LIFE IS REAL

 

                    LIFE IS REAL

                In his poem “A Psalm Of Life”, the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) says  life is not an empty dream; it is both earnest and real. Man is made of dust only in the physical sense. His soul is of an immortal stuff.  Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul. This view about the eternal soul reminds the Indian readers of Lord Krishna’s philosophy of  eternal life in the Gita.

            Longfellow also tells his readers that  life’s purpose is neither enjoyment, nor sorrow , but to act without thinking of what happened in the past or what may happen in future. The true aim of a man’s life is to leave on the sands of time such immortal footprints as will strengthen and inspire the coming generations.

What follows is an extract from the poem.

Tell me not, in mournful numbers

Life is but an empty dream !

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.---

Life is real ! Life is earnest  

And grave is not its goal.---

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each tomorrow

Finds us farther than today.---

Trust no future, howe’er pleasant !

Let the dead Past bury its dead !

Act –act in the living Present !

Heart within and, and God o’erhead;---

And departing , leave behind us

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing shall take heart again.

                                                ********

G.R.Kanwal

30 August 2025

WORDS WITH WISDOM

 

                                               

 

                                WORDS WITH WISDOM

 

1. If the wicked flourish, and you suffer, be not discouraged. They are bound to be destroyed some day.

2.Let us advise those who invent, manufacture, sell or amass armaments to think of peace, not of war.

3.Perfect truth is possible only with knowledge.

4.Time is the greatest of all tyrants or benefactors.               

5.Talent is power; tact is skill.

6. Style is a part of one’s nature.

7. God is on the side of virtue.

8. Pride is the most dangerous of all faults.

9. More things are achieved by prayer than people think of.

10. Power acquired by guilt can lead to ugly results.

11. Philosophy is the art of error-free living.

12. Avarice, ambition, envy, anger and arrogance are enemies, not friends.

13. Willingness to serve in disability is also a virtue.

14. The fruit of patience is always sweet.

15 . Finery is a sign of littleness.

16.  Nature is the glass that reflects God.

17. Moral elevation is the true grandeur of humanity.

18. Money can buy medicines but not health.

19. Charms  impress the sight, but merit wins the soul.

2o. Civility costs nothing, yet it buys everything.

21. A father’s heart is tender, even when his children commit blunders.

22. No society can live without law and order.

23. Biography is not always  the only true history.

24. We don’t love the man whom we fear.

25. Example teaches better than rule.

                                                            **********

 

G.R.Kanwal

29 August 2025

 

WHAT IS BEAUTY?

 

WHAT IS BEAUTY?

            “Beauty” is defined as:”a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. According to another definition it is a feature of objects that makes them pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. This definition further says that beauty, art, and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fields of study within philosophy.

 

             Some synonyms of beauty are: loveliness, attractiveness, prettiness, handsomeness, charm, glamour, grace and symmetry.

            Natural beauty is real beauty. It is eternal. For example, the moon needs no ornamentation. Flowers like the rose are naturally beautiful. A rainbow in the sky looks wonderfully.  Man-made beauty is less impressive and transient. It fades.

            One of the best ingredients of beauty is morality or virtuousness. The English poet John Keats (1795-1821) said: Beauty is truth, truth beauty,---that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

 

            For great minds, everything created by God is beautiful. For them black is as beautiful as white, and thorns are not totally ugly. In S.T. Coleridge’s poem, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, snakes which initially appear as “slimy things”, symbols of disgust and decay, are later recognized as beautiful, vital beings worthy of reverence.

 

            Somebody rightly said: In all ranks of life the human heart yearns for the beautiful; and the beautiful things that God makes are his gift to all alike.

 

              To conclude, here is a bit long appreciation of beauty by the English poet John Keats who has already been mentioned above.

 

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all unhealthy and o’er darkened ways

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall

From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,

Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon

For simple sheep; and such are daffodils

With the green world they live in; and clear rills

That for themselves a cooling covert make

‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

We have imagined for the mighty dead;

All lovely tales that we have heard or read:

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

 

                                    ********

G.R.Kanwal

28 August 2025          

DON’T MURDER SLEEP

 

                DON’T MURDER SLEEP

            “Sleep” is defined as “a condition of body and mind that typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the eyes are closed, the postural muscles relaxed, the activity of the brain altered, and consciousness of the surroundings practically suspended,”

            In simple terms, sleep is rest, relaxation, recoupment, regaining normal energy, re-acquirement of the ability and willingness to get re-engaged in one’s daily activities, duties, responsibilities, etc.

             Sleep is not invited. It comes effortlessly. It is nature’s daily gift throughout one’s existence. It is a temporary phenomenon every night. The end of life is eternal sleep.

            To be sleepless is a curse. It is anti-life. Adequate undisturbed sleep is indispensible for healthy existence.  

                People who violate the rules of healthy and guiltless living fail to get peaceful sleep. Undisturbed and restorative sleep requires a virtuous style of living.  Lord Buddha’s eightfold path is the best one for having a peaceful mind and rejuvenating sleep. This path demands righteousness in view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration.   

                In the Shakespeare’s play Macbeth , Macbeth himself hears a voice after murdering King Duncan say, “Me thought I heard a voice cry  “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’, the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the revell’s sleeve of care,  the  death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast. “  

            He reports this terrifying experience to his wife, Lady Macbeth, indicating that the deed has left him unable to sleep and  is haunted by his actions.

              To wind up, here is a suggestion. Don’t murder sleep. Live an active virtuous life and be grateful to God for His blessings including a regular sound sleep. Go to bed with a prayer on your lips for a peaceful night’s sleep.

                                                *********

G.R.Kanwal

26 August 2025     

 

 

 

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

 

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

            “BELIEVE IT OR NOT” is a poem written by the English poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850). He was one of greatest poets who loved and admired nature. In most of his poems, we find his thoughts about flowers, mountains, woods, rivers, fields, farms, winds, and streams.

            The poem mentioned above starts with the following lines:

“The charities that soothe and heal, and bless,

Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers.

            Its theme is that “It is not the rich and noble who can be generous and kind.”

            Poverty in every country is defined as “the state of lacking the basic financial resources and essentials for a dignified standard of living. But if you ask knowledgeable persons : Are poor people less charitable?. They will answer: No.  Poor people are rather more charitable. This is due to their having greater empathy and a stronger sense of shared experiences of scarcity and hardship. Furthermore, they have a greater degree of compassion, concern for others , belief in egalitarian values, and altruistic behaviour.              

            An English clergy Caleb C. Colton (1780-1832) said : If you ask what keeps some persons poor? And what has made some others rich? The true answer to these queries would often make the poor man more proud of his poverty than the rich man is of his wealth, and the rich man more justly ashamed of his wealth, than the poor man unjustly is of his poverty.                               Finally, here is the full text of the poem mentioned above:

The charities that soothe and heal, and bless,

Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers.

The generous inclination, the just rule,

Kind wishes, and good actions, and pure thoughts;

No mystery is here, ---no special boon

For high and not for low,---for proudly graced,

And not for meek of heart. The smoke ascends

To heaven as lightly from the cottage hearth

As from the haughty palace.

                                                                        ********

G.R.Kanwal

25 August 2025

ANGER

 

ANGER      

            “Anger” is briefly defined as a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, resentment or hostility. According to a longer description it is “an intense, natural human emotion triggered by perceived threats, harms, or injustice.  

           

            It is both a normal and abnormal human emotion. Normally, it shows itself in mild irritation or displeasure. A person who frequently loses temper may be having some mental disorder.

 

            Religiously, it is one of the seven deadly sins, the remaining six being ---pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony and sloth. Pride is vanity. It is excessive belief in one’s own abilities. Greed is excessive desire for material gains. Lust is intense desire for something, gluttony is too much eating or drinking, envy is dislike of others’ possessions or qualities, and sloth is idleness or laziness.

 

            Some synonyms of anger are: rage, fury, vexation, ire, ill humour,

outrage,  choler, gall and provocation.

 

            Action in a state of anger can be dangerous. It may express itself in fighting, abusing, physical  harming , mental  torturing , and may cause some sort of  undesirableinjury or loss. Even murders have been committed because of intense anger.

 

            We must learn to control anger and delay reactions. More often than not anger leads to regret and repentance. Criminal anger can result in legal punishment which may, in worst cases, be life imprisonment or even death penalty.  

            Some quotes on anger are:

*Anger is as a stone cast into wasp’s nest.

*To rule one’s anger is well; to prevent it is still better.

*When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.

*He best keeps from anger who remembers that God is always looking upon him. ___Greek philosopher Plato (died around 348/347 BCE)

*The greatest remedy for anger is delay.

*The English divine and religious poet Isaac Watts  (1674-1748) said: To be angry about trifles is mean and childish; and to maintain perpetual wrath is akin to the practice and temper of devils; but to prevent and suppress rising resentment is wise and glorious, is manly and divine.  

                                                *******

G.R.Kanwal

24 August 2025

WHAT I LIVE FOR

 

                WHAT I LIVE FOR

            “What I Live For” is the title of the poem written by George Linnaeus Banks who was a British journalist, editor, poet, playwright, amateur actor, and orator. He was born on 2^nd March 1821 in Birmingham, United Kingdom and died in London, United Kingdom on 3^rd May 1881.

            This  poem has five stanzas of eight lines each. Each stanza begins with words : I live”. For example: the first line of five stanzas is:  live for those who love me. I live to learn their story. I live to hold communion. I live to hold that season. The sixth stanza again begins with the line of the first stanza : I live for those who love me.

              There is a lot which the readers can learn from this poem about the useful purpose of their life in this world.

               Here is the full text:

I live for those who love me,

Whose hearts are kind and true;

For the heaven that smiles above me,

And awaits my spirit too;

For all human ties that bind me,

For the task by God assigned me,

For the bright hopes left behind me,

And the good that I can do.

 

I live to learn their story

Who’ve suffered for my sake;

To emulate their glory,

And follow in their wake ;

Bards, patriots, martyrs, sages,

The noble of all ages,

Whose deeds crown History’s pages,

And time’s great volume make.

 

I live to hold communion

With all that is divine;

To feel there is a union

‘Twixt Nature’s heart and mine;

To profit by affliction,

Reap truth from fields of fiction,

Grow wiser from conviction,

And fulfil each grand design.

 

I live to hail that season,

By gifted minds foretold,

When men shall live by reason,

And not alone by gold;

When man to man united,

And every wrong thing righted,

The whole world shall be lighted

As Eden was of old.

 

I live for those who love me,

For those who know me true;

For the heaven that smiles above me,

And awaits my spirit too;

For the cause that lacks assistance,

For the wrong that needs resistance,

For the future in the distance,

And the good that I can do.

 

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

22^nd August 2025

WHAT DOES NAME MEAN?

 

                WHAT DOES NAME MEAN?

            “Name” is defined as a word or words by which someone or something is known.

              There is nothing in the world which has no name. Similarly all humans and living beings have specific names.

             Some synonyms of name are: appellation, designation, denomination, sobriquet, title, style, lable, tag, epithet.

            Names also signify, fame, repute, renown, distinction, eminence, prominence, honour, esteem, and prestige.      

            The best synonym of name is identity.

           

            Some names indicate a person’s caste, occupation, ancestral identity, dedication to a particular religion, god or goddess, aptitude, social status, etc.

 

            Poets, writers, artists, authors, saints and sages are known by their pen names or pseudonyms.

           

            Quite a few persons add the names of animals  and birds to their names, like : lion, tiger, sparrow, crow, etc.

 

             Nameless means a thing or person whose identity is kept hidden. A poem whose author’s name is unknown is anonymous.

 

            Namesake means a person or thing with same name as another.

           

Finally, here are some famous lines about names.

 

*A name is a kind of face whereby one is known.

*Some men do as much begrudge others a good name, as they want one themselves;  and perhaps that is the reason of it.

*A person with a bad name is already half-hanged.

*What is in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.

*Good name, in man or woman, is the immediate jewel of their souls.

* No better heritage can a father bequeath to his children than a good name; nor is there in a family any richer heir-loom than the memory of a noble ancestor.

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

21 August 2025  

OPPORTUNISM

 

OPPORTUNISM  

            “Opportunism” is defined as the practice of using situations unfairly to gain advantage for one’s own self without thinking how one’s actions will affect other people.  A shorter definition is worded as ---the taking of opportunities as and when they arise, regardless of planning or principle.

 

            There is an element of immorality in the practice of opportunism.  Opportunists are fair weather friends. They can abandon faithfulness and loyalty in no time. For them personal gain is preferable to group loyalty. In this way, they are materialists.  Morality and principles of steadfastness are not indispensable for them. They are unprincipled turn coats.

 

            Opportunism can also be interpreted as exploitation, unscrupulousness, making hay while the sun shines and placing personal motives above ethical considerations.

 

             People who have no regard for sincerity, unselfishness, faithfulness and loyalty believe in the following words of the English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616): There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.

            Unethical opportunism can be dangerous. Its consequences can be both morally and legally harmful. For an immediate undesirable gain, there can be life-long suffering. Repentance can improve the situation a little  but cannot undo the consequences of immorality lock, stock and barrel. Once a wrong-doer becomes infamous, he remains so for a long time to come. The fruits of greedy opportunism are bitter.  They must not be given a chance to ripen.

            It will not be wrong to say that it is better to be ethically loyal and poor than unethically disloyal and rich.

 

            Finally, this quote: Some people out there will do all kinds of unscrupulous tactics to get what they want even if it’s wrong, as long as it fits their agenda.

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

20 August 2025     

 

                         

 

 

 

QUALITIES OF GREAT PERSONS

 

QUALITIES OF GREAT PERSONS     

            Great persons are rare. They are born, not made. Their qualities are numerous as well as admirable. Whoever is great has such physical, mental, moral and spiritual abilities as are a good deal  above average in number and intensity.

            Wealth, rank, authority, supremacy, sovereignty, dynastic inheritance, and materialistic power, etc. do not make a man genuinely great.      

           

            Great men are charismatic, dynamic, creative, optimistic, visionary, progressive, co-operative, confident, enthusiastic, inspiring, steadfast, courageous, kind-hearted, humble, merciful, selfless, charitable, flexible, fair-minded, intelligent, wise, truthful, prudent, compassionate, sincere, loyal, trustworthy, and resilient.

            The German statesman Otto Eduard Bismarck (1815-98)  said : A really great man is known by three signs --- generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.

            The American clergy William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) believed that the greatest man is he who chooses the right with invincible resolution; who resists the sorest temptations from within and without; who bears the heaviest burdens cheerfully; who is calmest in storms, and most fearless under menace and frowns; and whose reliance on truth, on virtue, and on God, is most unfaltering.

 

            The English writer and philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) had this to say: Men in great place are thrice servants: servants of the sovereign or state, servants of fame, and servants of business; so that they have no freedom, neither in their persons, in their actions, nor in their times.---It is a strange desire to seek power over others, and to lose power over a man’s self.

            Finally, this short quote on greatness: Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.

                                                ********

G.R.Kanwal

19 August 2025    

 

LOVE ME LITTLE, LOVE ME LONG

 

                                LOVE ME LITTLE, LOVE ME LONG

            True love is a life-long passion of the body, the mind, and the soul. It is not seasonal or periodic. It is a continuous appetite of the heart. A love which lasts for some time in one’s life can be intense but not continuous. It is like a loud flame having a very short duration .

            The English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) says in one of his sonnets:

“Love ‘s 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.              

 

            “Love Me Little, Love Me Long” is an anonymous poem written in 1570. It suggests that a love that is too hot and strong burns out hurriedly. But a moderate love which is steadfast faces challenges of entire life.

               Here is the full text of the poem:

Love me little, love me long ,

Is the burden of my song,

Love that is too hot and strong

Burneth soon to waste.

Still I would not have thee cold,

Not too blackward or too bold;

Love that lasteth till ‘tis old

Fadeth not in haste.

 

If thou lovest me too much,

It will not prove as true as touch;

Love me little, more than such,

For I fear the end.

I am with little well content,

And a little from thee sent

Is enough, with true intent,

To be steadfast friend.

 

Say thou love’st me while thou live.

I to thee my love will give,

Never dreaming to deceive

While that life endures;

Nay, and after death, in sooth,

I to thee will keep my truth,

As now, when in my May of youth,

This my love assures.

 

Constant love is moderate ever,

And it will through life persever;

Give me that, with true endeavour

I will it restore.

A suit of endurance let it be,

For all weathers ; that for me.

For the land or for the sea,

Lasting evermore.

 

Winter’s cold or summer’s heat,

Autumn’s tempests on it beat,

It can never know defeat,

Never can rebel.

Such the love that I would gain,

Such the love, I tell thee plain,

Thou must give, or woo in vain

So to thee farewell.

 

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

18 August 2025

MEMORABLE SACRED THOUGHTS MEMORABLE SACRED THOUGHTS

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                MEMORABLE SACRED THOUGHTS

            *The tragedy of life becomes complete if a desire-ridden individual comes under the endless persecution of steady anxiety to enjoy the fruits of his actions. Fruits-of-action belong to the future and they are always ordered by the quality and quantity of the action in the present moment, and also by the circumstances available in the chosen field of activity. Naturally, without the abandonment of our clinging attachment to the expected fruits of our actions, we will not discover the full potentialities of our own personality. Without this, our activities will naturally become ineffective, and ineffective activities can never provide for us enjoyable fruits. ----- From a commentary by Swami Chinnamayananda on the theme of “ Renunciation” in The Holy Geeta.  

*Praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures, the most merciful, the king of the day of judgment. Thee do we worship, and of thee do we beg assistance. Direct us in the right way of those to whom thou hast been gracious; not of those against whom thou are incensed, nor of those who go astray.------A Prayer in The Holy Koran.

*Truth Is Individual. It has nothing to do with the crows; truth has alwas been attain by individuals. A Buddha attains it, a Jesus, a Mohammed, a Moses. A Zarathustra. But they attain to truth when they are absolutely alone in their deep meditative states, when they are utterly alone drowning in their own consciousness and reaching the very bottom core of it. Then they what truth is. The crowd  keeps you away from yourself. The crowd is an escape from your real being. The crowd makes it possible for you to remain interested in others; it never allows you any self-encounter. -------Indian mystic and philosopher Osho in Be Still and Know.

*Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us: viz., avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace. ----Italian poet Petrarch (1304-1374).

                                      *******

G.R.Kanwal

17 August 2025

 

 

 

SOME QUOTES ON IMMORTALITY

 

SOME QUOTES ON IMMORTALITY

            “Immortality” is defined as the state of living forever. In religion, it is known as reincarnation ---- the belief that a soul or spirit is reborn into a new physical body after death.  

            According to Lord Krishna’s statement in the Gita,  Humans are eternal in essence. They are both body and soul. The body is materialistic and perishable. The soul is non-materialistic, hence imperishable. When a person dies, his soul does not become non-existent.

            “Just as in this body the embodied (soul) passes into childhood, youth and old age, so also does he pass into another body.”

            The great Lord further says: “The contacts of senses with objects, which cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are impermanent.”  The soul is the eternal Self. It is indestructible, incomprehensible.

            In a further clarification, the Lord says: Just as a man casts off his worn out clothes and puts on new ones, so also the embodied-self casts off its worn out bodies and enters others which are new.

            The Self, says the Lord, is changeless because: weapons cleave it not, water moistens it not, wind dries it not.

            As the Self cannot be cut, nor burnt, nor moistened, nor dried up, it is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and ancient.

            Let us now read the views of some other thinkers who believe in immortality.

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

* All men’s souls are immortal, but the soul of the righteous are both immortal and divine,-----Greek philosopher Socrates.

*Whatsoever that be within us that feels, thinks, desires, and animates, is something celestial, divine, and, consequently, imperishable.----Greek philosopher Aristotle.

*’Tis the divinity that stirs within us; ‘tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter and intimates eternity to man. -----English author Joseph Addison.

                                                            ********

G.R.Kanwal

16 August 2025