HISTORY REPEATS... IN THE REVERSE
If the world rotates and revolves, so too should history. Indeed, 'history repeats' may be the most abused of clichés, but the unfolding history of the world though in many ways an encore of sorts, departs from the familiar textbook script in one important aspect: Reversal of roles. Call it 'Reverse Colonialism' or 'Inverted Imperialism', but if current trends are any indication, the mighty West, particularly Europe, that dominated and drove the wheels of time during much of the last few centuries, is slowly and steadily being pushed to the wall while those pushing it from grace and glory are the erstwhile colonies or the 'Third world'. And make no mistake; the tortoises are winning while the hare are literally out of breath.
As poetic justice would have it, the eclipse of the imperial West is happening with the aid of the very tools it had employed to enslave other countries, namely, economic power and immigration. While those leading the economic charge are the Asian tigers like China, India, Hong Kong etc and the erstwhile eastern bloc and Soviet Union countries, the Asian and African immigrants ensconced firmly in much of Europe since colonial days are gnawing away from within. And worse, the third tool, military right, that the West has always used to subjugate the smaller nations, is now very much a weapon in the latter's armory too, what with several of those nations having gone nuclear and also in a position to afford modernization of their forces. Militarily, the world today may be a very dangerous place, but it certainly looks better balanced on that count, than it appeared just a decade ago. The colonists, who rarely faced any retaliation on their soil from their subject nations, may now get paid back in the same coin.
The onslaught by the so-called 'Emerging Economies’ is the prime force behind the change of fortunes. There is now a rerun of the economic boom and the huge jump in world GDP that followed the industrial revolution, this time triggered by a technology revolution. But unlike the earlier one, the current boom is broader based and global though it is a long way from being dubbed equitable, what with great disparities in incomes and standards of living still staring up and stirring our collective consciences no end. Yet, the fact remains that more countries and more populations are active participants as well as beneficiaries in this round of economic prosperity, with the third world outnumbering as well as outperforming the First. In fact, it is now official that the combined output of these emerging economies is more than half of the worlds. So much so, in a special report on the world economy in its recent issue, the magazine The Economist says that the balance of economic power in the world is changing. Unleashing an avalanche of statistics the report shows how 'economic power is shifting away from the developed economies (basically North A1nerica, western Europe, Japan and Austral-Asia) towards emerging ones, especially in Asia'. And it adds: 'The once-poor world is scouring the earth for mineral rights, trying to buy Californian oil firms, accounting for ever more carbon emissions and making its weight felt in international negotiations on everything from trade to proliferation to the secretary generalship of the United Nations.'
And to be sure, the West is certainly not relishing this reversal of roles. While the aforesaid report itself mentions some obvious signs of friction like the 'uproar about jobs being outsourced to India and China', third world businessmen unanimously talk about the open hostility, founded on racist tendencies, amidst their European counterparts as the major stumbling block in making inroads' into Europe. But despite all that, these fortune seekers, mostly from the Orient, are succeeding, much to the collective ire Of Europe, which has not just its riches at stake but must reckon with hurt pride too. Sunil Mittal's eventual success after bloody boardroom maneuvers and pitched political battles in his takeover of the European steel giant Arcelor is the most recent case in point. But more than lost jobs and takeover of some of their 'jewel' corporations, what haunts the Western establishments more is the spectre of political power too following suit. After all, in their material scheme of things, power is unanimously talk about the open hostility, founded on racist tendencies, amidst their European counterparts as the major stumbling block in making inroads' into Europe. But despite all that, these fortune seekers, mostly from the Orient, are succeeding, much to the collective ire of Europe, which has not just its riches at stake but must reckon with hurt pride too. Sunil Mittal's eventual success after bloody boardroom maneuvers and pitched political battles in his takeover of the European steel giant Arcelor is the most recent case in point. But more than lost jobs and takeover of some of their 'jewel' corporations, what haunts the Western establishments more is the spectre of political power too following suit. After all, in their material scheme of things, power is where money is. So if the trend continues, running the world may no longer be a white man's burden!
Immigrants constitute the second line of attack on the West and its professed values. These powers, who had taken it upon themselves as a divine duty to civilize the world and free it from all pagan ills, are now all set to be enveloped by those very 'vices'. The Asian and African immigrants who now form a huge chunk of the populations ...and voters too, in many European countries presently influence State policy, consciously or by default. Unlike the first generation immigrants for whom Europe was
Just a greener pasture with no cultural or religious attachment, for the next generation it is a land of birth and as much their own. But with their social and economic status remaining incomparable to that of the white sons of the soil, the immigrants are now getting more restive and assertive, politically and culturally. And Europe with all its ethnic pride on one side and the much trumpeted liberal ideas like free speech, democracy, secularism on the other is clearly caught in a Catch 22. After all, the widespread paranoia of Islam that has gripped the West does not gel well with secularism or human rights, while its promotion of freedom and democracy through bombs is blowing up on its face. And with terror outfits like Hamas, Hezbollah and what not lawfully getting elected, the war on terror may have to be fought across the negotiating table rather than in caves and deserts.
There are quite a few stark indications that the West is feeling the heat and even cracking under pressure. George Bush's voice no longer carries the same conviction as it did in the aftermath of 9/11, much less carrying his countrymen along. The Bush brand of patriotism has lost its fizz. Still if he does decide to do an Iraq in Iran, he may well have to go to Teheran on horseback with a pistol in hand a la Clint Eastwood; And Bush may well attempt it. Britain, the great colonizer and civilizer par excellence, is scared to its toes and gets jittery to boot at the very sight of a beard. France is clueless on how to avoid a replay of the Paris riots when Muslim mobs systematically set fire to vehicles by night. This after several clarion calls to Christian Europe to desexualize itself and turn spiritual. The pontiff sees that as the only way to tackle the spread in his turf, of Islam which, according to him, derives its strength from religion. The Papal refrain may henceforth run thus: If fate ordains Europe to be a colony, so be it; but let it be Vatican's colony! Amen!
So as part of the 'winning team', what should we Indians be thinking of? After all history is what the victors deem it to be. So let's start by calling our Ambassador to UK ...er ... as ... Viceroy! e-mail the writer at trjawahar@vsnl.net
Purpose of life
Is there a purpose of life? What does it mean when men of wisdom say there
is always a purpose in life? If there is life's purpose then why do most
people while away their life without ever finding a purpose in life? What
use living a purpose driven life without a defined purpose?
The answer to all the above queries on finding a purpose in life is the most
crucial part of life for a human being. The purpose driven life is meant to
be lived by living forms which have not yet evolved to the level of human
beings. Why?
Simply because they are devoid of discriminatory powers to choose a goal in
life! The insects, the plants and animals always live a purpose driven life.
They simply have no goal in life. They are as they are. They simply have
their existence and have to abide by the rules of evolution as defined by
Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution.
Only when the living form reaches the level of a human being does one
realize that human life is the highest manifest stage in the cosmic system.
The moment a human being realizes that life has a purpose... one seeks the
purpose of his life. Without a goal in life, Life seems to be incomplete!
As the child grows... one comes to learn that every human being has the
potential of becoming a man god like Mahavira, Buddha, Jesus Christ and
prophet Mohammed. Is that the crux of life! Is gaining salvation the end
purpose of life!
If that be so... are we required to have a purpose in life linked to
salvation as the present goal of life or is it that we can postpone
traveling the spiritual path for the next manifestation.
The goal and the purpose of life for every human being are gaining
enlightenment and finally salvation in the end. That may or may not be the
purpose of life in the present manifestation. The purpose of life in the
present phase can be best known by hearing the sweet small voice of our soul
atman within our heart.
The purpose of life in every manifestation is driven by our soul atman
within. It is our soul atman which has taken the body and not vice versa.
The purpose of life is indirectly dictated by our soul atman within. If our
deeds of the present life are not in consonance with the directives of our
soul atman within... then heartburning, tensions and stresses become part of
daily life.
Whatever act provides us complete relief... doing which we find extreme
pleasure... something that we enjoy doing must form our goal of life. It is
this goal of life pursuing which the purpose of our present life would be
fulfilled.
It is surprising that almost above 95% people living on Mother Earth pass
their life without ever having a purpose in life. It is almost like taking
the routine path. If we are to ever curtail our cosmic journey... we need to
find the purpose of our present manifestation. And this goal of life shall
be prompted to us by our soul atman within.
By being truthful in life we can always hear the sweet small inner voice
coming from within our heart. This voice of our soul atman within always
guides us on the right path. Knowing the exact purpose of this life... half
the life's journey is complete.
FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) had a fixed purpose in life and that made
him one of the most successful presidents USA ever had in spite of his
severe handicaps. (FDR lost both of his legs).
Madame Curie spent her entire life searching for radium in pitchblende. She
was successful in the end but her success was written all over her body. Her
body had dismally decayed by the powerful rays of radioactivity which led to
her death. She knew what the outcome would be. Her purpose of life was
helping the mankind. She had a very noble purpose in life. She succeeded
finally!
Bill Gates... the architect of the Microsoft Corporation and the developer
of famous Windows program also had a fixed purpose in life. His teachers
found him academically weak! Fearing he would bring a bad name to the
institution... they turned him out of the so called place of wisdom!
Destiny willed otherwise! Bill Gates pursued a goal of life dear to his
heart. He fiddled with typewriters and gadgets which ultimately led him to
develop computer skills which are unparalleled in the history of mankind.
His famous Windows program now runs almost every computer in the world.
Every success in life demands a neatly defined purpose of life. And this
purpose of life must be fixed in the earlier stages of life.
Life as a human being must be lived to the hilt. That decision is to be made
by us alone. Our parents, teachers and well wishers can only act as guides
in the journey of life. The purpose of our life is to be fixed by us alone.
We just cannot leave things to chance. The time for that may never come.
Everything in the Cosmos is justly ordered. If Stephan Hawking in his book,
"a brief history of time" has expressed that the system of God is disordered
at some stage... he is mysteriously wrong. This poor scientist fails to
recognize that spirituality starts from the point where science ends. To
measure spirituality from the yardstick of science has never been possible
and shall never be.
Realizing the absolute truth that everything in the Cosmos is justly
ordered... why not bring order to our life. We definitely must fix a goal in
life and never let ourselves fall into the rut of purpose driven life.
Exploring the Silence
It takes nothing to appreciate peace and quiet. But for most of us, it's been a long time since we really did nothing. When I was a child, I loved Saturdays. Possibilities always seemed endless, stretching from early morning cartoons on to late night rock'n'roll on the AM radio. Weekdays were dominated by school. Sundays meant church, family gatherings, and homework. But, other than the obligation to do a few chores, Saturdays belonged to me.
I grew up during the 1950s in a small town in northern California, about thirty miles east of San Francisco. Our community was tight-knit, and the worst crime was teenage drag racing on Main Street during the wee hours. When Saturday rolled around, I spent leisurely hours hanging out with neighborhood boys about my age. We played games on front lawns, built elaborate treehouses, and used scrap wood to construct "coasters" to ride down Castle Hill Road. If the weather was lousy, we might go to the matinee or play Monopoly on a living room carpet.
Looking back on those years, I realize that on most Saturdays I also found time to explore silence and solitude. I was not conscious of this choice, but it must have been deliberate. Sometimes I would find a quiet place to read a book or draw pictures. I took hikes with my dog, Wibbles, through the nearby hills that were studded with California live oaks and carpeted with wildflowers. Other times I would explore the creek that flowed near our home, its banks a jungle of overhanging trees, sinuous vines, and thick brush. I discovered early on that if my dog and I kept still and silent, we could observe wild animals—deer, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, turtles, frogs, and snakes. The rewards of quiet alone-time were self-evident.
As I grew, my Saturday pockets of silence and solitude gradually disappeared. In college, I spent weekends visiting friends, studying, reading assigned texts, or writing papers, not to mention the much-disliked task of laundry. After graduation, when I began working full-time, Saturdays and Sundays filled with the necessary errands, socializing, and unfulfilled obligations held over from weekdays. The carefree hours of youth faded to distant memory.
In recalling that era now, the spaciousness of my days seems an inconceivable luxury, given my conviction as an adult that there is always more to do than there is time. Yet in the recent past I have accepted that it will never be possible to do everything I want, and that sometimes exploring unscheduled time is the best thing for me, as it was during childhood.
"It is not merely the trivial which clutters our lives but the important as well," concluded Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her memoir, Gift from the Sea. Even with clutter pruned away, a full and active life offers "too many worthy activities, valuable things, and interesting people."
A critical step in the embrace of silence and solitude is setting aside the notion that we have to be "doing something" throughout our waking hours. For most of us, this goes against what we have been taught since childhood: that being active and productive is the best way to proceed. Many factors feed into this, including the strong work ethic that has shaped American culture. Everywhere we turn, there is ample praise and support for the individual who strives to "get ahead." When we are idle, by definition, we are not striving and therefore going against the grain of social imperatives.
From the outset, we must give ourselves permission to set an appointment to experience silence and solitude, setting aside the baggage of negative connotations that may be associated with "nondoing." Some may regard carving quiet alone-time out of a full agenda as a kind of cop-out. From this mindset, we are escaping reality, feeling sorry for ourselves, shirking responsibility, or, at best, wasting time. In our culture, taking time for ourselves is "not being productive." Productivity is widely praised, with little regard to its human costs.
Many of us live on tight budgets, working overtime or a taking a second job to make ends meet. With so much demanded of us for mere economic survival, stopping to experience silence and solitude may seem irresponsible at best. Living within strict financial limits, there seems no real need for introspection, thinking we know what is going on: "I'm simply trying to get by as best as I can!"
The irony is that an ongoing adoption of quiet alone-time potentially heightens awareness of what's really going on in our lives, which in turn may contribute directly to a balanced, healthy lifestyle and rewarding personal growth. From a purely practical standpoint, such ostensible nonactivity may "pay for itself" by helping us become more efficient, perceptive, and focused in how we spend all other waking hours. We may even become more "productive."
Looking inward does not necessarily lead to noble insight or poetic inspiration—though these may present themselves—but it usually coaxes out the significant truths of everyday existence:
"My daughter was trying to tell me something last Thursday and I didn't really hear her."
"I am happiest at work when someone comments favorably on the good job I've done"
"My stomach hurts and I get irritable when I drink too much coffee"
"I have let an important friendship wither because of laziness and neglect."
Feeling that there is some kind of payoff to exploring quiet alone-time is essential for most of us, since we tend not to go beyond the ruts of our conditioned behaviors unless we anticipate a likely benefit. This can get tricky, since the transformations we notice within the context of silence and solitude derive from the experience itself. If we get too attached to the expectation and desire for a specific outcome—"good" or "bad"—we may either ignore other equally informative results or influence the experience while it is happening to us. We need to trust that something worthy will happen, based on the reports of others and our own intuition, and plunge ahead on faith.
Despite my conviction that quiet alone-time is good for me, I still find it challenging to find time each day for a little silence and solitude. Sometimes my entire day is planned in minute-by-minute increments, with scarcely time to use the bathroom or grab a sandwich. At such times my body feels rigid with tension, even after eight hours of sleep. The last thing I want is to sit calmly with my eyes closed, performing a ritual that nonetheless has been part of my routine for many years.
I have learned that these jammed-to-overflowing days are precisely the ones during which I feel the most tangible and far-reaching effects of my quiet alone-time. Instead of turning away from this nourishing ritual, I must turn toward it. This effort can be very challenging when I am feeling overloaded and stressed out.
I realize I am not taking time to inhabit silence and solitude each day; I am making time for it. The distinction is important because it reflects my trust in the worthiness of what quiet alone-time provides me. If I did not truly believe that my life would be different for having made this effort, I would have abandoned it long ago. This self-assurance depends on the kind of steadfast "knowing" that one must also come to if the embrace of silence and solitude is to realize its full potential.
Breaking our cycles of rote behavior can be exhausting and frustrating. The power of long-held habits seems inexorable, as anyone knows who has tried to do something as "simple" as modifying unhealthy eating habits. Knowing this fact of human nature, it helps to embrace solitude and silence with a non-judging mind, a light heart, and an optimistic attitude. A new ritual is unlikely to take hold the first time we try it; we may need to repeat the effort a hundred times or more before it becomes part of our daily routine.
Give yourself room to fail, recommitting again and again to your embrace of quiet alone-time--as often as necessary. Praise yourself every time you find a space that allows you to be quiet and alone—even for ten minutes—within the fullness of your busy life. Don't try to do too much, since bigger failures tend to discourage us more than small ones. Even making a tiny attempt to embrace silence and solitude is in itself a generous, healthy, and hopeful act. It is a self-loving gift that carries many ramifications. Be gentle and kind to yourself as you try to make room for contemplative stillness in your life.
FIVE WAYS TO GET STARTED • Make a personalized "inventory" of times and places in your schedule that you feel would best accommodate an ongoing embrace of silence and solitude.
• Mark "quiet alone-time" on your calendar, the same way you would note a business appointment or a trip to the dentist. This will give these moments the respect they deserve.
• Notice how you respond—emotionally, physically, psychologically—when your life feels overcrowded, out of control, or excessively noisy. At the same time, pay attention to your feelings when moments of silence and solitude come along. Ask yourself; "What can I learn from these experiences?"
• When you inhabit quiet alone-time, turn off the phone, lock the door, ignore your e-mail, and resist the temptation to read or listen to music. Instead, disconnect from all extraneous "input" so that you may find stillness within.
• Talk to those closest to you—your spouse, partner, children, parents, siblings, best friend—about the ways you and they relate to silence and solitude, to noise and congestion, to distractions and overloads. Feel free to express whatever concerns each of you may have about carving out time for yourselves to be quiet and alone.
As much as I enjoyed interacting with others, I wanted space in which I could interact with myself. When I did find intervals of downtime, being alone for an hour or two felt wonderful: luxurious, healing, calming, and exhilarating. I both needed and wanted to make a new habit out of creating these oasis-like islands of serenity. The pertinent question was, "How?" The answer sounded simple: "Figure out a way to disconnect from distractions and set an appointment with myself to be quiet and alone." But, as we all know, the simplest goals are often the most difficult to achieve.
"You need to start slowly, with baby steps," advised a friend, whose long-time experience as a teacher had rendered many truths about how people learn. "If you take on too much," Karen said, "you are likely to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Set a realistic target of settling down for about fifteen minutes each day. Once you've made this a habit, you can try making your island of calm a little bigger."
I did as Karen suggested, and I discovered that disconnecting from my overbooked life was not so difficult after all. And because my experiences with silence and solitude felt so rewarding, I rarely felt I was giving up anything of greater importance.
NURTURE SILENCE AND SOLITUDE Although we may feel like we have no real say about how we spend our time, a careful and honest examination reveals this cannot literally be true. We make choices each day that explicitly reflect our personal values and individual priorities. When these commitments shift, so can our decisions about how we use our discretionary time and space.
Here are some times and places to consider for your adoption of quiet alone-time:
• Right after you get up in the morning. You may wish to wake up a bit earlier in order to accommodate this alone-time.
• During moments you would otherwise spend watching mediocre or negatively-themed TV shows.
• Commuting or running errands in your car. Turn off the music or radio and enjoy your own thoughts and perceptions.
• In your bedroom: create a "retreat space."
• As part of a soothing hot bath. Make it more luxurious with salts, scents, or candles. If you have no bathtub, make an appointment to visit a spa, hot springs, upscale hotel, bed-and-breakfast, or friend's hot tub.
• While sitting in a waiting room, a doctor's office, or a dentist's chair.
• As part of scheduled breaks at work or, if you're a student, between classes.
• In your spare (or guest) room, which might become a destination for mini-retreats.
• In an unused office or employee lounge at work or in school, perhaps used by others for this purpose.
• In your own garden, yard, or a nearby public park.
• In a local church, temple, mosque, or shrine, including surrounding gardens.
• During a walk. Remember that motion keeps the left side of the brain busy, while the right side is free to wander, uncensored and imaginative.
As you make shifts in the way you use your time, you will confront resistance—from yourself and others. Friends and family may not understand why you are doing things differently, even when you explain your reasons. Within yourself, the part of you that dislikes change and craves predictability will put up a fight. These struggles are instructive in themselves, because they reveal how attached we are to what is predictable, even when the familiar no longer serves us.
After we connect with silence and solitude, the workaday world gradually may begin to look and feel slightly different. This fresh perspective has the power to change our lives. For instance, we can change our relationship with ourselves—simply paying closer attention to how we spend our time. Some among us may begin, easily and willingly, to streamline an over-committed lifestyle. Others may discover that less really is more, that a simpler life can be a richer and more satisfying one. The possibilities are endless. Those Saturdays of childhood can live within us once again, if only for a few minutes each morning.
CREATING REFUGE IN YOUR HOME Any place we live must accommodate a number of activities: socializing, sleeping, cooking, eating, bathing, relaxing. But what about quiet alone-time? Renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell insisted we all need a place to "simply experience and bring forth what [we] are and what [we] might be." If it doesn't already exist in your home, consider creating a kind of sanctuary (or sanctuaries) where you and other family members can go to experience silence and solitude. This space will be welcoming as a function of its serenity, beauty, and privacy. Suggestions include:
• A corner of a bedroom or spare room works well. Most of us don't have space enough to devote an entire room to such a refuge, and there is no particular need to do so.
• Place yourself beyond the sounds of TV, radio, electronic games, music players, and so on.
• Get rid of background noise, which is distracting when we seek quiet.
• Minimize clutter. Having too much "stuff" around is another kind of distraction, which can drain our energy and undermine our internal reflection.
• Make the area aesthetically pleasing. Plants or flowers tend to promote a sense of peacefulness, as do favorite beautiful objects, photographs, or paintings. Positive associations may arise from pictures of loved ones (including pets), past and present.
• Leave work somewhere else. Any reminders of obligations beyond your retreat space may make it more difficult to settle your mind and rest your spirit.
• Sound-masking devices, ranging from white noise generators to self-contained fountains, may make it easier to forget what is going on in the clamorous world beyond your home. Soft, soothing music is another option.
• Consider using your space for other mind-body activities that are potentially stress reducing or sacred to you, such as yoga, meditation, prayer, and chanting.
BENEFITS OF SOLITUDE While great attention is devoted to the perceived negative aspects of being alone, surprisingly little has been written about the positive attributes of silence and solitude. Our most celebrated thinkers and pundits tend to reflect the prevailing view that humans are social, gregarious, and crowd-loving animals by nature. Many insist that a desire to separate from the group is somehow a dysfunctional or even a hostile act. A growing number of commentators, however, offer alternate interpretations of human needs, desires, and behaviors. Here are some of the most frequently observed associations with quiet alone-time. What would you add to this list?
• Freedom to fantasize.
• Development of the imagination.
• Cultivation of abstract thought.
• Heightened awareness.
• Healing during stress, mourning, or other trauma.
• Improved concentration.
• Access to religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences.
• Better problem-solving abilities.
• Liberation from unwanted distractions.
• Effective pain management skills.
• The rich company of one's mind, body, and spirit.
• Expanded self-understanding.
This article is excerpted from Stillness
