Dreams or Duty

In our younger days we have an affinity for the impossible. The aspirations run high. Dreams fuel us to the sky. Some Dream of becoming Famous, some want to be Rich  while some rare ones wish to create History.

Moving ahead in life, some fumble, some are unfortunate to confront major challenges, laziness capture a few while some just derail from their journey.

Responsibility of our family. How important is this?
Taking care of our aging parents, sacrificing for our siblings, going for whatever is necessary rather than our aspirations.

Dream or Duty? 

Could we accept the conditions and fulfil what is expected of us rather than going for what is liked by us?

Duty is for others, Dreams are for us.
Can we align our Dreams with our duty?

For me, Duty is my priority, always. 
Dreams can wait. 

Fear or Dream

I have an opportunity in life. I have to take a decision. What will be the basis of taking the decision, fear or dreams.

Is it a compulsion or is it my aspiration? 

Am I forced to do it or by doing it I feel energised.

Fear makes me insecure.
Fear makes me alert.
Fear keeps me grounded.
Fear induces me to get into the details.

Dreams encourages me to go for the impossible.
Dreams makes me innovative.
Dreams gets me to touch the sky.
Dream induces me to go for speed. 

It's time to take a decision. 

For creating history, I will Dream.
For achieving the decided goal, Fear will be my anchor.

The Message or the Messenger

Buddha’s Message

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Jesus Message

For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul? 

Krishna’s Message

Hell has three entries- greed, anger and lust.

The Message or the Messenger, what should it be?

We tend to worship the Messenger and forget the Message. 

In a relation, should the focus be on ‘what’ was the reason for the failure or ‘who’ created the failure. 

‘What’ has seeds of improvement. 

‘Who’ has the stink of ego. 

‘What’ has the beginning of progress.

‘Who’ has the beginning of the end.

‘What’ will lead towards enrichment of a relationship. 

‘Who’ will spoil the existing beautiful chemistry. 

Professionalism seeks ‘What’.

Emotion blames it on ‘Who’. 

In all my failures in life, let me seek the ‘What’ and get into the highway of improvement, progress and enrichment of relations. 

‘Who’ is a non entity for me. 

What about you?

Acceptance and Expectance

ReBirth Foundation, an NGO working for Organ Donation awareness, organises various Events as a part of the awareness exercise. 

One of the it's signature Event is 'Green Corridor', a short film competition on Organ Donation.

This year, in Season 3, we have had a couple of Participants whose movies got disqualified due to different reasons. This got them so worked up that they were ready to go to any lengths to prove the Juries as to how their film are worth the competition. We could feel the pain in them. But, at the same time it was perfectly justified to avoid a film which gives a wrong message. 

Expectations from the film makers due to the efforts they had put in was huge and acceptance from them that the Juries decision was right could not happen. 

In the process a lot of emotional drama got involved.

This got me pondering on Acceptance and Expectance.

Due to expectations from loved ones, non fulfilment hurts me.

Should I let go and follow acceptance or should I make them aware of my expectations from them and warn them against it next time.

I came to the following conclusion.

My fitness, my son's career, daughter's independence, the quality of performance at my workplace, does not have a substitute. Hence Expectance is right and Acceptance is not the answer.

My wife's nature totally opposite to me, my colleagues misunderstanding me, my friends negatively commenting to tease, may always be tolerated. 

Acceptance will be followed and Expectance will not be practiced.

In other words, 

Expectance for Principles, future implications, quality, goals in life.

Acceptance for ego, emotions, relationships.

I pray to god to give me strength to Accept and will to Expect and Intellect to know the difference. 

Anticipate

In death overs, a batsman anticipates a fast bowler to bowl a Yorker or a 'slower one'.
In Valentine's day, a florist anticipates a large quantity of sale of Rose.
On the night of December 31st, a driver anticipates drunken driving all around.
An examination well written makes the student anticipate full marks.
A surgical strike makes the nation anticipate retaliatory action from the enemy.

The whole idea behind Information Technology is anticipation. 

How good is this quality to 'anticipate'?

It gives me time to prepare, plan and perform to the best of my ability.
It helps me to respond rather than react.

But when do I anticipate?

If I myself have an experience.
If an experienced person advises me.
Sometimes it's just a case of my sixth sense!

Along with the positive attributes of patience, love, empathy, common sense, being responsible, compassion, composure, I will also have necessarily the ability to ANTICIPATE. 

Arunachal Cycling

'The land of the rising sun', Japan may be described by this phrase but for India Arunachal Pradesh gives us the experience of sun which no where else will. Typically, early morning, the valleys are filled with fog. We can hardly make out depth of the land. As the sun rises it casts a magic on this fog for us to witness a beautiful combination of a valley surrounded by mountains all over, the fog sort of trapped inside this bowl with sun teasing it and partly allowing it to escape and partly locking it over the land. It's an indescribable moment to behold.

This is the reason why I want to cycle in the North Eastern States of India every year. Nature appears to retain God's creation in these Mountains and valleys and rivers and skies and trees and birds and believe it or not the humans too. The honesty, sincerity, the soft attitude of people all around makes us forget our own brashness of city life and yearn to gel into this gods own place.

Our journey started from Balukpong to proceed to Jamiri, Bomdila, Dirang, Senge, Jang and finally to Tawang. 300 km stretch with an elevation gain of 17000 m satisfied all the hunger of Mountain Cycling. Each place was different, each route was unique. The Indian Military have a strong presence all along but the beautiful thing to experience for us was the warm attitude of the army offering tea, hot drinking water, place to stay and in an incidence even saving us from life threatening cold. Salutes to these noble souls. 
All the places had 'Bukhari' which used to keep the room warm and us alive. 'Dam Dum' a poisonous variety of fly left their marks in two of us who unknowingly wore cycling shorts with the legs exposed to these dangerous insects.

Tukaram Naik, Amit Varde, Mitraji Naik, Nilesh Jakhotia, Abhay Dhumal, Ramakant Zanwar and Amit Mulay along with your truly were the lucky voyagers who could experience this heavenly journey. 

My Vipasana for 2018 was complete in Arunachal. The mind refreshed and raring to go on the return journey. 

Arguments

Arguments disturb me. At the end of it I feel restless, angered, irritated, frustrated and violent at the same time.

The simple solution to this is I should avoid arguing. 

But, what happens when,

a. Expectations are not met with.

b. Rules are not followed.

c. Ego (other's or mine) gets hurt.

d. Concern for loved ones.

e. History of misunderstandings

f. Unreasonable demands

g. Preconceived plots.

Do I React or do I Respond?

Isn't it possible to avoid the situations beforehand? 

Let me meditate.

Take a deep breath.

Practice Pranayam.

Just when I feel like reacting, hold for a second.

I will respond. I will explain. I will make my loved one see reason or as a last resort I will keep quite. 

But...... I will not argue! 

Period!