No luxury to worry about the heat

 This year's summer has been extremely hot!  The worst prolonged hot days, ever!  Nonetheless, life goes on. We all adapt and carry on.  

Often I've thought and in the house spoken about the poor people who work, out in the open.  Being inside the building and barely stepping outside, we feel cooked. What about those poor people slogging it out, eking their living out in the open, under the direct sun. However, there too, life goes on.  We grin and bear (and burn!). 

The following quote from one poor lady in Madhya Pradesh, (as reported by the BBC website) about the Indian summer sums up the reality of Indian life, especially that of the poor: 

Poor people don't have the luxury of worrying about the heat.

Most of us Indians, have greater adaptation and endurance capacity than other world citizens.  We adapt.  More out of necessity than choice.  

Religious dichotomy

 In the movie The Shawshank Redemption, Andy in one of his conversations with Red, makes this powerful statement, which once in a while I recollect. 

The context which reminds me of this statement is the kind of life some of us religious live.  Most often, our parents and siblings live a much holier life than us who profess to God and His people to live a life of poverty, obedience and chastity.  It is not a comparison that I am most concerned with. Rather it is the life we choose to live vs the life we profess to live.  The widening gap is often so wide that everyone except the one living it sees the incongruency. 

And this decline does not happen all of a sudden.  The foundation for religious life is often laid in the novitiate.  However, some never bother to lay that foundation, even after ordination. These drifters, even if guided by human values - leave alone divine or spiritual values - will still do good. However, often the case is that such anchorless persons only make use of everything - even God - for their own private agenda.  

Stories and intelligence

 

Definition of sanctity

Perhaps the best definition of sanctity is what was said by St Francis de Sales: 

Doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way!

For us Salesians and for our young people, I don't think there can be a better way of putting across the notion of sanctity than this. 

Meaning of success

 Some interesting quotes from Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Kind," said the boy.

 

"What do you think success is?" asked the boy. 

"To love," said the mole. 

 

"What do you think is the biggest waste of time?"

"Comparing yourself to others," said the mole. 

 

"One of the greatest freedoms is how we react to things"

 

"Often the hardest person to forgive is yourself."

Don't chase the butterfly

 Inspirational thought for the day... 

Silence and Listening

The two words silent and listen have the exact same number of alphabet and the same alphabet too.  Just a different order.

Both are so related that one is not possible without the other.  In order to listen, we need to be silent.  And silence comes as a discipline of listening.  One does not exist without the other.  Either both are present together or both are absent.

And the best part is although it is a discipline, it is in letting go that one truly masters this art.  You win by letting go.  The more one forces oneself to achieve it, the more distant they seem.  Weird, but true.

Making gods

The exciting task of making someone or something into a god is perhaps the most laziest and surest way of not making any effort ourselves in that sphere of life.  It is the same when we extol someone or praise someone so highly that we invest all our time and attention in doing so.  Rather than emulate and see how we can replicate their efforts and do the same for others, we satisfy ourselves and settle for the LCD - 'least common denominator'. 

While appreciating someone or praising someone for their valiant efforts or achievements is indeed a noble virtue, it is no excuse or replacement for not attempting to do likewise.  Merely putting someone on the pedestal and not doing anything to continue the good initiated by them, is not any worthwhile endeavour.

In the first reading of the day, from the Acts, we see Paul and Barnabas struggling to convince people that they are ordinary human beings.  Enamoured by their miracle, the people attempt to deify them.  Exactly something we do with our onscreen heroes and real life activists.  We glorify them and their acts, but do little to make the same effort ourselves. 

Irrationality

Irrationality - as a middle ground between rationality and nonsense.  A lost space (thanks primarily to the Enlightenment era and Cartesian dualism).  A sort of fluid ground, not utterly rational and logical, yet real and influential. 

What then distinguishes it from nonsense? 
Its ability to influence and deeply affect matters of life and thought. 

My claim:
Irrationality is an unaccepted and often rejected notion in language and meaning that needs actually to be given space for operation, if language is to make sense.  However, cannot make it into a rule, that would then make it rational - lose its very identity.  Not saying irrationality is a must; but saying that its presence and influence has to be accepted and acknowledged.

Primary argument/evidence:
Without giving space for irrationality, language becomes fossilized.  There is no scope for further emergence of meaning. The existence of this dynamism which cannot be explained by all the rules put together, is evidence enough to state that there is some other force, besides the agreed and accepted rules and norms, at play. 

Listen

It's been a while since I've paid attention... it has been mostly self-talking and self-hearing!  

Intuition and reason

In the tussle between the rational mind and the intuitive mind, it is the former that often wins - not because that is better than the latter, but because it is most often sought after and respected.  The intuitive mind, is not negated, but not sufficiently respected!  Intuition does not follow the logic and pattern of the rational thought.  Neither are proofs for an intuition, often considered rational.  Left to defend its own ideas, the intuitive mind does not argue.  It feels!  That's where it 'loses' to the 'thinking' mind!  This is the case not just in academia, but  in life as a whole!  However, intuition is not a substitute to reason; but it surely does complement it!  

Coming from Albert Einstein, there has to be some truth in this observation!  

The closed door

The gospel of the day begins with the scene of the closed doors.  The disciples, afraid of the Jews, are behind closed doors.  The scene then turns to Jesus appearing to them and the display of his wounds to them. 

I have another version of this whole episode.  Most the disciples, for fear, chose to stay behind the closed doors.  Only a few dared go out and attempt to do the good they could.  Their reasoning: If we, as the closest to Jesus feel so distraught, how much more will those who felt close to Jesus but did not have the privilege of knowing him as intimately as we did, feel. 

So they dared out to seek those confused and frightened, just as they themselves, and offer the little consolation they could.  Perhaps, in strengthening them, they would be strengthened themselves.  Moreover they knew well that Jesus would have done the same.  So they ventured out, not overcoming their fear, but in spite of their fears!  They chose to risk the open, rather than let fear feed on them within closed doors.   

In the meantime, Jesus appears to those huddled indoors.  And after a while when those few who had gone out return, those who saw the risen Lord narrate all that happened to them.  And as they narrate the conversation they had with Jesus, they particularly get enlightened about the words of Jesus, "Blessed are those who have not seen, but yet believe!"  Those who had dared out then narrate how they were strengthened as they spend time with others similarly distraught and confused.  Without seeing the tongues of fire, they too had received the Holy Spirit!  

Some truth...

Philosophy and wisdom

If philosophy is the love or study of wisdom, then by that logic philosophers should be the most wise people on earth.  Now that statement can be treated more as a joke than a reality!  Why the lacuna between study of wisdom and being wise? 

I think the chasm lies in the fact that most philosophers get embroiled with logic, arguments, reasoning and reading, it is purely at the intellectual level.  In life, these hardly make an impact.  When these do not percolate my convictions, principles, values and day-to-day decisions of life, how would it make impact others, leave along the society at large?  Wisdom comes from letting these ideas and theories being worked out in real life, with real people and relations. Not merely in the abstract world of ideas and thoughts.  In that sense, I still hold that my Mum is a more wise person than I, in spite of my years of study of philosophy!

I agree that reading and thinking and philosophising helps.  But wisdom comes from living life, not merely reading about life or thinking about life.  We become wise engaging with real life-situations and people - the more challenging and complex these are, the better the possibility of we growing wise.  Reading and thinking and engaging in an intellectual debate (however intense) are safe bets - not life-altering.  Real life situations and the challenges they throw up, demand radical decisions and careful consideration.  That's the route to wisdom. 

Truth-seekers

Believe those who seek the truth, doubt those who find it.

Andre Gide, Ainsi-soit-il (1952)

Natural to help

Are we human beings, by nature, selfish or altruistic?  Naturally do we tend towards being individualistic or communitarian?  Philosophy and sociology offer enough reasons, theories and arguments for both sides. 

In my opinion, one of the basic deciding factors in answering that question lies in answering the preliminary question: What is the purpose of human life?  If we begin by answering that question, that sets the tenor and direction of the answer to the initial question.  No doubt, we have both these tendencies: towards good and evil.  But we, by our very nature, are essentially good and therefore tend towards wellbeing of all, rather than be consistent on a purely egoistic track.  And my answer to the main question, about the purpose of human life, is 'to be happy'.  And for me happiness is more than mere joy or cheerfulness - they are only offshoots of the former.  It is a basically a deep sense of contentment and serenity.  A sort of balance and equanimity that one feels, even if one is plagued by a hundred challenges and failures.  And this cannot be achieved in isolation.  In line with this, I agree with Pope Francis' words:

Rivers do not drink their own water; the trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine to itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.  Living for others is a rule of nature.  We are all born to help each other.  No matter how difficult it is... Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.

God, nature and me

When it comes to living our faith and understanding spirituality, we can very easily be viewing it from a two-dimensional perspective: God and me.  While in a sense, this is true, it is not complete.  Our deep rooted Christian faith, our personal spirituality, can never be complete without the third dimension of the rest of creation - nature.  Perhaps, even to say that the often forgotten third dimension of 'the other' is people, is incomplete.  It is not just people that make up the rest of everything; there is the environment, nature, that actually makes up the 'rest of everything'.  In short, there is God, nature and me.  That's the complete inclusive reality. 

Faith is not just to see Jesus, it is to see with the eyes of Jesus.  (Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei 18)

So, there is Jesus, myself and that what I'm invited to see with Jesus' eyes.   

Nothing called 'waste' or 'away'

Yesterday at Egham Hythe for the blood donation session, I carried with me the plastic cup I had picked up during the previous session, four months ago.  The plastic cup has been on my side table, used now and then for drinking water - when I decide to kill time leisurely!

When I arrived at the session to inform of my arrival, the young man there checked my form and then asked me to take a seat and have a drink.  And when he saw the plastic cup in my hand, he said, "Oh, I see you already picked up a drink." And I told him, "That's from the previous session! I didn't throw it away."  At first, he looked a bit puzzled, but when he understood, he beamed broadly and said, "Great!"

I still have the cup with me.  I think it's going to stay and be used for a while!  

Gratitude

Thinking about thankfulness and gratitude, the theme of the Gospel tomorrow, where Jesus cures the ten lepers and only one returns to thank him, I remembered reading an article recently about how gratitude adds value to life. 

However, even at the end of the article, I still did not see what different or 'scientific' was the whole argument about.  It was like stating what we already know - or is it?  The article (found on Aeon) basically argued for gratitude to be the simplest way to lead a life of well-being, primarily also because gratitude leads one to grow in other virtues. 

NJlifehacks

I think there is basically - more in India than here in the West - a sense of entitlement.  That one is entitled to what one receives;  and for what one is entitled to one need not go about being grateful to others, certainly not to the ones 'below' us! And for those we pay, they are not doing us a favour.  They are getting paid for it, so why 'thank' them?  But the whole notion of gratitude is not about justice or balance.  It is not as if to set right the equation, that one thanks.  Basically gratitude is an attitude, not a means we use to level off trade or equations.  And the best thing about gratitude: there are no adverse side-effects, only further advantages! 

Cicero did have a point when he stated:

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, it is the parent of all others.

Reputation and honour

Quote for the day:

Reputation is what other people know about you. Honour is what you know about yourself.  Guard your honour.  Let your reputation fall where it will. 

Lois McMaster Bujold, novelist, A Civil Campaign (1999).