere. I am concerned...Where are we heading? Where are human values heading? What is happening to the world? Why is the social code degenerating so fast? What will be the value system of the generation next? and next? and next? Who is responsible for maintaining the decorum of the society? As usual I have more questions and no answers?

I am thinking aloud for a minute. Where is the starting point for all this?As a society where are we learning from? (At this stage I am not questioning what are we learning?)What is influencing my ideas, knowledge, behaviour and values? Are these influences the culprits? Let us try and analyse them. Here I am speaking purely from my own experiences. In a decreasing order of importance most of the stimuli comes from the Television, Print media (News paper, very little from magazines), My office environment, Home or family, Colleagues/friends, Books, Internet, Radio, Internet, Products and services available in the market. It is directly proportional to the time spent on that activity/in that environment.

Am I aware of these stimuli which is reaching me without my knowledge? Not really. With each passing day there is garbage being pumped into my mind/life. I am absorbing all of it. Some I keep some I discard. So much of all this trash is reaching me that I need a higher processing capability to sort out these stimuli. So instead of spending time and sorting out these stimuli, I let them remain. And so the garbage stays. My mind has become a cockatil of tons of useless information. Television is a mixed bag! Print media is a mixed confused bag of information. Advertisments give confused messages. Society is disconnected from entertainmnet and media. The western concept of Marketing has completely taken over life. All mass communication is exxaggeration, misleading and incorrect. There are too many unwanted magazines on the stands...There is just toooo much of information.

It is time for the society to clean up. Clean up and minimise. It is time for the society to move back to a spartan life. Minimise our material possessions, minimise our activities that fill the day, consolidate human existence, consolidate society and relationships. It is time for each one of us who constitute the society to look in. We are all being driven by the external world. Life like a car is driven inside-out and not outside-in. It is time to spend some quality time inside ourselves. The answers lie within us.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

It is my birthday today. One more year gone past. Does one look forward or back ward? Certainly forward. But there are learning's from the past, and events and associations and feelings and so many moments of life which one wants to cherish. So birthday is a mixed bag of feelings. Of the days gone past which will never come back and the future...the unknown, what lies ahead in life.

For me it is a day to enjoy myself with the family-parents, brother and husband. I owe my being alive, and whatevere I am to my family. For the constant love and caring they have shown. For their courage and support. God has given me life for which I am very greatful to him, but family has given me an identity.

I don't beleive in making resolutions. One does not have to wait for a birthday or a newyear to change what is not correct in one's life.

I owe it to myself to constantly improve my self, my life and keep myself happy. My happiness is my responsibility. If anyone else adds to it I am greatful to him/her. If anyone subtracts from happiness/makes me unhappy I forgive the person. This attitude helps me keep a balanced outlook to life. On my birthday I am filled with a deep sense of gratitide to the Universe for my existence.

An attitude of gratitude is what I ask of God. My birthday present from God....Pleaseee bring peace to the world and tons of happiess and health to all.

What is...will not be

That is the true nature of our Universe. What is ...will one day not be. This law applies to all the constituents of the Universe. Everything changes form, it has to change form. The bright Sun we see today, will become cold and die away thousands of years from now. Stars die and so do living creatures. Chal (moving, free) beings die; achal (fixed) things such as trees, earth and mountains too die. Dying here refers to ceasing to exist in the same form. If all the things in the world are changing constantly or dying, then why are we human beings so scared of death? Or is it that over thousands of years, the religious gurus have instilled a fear of death in our minds. They have created a non-ending business out of death. Is death something to be really feared? Or is it just a natural process or a change? Is there anything after death? Another life...a heaven...a hell ??? The religious pandas have created many rituals after death which innocent people keep following. Out of the fear that something will happen. There are no religious rituals done when an animal or a tree dies? The why has human death been turned into such a big business? And a perennial one too. According to Hindu philosophy, the human body is made up of Panchtatv (Earth, Fire, Water, Space and Air). Our mortal remains go back to the Panchtatv. Nothing remains after death. It is a full stop. Human death is as natural a process as the death of any other being in the Universe. Accepting death as a natural process or transformation from one form to another, frees our mind of fear.

Shubh Deepavali

Deepavali is an Indian festival, celebrated by the Hindu's. It is also extremely popular as the festival of lights all over the Asian sub-continent. According to the Hindu calendar, Deepavali falls on Kartik Amavasya usually in October or November. It symbolises the victory of good over bad. According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Ram and his wife Sita returned home after 14 years of exile.

Deepavali means loads of activities which start almost a month before. It is a good time for all the families to clean their homes, plan for the sweets, clothes and other shopping!!!

On Deepavali day, all are decked in new clothes and there is a lot of excitement in the air. Night time is for lighting the oil lamps, candles, bursting crackers and the traditional Lakshmi Puja followed by a round of gambling (it is considered auspicious). I particularly like decorating the main entrance of my house with colourful Rangloi made of flowers and dry colours.

People say that things change as we grow old. But for me the excitement, enthusiasm and fun during Deepavali has remained unchanged. I eagerly look forward to it every year and feel the blues when Deepavali is over. It suddenly feels like...ohhh ...one more long year to wait for the next Deepavali!!!! Wishing everyone a fun-filled, happy and prosperous Diwali.

Karma

THE DOCTRINE OF KARMA AS DEFINED IN VEDANTA

Connected to Hindu ethics is the Doctrine of Karma or the Doctrine of Cause and Effect. According to this doctrine, good deeds done on earth bring good results and bad deeds bad results. Suffering and enjoyment in this life or hereafter are caused by one’s bad and good deeds, or Karma, done in the past. God is not responsible for one’s suffering or enjoyment.

Simple yet profound. And yet if it is so simple, why doesn't masses of humanity believe in it? Or is it just a sales pitch given by the early scholars to sell religion? There are no answers.

Lord Buddha in his state of meditation went into a deep trance and narrated his various births. These stories are know as the Jatak Tales. In acute agony during his meditation, Lord Buddha groaned...."where is the freedom? Where is the freedom from Karma?". I shudder when ever I think of his statement. If Lord Buddha could not free himself of Karma, what am I? A mere ignorant soul. There is no freedom from Karma!!!

Who decides what is a good or bad Karma? Nobody. It is the conscience (niti) and the consequence that seperates the good from the bad. Arjun on the battle field of Kurukshetra asked Lord Krishna, "All these are my relatives. How can I fight them? How can I kill them?". In answer to his question, Lord Krishna said, "You are a king. A ruler. Your first responsibility is towards your people. Each one of us is born with a niyat (inherent) karma. To kill his prey is the niyat Karma of a Lion. It is not good or bad. It is just his Karma. To protect and nurture a baby is the niyat Karma of a mother. There is nothing good or bad in it. Hence to protect your Kingdom from these people is your duty. It is your Karma".

Arjun followed his Guru, Lord Krishna and did what he was told to do. But what has happened to all of us? Why has the World forgotten this doctrine of Karma? Why are we so insensitive to the consequences of our own actions. The law of Karma says it all comes back to you. The good and the bad.

Hugh Prather has written in his book,'Notes to myself', "People connect my actions with the results. They are unable to judge my actions in isolation of the results. But at this moment I must act, because at this moment I don't know of the results."