EXTRAVAGANCE

 

                                            EXTRAVAGANCE

‘Extravagance’ is totally unnecessary. It is wastefulness, lavishness, profligacy, recklessness, excess, immoderation, lack of restraint, over display of wealth and resources, unnecessary exhibitionism, and excessive expenditure of assets.

A number of religions, moral systems, social philosophies and principles  of simplicity condemn extravagance.

In a country where innumerable citizens have to beg for food, sleep in the open, remain under-dressed and borrow money for various essential  ceremonious functions, extravagance is a vice, a sort of sin and immoral act.

Extravagance is an avoidable wastage of money and means. It is a violation of simplicity and humility and display of material arrogance. It is also an impious activity, hurtful to the under-privileged. It may be approved by aristocracy, but not by democracy.

Here are some of the valuable thoughts on extravagance.

1.     He that is extravagant will soon become poor, and poverty will enforce dependence, and invite corruption. ---English author Samuel Johnson (1709-84).

2.     The passion of acquiring riches in order to support a vain expense, corrupts the purest souls. ----French Archbishop Francis de S. Fenelon (1651-1715).

3.     Prodigality is the vice of a weak nature, as avarice is of a strong one. It comes of a weak craving for those blandishments of the world which are easily had for money.---English poet, dramatist and political scientist  Sir Henry Taylor (1800-1886).

4.     Laws cannot prevent extravagance; and this perhaps is not always an evil to the public. A shilling spent idly by a fool may be picked up by a wiser person, who knows better what to do with it; it is, therefore, not lost. ---American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-90).

5.     Riches are for spending, and spending for honour and good actions; therefore extraordinary expense must be limited by the worth of the occasion. ---English author and philosopher  Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Finally, it is better to be frugal than to be extravagant because a penny saved is a penny earned.

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G.R.Kanwal

20^th February 2024

 

 

 

 

 

HOLINESS

 

          HOLINESS 

The word ‘holy’ is defined as sacred, pious, spiritually perfect, untainted by evil, sinless, sanctified, venerated, religious , devout, heavenly, divine, godly, godlike, angelic and blessed.

To categorize things as holy or unholy is difficult. There can be no consensus among the people who categorize a particular thing as holy or unholy.

There is another question : Has God made the same things as holy at one place and  unholy and at  another place?

Why are some rivers, hills, shrines, etc., considered holier than others?

I sometimes think that whatever God has made or created is holy. The sun, the moon, all the stars, every river, every hill, the whole earth, forests, the natural objects, animals and birds, fruits and vegetable, the plants and herbs all are holy. Likewise, every moment of time is holy. No moment is independent of the full stream of time.

Rain is holy everywhere and in every season. The autumn is as holy as the spring.

There is a diversity of things but all of them are sacred by themselves. It is people, their users, who misuse them and affect their holiness.

People are born holy. They become unholy by their evil deeds.

The English divine Philip  Henry  (1631-96) said “Holiness is the symmetry of the soul.”

According to F.D. Huntington, the American clergy (1819-1904) : Holiness is religious principle put into action. It is faith gone to work. It is love coined into conduct; devotion helping human suffering, and going up in   intercession to the great source of all good.

German humorist Jean Paul Richter (1763-1826) had this to say: Everything holy is before what is unholy ; guilt presupposes innocence, not the reverse. Angels, but not fallen ones, were created.  Man does not properly rise to the highest, but first sinks down from it, and then afterward rises again.

The fact is that holiness is a creation by God, un-holiness, by human beings.

Finally, here is a bit long quote: Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man. No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness. The world calls for, and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment, and self-sacrifice.     

                                                ********

G.R.Kanwal

19 February 2025       

 

SHAKESPEARE ON LIFE

 

SHAKESPEARE ON LIFE

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was not a philosopher. He was a poet-playwright. He changed his views about topics like life, love, death, world, God, happiness, grief, gratitude, ingratitude, etcetera according to the situation before him. He contradicted himself without hesitation. This is also true about many other great poets.

The American poet and essayist Walt Whitman (1819=1892) asked : Do I contradict myself? And answered, yes I do? I am great.

Given below are a few quotations on ‘Life’ by William Shakespeare. They present no consistent philosophy; yet each view expressed by him is weighty and laudable.

1.     The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together: Our virtues would be proud if faults whipped them not; and our crimes would despair if they were not cherished by our virtues. ---All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 4.

2.     .  . . . Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. ---Macbeth, Act 5.

3.     Life is a shuttle.---Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5.

4.     It is stillness to live when to live is a torment. ---Othello, Act 1.

5.     We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with sleep.----Tempest, Act 4.

6.     There’s nothing in this world can make me joy: Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man; and bitter shame hath spoil’d the sweet world’s taste, that it yields nought but shme and bitterness. ---King John, Act 3.

G.R.Kanwal

18^th February 2025

 

WHAT IS LIFE?

 

          WHAT IS LIFE? 

Life is a mystery; so is death. The world, too, is a riddle, a conundrum, a puzzle.

Even the purpose of life is a problem, an enigma, a brain-teaser.

The span of life is not the same for all humans and other living beings.  

In spite of all these issues, life is both a dream and reality which is going to be there for aeons to come.

A lot of thinkers have expressed their thoughts about the nature of life. They are not only interesting but also illuminating.

Given below is a small selection of thoughts expressed by great thinkers from various fields of life. The names of these thinkers have been mentioned but not their particulars for want of space.

1.Every man’s life is a plan of God. – Horace Bushnell.

2.Every man’s life is a fairy tale, written by God’s fingers.---Hans Christian Andersen.

3. A little work, a little sleep, a little love and it is all over.---Mary Roberts Rinehart.

4. Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass, stains the white radiance of eternity. ---P.B.Shelley.

5. The book of life begins with a man and woman in a garden. It ends with Revelations. ---Oscar Wilde

6. Life is a long lesson in humility.---James M.Barrie.

7. We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.---Voltaire.

8. Life is a series of surprises. We do not guess today the mood, the pleasure, the power of tomorrow, when we are building up our being. -----Ralph Waldo Emerson.

9. He lives long that lives well; and time misspent is not lived, but lost. God is better than his promise if he takes from him a long lease, and gives him a freehold of a better value. ----Margaret Fuller.

10. Life is the childhood of our immortality.---Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

11. Life does not count by years. Some suffer a lifetime in a day, and so grow old between the rising and the setting of the sun. --- Augusta Evans.

12. There are two lives to each of us, the life of our actions, and the life of our minds and hearts. ---History reveals men’s deeds and their outward characters, but not themselves. There is a secret self that has its own life, un-penetrated and un-guessed,--- Edward George Bulwer-Lytton.

            To conclude, here is a short quote: Life is a dream ---realize it.

                                                *********

G.R.Kanwal

17th February 2025       

 

         

 

SAY NO TO TEMPTATIONS

 

SAY NO TO TEMPTATIONS  

Temptations are traps. They are alluring, attractive, fascinating, enticing, fascinating and tantalizing but their effects are harmful and vicious.

Those who cannot resist temptations have to face undesirable results. Adam and Eve were tempted by the forbidden fruit in heaven and had to fall from there and come into this world.

Things which tempt us are unhealthy. Wine, cigarettes, spicy food, sensual activities, unethical pleasures, stealing, greed, gluttony, extra-marital relations, cheating, use of unfair means for fair ends, indulging in immoral practices and so many other physical, mental and  spiritual temptations have hellish consequences.

Temptations are illegitimate desires. Their fulfillment is painful. The pleasures or joys which they give us are ephemeral. A rat tempted by the food in the rat-trap becomes a prisoner. He loses his free movement and perhaps feels remorse for his getting tempted.

The English divine Samuel Clarke (1675-1729) said: Bearing up against temptations and prevailing over them is the very thing wherein the whole life of religion consists. It is the trial which God puts upon us in this world, by which we are to make evidence of our love and obedience to Him, and of our fitness to be made members of His kingdom.

And according to the American educationist Horace Mann (1796 --1859): Temptation is a fearful word. It indicates the beginning of a possible series of infinite evils. It is the ringing of an alarm bell, whose melancholy sounds may reverberate through eternity. Like the sudden sharp cry of “Fire!” under our windows by night, it should rouse us to instantaneous action, and rouse every muscle to its highest tension.

  The best way to escape the evil consequences of temptations is to say ‘no” to them. To resist temptations is to preserve the holiness of your body, mind and soul.

To conclude, here is a quote which says: “Common temptations include eating too much, spending too much, laziness, venting on social media, gossiping, feeling jealous, viewing pornography, lying or cheating and abusing alcohol.”

                                                **********

G.R.Kanwal

16 February 2025  

 

WHAT IS LOVE?

 

          WHAT IS LOVE?

Love is a quality of the heart. To be alive is to be in love not only with a man or woman but the whole world.

We must love our country, our home, our friends and relative, our body, mind and soul.

Nothing is unlovable in this world. The whole universe is worthy of love. All nations, all religions, all planets deserve love. One must love, the sky, the sun, the moon the stars, mountains, rivers and gardens with their trees, flowers and thorns.

Birds and beasts all look for loving eyes and affectionate hands.

God deserves maximum love for His infinite life-friendly blessings and well-deserved mercies.

Love is life. A person who does not get  love is almost lifeless. He is alone and cut off from all the joys, beauties and charms of the world.

Love is health and happiness; its antonym hatred is sickness and distress.

Love demands sacrifice not for some time but for the whole of one’s life.

Love is not a duty, it is a spiritual offering. It asks for no material rewards.  It is a selfless phenomenon.

To be untrue and unfaithful in love is poisonous. Truthful and loyal love is elixir.

A person who loves his enemies, rivals, opponents, competitors and antagonists is the best practitioner of love.

If love changes into hatred; hatred, too, changes into love. In this respect, time is a great changer.

True love is  free from jealousies. It is extremely broad-minded. It is non-possessive. It believes in the freedom of the loved ones.

To conclude, here is a sonnet by the English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

. . . . . . . Love is not Love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove;

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken.

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth is unknown, although his height be taken.

 

Love is not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

 

If this be error and upon me prov’d,

I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

  

                                                ********

G.R.Kanwal

15 February 2025

  

           

GOOD AND BAD HABITS

 

GOOD AND BAD HABITS 

A habit is defined as something one does often and almost without thinking.  Once formed a habit is hard to break.  

There are good and bad habits. Good habits keep you healthy and happy; safe and loveable; successful and comfortable; they maintain your good reputation and win you more and more friends and admirers.

Bathing daily, going for a walk, doing some exercise, eating nutritious food, reading books, offering prayers, appreciating  friends and relatives, saying please and thank you are some of the good habits.

Drinking, smoking, gambling, eating too much, oversleeping, criticizing others, losing temper and making excuses for not performing your duties and fulfilling your promises are a few bad habits.

Cursing is bad; blessing is good.

The best period for forming good habits and avoiding bad habits is childhood. Homes and educational institutions are the most important places for cultivating civilized behavior with good habits.

It is well said that habits are good servants but bad masters. Whereas they save your time, they snatch your liberty to change your life style.

The American clergy George B. Cheever (1807-90) said: Habit is the child of impulse. There is in human life the period of impulse, when habit is nothing; and there is the period of habit, when impulse is nothing. Young persons are creatures of impulse; old persons are creatures of habit. Almost everything is impulse with a little child, and nothing can be called habit; almost everything is habit in the second childhood of old age, and there is very little that can be called impulse. Impulse is habit in formation; habit is impulse fixed. When habit is once formed ,impulse is powerless against it. Indeed all impulse falls into it. It is like a deep and swift and resistless river, into which an opposing mountain current may pour with tremendous momentary shock and  agitation, but with no effect whatever, save to increase the volume, rapidity, and fury of the tide, which is turned downward to the sea.

To conclude, here is another significant quote: Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny. ----American clergy George Dana Boardman (1828-1903).

                                                *******

G.R.Kanwal

!3 February 2025

INNOCENCE

 

          INNOCENCE  

Innocence is defined as ‘the fact of not being guilty of crime.’ This word is also used to mean ‘lack of knowledge and experience of the world, especially of evil or unpleasant things.’

Some synonyms of innocence are: purity, guiltlessness, blamelessness, integrity, faultlessness, integrity, chastity, righteousness, sinlessness, uprightness and incorruption.

  We are born innocent. It is our criminal or sinful activities as grownups which make us guilty.

The causes of losing innocence are :  greed, lust, enmity, envy, jealousy, illicit sexuality, anger, sloth, wrath and illegitimate desires.

Criminal actions are punishable by the relevant laws of a country.  Sins are punishable by God.  They are governed by the theory of karmas. Their painful effects affect us birth after birth.

Innocent people are mostly happy, peaceful, fearless, bold, healthy and restful.

Guilty ones are enslaved, nervous, anxious, sick , stressful, terrified and sleepless.

There can be people who are guilty but not detected. They, too, become nervous and insomniac. The Greek philosopher Socrates (died 15 Feb 399 BC)  is believed to have said: A guilty conscience needs no accuser.    

 Another proverb says, truth, which is as good as innocence, fears no examination.

Look at the following thoughts on innocence.

*The innocent seldom find an uneasy pillow.----The English poet William Cowper (1731-1800).

 

**Innocence is like polished armor; it adorns and defends. ----The English divine Robert South (1634-1716).

***Untainted thoughts do seldom dream on evil. ----The English dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

 

****They that do no evil will suspect none.----The English poet and playwright Ben Jonson (1572-1637).

 

            Finally, here is a beautiful quote:  “No child’s face is dirty even if it is muddy, because an innocent face has so much light that anything comes onto it becomes almost invisible!”

 

                                                            ******

G. R. Kanwal

12 February 2025  

 

INGRATITUDE

 INGRATITUDE

‘Ingratitude’ is thanklessness. It is lack of appreciation for some good done to you. Children are trained to say “Thank You” to those who do them some favour.

Ingratitude is like pride and is one of those seven things which God hates. They are: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Gratitude is a sign of good character. A gentleman is never ungrateful. Friends, relatives, colleagues, team-mates, subordinates, servants and even masters are expected to have a culture of gratitude.  

Human beings must always grateful to God for His innumerable blessings.  

Ingratitude bites, hurts, reduces friendliness, stops helpfulness and  breeds disaffection.

Among animals, dogs are not only most faithful but also grateful.

In the present-day selfish society, many children, friends and relatives have become offensively ungrateful.

According to the English poet-dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616) said: Ingratitude is monstrous, and for the multitude to be ingrateful were to make a monster of the multitude; of the which we being members, should bring ourselves to be monstrous members. -----Coriolanus, Act 2, Scene 3.

The following lines by the same poet-dramatist are more quotable:

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind

As man’s ingratitude.     

Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou art not seen,

Although thy breath be rude.

…………

Freeze, freeze though bitter sky,

Thou dost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgot:

Though thou the waters warp,

Thy sting is not so sharp

As friend remember’d not.----As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7.

 

            To conclude: this exclamation  also by Shakespeare: How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!

 

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

11 February 2025                          

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT ENEMIES

 

          SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT ENEMIES

There are many types of enemies. Some are always jealous; some occasionally mischievous, some regularly harmful; some frequently destructive; some physically dangerous; some mentally injurious; some commercially aggressive; some communally hateful; and some spiritually detrimental, etc.

    We are also our own enemies. If we violate the laws of nature, commit any sort of vice or sin, we destroy our health and happiness.

One who is innocent and righteous need not be afraid of any enemy because God is always with him.

An Italian proverb says: Have you fifty friends? --it is not enough. Have you one enemy?---it is too much.

According to the English essayist poet and politician Joseph Addison  (1672-1719)  Plutarch, the Greek Philosopher and historian, has written an essay on the benefit which a man may receive from his enemies; and among the good fruits of enmity, mentions this in particular, that by the approaches which it casts upon us we see the worst side of ourselves.

On the beneficial side of enemies, the Greek comic playwright Aristophanes (Born 445 BC) had this to say: Men of sense often learn from their enemies.---It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war; and this lesson saves their children, their homes, and their properties.

An interesting thought on the subject comes from the English clergy Caleb C. Colton (1780-1832) : If you want enemies, excel others; if friends, let others excel you.

   More often than not, majority of enemies are dangerous in one way or the other. They must not be trusted even if they promise to become friendly. Human nature is not easily changeable. Even religious discourses fail to have a completely reformative effect. It has been seen that  those who repeatedly repented for their hostile behaviour and swore many times to give up their hostile character, did not mend themselves.

To conclude,  it is advisable to treat your enemies in a way that they abandon their hostile behaviour for ever and become life-time friends.

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

10 February 2025   

 

 

 

 

 

DEALING WITH ENEMIES

 

          DEALING WITH ENEMIES

An enemy is someone who hates, opposes, or attacks another person and tries to harm him.

          Enemies are called adversaries, antagonists, competitors, foes, bandits, opponents, invaders, etc.

            Religiously, the enemies of human beings are: lust, anger, greed, arrogance, ego, jealousy, envy, etc. These are negative qualities which hinder spiritual growth. To overcome them, one needs self-discipline, self-awareness,  spiritual  growth, compassion, humility, etc.

            Enemies are unfriendly. Emotions associated with them are: anger, hatred, frustration, envy, jealousy, grudge, fear and distrust.

            We cannot afford to have everlasting enemies in our daily life. We must deal with them in such a way that they become friends.  

            Do not hate your enemies, Love them. Try to understand them and behave towards them as you would like them to behave towards you.

            The Bible says: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. Learn to overcome evil with good. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

            Maatma Gandhi (1869-1948) said: Return good for evil. His philosophy of non-violence heavily emphasized responding to negativity with positive actions.

            Socially and religiously enemies are regarded important in life. “One true benefit of having them is that they bring controversy and conflict into your life which is a necessary ingredient for growth. Look at all great people throughout history, all of them became great because of an enemy.

            Biblically your enemy is anybody who resists you, who contradicts you, who crosses you, who antagonizes you. In this context your enemies are those who resist God, who disobey His laws, and who ignore Him.

            To conclude, these few extracts from some Biblical psalms: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of enemies, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.

                                                            ******

G.R.Kanwal

09^th  February 2025

 

 

REPENTANCE

 

REPENTANCE

Repentance shows that you have done something wrong, vicious, immoral, criminal, or sinful and you are feeling sorry. It is an admission of some guilt and the expression of the promise not to repeat it.   

Some synonyms of repentance are:  sorrow, remorse, penitence, or regret for any moral or legal wrong doing.

The Scottish essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) said: Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine . The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.

A guilty person who does not repent loses peace of mind. His conscience continues to prick him. He becomes sleepless and uncomfortable in  his daily  duties. His physical organs get adversely affected. Anxiety becomes his mental  problem. .

It is wrong to treat sin or crime or any other kind immoral act as a physical ailment curable by some medical treatment. Sin is a spiritual disease . Its best remedy is self-cure  through remorse.

To become innocent again is to give up wrong-doing for ever.

Water can clean your body but not your soul.

According to The English divine Robert South (1634-1716): Repentance hath a purifying power, and every tear is of a cleansing virtue; but these penitential clouds must be still kept reappearing ; one shower will not suffice; for repentance is not one single action, but a course.

Robert South also adds: True repentance has a double aspect; it looks upon things past with a weeping eye, and upon the future with a watchful eye.

Sinners can become saints provided they truly repent for their past sins, do not recommit them, and continue to pray to God for forgiveness.     

It is necessary to learn that  that true repentance is to cease from sinning.

To conclude, here is an important  quote: Repentance is about humbly acknowledging sins, turning away from them, and surrendering to God’s mercy and grace.

                                                            ******

G.R.Kanwal

7^th February 2025                                     

 

BE A GOOD SPEAKER

 

                   BE A GOOD SPEAKER

A good speaker is a good thinker. The proverb “Think before you speak, and look before you leap” is full of wisdom. No good speaker should forget it.

The English poet laureate Robert Southey (1774-1843) said : There are three things that ought to be considered before some things are spoken,----the manner, the place, and the time.

Scottish-American divine John Witherspoon (1723-94) advised: Never rise to speak till you have something to say; and when you have said it, cease.

Somebody has rightly defined :  A good speech is characterised by clarity of message, strong organization, relevance to the audience, engaging delivery, a clear purpose, well-supported arguments, and a compelling conclusion, ensuring the audience easily understands and remembers the key points conveyed by the speaker.

Good speeches are tailor-made. They do not contain any superfluous word. They may entertain the audience but not hurt the feelings of any listener. If they there is any reference to the past events, it should be truthful.  As regards speaking about such personalities as are not alive, remember the adage:

“Nothing but good should be talked about the dead. “

While quoting Solomon, the fourth monarch of the kingdom of Israel and Judah, the English writer and statesman Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618) says: life and death are in the power of the tongue; and as Euripides (Greek tragedian of classical Athens) truly affirmeth, every unbridled tongue in the end shall find itself unfortunate; in all that men’s fortunes are oftener made by their tongues than by their virtues, and more men’s fortunes overthrown thereby, also, than by their vices.

Good speakers are not repetitive. They make a point only once but do it forcefully. They are gentle and courteous; never boastful or overbearing.

The English divine Richard C. Trench (1807-86) said: Speak but little and well if you would be esteemed a man of merit.

To conclude, here is a famous quote: Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.

                                                ********

G.R.Kanwal

6^th February 2025             

 

    

SUPERSTITIONS

 

SUPERSTITIONS

‘           Superstitions’ are defined as beliefs that particular events happen in a way that cannot be explained by reason or science.

            They are both good and bad; can be signs of both good or bad luck;  predict success or failure, prosperity or downfall; health or sickness; happiness or unhappiness, prohibitive or permissive,

            Both illiterate and educated people believe in superstitions. There are lots of superstitions in the so-called rituals of some religions. They have a psychological impact on their believers.  People who profess to be non-believers also hesitate take any risk and act superstitiously.  

            The progress of scientific temperament is the best approach to eradicate superstitious behavior. But it does not succeed in its mission if folklore and ancient cultural practices succeed in having an upper hand.

            Surprisingly, even advanced countries where rationality has spread widely have not been able to get rid of superstitious conduct.

            Some scientists, too, are followers of superstitions. Whereas their knowledge which demands practical proof for every action is quite vast, their psychological behaviour is unscientific.

            Some of the irrational beliefs which are equivalents of superstitions are: lucky and unlucky, days, numbers (as No.13); colours , sneezing; itching in right or left hand; appearance of a cat when you are about to go somewhere; breaking a mirror; spilling some liquid; ghosts, evil spirits, etc.

            People are said to be superstitious due to : cultural traditions; individual experiences; religious rituals; want of scientific attitude; belief in the auspicious or inauspicious movement of stars; days and timings of a person’s birth, etc.

            It is strange that even timings of performing some events are considered as holy or unholy. So many candidates don’t  defy their pundits if they tell them to fill up an examination or nomination paper at a particular time.

            It has been rightly said that “to eradicate superstitions, the most effective approach is to promote widespread education and critical thinking, encouraging people to analyse beliefs based on logic and scientific evidence.”

            To conclude, this famous quote: “Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother.”   

                                                *********

G.R.Kanwal

5^th February 2025

 

SOME THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN

 

SOME THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN

A world without children is unimaginable. It is children who grow up and become men and women. They are the future generation of every country. Is it not enchanting to see new-born children, perfectly pious and innocent?

For four to five years after their birth, children  are so innocent that we want to go on looking at them, play with them, walk with them, talk with them and spend a lot of our time with them. Their innocence is remarkable. Their smiles are matchless. Their laughter is inimitable and their speech is as truthful as that of an angel.

A house without children is like a garden without flowers.

The English novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870)  said  : I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing, when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.

Another English novelist Ann Eliza Bray (1790-1883) expressed her feelings about children in these words: Never fear spoiling children by making them too happy. Happiness is the atmosphere in which all good affections grow ---the wholesome warmth necessary to make the heart-blood circulate healthily and freely; unhappiness ---the chilling pressure which produces here an inflammation, there an excrescence, and worst of all. “the mind’s green and yellow sickness’---Ill temper.

Children need affectionate and generous parents; a good company of other children; toys to play with; a number of joyful outings; nourshing food; easy  illustrated books and beautifully play and nursery schools for elementary education.

Remember that teachers cannot take the place of mothers. Even a thousand teachers cannot take place of one mother.

Look at the following words of  Mary Howitt, the  American poet and writer (1799-1888): “God sends children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race ---to enlarge our hearts; and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections; to give our souls higher aims; to call out all our faculties to extended enterprise and exertion; and to bring round our firesides bright faces, happy smiles and loving, tender hearts. ----My soul blesses the great Father, every day, that he has gladdened the earth with little children.

To conclude this question by the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus (died 135 AD) :  Who is not attracted by bright and pleasant children, to prattle, to creep, and to play with them?

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G.R.Kanwal

4^th January 2025     

 

           

THE TRUTH ABOUT WORDS

 

THE TRUTH ABOUT WORDS

A word is a single unit of language which means something and can be spoken or written term, phrase, expression or idiom are also used as a unit of language to express something.

“Words” is the plural of word. As for meanings, a word may have many meanings. For example, the ‘word’ reach is used in the sense of --- wealthy, affluent, well-off, well-to-do, prosperous, opulent, well-provided, well-supplied, abundant, plentiful, vivid, brilliant, warm and vibrant.

The plural of rich is riches but is used to mean ___ money, gold, capital, property, treasure, assets, resources.

If a house has been furnished richly, it means expensively, luxuriously, splendidly, superbly, magnificently, etc.

A speaker or writer must be very careful in the use of words. What he means must be clear to his/her listeners or readers.

However, the listener should not be biased about the speaker. He/she must not misinterpret the words used by the speaker. Rivals, competitors, foes, enemies, opponents, etc, try to twist the words  to settle some old scores. They choose the literal rather than the intended metaphorical meanings of the speaker’s  words. This leads to bitterness, attacks and counter attacks between the speaker and the listener. Tolerance is the best means to avoid mutual altercations.   

Both the speaker and the listener, the writer and the reader should be adequately knowledgeable about the variety of meanings of the words used by them.

It is also desirable for both the parties in a spoken or written piece to be cautious and tolerant. To make words bones of contention is not wisdom; it is  foolhardiness.

Be of good humour whether you are a friend, a relative,  a colleague,  a political rival, or a stranger.

Words, by themselves , are innocent, it is the users who make them  guilty.

To conclude, here is a Quaker proverb: “Of your unspoken word you are the master; of your spoken word the servant; and of your written word the slave,”

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G.R.Kanwal

3^rd January 2025       

 

           

 

FALSEHOOD VERSUS TRUTH

 

FALSEHOOD VERSUS TRUTH  

‘Falsehood’ is the opposite of truth. It is a lie, an unreality, a deception, a baseless statement, a defamatory utterance, a fabrication, an invention, a piece of fiction, an exaggeration, a deceit, a deception, a perjury, and a misrepresentation.

Those who indulge in falsehood are liars. They may be even cowards. They are afraid telling the truth because truth about one’s misdeeds or fictitious statements is more often than not punishable.

Falsehood is also used to disgrace others, to spoil the impression of  rivals and competitors, to have an upper hand over their opponents,

Unfortunately, falsehood is omnipresent. Those who always  speak the truth are rare. Even small children and great scholars tell lies.

As regards fiction writers they are not liars. The lies in their writings are a form of literary requirement. It is their themes which demand understatement or exaggeration or invention.

Poets tell many truths which are the product of their imagination.

History, too, is not completely truthful. It is  not a fair description  of what happened because it tells the truth which suits the personal viewpoint of its writer.

There is a lot of untruth in business, personal relationships, politics, religious stories, superstitions, records of governance, and astrological  predictions.

Look at this famous  saying: None but cowards lie.

The English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) said: He who tells a lie is not sensible how great a task he undertakes; for he must invent twenty more to maintain that.

Falsehood, said the English novelist and poetess George Eliot (1819-1880), is so easy, truth so difficult! Examine your words well and you will find that even when you have no motive to be false it is very hard to say the exact truth, even about your own immediate feelings --- much harder than to say something fine about them which is not the exact truth.

To conclude, the Indian political Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) said : “Truth is God”.  Truth, according to him,  was the most important name of God and therefore it was more accurate to say: “Truth is God” than “God is Truth”.

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G.R.Kanwal

2^nd January 2025