Category: Uncategorized

Selflessness


All of us have met people in our life, who always live for others.  We may call them “Selfless” people.  I have also met many people in my life this way.  One of them is my eldest sister.  Born as the eldest member in my family, she was born as a premature child.  My parents were not sure if she will survive and grow as a healthy child.  But, since she was the first kid for our parents, they took extra care and nourished her to grow as a child.

Later, she grew up as a scholastic child and did very well in her academics.  Even, as a child, she inherited my father’s patience and the seflessness of my mother.  I have always admired her selfless nature.  Even as the eldest among four siblings in our home, she would care for us more than herself.  She would finish her home work even before we got up and helped all of us do our work.

 I sometimes wonder what motivates these selfless people.  Is it their ability to serve others, which is the real drive in their life ?  They never think of themselves from morning to night.  It looks as if they are born for serving others.  They get up thinking what I can do for others.  I have silently admired my sister all through her life. I regret that I have never really told her how much I admire this nature of hers.Today as I write this blog, I hope I am able to make up for my life’s regret.  I am sure that it is difficult for any of us to be like them in our real lives.  Even, if we pretend to be like them, we cannot ape them.  But, we definitely can observe them and learn from them.  We can try in our way to serve others in whatever little ways we can.  It can even be like serving your own family or friends.

In my book, selflessness is like Godliness.  One need not visit a temple, mosque, church or monastery to seek God’s blessings.  It is these small deeds of service, which can take us closer to God.  No religion in the world compels us to visit a religious place.  All relgions encourage us to serve mankind.  We need to find opportunities to serve others.  

Many of us claim we do not find opportunities to serve others.  We need not look for them.  They knock at your doors every day or may be every hour in your life.  It is our ability to sense them and make use of them.  If we do not have the ability to sense them, we could learn from people around us.  I am privileged to have a sister in my family.  So, we may have them in our family or friends circle.  It is our ability to spot them, admire them and learn from them.

Life is full of opportunities.  Most of us look outside our spheres of life for the eternal truth.  The truth lies within us.  Similarly, life lessons can be learnt from your family members, friends and even colleagues at work.  We seek Gurus in life to learn life lessons.  It is time to realize that our near and dear ones can be our gurus.  We need not look outside for them but even a glimpse within our sphere can help us spot them.

Let us refresh our lives today and start today with a small service to anyone in our life, without expecting anything in return.  This act of kindness will give us joy, which money can never buy.

S Ramesh Shankar

Joy of little things 

All of us enjoy little things in life.  It is these small things in life, which gives us joy.   The source of joy is personal to each of us.  Some of us feel nice getting up at dawn and feeling the pure air and fragrance of nature.  For others, your best time may be at midnight when the world sleeps but you are at peace with yourself.  Each of us have our own likes and dislikes.  It is up to us to discover the little things in life, which gives us joy .  We then need to find time to enjoy those little things, which gives us happiness.

Let me start with myself.  I love going on long drives with my family and friends.  I do not miss a single occasion, when I can make it.  I have sometimes even started a journey without deciding on my destination.  It gives me joy to enjoy the journey rather than worry about the destination.

Similarly, my wife likes to garden.  She likes to look at each flower and plant and enjoy the smell and taste of nature.  She can spend hours together in the garden.  The tranquility of nature gives her joy.  She is a poet and hence nature may be giving her inspiration to write creatively. She can spend hours admiring the lily in our garden as in the picture above and even write a poem on it.

My daughter is a voracious reader and writer.  She loves to admire everything around her and can express in words, which can capture your imagination.  She can write about simple things in life and make your feel special by reading her prose.  Expressing herself in words is her passion and this gives her joy.

My son loves to make other people happy.  He loves to laugh at himself and others and always create a lively atmosphere wherever he is.  It does not matter if it is a family group or a work group, the joy of enjoying the moment gives him more joy.   He can enliven the most serious atmosphere with his presence and his laughter.

There are some, who enjoy the silence of nature.  While others may feel comfortable in the chaos of the urban landscape.  Each of us finds joy in something in life.  Many a time we are not sure what gives us joy.  As we discover the sources of joy, we tend to re-invent ourselves.

I believe each of us is unique.  We have our own way of finding joy around us.  We neither should ape others nor be worried about what others think of our likes and dislikes.  It is up to us to decide on what gives us happiness in life. It is then our prerogative to pursue it relentlessly without worrying about the world around us.  We have to only ensure that what gives us joy is not a source of sadness for others in life.

It is time to discover our own little things, which gives us joy in life and enjoy it.

S Ramesh Shankar

Words


Words have life infused in them. If used appropriately in the right context, words can add meaning to life. Words could be verbal or written. It could be prose or poetry. It does not matter. What matters is the choice of words and the occasion to use them.

Do we realise that every word we speak impacts others ? We sometimes are reckless in our choice of words. We do not realise that our children at home or our team members at work could be impacted by the words we use. If we are generous and kind, the future generations will value kindness and generosity. On the contrary, if we are rude and arrogant, the younger generation will consider that to be the best use of words.

It is equally true in written text. Today, we use emails as a norm in our personal and professional life. It is efficient and cost effective. It reaches in seconds and is transmitted seamlessly across the world. What we may not realise is that choice of words reflect our personality. Most of us are in a hurry and we do not spend enough time to choose our words. We are not bothered about the content or the target reader as long as we think we have conveyed our message.

In communication, there is a beautiful quote, which says ” I know, you believe, you understand what you think I said. But, I don’t know whether you realise that what you heard is not what I meant. ” There can always be a slip between the cup and the lip. Hence, it is important to choose every word we use – irrespective of whether we are speaking or writing.

No wonder the great statesmen in the world chose their words in speeches and in their essays. Every word was always loaded with meaning and had a context. Every word pierced your heart and you could never forget what they meant. I assume they spent a lot of time in their choice of words. They were clear of their target group and reflected on it.

I have been frivolous in my choice of words. It has made me learn a lot of lessons in life. Now, after committing many mistakes in my life, I do realise the value of words I use in life. I am cautious now both in verbal and written communication. I take my time to prepare a speech or write an article. I realise it is useful not only for me to convey my message but also helpful for the audience to get it almost as I want it to be conveyed.

Words are like an arrow. Once released from your mouth or your pen, they cannot be retracted. Hence, it is all the more reason for us to be careful. We need to choose our words and the context in which we are using them. Every word is valuable and you realise it when you are asked to convey your message in a specified number of words.

“Not the last station from the south but the first station towards the north” signifies in words the emotions of the people of north and south Korea to unite some day.  This was picturized in the photo above at the border station Dorasan of South Korea.

All of us will remember that it is tougher to write a precise than an essay on any subject.  

Do you agree ?

S Ramesh Shankar