Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Introspection - my perception


Introspection – my perception
Although revolutions are of various types like political, economic, industrial, scientific, artistic, the “human revolution” is, I believe, the most fundamental and most vital of all revolutions. Why so? No matter how external factors change, the world will never get better as long as people remain selfish and apathetic.

An inner change for the better in a single person is the essential first turn of the wheel in the process of making the human race stronger and wiser. This revolution - an inner process of self-reformation - can only occur as a byproduct of introspection. So, what exactly is introspection? Introspection is the tendency or ability to indulge in the act of looking within oneself and focusing on mental experiences such as sensations or feelings and examine one's examining ones conscious mental states and thinking processes, etc. This soul-searching, self-examination is a fantastic revolution since it is not only completely bloodless but peaceful, too where everyone, at the end, emerges a winner. The next natural question is why is introspection valuable? Introspection permits a regular check on self development and helps us to analyze what we have achieved so far and thereby modify ourselves at critical junctures to realize our goals. Introspection allows us to self- reflect, to assess our state of mind, understanding of the situation, and the planned course of action.

The introspective ability is an essential balance to our free will, allowing us the opportunity to check our thoughts and plans and thus to be responsible for them. After all, life is a struggle with ourselves; a tug-of-war between treading the tough and slipping smooth across terrains of temptations. The real issue is to change for the better rather than the worse and whether or not we succeed in enlarging our narrow, self-centred focus to take a broader view is directly proportionate to our introspection ability. Getting better to be positively engaged with others turns us into better and more disciplined people. The happiness we create as individuals, and the strong bonds we create with each other, result in the happiness of all mankind. Transforming our own lives at the most fundamental level actually holds the key to changing society. A deep change in our outlook, the inner reality of our life, produces changes in the external workings of our life, in other people, and our community. I firmly believe that a great human revolution in just a single individual can help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and enable a change in all humankind. After all, we live in an ever-expanding, unlimited Universe where the possibilities available to us are far beyond what our human minds can imagine. The only thing that ever limits us is our thinking. Our thoughts are so precious. Every thought we think is creating our future. Every thought! The rewaring outcome of such introspection is that we get to watch our lives turn into the most joyous, loving, healthy, prosperous, fabulous experiences that will last for all the rest of our days. So train yourself to Introspect and correct! This will enrich your life and only make you feel good.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

As my idle mind ruminates


As my idle mind ruminates
An idle mind is not always a home for fertile imagination but weird thoughts. And, I stick to this thinking because it is what I believe in. Since nowadays, I’m busy most of the time; my mind wanders off to all imaginable and unimaginable events and places, at the easiest opportunity. I was thinking to myself, what if I could time travel to the past, where would I go, and what would I do?

My first stop would be to meet and discuss life with Ashoka the great; because I sincerely feel that introspection is one of the biggest strengths of any person. The fact that he did introspect, stop killing and offer penance is, according to me, one of the greatest acts of any blood seeking, kingdom expanding monarch.

The next stop definitely has to be India during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, how the hell did he manage to shift the entire population from Delhi to Daulatabad and back to Delhi again.

I would then head off to the midnight of August 14th 1947, to hear Pandit Nehru, give his famous ” Tryst with Destiny”  speech, to see India awaken to its freedom.  I would then happily join Martin Luther King as he inspires the world with his “I have a dream.”.the Wild West, an era that fascinates me till no end.

I would then travel through the mountains and valleys as the British did on the good old days when traffic was less and crowds were in the plains only. What a life I would lead as I would then be making a stop to the life of a benevolent, Bengalee zamindar who does nothing but attend famous parties, go for hunting rides and look for a rich life of great foods. As I visualize all this, and have just reached the 21st century; the cell phone rings getting my feet back to terra firma. Sometimes I hate these modern wonders, I could have gone on and on. Well, maybe next time!