SOME QUOTES ABOUT YOUTH

 

 

                   SOME QUOTES ABOUT YOUTH

By youth is meant young men and young women. The United  Nations , for statistical purposes, defines ‘youth’ as those persons between the ages 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States. This is not a satisfactory definition.   

Youth ends when middle age begins from around 45 to around 65 years.

          Youthful  persons are strong, tireless, brave, progressive, revolutionary, inventive, open-minded, friendly and affectionate. They continue to learn and update their knowledge and skills. They believe in social change, not  in status quo.

            Here are some inspiring quotes about youth.

            1. Youth is the opportunity to do something and to become somebody. ---T.T.Munger, American clergy (1830-1910)  

            2.  Youth is the season of hope, enterprise, energy, to a nation as well as an individual. ----W. R. William, American clergy (1804-85).

3. The strength and safety of a community consists in the virtue and intelligence of its youth, especially of its young men. ----J. Hawes, English divine (1838-1906).

            4. Keep true to the dreams of thy youth, ---Schiller, German poet (1759-18050).

            5. Youth is a continual intoxication; it is the fever of reason. ---Rochefoucauld, French courtier and moralist (1647-80).

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G.R.Kanwal

29 February 2024

 

JOSEPH MAZZINI’S VIEWS ABOUT WOMEN

 

JOSEPH  MAZZINI’S VIEWS ABOUT WOMEN

Joseph Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary . He was born in Genoa in 1805. He organized a new political party called Young Italy.  In 1837 he settled in London and continued to participate in revolutionary movements throughout his life. He died at Pisa in 1872.

Mazzini wrote a book titled ‘The Duties OF  MAN AND OTHER ESSAYS. It was first  published by J.M.Dent & Sons in 1907. I happened to start reading this book a few days ago  and in a chapter entitled ‘‘Duties To The Family”, came across a few lines about women which I am sharing here below.

The angel of the family is woman. Mother, wife, or sister, woman is the caress of life, the soothing sweetness of affection shed over its toils, a reflection for the individual of the living providence which watches over Humanity. In her there is treasure enough of consoling tenderness to allay every pain. Moreover for every one of us she is initiator of the future. The mother’s first kiss teaches the child love; the first holy kiss of the woman he loves teaches man hope and faith in life; and love and faith create a desire for perfection and the power reaching towards it step by step; create the future, in short, of which the living symbol is the child, link between us and the generations to come. Through her the Family, with its divine mystery of reproduction, points to Eternity.     

                        Hold the Family sacred ,then, O my brothers.

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G.R.Kanwal

27 February 2024       

 

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD

 

                SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD

Personally speaking it is impossible to conceive  a perfect definition of God.  He is totally indefinable. Whatever definitions have been given by saints and sager, seers and philosophers do not satisfy us thoroughly. God still remains undefined and his universe a constant riddle.

            There are innumerable names of God:  Allah. The Almighty, Almighty God, The Creator, Divine Being, The Deity, The Eternal, Khuda, Ishwar, Bhagwan, Brahma, Prime Mover, The Supreme Being,  Lord of Lords,  etc.

               Given below are some deep thoughts about God.

1.This is one of the names which we give to that eternal, infinite, and incomprehensible being, the creator of all things, who preserves and governs everything by his almighty powers and wisdom, and who is the only object of our worship.

2. In all his dispensations, God is at work for our good. ---In prosperity he tries our gratitude; in mediocrity, our contentment; in misfortune, our submission; in darkness, our faith; under temptation; our steadfastness; and at all times, our obedience and trust in him.   

3. To escape from evil we must be made, as far as possible, like God; and this  resemblance consists in becoming just, and holy, and wise. ---- Plato, a  Greek philosopher.

            Some qualities of God are immortal ,  Immutable, omnipresent,  just, generous, merciful, non-physical, truthful, good, holy, etc.

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G.R.Kanwal

23 February 2024  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOME VIEWS ABOUT KINDNESS

 

                SOME VIEWS ABOUT KINDNESS

‘Kindness’ is defined as generosity, charity, warm-heartedness, etc. A kind person is nice, gentle, polite, decent, helpful, considerate, friendly, gentle, agreeable, affectionate, lenient, favourable, good, nice, and void of every type of harshness.

            Here are some famous quotations on kindness:-

1.     Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together.--- German poet-philosopher Goethe.

2.     The drying up a single tear, has more of honest fame, than shedding seas of gore.---- English poet Lord Byron.

3.     Kind looks, kind words, kind acts, and warm handshakes -----these are secondary means of grace when men are in trouble and are fighting their unseen battles.-----Former United States Representative.

4.     A kind heart is a fountain of gladness ,making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. -----American writer Washington Irwing

5.     Kindness is the language the dumb can speak, and the deaf can hear and understand.----American writer Christian Nestel Bovee.

6.     The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. ----English poet William Wordsworth.

Finally, remember at every moment of your life that kindness breeds kindness.

 

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G.R.Kanwal

19 February 2024

EQUALITY

 

 

 

                                       EQUALITY

Equality is defined as parity, similarity, uniformity, evenness, sameness , etc. Equality before law has no exception. All humans are said to be equal but they are not. Some are superior to others. Moreover, all humans are not born with the same fate. Only a few are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Most of the children are born of poor parents. Whether poverty is God-made or man-made is a disputable question. Had it been God-made, it wouldn’t have been there.  Economic differences are man-made. They are due to socio-political laws.

            Given below are some general views  about equality.

1.All men are by nature equal, made, all, of the same earth by the same Creator, and however we deceive ourselves , as dear to God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.

2.It is not true that equality is a law of nature.---Nature has no equality---Its sovereign law is subordination and dependence.  

3. Some must follow, and some command, though all are made of clay.

4. Men are by nature unequal. It is vain, therefore, to treat them as if they were equal.

5, So far is it from being true that men are naturally equal, that no two people can be half an hour together but one shall acquire an evident superiority over the other.

                                                            ******

G.R.Kanwal

18 February 2024

 

 

 

PLACES OF WORSHIP

 

          PLACES OF WORSHIP

 

Worship of God consists of prayer, gratitude, respect, homage , devotion , adoration, etc. For these activities people do not need special places of worship because God is everywhere.  The human heart is the best place for prayer to God. In spite of this, dedicated places of worship like temples, mosques, churches are available all over the world. They are regarded as sacred with additional benefits including moral and spiritual guidance. There also the  principal activity  is prayer which is defined in different ways. Some of these are :

A prayer in its simplest definition is merely a wish turned God-ward.

The Lord’s prayer contains the sum total of religion and morals.

He prayeth well who loveth well.

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than word s without a heart.

According to the  American clergy H.W.Beecher (1813-1887)  prayer covers  the whole of man’s life. There is no thought, feeling, yearning, or desire, however, low, trifling, or vulgar we may deem it, which, if it affects our real interest or happiness, we may not lay before God and be sure of his sympathy. His nature is such that our often coming does not tire him. The whole burden of the whole life of every man may be rolled on to God and not weary him though it has wearied the man.

Finally, as a priest says a good man’s prayers will from the deepest dungeon climb heaven’s height, and bring a blessing down.    

                                                *******

G.R.Kanwal

14^th February 2024

                                                                                                           

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SOME ONE-LINERS ON HEART

 

            SOME ONE-LINERS  ON HEART

The human heart in not only a physical  organ. It is a seat of passion, love, affection, emotion, feeling, sympathy, concern, goodwill, humanity, kindness, benevolence, friendliness,  etc.

Here are some one-liners which say something important about the heart.

Memory, wit, fancy, acuteness, cannot grow young again in old age; but the heart can. ( Jean Paul , German humorist ---1763---1826}

All our actions take their hue from the complexion of the heart, as landscapes their variety from light. (English Writer Francis Bacon—1561-1626}.

Mind is the partial side of man; the heart is everything. {English novelist Edward George Bulwer Lytton ---1803-73)

The heart of a good man is the sanctuary of God in this world. (Swiss writer Madam Neckar –1766-1841),

The heart is an astrologer that always divines the truth.  (DE LA BARCA  Calderon, Spanish dramatist ---- 1600-1681).

A good heart is worth gold. (William Shakespeare, English Poet-dramatist –1564-1616) .

The heart has reasons that reason  does not understand. (French Bishop Jacques Benigne Bossuet—1627-1704).

                             *******

G.R. Kanwal

11 February 2024

 

IMPERIAL DELHI

 

                IMPERIAL DELHI

 Many poets have been impressed by the history and historical monuments of  Delhi because this city has been the capital of India under the rule of many political powers. According to historians it has been home to powerful people such as the Pandavas and the Mughals. “Imperial Delhi” is the title of the poem written by Sarojini Naidu in 1912. She was born on 13 February 1879 in Hyderabad  and died on  March 1949 in Lucknow. Besides being a political activist and holding many positions in her life including Governorship of United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh}, she was a great poet and was called ‘Nightingale of India’ by Mahatma Gandhi.

            The poem reads as follows:-

IMPERIAL City ! dowered with sovereign grace

To thy renascent glory still there clings

The splendid tragedy of ancient things,

The regal woes of many a vanquished race;

The memory’s tears are cold upon thy face

E’en while thy heart’s returning gladness rings

Loud on the sleep of thy forgotten kings,

Who in thine arms sought Life’s last resting-place.

 

Thy changing kings and kingdoms pass away

The gorgeous legends of a by-gone day,

But thou dost still immutably remain

Unbroken symbol of proud histories,

Unageing priestess of old mysteries

Before whose shrine the spells of Death are vain.

            Moral: Imperial Delhi Is Immortal Delhi

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G.R.Kanwal

8^th February 2024                                     

MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS  THOUGHTS

1.     Today’s victory may be tomorrow’s defeat.

2.     Joy of moral victory is everlasting.

3.     He who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe.

4.     Time’s horses gallop down the lessening hill.

5.     If you desire to be held wise, be so wise as to hold your tongue.

6.     The greatest truths are the simplest; so are the greatest men.

7.     When thought is too weak to be simply expressed, it is a clear proof that it should be rejected.

8.     Poetry is the music of thought, conveyed to us in the music of language.

9.     God’s mill grinds slow but sure.

10.                        Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together.

All the thoughts given above are full of wisdom. They should be remembered in your day- to-day life.  

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G.R.KANWAL

8 February 2024

 

SOME THOUGHTS ON EMPLOYMENT

 

          SOME THOUGHTS ON EMPLOYMENT

 

EMPLOYMENT is said to be nature’s physician . It is also regarded as essential to human happiness. An unemployed man is an idler who does not know how to spend his time, earn money and fulfil his requirements to survive even physically.

Some synonyms of employment are work, business, job, occupation, profession, trade, task, vocation, service, pursuit.

Given below are some quotable thoughts on the virtues and benefits of employment.

Life is hardly respectable if it has no generous task, no duties or affections that constitute a necessity of existing. Every man’s task is his life preserver.   

Employment gives, health, sobriety and morals. Constant employment and well-paid labour produce general prosperity, contentment and cheerfulness.

According to the English writer Samuel Johnson  (1709-1784) the safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. It is commonly observed, that among soldiers and seamen, though there is much kindness, there is little grief; they see their fall without that lamentation which is indulged in security and idleness, because they have no leisure to spare from the care of themselves; and whoever shall keep his thoughts equally busy, will find himself unaffected by irretrievable losses.

And finally, employment  is one great source of enjoyment. No man properly occupied is ever miserable.

                                                            *******

G. R. Kanwal

7 February 2024  

 

LOVE ME LITTLE, LOVE ME LONG

 

          LOVE ME LITTLE, LOVE ME LONG

LOVE between two persons, including man and woman, child and parent, friend and friend,  stands for affection, fondness, care, concern, attachment, passion, adoration, yearning, intimacy, liking, etc. If anything is better than to be loved, it is loving.

            Love without loyalty is painful.  It should not be the fragrance of a flower which begins in the morning and vanishes by the evening. Love should be eternal.

According to the English novelist Bulwer-Lytton  (1803-1873) the love of man , in his mature years, is not so much a new emotion, as a revival and concentration of all his departed affection toward others.

            Madness in love is bad. It should not be too much at any time because it will be like lust, a fire made out of straws. Love should be a constant warmth from something everlasting.

Love is the perpetual need of the soul.  That is why the following incomplete  anonymous poem is titled Love Me Little Love Me Long.

Love me little, love me long,

Is the burden of my song:

Love that is too hot and strong

Burneth soon to waste.

I am with little well content,

And a little from thee sent

Is enough, with true intent,

To be steadfast friend.

…… Constant love is moderate ever

And it will through life persever,

Give to me that with true endeavor,

I will it restore:

A suit of durance let it be,

For all weathers, that for me,

For the land or for the sea,

Lasting evermore.

Love me little, love me long,

Is the burden of my song.

                                                                                                                                                            ******

G.R.Kanwal. 4^th February 2024

OSHO’S IDEA OF GOD

 

          OSHO’S IDEA OF GOD

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh , currently known as Osho (1931-1990) is Indian mystic who has delivered hundreds of lectures on all sorts of subjects including God. His thoughts are not repetitions of what has already been said by others. . He is new and unheard of in the lectures of others.  Here are some of his sayings about God.

1.God is neither subjective nor objective. God simply does not exist.

2.If God is an objective experience , scientists should be able to produce it.

3.God is not an objective experience. God is  just an experience of the inner.

4.There is no God as a person.

5.God is your subjectivity. It is another name for your inner being. It is you, asleep.

6. You can be awake. Then too you will not be able to see God, because God is not a person at all.

7. God is our inability to experience the inner reality and give it an expression. When we try to express it, trouble arises. Any name is good.

8. “God “is only a symbol.

9. If a child asks : Why is God there? What is the need? He is right. His question is significant.

10. It is because of fear. It is because of ignorance. It is because you are full of darkness.

11. Because of concept of God, man has been able to live joyously.

12 .Without God you suddenly feel a cold wave around you, a dark night surrounding you. God was the great father---protection, security, hope…all are gone.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        *******                                          

G.R.Kanwal

03 February 2024                                     

                                                             

 

WORK IS WORSHIP

 

 

                             WORK IS WORSHIP

            Work is a necessary activity for every living being. God has created both men and beasts with some purpose. That purpose is called work or by some synonym.  Workers are known by several names like workmen, workwomen, labourers, artisans, craftsmen, performers, executors, operators, toilers, wage-earners, etc.

            Not to work is idleness which is sin. To work is to use our faculties in the service of God. God Himself is a worker along with humanity.  Polish-British  novelist Joseph Conrad  (1857-19240) says a man is a worker. If he is not that he is nothing. British poet William Morris (1834-1896)  prays : Give me love and work---these two only. American industrialist (1863-1947)  said: He who would really benefit mankind must reach them through their work. A former American President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) says : “All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work, Work is not a curse  ; it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to manhood, and the measure of civilization.’

            To visit sacred places of worship is okay but to spend most of our time in our workplace is greater worship of God.  God wants to see us serving Him through necessary activities of the world. That will be a laudable type of worship.

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G.R.Kanwal

1^st February 2024