Doesn’t the word (God fearing) sounds contradictory to the title?Let me explain.

This question must have cropped in a crore of minds; minds of those who are really concerned about the Welfare: Welfare for the country, for themselves, for others etc. Frankly speaking, I ask this as I am worried about me and my family.

Do not misunderstand me and label me as a self centered person. In fact, maybe, when I am talking about myself I know that this conversation will stand true for all in general, thus concerned about the welfare of our country as a whole.

Many instances have happened whence I started becoming skeptical about  God’s existence.

Bribery, law and order failures, rapes, shoot-outs, dacoity, kidnappings, homicides, child abuse, accidents, miseries, blah blah! and n-number of in-disciplinary actions occur so many times before our eyes.

Our fathers, fore fathers and great grand fathers had been reiterating since ages that there is God and we accepted their statement without questioning them. But now, when I see around me I start questioning myself – Does God Exist?

If yes then where is He? Was he born Only to Create this Universe? Why did my elders say “We should fear God, there is delay not darkness in Gods palace, he is looking on us and noting all misdeeds happening down here, etc”.

Why then are the culprits roaming scott free and die a king’s death without anything bad happening to them? Why isn’t God severely punishing them as He should be noting down their misdeeds? Why are honest and like people suffering more than those who are involved in abject activities? Why is God sitting idle and not giving some sense to these Culprits?

Why is the graph of illegal activities rising steeply on daily basis? Where has the Utopian concept disappeared? Has God also got tuned to today’s ‘just carry on status’ or is He following ‘greater the offerings greater the secuirty’?

There is an old saying – ” to prove something any number of examples are insufficient but to condemn it only one is enough ”

As I have put forward quite a few reasons to contradict the existence of God, we should now start believing the fact that -

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GOD WAS HERE TO CREATE UNIVERSE AND NOW HE NO LONGER EXISTS? WE SHOULD NOT FEAR HIM? CORRECT?

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Any contradictions ? If yes please convince me as these questions are being posed by my kids who nowadays do not take things out-rightly as we did and they are surely considered to be considerate for the welfare of our country.

We need to guide them in a practical manner.

//

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The first thing that came my way was a tight one across my face before I could even realise how late I was.

The second thing that came my way was a series of dialogues to tell me that I should be really guilt conscious of the crime I had committed.

“We’ll die one day waiting for you” - well even I know I am late and I am sorry for it but why do you make it so melodramatic ?
“You are so careless and irresponsible . You don’t care about us.” – I really don’t know what to say to this . Sigh !
“No one can do as much as we have done for you. We are not wrong” I know I should be grateful to you, for all you have given me but why degrade the feeling by saying it.
“Your friends are more important to you than us. You don’t talk to us” -please ask yourselves why is that ? Probably it is because you never tried to be a good friend or rather never understood what I used to feel as a child.

I woke up this morning and the first thing that came to my mind was that oooh no- the same day once again !

Whats new in my life ?

And I’ll die one day still stuck with this routine – N O ! One life I want to live it.

Let me be on a high; let me  live today,tomorrow can wait.

My dad left his home came to Dehradun when he was 19 and started his business and since then he has been on his own. I am 24 and still struggling to find  my place.
I am not asking for any suggestions but the question remains -when you have lived your life the way you wanted to then don’t you think I deserve the same right?
Did you bring me into this world  so that I will do all those things which you wanted to do always but could not or that which you would want of me ?

All in all a simple question – DO I DESERVE TO LIVE ?
Am I a dummy carrier of your emotional needs/ desires from life.

Indeed I love my parents but it doesn’t mean they own my choices.

Nature gives us an amazing example where a baby bird leaves the nest as soon as it learns to fly.
My birth was decided by my parents,true, but that I shall be born in this family,in this place at this given time,who decides that ?

Who decides my life ? It’s the almighty who must have decided this way before my parents decided to give birth to me.

So I should be more grateful to Him more than anyone else to have given me the life I am living.
He loves me so much that He never complains of what I am or when I come home late. Neither does He tell me that I should be doing things according to Him or else He will be angry.Nor does He slap me when I say I want to live.

Love is unconditional.  “I will not talk to you because you didn’t do this” – how foolish is that ?

But my parents tell me, this is what is love according to them

“Son you will be never outdo us in making wiser decisions, no matter how old you grow. We will make a better choice for you because we know you every time better than you know yourself” – indirectly meaning “I OWN YOU COZ IAM YOUR DAD”

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I am in a private road construction company working as a manager (admin & liaison).

My job involves all sorts of (in house) administrative dealings and curbing of unfair activities. There happened quite a few incidents when I was informed about  my staff engaged in unfair activities like taking bribes, manipulating company’s expenses, being absent from work,enjoying at home etc.

These so called employees (though not having high posts and working as supervisors) have links with the higher authorities/management. During the start of these activities I tried to bring this to the knowledge of the management but they brushed my information under the carpet which resulted in more unfair activities being done with impunity and abundance.

Further I almost became a sore in the culprits’ eye which could have resulted in back biting and even my ouster from the company. Sensing this I had to close my eyes and gulp down the milk so poisoned with such happenings. This was hard to do and I feel almost a culprit as I was trained by my Father (who is no more) for HONESTY, DEDICATION, DEVOTION and DETERMINATION.

I am writing this article seeking YOUR suggestion. It is necessary for you to step into my shoes and advice.

1. Am I doing right by ignoring such activities? If not then should I put my job at stake (during recession phase) and start leading a pauper’s life and force my family the same?
2. Do the words like HONESTY, DEDICATION, DEVOTION, DETERMINATION etc. hold no meaning in our present environment in India (I haven’t been abroad) and do they just lead to problems and miseries?
3. What ‘SANSKARs’ should be given to my children which are in a true sense perfect and adaptable to our present environment?

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Do you know who do you love ?
I thought I did
or was I ignorant of the warmth around me ?
Too may people around
and all choices we make do not turn out to as expected.

All I was, was a paper plane
floating wherever blew the winds of change.
Anyone could hold me,
anyone could have crushed me,
always wished to fly higher and free.

And every time HE told me
all I was,was a paper plane
& that too by choice so…..
do not complain.

He said
life starts at Me
and it will end with Me
all is in Me
stop looking around
what makes Me is inside Me

All I need is trust in me
to fulfill my destiny
All I need is belief in me
to bring out the best in me

All I need is courage
just to look inside me..

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I was driving on E.C. Road ( take a look here ) and saw this rather familiar site.
This time around though, I took notice rather differently.

Perched on top this pole holding/relaying electricity cables, were two dare-devils or shall I say lesser life forms .
About 15-20 meters in the air ( could even be more, maybe 25 m ), without safety harnesses or safety belts were two employees of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation. They were fixing something up there.

This I saw from a distance and as I came near to them ,I pulled over in shock.
The rest of the gang stood below with a service vehicle that belonged to the “kabadi bazaar” I guess and looked decades old.

There right then, I knew again, Life was so cheap, at least here in India.
Who would give a damn if they fell to their death ?
Did anyone in UPCL ( Uttarakhand Power Corporation ) actually know that this was happening ? And If they did, what made them not care ?
Did anyone care at all ?

Having worked on-board ships, where safety is paramount, this made me very angry.
It is so stupid. It is a shame and is right in India’s face, with all the darn development , what about the value of human life ?

I talked with the gang below, and they said, they had being doing this for about 25 years now.
Can you believe that ? For 25 years no one saw that ? Or saw that and didn’t care .

And this is not the only area of such negligence. All Govt. departments are plagued with such stuff.

But in the end, I guess we could give or take a few, when there are millions to expend.
Somewhere, that it must equate to, that life is cheap and expendable here in India.

Beyond the boundaries of my home and apart from my family, the rest of the world can go to hell.
I am about me and only me.

[ This article was originally posted here ]

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We will now call my dream college as ‘College X’.
The discussion present below has been taken from my Facebook account. Ken and I debate over the importance of going to an extremely good college to inner values which an applicant must have to make a difference in this world. While I support the importance of going to a good college he supports inner values which an applicant must have which are ultimately responsible for his/her success. I must warn you though we haven’t reached on a conclusion yet!!

Ken
‘yeah, do apply again but don’t let the system tell you that you need the brand names to make you what you can be. What about if it is you that makes the brand have something to stand up for!

Me
‘hmmm I thought about it and I don’t agree with you there. The system is generally right about a lot of things especially when it comes to colleges. It’s like Xians on one side and the other college students on the other side.’

Ken
‘Kofi Anan was one of the better known graduates but in the end it is not what (in the words of Kennedy) College X can do for you but what you can do for your College X. The graduates have without a doubt built companies worth many billions of dollars but the questions especially in a world post global warming, is what are the colleges producing as far as serving the world rather than mere search for ways and means of getting a larger slice if the pie? Any college can be good if the person has the right principles but no college can produce tomorrows heroes unless the applicant is having some inner value system that motivates him to see a bigger picture’

Me
‘Ah sir…..but don’t you see you have given an example of ‘exceptions’. And you have kind of supported my point of view. It is generally ‘what College X can do for you’ and not the other way round. The numbers of opportunities present in College X, to change the world, are far greater than they are in other colleges. I don’t think a student from let’s say a community college has that many opportunities.
As far as a ‘larger slice of pie’ is concerned you don’t expect someone who’s broke to look at the bigger picture? Everyone can see a bigger picture but one needs funds to actually make it a reality. And the billion dollar companies of grad students are providing employment so its kind of a happy ending right?’

Me
‘Well Suryansh, I can only say that I appreciate your clear thinking and your ability to argue logically.
I work in some of the schools with the very best facilities, most opportunities here in Dehradun and other place in India. Looking at results comparing with our school for the orphans and village children, I am amazed at how many more graduates we have who have gone on to effect their country or state for the better socially than those from the “good’ schools.

Look at Kiran Bedi and Abdul Kalam and their humble backgrounds for example. Oh but here we go getting into a logical interaction again. Would these greats been great independent of where they studied even Steve Job or Bill Gates for instance whop neither one even completed college forget about “the” college! By the way are you aware of where I have done my PhD?’

Me

Well I feel the same way Ken. Although I can think of a few excellent points to prove you wrong, I don’t think we’ll ever agree on colleges. However I do respect your point of view and won’t deny that it did force me to think but it did not change my thinking.
P.S:- I don’t know where you did your PhD from. An extremely refined search on the internet revealed you to be a ‘a tall, bright eyed Canadian’ but there was no mention of your PhD.

Ken

About the PhD, if truth be known, I never completed high school. I was already having a staff of 30 under me at the age of 18 and earning more than my father. At that point I was focused on being millionaire by the time I reached 32. School moved too slow and made me feel like I was being babysat rather than prepared for the world around. There are too many things now that I wish that I had studied but the system for me looked too focused on helping people to know that which they had no use for, rather than opening up the chance for exploration in the areas of our heart and searching. 3 idiots said some things that are on my heart.

End

There has never been a clash between work and college education in India. What with its huge population, emphasis on college education has been great. But the downturn of economy has changed the dynamics of education and work particularly in the U.S. The U.S. has been transformed from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on knowledge, and the importance of a college education today can be compared to that of a high school education forty years ago. It serves as the gateway to better options and more opportunity.

This drastic change of scenario has increased the pressure on students. Now we struggle to get into the best colleges we can and thus hope to change our lives.

But the question still remains…. Is going to a good college everything? Your thoughts……

——————————————————————————————-

Links : – Shishya School

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There was this lady who I used to address as my aunt,because she was really a gem of a human.
She did not have any family because dint get married and then she used to stay all alone.
All of a sudden suffered a brain hemorrhage ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_hemorrhage ) , in simple language she died of hypertension.

Today in the morning when I went for cremation I saw something which is not rare – people crying loudly and a lot of melodrama of sorts ( I’d really like to use that word here )
The thing that I was wondering about was ,where were these people when the person was alive and so much in existence. Not a single soul came to appreciate or even be part of her life while she was alive. All I saw was people abusing each other and wishing for the downfall of other.
Trust me most of us are like -”hey how is that friend of yours…XYZ..”" and the answer comes..”Don’t even take his name..he is such a $#@!## ”
And the very next morning, if that XYZ was to depart from earth…we would become so humble,sombre,sober,human – wow the epitome of hypocrisy !

Common statements heard at such places:-

“He/She was such a nice person” – ( then why dint you ever care enough to tell him/her the same ever )

“Its all because of doctors/son/family/business” – (then why didn’t you ever care to talk to him )

“Death is inevitable it has to come” – ( then why are you so wrapped up in all these material things around you )

And the list is endless.I know I am sounding angry,trust me I am and more than that disgusted.

All I want to say is that why do we remember the good things about a person only when he/she is dead ?
All of us are creation of the same father of the universe and still we are so much self centred.

“I am the epicenter of this universe”
Why don’t we love each other till the time we are alive ?
You know what, your love for me would have made my world such a better place to live….

I’m short of words to express myself, really.

P.S. Please love each other till the time we are alive !

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

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When I first met her, my friend was just starting out in her career and in the past 13 years, has made amazing strides in her professional life. Today she is head of a multinational company in India and is well known in the corporate world.
Her job often requires her to host lavish parties for her corporate clients at well known 5 star venues in Delhi.

Initially she was appalled at the amount of food that would be left over at these dos. The hotels would just chuck it all into the garbage. This was unacceptable to her and she started staying back after her parties, getting the kitchen to pack up all the food.

She would load the packages up in her car and as she would drive home, would stop at the several flyovers along her route, distributing the goodies to all the street kids.

This has become her routine now and no one is happier than the kids who eagerly look out for her car knowing that a feast is in store.

What’s also great is that my friend takes the time to explain why she does what she does to her 9 year old daughter and 5 year old son. It’s wonderful to see these young minds absorbing values so early in their lives. I already see some really special qualities in her daughter.

There may be some of you out there who feel that feeding street kids is not really a solution and that the right thing to do is to get them off the streets and into some sort of rehabilitation. My friend and I couldn’t agree with you more. Unfortunately in the real world, chances are these kids are probably going to grow old on the streets. So at least my friend is making sure they stay healthy and strong.

If there is any danger to what my friend is doing, it is that the kids may get so used to crab balls and smoked salmon, they may start turning up their noses at our humble daal/chawal !

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Well that is not the point.
Apart from many parts of the movie that are touching, there is this one particular dialogue  by a servant of Maximus,

” sometimes I find time to do what I want to do, and rest of the times I do what I have to do”.

This particular dialogue got me started.
I thought that this is so true and almost started to pity my own-self, thinking that why is it that we hardly spare time for things that we care about and really want to do.
Is there something more important and more interesting or is it just like any other individual, that we will live and die doing things that we have to ?

I was thinking, and thinking as I was, I realized whose choice is it anyway to do what I have to do or what I want to do. Immediately the feeling of self-pity made way for a strong realization of strength. Now when I look back at my day today, I see that there was nothing that I did the whole day which was not my choice.
In fact, there has been nothing all my life that I had to do and not that I wanted to do..

I hope even you guys will spare some time for self-introspection and probably reply with something that you ‘HAD TO DO’.

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1. Why do we complain when we grow old ?
2. Is life all about getting married ?
3. Is a person all about looks ?

Age is something which cannot be reversed.Life has phases which come one after another with passage of time and complaining will not help the cause. That was easy…huh!!

Now a difficult question..is life all about getting married.. hmm, don’t really know but one thing is for sure life is just not about getting married only. If I ask my parents they have a very clear view that everything in their opinion is related to marriage…like we grow, we study, we work, why ? So that we get married to a good girl and then have a secure future.

Looks ..wow..again a tough one..my teachers told me that looks and a good dressing sense are the prerequisites of a good personality..even my mother wants a beautiful girl for me. But then if everyone wants a good looking spouse then what will happen of those who are not as good looking ?
Any ways, but are looks that important ? I guess personality does not comprise of looks one single percent…at all..I was thinking that after a certain age all of us will look the same, and how does looks help me to be a better person.
I read somewhere that according to a study, good looking people progress faster in corporates than others…wow..I need to get some plastic surgery..

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