THE ART OF LIVING

          THE ART OF LIVING

A FEW RANDOM HINTS: PART I.

1. Do nothing rashly.

2. Do whatever is best for the common good.

3. Do not act aimlessly.

4. Never forget that life is short and every individual is mortal.

5. The time before you was vast, it will be vast even after you.

6. Living in his world is more like a wrestler’s practice than that of a dancer.

7. Do not judge anything as good or bad which is not in your jurisdiction.

8. What is useless for the hive is also useless for the bee.

 9. Look within. The foundation of all living is there.

10. Wind up yourself into yourself.

11. Think of life as one long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, towards a goal that only a few can hope to reach.

12. Bear in mind that all friends and comrades vanish one by one.

13. Do what you ought to, come what may.

14. Play the part allotted to you with conscientiousness, sincerity and unselfishness.

15. If you want to serve humanity, listen to no other voice that of love and active goodness.

                                                                        (To be continued)

8^th December 2019            G. R. KANWAL

         

BOYS AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN

                  BOYS AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN

“In this world of human affairs there is no worse nuisance that a boy at the age of fourteen.

“He is neither ornamental nor useful.  It is impossible to shower affection on him as on a little boy; and he is always getting in the way.  If he talks with a childish lisp he is called a baby, and if he answers in a grown-up way he is called impertinent.  In fact any talk a t all from him is resented.

“Then he is at the unattractive growing age.  He grows out of his clothes with indecent haste; his voice grows hoarse and breaks and quivers; his face grows suddenly angular and unsightly.

“It is easy to excuse the shortcomings of early childhood, but it is hard to tolerate even unavoidable lapses in a boy of fourteen. The lad himself becomes painfully self-conscious. When he talks with elderly people he is either unduly forward, or else so unduly shy that he appears ashamed of his very existence.

“Yet it is at this very age when in heart of hearts a young lad most craves for recognition and love; and he becomes  he devoted slave of any one who shows him consideration.  But none dare openly love him, for that would be regarded as undue indulgence, and therefore bad for the boy.

“So, what with scolding and chiding, he becomes very much like a stray dog that has lost his master.    

“For a boy of fourteen his own home is the only Paradise.  To live in a strange house with strange people is little short of torture, while the height of bliss is to receive the kind look of women, and never be slighted by them. “

The extract given above is from ‘Home Coming’ a story by Rabindranath Tagore.  The hero of this story is a fourteen-year old boy who has lost his father and is entrusted for his further upbringing to his maternal uncle.

While the uncle was quite considerate to the boy, his wife was not.  As a result, the boy gets afflicted with  fever after some time and dies.  Without the love of his parents, especially the mother, he was emotionally starved. Away from his home, he was like a stray dog. His physical, mental, emotional and social needs remained ungratified.  Tagore’s dictum “For a boy of fourteen his own home is the only paradise” proves true.  Away from his parental home, he was in hell and dies while he was in the custody of his uncle.  

“Homecoming” is a story about the behaviourial problems of adolescents both boys and girls.  What has been said about boys in this extract equally applies to girls.  

It is interesting to note that Tagore has mentioned not only the problems of adolescents, but also suggested remedies which should be adopted by all co0ncerned.            

7^th December 2019                                   G. R. KANWAL

  

SIX ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

                           SIX ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

Zoroaster, Iranian spiritual leader and religious prophet (C 628 BCE – C 551 CEB) believed in one universal transcendent all-good and un-created supreme creator deity, Ahura Mazda, which means the Wise Lord.

The six attributes of God reproduced herein are mentioned in a small book entitled “Gems from the Divine Song of Zoroaster) compiled by one Shri D .J .Irani.  This book was published in Bombay now Mumbai, in August 1922.

1.     The Spirit of the Good Mind.

The Wise Lord is the fountain source of the Perfect Good Mind. It is placed first, for the Good Mind or Good Thought is the foundation on which the edifice of all goodness in words and in actions is based.

2.     The Spirit of Truth.

It  is part of the very essence of the Supreme Being. From the principle of Truth and Right proceed the harmony of Universal Law and Order, and hence the term “Asha” is often used to mean the Holy and Immutable Laws of the Universe.

3.     The Spirit of Holy Sovereignty.

Ahura Mazda is the Supreme Sovereign Lord, and the term “Khashtra” refers both to His Spiritual Sovereignty as well as to His Dominion of Heaven.  And just as men can have the gifts of the Good Mind and Righteousness for themselves, so can they establish by means thereof a Kingdom of Heaven on this earth, if they would only strive to do so.

4.The Spirit of Benevolent Piety. 

It is described as the spirit of the active and zealous mind, working diligently for the welfare of mankind , It is  also known as the “Bountiful Armaiti.”  For example, a peasant toiling arduously on his soil, rearing up his family, caring for his flock and lands, is more blest by the Spirit of Bountiful Piety than a recluse who has renounced the world and lives on alms. Hence Piety with the diligent and benevolent mind also becomes a religious duty.

5. The Spirit of Healthful Well-being or Perfection.

6. The Spirit of Immortality.

            These are said to be the Twin Spirits, or the Twin Blessings which Providence awards to the man who yearns for and strives to possess the above-mentioned attributes of the Almighty.

            According to Zoroaster, a man or woman, who is inspired by the Good Mind. whose actions are guided by Truth, who works diligently for the welfare of God’s Good Creation, who strives in his or her humble way to make the world progress towards perfection, will certainly be blessed by Providence by the Twin Blessings of Healthful and Happy Life here, and Immortality ever afterwards in the Fair Abode of the Great Father.

            For more about Zoroaster and his teachings, please refer to some current encyclopedia.

6^th December 2019           G. R. KANWAL            

           

ADVICE ABOUT FRIENDS

                                         ADVICE ABOUT FRIENDS

We often hear that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics, which means that adversity makes strange bedfellows. I am not going to dwell on this subject in this short write up. However, it is pertinent to quote the words of an American Clergy Minot Judson Savage (1841-1918). He said: “You’ll find the friendship of the world mere outward show! ---‘Tis like the harlot’s tears, the statesman’s promise, or the false patriot’s zeal, full of fair seeming, but delusion all,.”

             I have, however, found the best piece of advice in a poem written by English composer Joseph Parry (1841-1903).  He was educated at Royal Academy of Music, University of Cambridge and is genuinely famous for a number of heart-warming songs and poems which will never become obsolete.  The one given below is full of perennial wisdom on the subject of friends, old and new.

                        MAKE NEW FRINDS, BUT KEEP THE OLD

“Make   new friends, but keep the old;

Those are silver, these are gold.

New-made friendships, like new wine,

Age will mellow and refine.

Friendships that have stood the test---

Time and change --- are surely best;

Brow may winkle, hair grow gray,

Friendship never knows decay.

For ‘mid old friends, tried and true,

Once more we our youth renew.

But old friends, alas! May die,

New friends must their place supply.

Cherish friendship in your breast----

New is good, but old is best;

Make new friends, but keep the old;

Those are silver, these are gold.”

  3^rd December 2019                                      G. R. KANWAL

LIFE’S MIRROR

LIFE’S   MIRROR

‘Life’s Mirror’ is a poem written by  American poet and author Madeline Bridges,  pen name of Mary Ainge De Vere (1844-1920).   She was born in Brooklyn and worked as Professor of Music Education in the School of Music at Belmont University.

            Madeline was a life-long poet. She was a prolific author who wrote a large number of poems and songs which are all-time popular. Two of her famous books are ‘Sing Together Children’ and ‘How to Lead Children’s Choir’.

             Her lyrical poem reproduced below is included in the anthologies of best loved poems of the world. The word ‘Mirror’ in the title of the poem is symbolic of literal as well as of figurative reflection, that is, not only our own mundane thoughts and deeds but also of spiritual truth, illumination, awareness and wisdom.

The whole poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ which as John Keats (1795-1821)  said in his long poem ‘Endymion’ 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.     

             The poem reads as follows:

THERE ARE LOYAL HEARTS, there are spirits brave,

There are souls that are pure and true;

Then give to the world the best you have,

And the best will come back to you. 

Give love, and love to your life will flow,

A strength in your utmost need;

Have faith, and a score of hearts will show

Their faith in your word and deed.

Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind,

And honor will honor meet;

And a smile that is sweet will surely find

A smile that is just as sweet 

Give sorrow and pity to those who mourn;

You will gather in flowers again

The scattered seeds of your thought outborne,

Though the sowing seemed but vain.

For life is the mirror of king, and slave----

‘Tis just what we are and do;

Then to the world the best you have,

And the best will come back to you.

           

            The moral of the poem is summed up in the last two lines.  To put it briefly, it is equivalent of ‘Do good and have good’ or ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’.

29^th November 2019                                ---G.R.KANWAL

SHAKESPEARE’S ADVICE TO A YOUNG MAN

              SHAKESPEARE’S ADVICE TO A YOUNG MAN

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet, playwright and actor.  He is universally considered as one the greatest dramatists of the world. Literary critics unanimous declare that “He was not of an age, but for all time.”

            In a well-known passage from his Lecture on ‘The Hero as Poet`, Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) asserted that Shakespeare was a more precious imperial heritage than even India. : “Consider now, if they asked us, will you give up your Indian Empire or your Shakespeare…. Really it were a grave question. Official persons would answer doubtless in official language.  But we, for our own part, should not we be forced to answer: Indian Empire, or no Indian Empire, we cannot do without Shakespeare! Indian Empire will go, at any rate some day; but this Shakespeare does not go, he lasts forever with us; we cannot give our Shakespeare.”    

            The lines that follow are extracted from Shakespeare’s famous play ‘Hamlet’. It will not be wrong to say that the advice given to young men through these lines is eternal. It will never become stale or irrelevant.  It may also be added that great poets like Shakespeare play the role of great teachers of mankind. Their importance is no less than that of sages, prophets, religious leaders and philosophers. That is why they continue to studied generation after generation.

                                  

                 Advice to A Young Man

            Give thy thoughts no tongue

Nor any unproportion’d thought his act.

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.

The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried

Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel,

But do not dull thy palm, with entertainment

Of each new-hatch’d unfledged comrade. Beware

Of entrance to a quarrel: but, being in,

Bear it that the opposer may beware of thee.

Give every man thy ear but few thy voice:

Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement,

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy

For the apparel oft proclaims the man;

And they in France, of the best rank and station,

Are most select and generous, chief in that.

Neither a borrower, nor a lender be:

For loan oft loses both itself and friend;

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

This above all, ----To thine ownself be true;

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

27^th November 2019                    ------G.R.KANWAL

  

ENDS AND MEANS

                                ENDS AND MEANS

In simple terms ends are aims, purposes, objectives, goals, targets, intentions, aspirations or whatever we want to achieve.  Means are the methods, resources, rules, procedures, regulations, systems, practices, processes, ways, approaches, manners, measures, modes, styles, courses of actions, or modus operandi which we may use to realize the ends set by us.

In many fields of life, people do not believe in the morality of the methods used by them.  According to them nothing succeeds like us.  They do not mind if they achieve the ends intended by them by hook or by crook.  Here, fair may be foul and foul may be fair.  In short, they can use unfair means to accomplish fair ends.  They decide to abide by the saying ‘All is fair in love and war’.  Such people are called smart, determined, pragmatists, self-willed or worldly wise. They justify the use of wrong methods for right ends by asserting that in a competitive world one cannot avoid the use of practically nor morally useful methods to compete with their rivals as also outdo them.  

 Such people are not afraid of God or any kind of punishment mentioned in the scriptures of their religions. Their conscience does not bite them when they consciously use wicked ways for virtuous ends. They have hardly any fear of the horrible consequences which result from committing a sin or a crime or any immoral deed or act. However, this state of their minds may not last for a long time. A moment may come sooner or later when changing circumstances and the fruits of their actions may compel them to feel that they have to reap today what they sowed yesterday. This situation may be severe enough to ruin not only their own life but also of their accomplices and kith and kith  

In this context, let us have a deep look at the views of Gandhiji, Lord Buddha and Leo Tolstoy. 

According to Gandhiji, impure means result in an impure end.  One cannot reach Truth by untruthfulness. The means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree, and there is just the same inviolable connection between the means and the end, as there is between the seed and the tree. In Gandhiji’s opinion, it is pernicious to hold that so long as the end was good, any means, however violent or unjust, were justifying.

Relating the issue of ends and means to spirituality, Gandhiji said:: “There are two methods of attaining desired end. Truthful and Truthless. In our scriptures, they have been described respectively as divine and devilish. The final triumph of Truth is always assumed for the divine method.  Its votary does not abandon it, even though at times the path seems impenetrable and beset with difficulties and dangers, and a departure, however slight, from that straight path may appear full of promise.  His faith even then shines respectively like the mid-day sun and he does not despond.  With Truth for sword, he needs neither steel nor gunpowder.  He conquers the enemy by the force of the soul, which is Love.”

Speaking about the relations between politics and religion, Gandhiji says, “I cannot conceive politics as divorced from religion.  Indeed, religion should pervade every one of our actions.  Here religion does not mean sectarianism.  It means a belief in ordered moral government of the universe.

Let us now listen to what Lord Buddha says: “Surely if living creatures saw the results of their evil deeds, they would turn away from them in disgust.  But selfhood blinds them, and they cling to their obnoxious desires.  They crave for pleasure for themselves and they cause pain to others, when death destroys their individuality, they find no peace; their thirst for existence abides and their selfhood reappears in new births.  Thus they continue to move in the coil and can find no escape from the hell of their own making.

“And how empty are their pleasures, how vain are heir endeavours Hollow like the plantain-tree and without contents like the bubble.  The world is full of evil and sorrow, because it is full of lust.  Men go astray because they think that delusion is better than truth. Rather than truth they follow errors, which is pleasant to look at in the beginning but in the end causes anxiety, tribulation, and misery.”

   Russian writer and moral philosopher, Leo Tolstoy (1928- 1910) whom Gandhiji admired time and again, attributes the choice of evil methods to temptations. The world of men, says he, is unhappy only on account of temptations.  Temptations are everywhere in the world, they always were and will always will be; and man perishes from temptations.  Therefore men should give up everything, sacrifice everything, if only they not fall into temptation.  A fox, if it falls into a trap, will wrench off its paw and go away, and the paw will heal and it will remain alive.  Men should do likewise.  They should give up everything, if only not to sink into temptation. 

      To conclude, may I suggest we should not fall a prey to temptations to lead a happy and peaceful life both here as well as hereafter.  

26^th November 2019                                     ------G. R. KANWAL