BENEFITS OF RECREATION

 

BENEFITS OF RECREATION

‘‘Recreation’’ is defined as fun, play, sport, leisure, pleasure, amusement, entertainment, relaxation, enjoyment and diversion. 

There are many forms of recreation like playing, walking, running, climbing, sight-seeing, reading, writing, watching nature, socializing, singing, dancing, acting and gardening.  

  Recreation is not for making money. It is for enjoying life. The Welsh poet William Henry Davies (1871-1940) who spent much of his life as a tramp asks in his poem Leisure such questions as:

“What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare? No time to see, when woods we pass, where squirrels hide nuts in grass. No time to turn at Beauty’s glance, and watch her feet, how they can dance.”

The American poet and critic James Lowell  (1819-1891) said: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

   The Indian mystic and philosopher Acharya Rajneesh popularly known as Osho (1931-1990) says: Life is not punishment. It is so valuable that it cannot be a punishment. It is a reward. And you should be thankful to existence that it has chosen you – to breathe through you, to love through you, to sing through you, to dance through you.  

One must not forget that recreation is not being idle; it is easing the wearied part by change of occupation.

Finally, this short but unforgettable quote: The bow cannot always stand bent, nor can human frailty subsist without some lawful recreation.

And also this piece of advice: Make thy recreation servant to thy business, lest thou become a slave to thy recreation.                        

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G.R.Kanwal

11^th November 2024

 

  

         

THE DEFINITION OF A GOOD MAN

 

THE DEFINITION OF A GOOD MAN

With reference to man, the word “good” has many meanings. Some of them are: sincere, loyal, honest, noble, virtuous, right-minded, kind-hearted, helpful, sympathetic, gracious, charitable and virtuous.

The English poet-dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616) said in his play Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” This statement is about things, not men. The world is full of bad men and a lot of good men, too.

   Here is a famous definition about good men:

“A good man is someone who acts with integrity, compassion, and a sense of justice. He is guided by a strong moral compass and takes responsibility for his actions. He also considers the welfare of others and strives to make a positive difference in their lives.”

  If we go by the aforesaid definition, we shall not find many good men in the modern world which is infested with selfishness and immorality.

A Chinese proverb says: There are two perfectly good men; one dead, and the other unborn.

Greek philosopher Sophocles said: To be doing  good is man’s most glorious task.

The Scottish divine Thomas Chalmers 1780-1847 advises: Live for something. Do good,  and leave behind you a monument of virtue that the storms of time can never destroy. Write your name in kindness, love, and mercy on the hearts of thousands you come in contact with year by year, and you will never be forgotten. Your name and your deeds will shine as the stars of heaven.

Finally, this short opinion by the French author Francois de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) : “ Nothing is rarer than real goodness.”

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G.R.Kanwal

10^th November 2024

 

FREE FOOD

 

FREE FOOD

The world is a market. It is full of business houses and shops selling all that is needed for the survival or comforts of life.

Food is the most essential item on sale. Those who do not have their own kitchens or any other system of preparing food to satisfy their hunger purchase requisite type of food from hotels on payment.

Free food is normally available, as sacred food , in houses of religious worship.

These days even governments dole out free food material to thousands of so-called poor people. This policy is subject to criticism.

            Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) said” My ahimsa would not tolerate the idea of giving a free meal to a healthy person who has not worked for it in some honest way and if I had the power, I would stop every sadavrata where free meals are given. It has degraded the nation and it has encouraged laziness, idleness, hypocrisy and even crime.”

He, however, agrees that every man has an equal right to the necessaries of life even as birds and beasts have. And since every right carries with it corresponding duty and the corresponding remedy for resisting any attack upon it, it is merely a matter of finding out the corresponding duties and remedies to vindicate the elementary fundamental equality.

            What is needed is the duty of the government of the time to provide employment to every citizen with adequate salary to make both ends meet.

There should be no dearth of money with any person to buy daily food items for himself and those who depend upon him. Extreme poverty which compels them to beg for free food is sinful not on their part but also on the part of the government.

            As for free sacred food which is made available to the devoted visitors at the religious places of worship, there should be no check. This custom should rather be encouraged.

            Finally, here is a famous quote about starving: The world is split between those who do not sleep because they are hungry and those who do not sleep because they are afraid of those who are hungry.”

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G.R.Kanwal

9^th November 2024

FOOD IS LIFE

 

            FOOD IS LIFE

Food is life. Anyone who needs food for one’s survival does not  get it and has to remain hungry for an unbearable number of days cannot survive.

According to a definition food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. It is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals.  

            Food provides energy, nourishment and sustenance. It is necessary not only for satisfaction of hunger but is also indispensable for one’s growth from the very first moment of one’s entry into this world.

           

 Food has to be eaten throughout one’s life. However.  it is advisable that  one should eat to live, not live to eat.

 

According to William Shakespeare the English poet-dramatist (1564-1616) : “They are as sick that surfeit with too much , as they that starve with nothing.“

 

The English surgeon Thomas R. Jones (1810-1880) had this to say: “By eating what is sufficient man is enabled to work; he is hindered from working and becomes heavy, idle, and stupid if he takes too much. As to bodily distempers occasioned by excess ,there is no end of them. “

             In the choice of food, it must be remembered that one man’s food is another man’s poison.

There is nothing wrong in taking guidance from a health care expert.

           

            Here is a very useful quote: Food is the substance we eat every day for energy and strength. There are many types of food, such as fruits, vegetables, rice, and pasta. We need to eat a variety of foods to get all the essential nutrients the body needs. Not eating a healthy and balanced diet leads to weakness and deficiency.

 

            Water should be made a compulsory part of each meal to avoid dehydration. Also, undertake fasting when required for health reasons, medical advice, religious practice or any other situation like some sort of protest.

 

            Finally, this unforgettable quote: One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

 

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G.R.Kanwal

8^th November 2024

DON’T BE IDLE

 

DON’T BE IDLE

One who is idle may be lazy, indolent, sluggish, inactive, jobless, unemployed, out of work, work-shy, inert or passive,   

            Nature wants human beings to be active and dynamic.  Those who love idleness don’t lead a happy and laborious  life.

            The American professor of English Richard E. Burton (Born 1861) says: Idleness is the bane of body and mind, the nurse of naughtiness, the chief author of all mischief, one of the seven deadly sins, the cushion upon which the devil chiefly reposes, and a great cause not only of melancholy, but of many other diseases; for the mind is naturally active; and if it be not occupied about some honest business, it rushes into mischief or sinks into melancholy.

            Some other important opinions about idleness are: (a). It is the hot-bed of temptation, the cradle of disease and waster of time. (b). It is a constant sin because to spend time in some sort  of labour is duty. (c) It is the key of beggary and the root cause of every evil. (d). Idleness causes perpetual despair. (e). The way to be nothing is to do nothing.

              An English proverb says: An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.

            Those who are wedded to idleness have under-developed personalities. They have viciously  wasted the talents with which God blessed them.

            Don’t be idle is not a mere suggestion; it is a strict warning.

            Finally, this quote: Life is a short day; but it is a working day. Actvity may lead to evil, but inactivity cannot lead to good,---Hannah More, English author  1745-1833).

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G.R.Kanwal

7^th November 2024  

 

 

PUNCTUALITY

 

          PUNCTUALITY

            Punctuality is the happening or doing of events at the fixed or arranged time. Nature observes strict punctuality. The sun rises and sets at its fixed time. The moon, too, observes punctuality. We have seasons beginning and ending at their scheduled time. The rotation of the earth is also perfectly punctual. Its unpunctuality even by a fraction of a second can cause incalculable havoc.

            Unfortunately, many human beings don’t observe punctuality in their daily routine concerning their personal, domestic, business, occupational and recreational time. Some of them follow the proverb :Better late than never.

            Unpunctuality is a bad habit. It is harmful. It affects adversely not one who is unpunctual but also others who expect punctuality and cannot cope with its violation.

            Unpunctuality causes anger, irritation, impatience, provocation, breach in relationship, loss of opportunity, material or any other kind of damage.  

Unpunctual people miss  participation in rare interviews, important, engagements  precious appointments .

            In some cases those who are late have to pay fines or undergo other punishments in their places of employment.  

            Better late than never is not a good rule in all the private or official duties      .

            Some opinions about punctuality are worth honouring without any hesitation. These are: (a). Want of punctuality is want of virtue. (b). Better be three hours too soon than one minute too late. (c).  Better late than never is not half so good a maxim as “better never late.”  (d). The most indispensable virtue of a cook is punctuality. The same must be said of guests.

            Finally, this short but admirable quote: Punctuality is the art of showing respect to yourself and to others.

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G.R.Kanwal

6^th November 2024

 

 

 

         

WALKING

 

          WALKING

            Walking mean going by foot, travelling on foot, strolling, sauntering, ambling,  plodding , trudging, hiking, tramping, trekking, marching, striding and wending one’s way.

            Humans are said to have come into this world for a walk, for a short, not a long time.

            A newborn child is unable to walk but as soon as it is one year old walking starts.

            Walking is natural, so is running, riding and climbing. Sitting and lying, too, are natural and essential but are variable companions of walking.

            Those who do not walk fail to maintain good health.  Walking for half an hour or longer is a key to good health and long life. Some experts advise five minutes of walking after every  hour’s of continuous sitting.

            The convenient time for waling depends on the convenience of the individual concerned. However, morning and evening hours are considered best.

            Benefits of walking include ---better digestion, better cardiovascular health, weight management, stronger bones and muscles, better creative thinking, diabetes control, healthy blood pressure, improved sleep, environmental friendliness and commendable social life.

            Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) maintained good health by long walks when he was in London during his youthful days.

            The Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) has said in one of his English novels : walking is a spiritual exercise.

            And this is what the English novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) has written somewhere: Walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose. The wandering man knows of certain ancients, far gone in years, who have staved off infirmities and dissolution by earnest walking---hale fellows, close upon ninety, but brisk as boys.

Finally, this short but meaningful quote: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

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G.R.Kanwal

5^th November 2024