LEONARD’S VIEW OF HAPPINESS

 

                LEONARD’S VIEW OF HAPPINESS

            ‘Happiness’ by the American poet Priscilla Leonard (pseudonym for Emily P. Bissell) , (1861-1948) is included in the “Best Loved Poems “of the world.

            It is an inspirational poem having lots of themes, one of which is that happiness is both hard and easy to achieve.

            The poem also suggests that one should be thankful for what one has or how much one has achieved.

            Moreover, happiness has many different forms for many different seekers.

            This is a three-stanza poem. The first one begins with the lines : Happiness is like a crystal, fair and exquisite and clear, broken in a million pieces, shattered, scattered far and near.

            The starting lines of the second stanza are: You may find a bit of beauty, or an honest share of wealth, while another just beside you , gathers honour, love or health.

             The third and final  stanza tells the readers:

           

            Yet the wise as on they journey  

             Treasure every fragment clear,

             Fit them as they may together.

             Imaging the shattered sphere,

            Learning ever to be thankful,

            Though their share of it is small;

            For it has so many pieces

             No one finds them all.                

 

            Finally, the poet emphatically says that nobody in this world can achieve perfect happiness because it has so many pieces shattered, scattered far and near.

                                                ********

G.R.Kanwal

30 June 2025

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RAIN

 

                ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RAIN          

            Rain is defined as : “Water that falls from the sky in separate drops.”

            It is part of nature’s cycle of seasons. As we have winter, summer, spring, autumn, we also have the rainy season twice in a year. Its various names as per its intensity are: drizzle, shower, downpour, cloudburst, storm, tempest, and squall etc. Monsoon is a period of very heavy rain particularly in summer. . There is both summer rain which is for a long period, and also winter rain comparatively for a shorter period.

 

            A quote on advantages and disadvantages  of rain says: It offers numerous benefits like replenishing water sources and supporting plant life, but it can also cause flooding and disrupt daily life. While it’s vital for agriculture and the environment, excessive rain can lead to destructive floods and health issues.

           

            While ecosystem regulation, nutrient replenishment and hydroelectric power are advantages of rain ;  flooding, infrastructure damage, disease outbreaks, transport disruptions, and agricultural losses are its disadvantages.

 

            The English general and statesman Sir William Waller (1597-1668 ) rightly said : Vexed sailors curse the rain for which poor shepherds prayed in vain.

 

            To imagine the survival of life on earth without both the advantages and disadvantages of rain is impossible.

           

            Some popular quotes about rain are:

 

*The rain reminds us that growth often comes from the storms we endure.  

* In the monsoon’s embrace, nature dances in celebration of life.

* Rainy days teach us the beauty of finding joy in the simplest of things.

*There is a uniqueness calmness that comes from watching raindrops create a world of their own.

 

            Finally, an answer to why is rain inspiring?

 

Answer: It encourages contemplation and introspection, urging us to ponder life’s mysteries. Through its rhythmic patter, rain narrates stories of resilience, reminding us that even the darkest storms give way to clear skies.”

           

            According to this writer : Rain removes every kind of dryness from life, love and land on which we live.

                                                            **********

G.R.Kanwal

29 June 2025

           

HAPPINESS

 

                HAPPINESS

            Some familiar synonyms of happiness are : cheerfulness, joyfulness, carefreeness, enjoyment, gladness, delight, contentment, pleasure, satisfaction, etc.

            Satisfaction is the result of fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations, needs, desires, requirements, dreams, and expectations.

            Happiness also depends upon one’s fate which is determined by providence and the quantum of which is also dependent upon one’s good or bad deeds in previous births.

            Strangely enough, there are happy poor people  and unhappy rich people all over world.   

            Contentment is the main condition for happiness.

            Don’t multiply your wishes, needs and desires; reduce them as much as you can and the result will be adequate control over unhappiness.

            According to Lord Gautam Buddha who lived in the 6^th to 4^th century BCE in India, there is eightfold path to ensure happiness. This consists of right thought, right action, right speech, right effort, right mindfulness right livelihood, right understanding and right concentration. He also lays emphasis on accepting four noble truths --- suffering, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering and the end of suffering. Another way suggested by him is to avoid extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

             Somebody said: The secret of happiness is renunciation. Another one said:  An act of goodness is itself an act of happiness. No reward coming after the event can compare with the sweet reward that went with it.  

            Finally, the following  some relevant  quotes:

*Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

**Happiness comes with the feeling of inner joy and satisfaction,

***Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain. ---The English novelist Thomas Hardy ( 1840-1928) in his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge.

This quote reflects Hardy’s characteristic pessimism and his view of life as a tragic experience with only fleeting moments of joy.

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

27 June 2025

 

GOOD HEALTH

 

                GOOD HEALTH

            General health is physical and mental fitness. Good health is much more. It encompasses not just the absence of disease but also social well-being, a holistic approach to life which depends upon a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and active social relationships.     

            Clean water and fresh air are also necessary for good health. Sedentary life is against the principles of maintaining  good health. Active body and mind, even the soul, are indispensable for enjoying good health. Walk, jump, run, swim, sing, play, dance, climb, descend, ascend, and take part in some game as a routine.

            Eat according to your capacity to digest. Starvation is harmful, but so is overeating. Excessive sleeping is also against good health.

            The English poet and antiquary William Hall (1748-1825) says: Take care of your health; you have no right to neglect it, and thus become a burden to yourself, and perhaps to others.

            He adds: Let your food be simple; never eat too much; take exercise enough; be systematic in all things; if unwell, starve yourself till you are well again, and you may throw care to the winds, and physic to the dogs.

            An Arabian proverb says: He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.

            Finally, AN ANCIENT PRAYER, by Thomas H.W.Webb (1898-1917):

“Give me a goo digestion, Lord, and also something to digest;

Give me a healthy body, Lord, and sense to keep it at its best,

Give me a healthy mind, good Lord, to keep the good and the pure in sight,

Which, seeing sin, is not appalled, but finds a way to set it right.           

 

Give me a mind that is not bound, that does not whimper, whine or sigh.

Don’t let me worry overmuch about the fussy thing called I

Give me a sense of humour, Lord; give me the grace to see a joke,

To get some happiness from life and pass it on to other folk.”

 

                                    **********

G.R.Kanwal

26 June 2025  

 

TRUE GREATNESS

 

                                 TRUE GREATNESS          

 

            True greatness means : To do one’s best in the face of the commonplace struggles of life – and possibly in the face of failure ---and to continue to endure and to preserve in the ongoing difficulties of life when those struggles and tasks contribute to others’ progress and happiness and one’s own eternal salvation.    

           

            The Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle( 1795-1881) said: We cannot look , however imperfectly, upon a great man, without gaining something by him. He is the living light fountain, which is good and pleasant to be near; the light which enlightens, which has enlightened, the darkness of the world ; and this, not as a kindled lamp only, but rather as a natural luminary, shining by the gift of Heaven ; a flowing light fountain, as I say, of native original insight, of manhood and heroic nobleness, in whose radiance all souls feel that it is well with them.

 

            According to the German statesman Bismarck (1815-98) a really great man is known by three signs ---generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.

 

            To conclude, here is a poet’s answer to the question:

 

Who are the great?

Those who have boldly ventured to explore

Unsounded seas, and lands unknown before –

Soar’d on the wings of science, wide and far,

Measured the sun, and weighed each distant star ---

Pierced the dark depths of ocean and of earth,

And brought uncounted wonders into birth ---

Repell’d the pestilence, restrained the storm.

And given new beauty to the human form.

Waken’d the voice of reason, and unfurl’d

The page of truthful knowledge to the world.

They who have toil’d and studied for mankind---

Aroused the slumbering virtues of the mind ---

Taught as a thousand blessings to create :

These are the nobly great.

                                                            *******

G.R.Kanwal

25 June 2025

MY EVENING PRAYER

 

MY EVENING PRAYER

            Prayer has many meanings. Dictionaries describe it as “a devout petition to God or an object of worship, in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.

            Traditionally,  there are four types of prayer. The stand for adoration, confession, gratefulness and invocation.

            There is no fixed time for prayer. One may pray at any time.  However,  morning,  afternoon, evening and night are favourite times for most of the devotees. .

            The language of prayer is also not fixed, though you may get many readymade prayers.  These are the compositions of religious poets, sages, saints and seers.

            Prayer provides physical health,  mental peace, spiritual strength, and emotional solace.

            As a rule, prayer should a regular feature of one’s life.  Most of the people pray when they are undergoing some sort of physical, mental or moral distress. This is opportunism, not true belief in prayer.   

            God is invisible, yet prayer can be offered to Him through any holy image or sacred places of worship.

            The French author Madam de Gasparin (1813-94) said: God dwells far off from us, but prayer brings him down to our earth, and links His power with our efforts.

            According  to the American clergy H. W. Beecher (1813-87): Prayer covers the whole of a 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.

            To conclude, here is a relevant poem “My Evening Prayer” by the American lyricist of gospel songs Charles H. Gabriel ( 1856-1932).

If I have wounded any soul to-day,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own wilful way—
Good Lord, forgive!

If I have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Lest I myself should suffer through the strain—
Good Lord, forgive!

If I have craved for joys that are not mine,
If I have let my wayward heart repine,
Dwelling on things of earth, not things divine—
Good Lord, forgive!

If I have been perverse, or hard, or cold,
If I have longed for shelter in Thy fold,
When Thou hast given me some part to hold—
Good Lord, forgive.

Forgive the sins I have confessed to Thee,
Forgive the secret sins I do not see,
That which I know not, Father, teach Thou me—
Help me to live.

                                      *********

G.R.Kanwal

24 June 2025

                                     

 

 

 

 

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT RAIN

 

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT RAIN

            Rain is a blessing.  It quenches not only the thirst of the earth but also of all living beings. The earth could not fulfil  all our  needs, if there were no rainy season provided  by nature.

            Scottish chemist Andrew Ure (1778-1857) says: How singular, and yet how simple, the philosophy of rain! Who but the Omniscient one could have devised such an admirable arrangement for watering the  earth.

            The English poet and diplomat Matthew Prior (1664-1721) said: The daily showers rejoice the thirsty earth, and bless the flowery buds.

               The failure of seasonal rains causes droughts which do have severe consequences across environmental, economic, and social domains. Add to these  -- water shortages, insufficient agricultural yields and several  health and socio-economic issues.

                  Many prominent experts about the non-availability of sufficient water on earth have warned that the next world war will be fought over water.  

                   Let no body , therefore, waste even a single drop of water because water is life. Its wastage will mean dreadful consequences.

                   Before concluding, just for the change of mood , let us have a look at  the following poem THE RAIN written by the English poet W. H. Davies (1873-1956) . This poet is famous for having written “delightful poems of the countryside in an extremely simple style.”

                        THE RAIN

I hear leaves drinking Rain;

I hear rich leaves on top

Giving the poor beneath

Drop after drop;

‘Tis a sweet noise to hear

These green leaves drinking near.        

And when the Sun comes out,

After the Rain shall stop,

A wondrous Light will fill

Each dark, round drop;

I hope the Sun shines bright:

‘Twill be a lovely sight.

                                                *********

G.R.Kanwal

23 June 2025           

 

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

          RANDOM THOUGHTS

            Random thoughts are not pre-elected. They are casual, arbitrary, haphazard, unplanned, and unsystematic. They lack a pre-conceived order or pattern. What follows is an example of such thoughts on various topics.

 

1. BOMBS: These are not show-pieces. They are intended to be used. If they are made as show-pieces they find place in museums. Their hidden or unhidden purpose is to use them in a war against the enemy and cause him as much suffering as possible by killing all sorts of people and destroying most valuable infrastructure. Another point about bombs is that they do not discriminate between this or that owner.  They cause the same destruction whoever and wherever they are exploded.  

  2. WAR.  A Famous Quote says: Never think, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, that war is not a crime. The American novelist, short story writer and journalist Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) , who is famous for his novel A Farewell  to Arms, was 18 years old when he volunteered to be an ambulance driver for World War 1. He suffered physically and mentally from the horrors of war.    

3.  PEACE. A few inspirational peace quotes are: *Peace is always beautiful. **Darkness cannot drive out darkness : only light can do that. ***When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. ****Peace is more than the absence of war. *****An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.

4. REVENGE. Among the several vices which virtuous persons should avoid revenge is also prominent. Dictionaries define revenge as the action of hurting or harming someone in return for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. The English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author Francis Bacon (1561-1626) said: By taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing over it, he is superior.

Another view which impressed me when I had a look at it long ago said:  It is a work of prudence to prevent injury, and of great mind, when done, not to revenge it. He that hath revenge in his power, and does not use it, is the great man; it is for low and vulgar spirits to transport themselves with vengeance. To endure injuries with a brave mind is one half the conquest,  

5.FORGIVENESS.  Forgiveness is one of the cardinal virtues mentioned in many religions. According to the English religious writer and philanthropist Hannah More (1745-1833) “A Christian will find it cheaper to pardon than to resent. Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred , and the waste of spirits.

                                                ******

G.R.Kanwal

22 June 2025

 

POETS HAVE PROPHETIC VISION

 

                POETS HAVE PROPHETIC VISION

            Poets can predict what is going to happen in near or distant future.  They have a prophetic vision. It is another matter that they do not take active part in politics. But they do express their views about what is happening in their own country or the world at large.

            Long back came across some interesting opinions about poets.  They were part of Lord Dunsany’s literary lectures delivered at Trinity College, Dublin in 1943.  

            Lord Dunsany (1878-1957) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. The extract given below is from his lecture on poetry.

            Poets, he says,  have very often seen war. It may have been war that made some of them poets; but, whether that be so or not, there is at least this that is valuable in war, it brings into very sharp contrast the real and the unreal, on account of the enormous importance that realities assume in time of war.

            Amongst the many things with which a man is surrounded in times of peace he may not always distinguish which are real and which are unreal, which are of eternal significance., and which the mere product of fashion. In war he can make no such mistake; there the line is drawn too glaringly to be missed.

Referring to the above-mentioned fact , Lord Dunsany says that poets who have had this experience do not often write about it.

            Quite importantly, Lord Dunbar refers to writers like the Roman poet Horace (65 BC-8 BC) and the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) who have mentioned in their writings  certain events  just from their prophetic vision.

            In this context, Lord Dunbar says: Let me point out that poets have always been far ahead of many scientists. Dante for instance was centuries ahead of Newton. Newton’s great discovery was that the force of gravity draws all material terrestrial bodies towards the centre of earth. Until Newton taught that, no one knew what up and down were. But they could have found out by reading the last page of the Inferno, for the whole thing is there.

            Finally, here is a short quote: The overriding reality of the prophets is that they are characteristically poets.

                                                *******

G.R.Kanwal

21 June 2025

 

A BOUQUET OF GREAT THOUGHTS

 

 

 

          A BOUQUET OF GREAT THOUGHTS

            First of all a fulsome definition of the word :

            “Thought, in its simplest form, is the process of using your mind to consider something or the result of that process, like an idea or opinion. It encompasses the act of thinking, the capacity for reasoning, and the ideas, opinions, or beliefs that arise from thinking.”

            And further:           

            “Thoughts can be conscious or unconscious, and they can be about anything from concrete objects to abstract concepts.”

              Some popular synonyms of thought are: idea, notion, belief, concept, conception, judgment, reflection and mindset.

Given below are examples of a few great thoughts:

1.All Men Are Brothers. (Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi).

2. No men are strange, no countries , foreign. Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes like ours; the land our brothers walk upon is earth like this, in which we all shall lie. (English poet James Kirkup).

3.The quality of mercy is not strain’d; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath: it is twice blessed; it blesseth him that gives and him that takes. ( British poet and playwright William Shakespeare).

4. In small proportions we just beauties see ; and in short measures life may perfect be. (English poet and playwright Ben Jonson).

 5. The world is too much with us; late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; little we see in Nature that is ours. (English poet William Wordsworth).

6. Deliverance? Where is the deliverance to be found? Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation ; he is bound with us all for ever. (Indian poet, writer, philosopher and statesman Rabindranath Tagore).

7. Sufi-ism has two sides ; Ecstasy and vision. (Anonymous).

8. The strong grows in solitude where the weak withers away. (Arabic writer and philosopher Kahlil Gibran).

                                                *********

G.R.Kanwal

20 June 2025

 

 

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH ON IMMORTALITY

 

          WILLIAM WORDSWORTH ON IMMORTALITY

            Mortality is visible. Every creature who is born in this world dies within a destined span of time.  We don’t find such beings alive today as were born centuries ago. They left this world according to their limited existence.

           

            But in each one of us there is a constant desire for immortality. We fear death and want go on living as long as possible.

 

            Lord Krishna in the Hindu sacred book assures the readers that they have two sides to their life.  ‘the physical’  and ‘the spiritual.’ They have perishable bodies but immortal souls. When they die, the soul gains a new form and thus they go on living timelessly.

 

            There are several  poets like Ben Jonson ((1572-1637), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and William Wordsworth (1750-1830) who believe in immortality.

 

            Before you find below an extract from a Wordsworth’s poem, look at a couple of quotes:

 

            “All men’s souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous ate both immortal and divine. ---Greek Philosopher Socrates (469?-399 B.C.).

 

            The spirit of man, which God inspired, cannot together perish with this corporeal clod. ---English poet John Milton (1608-1674).

 

            Wordsworth uses the word immortality to mean timelessness. In his  long poem Intimations of Immortality , he says that when a child is born, he feels that he has always been alive ---and he had an experience of living before his present life on this earth.  But as that  child passes  through the experience of continuous growth in this world, he forgets his divine beginning.

 

            Here is the first stanza of the poem which is adequate for our theme today:

 

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;

The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar;

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home.

Heaven lies about us in our infancy;

Shades of the prison house begin to close

Upon the growing boy,

But he beholds the light, and whence it flows.

He sees it in his joy;

The youth, who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is Nature’s priest,

And by the vision splendid

Is on his way attended;

At length the man perceives it die away,

And fade into the light of common day.

                                    *********

G. R. Kanwal

19 June 2025         

                                                               

 

         

WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN

 

WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN

                                     Many religions mention God as humanity’s father.  For some He is both father and mother. He is immeasurably concerned about our health and happiness and grants our prayers as much as He considers them essential and genuine.   

                                     He goes on watching us like a mother who never becomes careless about all the needs and comforts of her children. Like her He is deeply concerned, kind -hearted, loving and generous.

 

                                     The sonnet given below sums up God’s kindness towards humanity. Its author is the English poet, critic and essayist Leigh Hunt (1784-1859).

                                    

                                     In poetry, Leigh Hunt is also famous for another sonnet in which he describes the great beauty of the river Nile, and the poem “Abou Ben Adhem” in which he says that he who loves his fellow-men loves God.

                                     To conclude, here is the full text of the sonnet under reference :

 

Just as a mother with sweet pious face

Yearns towards her little children from her seat,

Gives one a kiss, another an embrace,

Takes this upon her knees, that on her feer,

And while from actions, looks, complaints, pretences,

She learns their feelings and their various will,

To this a look, to that a word dispenses,

And whether stern or smiling, loves them still;

So Providence for us, high, infinite,

Makes our necessities its watchful task,

Hearkens to all our prayers, helps all our wants,

And ev’n if it denies what seems or right,

Either denies because ‘twould have us ask

Or seems but to deny, or in denying grants.

                                                                        *******

G.R.Kanwal

18 June 2025