Procrastination: Avoid This

What is due now, can be done tomorrow ' is a familiar mindset that links each one of us. Yes, it provides temporary relief to us. However, to secure a happy life, we should remove that instinct. Procrastination is like a disease spoiling a person’s life. We all suffer from it in varying degrees throughout the life. Many people do not understand its repercussions on themselves. Lost opportunities, frustrations, regrets, depressions, etc. are the effects of procrastination. Nature has no place for such aberrations in its system but corrects them through punishment. If a monkey remains idle without searching its food, starvation is obvious. When the heart dozes off due to fatigue, life is lost.

The major hurdle to a person's progress is the laziness manifesting as procrastination. If our mind and body are trained like an athlete, through a strict regimen of practice, the tendency to postpone gets reduced. Time is another major cause for procrastination. On many occasions, we face the shortage of time to resolve issues requiring immediate attention. This sort of situation arises mainly due to the improper planning and execution. Third important reason is the individuals preference for pleasure to the duty. Naturally, they put off even an urgent task with some excuse.

When an idea  pops up in your mind, do not put off but get it done then and there. However, if more than one idea dawn, note them down for subsequent execution. Do remember to complete them without much delay. As we put such ideas into action, all sorts of doubts are likely to emerge about their success and our abilities. Never mind them but ignore with determination. Shun the thought of failure and keep moving forward.

Eight steps for averting procrastination and effective utilization of time are given here. 1. Sort out and retain the issues that can be worked or resolved. 2. Arrange them in the descending order of importance and time. 3. Delegate the works to complete in the order of priority. 4. Perform with faith and conviction. 5. Review the progress at regular intervals. 6. Analyze the shortcomings to take corrective steps. 7. Learn from the mistakes to gain experience and expertise. 8. Consult others during times of emergency and ambiguity.

There are occasions when procrastination is desirable and valuable as well. In times of dilemmas, one should postpone taking a decision. Incurring a liability should be deferred by managing in other ways. Bad ideas and actions should be avoided through one pretext or other. Judging a person's capacity or character should not be done by one incident or record. Rather, we must postpone such assessment for observing the future performance.  

How come there are 7 billion people, yet we feel alone?

“Egoism, the desire to enjoy at the expense of others, is at the basis of our nature. Over the course of our lives, we constantly develop and grow. As a result, we find ourselves increasingly separated from each other, and in our time, we have reached the fact that we can no longer stand each other. We find ourselves becoming increasingly divided, isolated, detached and hateful of one another, and sink deeper into depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness and drug abuse. The growing ego separates us, and we feel that we are truly cut off from everyone and even from our very selves.

On the other hand, we also start feeling the opposite: that we increasingly depend on each other and cannot live without each other.

So how can we resolve this dilemma, where we find ourselves becoming increasingly interdependent, but at the same time, we hate and reject each other? How can we tie this problem into one?

We cannot do so in our current life. There is but a single solution: we need to rise from our current level of existence, where we all live with self-concern as our top priority, to a different level, where we prioritize the benefit of others, and positively connect to them. If we reach the understanding that our egoistic mode of existence is out of gas, and that we need to shift to a different state, opposite to the current one, then we will merit a harmonious existence in balance with nature, and no one will feel alone.”

(This is a reproduction of a post in Quora, based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.)

Crimes Never Go Unpunished

Any action by one person affecting the rights and properties of another person is an aberration. When such aberration is small and unintentional, it's known as 'Mistake.' Slapping a person in anger is a mistake. If the action is a calculated one causing damages and serious losses to the other person, the mistake becomes a 'Crime.' Deliberate slapping to insult a person is a crime. Any upright person would regret for the mistake and avert its recurrence. However, a crime must attract punishment to make the person repent and deter him from committing any crime.  The laws of the society are mainly intended for maintaining and upholding the peaceful existence and the rights of the citizens. Criminal laws are for the specific purpose of controlling and penalizing the crimes. 

Going by the Bible of Christianity, the first crime seems to be made by Adam when he disobeyed God's instruction to keep away from the apple tree of Satan. The result was disastrous that man was cursed to suffer by repeating the same mistake of selfish love and the procreation. 

A bank manager was arrested after 22 years for his involvement in a corruption for sanctioning a huge loan to a fictitious export firm. A retired government officer had a double punishment of seizure of personal assets and imprisonment for three years for his fraudulent issuing of  fake building permits for constructing buildings on the public lands such as lakes and rivers. 

A politician amassed huge wealth by employing corruption methods cleverly that no evidence or witness would be left to trace the crime. Till date, no convincing case could be filed against him. The punishment meted out to him is the loss of powers as his party was defeated in the subsequent elections. A former President of a country served a long term in the jail for his dictatorship causing immeasurable atrocities and unpardonable crimes.

One may commit crimes without leaving any evidence and go unpunished under the laws of the land. However, the conscience of that person will gradually kill him. Alternatively, his family and next generations are destined to suffer the effects of earlier crimes. Otherwise, the death brings the end to his crimes. All religions agree that God punishes him. Hinduism believes that the soul of the dead takes another birth as a human or a creature of the lower order to suffer the pending punishment depending on the magnitude of crime committed in the last birth.

Truth is simple and easy to handle. No botheration of remembering and recollecting. Truth alone wins ultimately.

Say No To Loose Talks

Life is impossible without communication through speech, writing or gestures. The progress and development of the society are the results of such communication only. And most of the communication is made through constructive talks only. However, some people engage in the vague, baseless, meaningless, irresponsible, and unproductive conversations affecting the morale of other people. 'Loose-talk' is the familiar term used to denote such talks. 

Generally, the indifferent blabbering is the offshoot of any of these; inability, greed, selfishness, and superiority complex. They are characterized by the scant respect for others' dignity and the implications of the loose talk. Such behavior becomes louder when a person is instigated by the surroundings and the hallucinatory effects of liquor or sedatives. Loose-talk falls an easy prey to the gossipmongers. Here, some of the real life situations are given to understand how the loose-talk spoils the relationships and happiness of our life.

Home. Loose-talk appears when there is frustration or dissatisfaction among the family members. It results in casually blaming another without knowing the actual reasons or background. Some people even lack the basic sense and indulge in the undesirable commentary during the social gatherings such as marriages, festivals, etc. Passing adverse remarks on the sidelines, not only shocks the fellow guests, but spoils the purpose of a function or event itself. There are families that got shattered due to such loose talks. 

Office.  Loose-talk breeds enmity, conflict, disrepute, hatred, and disunity among the individuals working in an organization. The hotel owner enquired about the native place of the guest. Instead of limiting his reply to the point, the latter revealed all details such purpose and duration of his visit, and the place where he stayed. In another incident, the branch manager and the visiting auditors entered a hotel for lunch. Immediately, the senior auditor whispered to the manager not to spend more than 100 bucks for the junior auditor's food bill. However, the manager, being a gentleman,didn't like the rude behavior and brushed away the loose-talk of the senior inspector. This incident actually left a bad impression about the silly attitude. 

Politics. Each political party intentionally cultivates some individuals to give loose-talk through irrational and defamatory speech. Because such talks tend to attract the audience easily. Some politicians attain notoriety for their absurdity unmindful of the libel suit filed against them. Not only that, loose-talks tend to foment the sentiments of a community or society creating enmity and conflicts.

Better avoid loose talk by limiting the length of any verbal interactions. Speak pleasantly and briefly to make others seek and hear more from others. In fact, silence  proves to be more effective than a provocative answer.

Education Should Enhance Our Lives

Education is meant for equipping a person with skills and knowledge to live the life meaningfully. Any curriculum, be it at the school, college, and training levels, should enable the learner to upgrade the capabilities for contributing more to the life on Earth. Whatever be the systems adopted for education, the purpose must remain the same. 

The policies and systems of the government affect the academic advancement and career of several deserving people. The authorities should admit the students by giving importance to the talents than the quotas based on caste and religion, donations, and recommendations. By denying the admission to the meritorious students, the society actually stands to lose from the potential benefits that accrue from the education of the former. 

The Purpose of education needs to be achieved by imparting theory and practice simultaneously. It should kindle the minds to think and explore new horizons. Aptitude based learning has to be encouraged, and the employment orientated approach must be discarded. The syllabus should instill courage  and confidence in the learner and not become a burden. Students must be trained in the upkeep of  their places and the surroundings. The subjects of civic sense and morality should be taught from the primary level of eight years age. The options to study any language other than the mother tongue must be available in any school or college.

Campus atmosphere makes the difference. The infrastructure and the staff strength in a school or college have a definite impact on the quality of education. The modern gadgets like cell phone or tablets can be shunned as they distract and divert attention not only in the classrooms but during other times. Each student must adhere to a dress code to avoid discrimination. Any misbehavior and deviation from the discipline should be rectified by counseling and persuasion rather than by the penalizing method. Any sort of hatred must be avoided by friendly interactions and advisory tactics. At any cost, do not promise any rewards as they have temporary effects only. In the same way, any politics should be banned from the educational premises.

Exams should test the application of skills and presence of mind, instead of the memory power in vomiting and scoring marks. The system of admission based on the marks exerts undue stress on the learners' minds. In order to prepare well and take on the exams relaxed, coaching and guidance by all the stakeholders are preferable. A State government in India has launched a helpline for the students seek advice from the professionals before, during, and after the exams. 

Elders should set a good example. Parents and other elders of the family play a crucial role in shaping the minds of the kids. Teachers and parents should uphold the moral values in everyday life. A college lecturer secured the job by producing a fake community certificate as there was reservation available for the lower caste. The Vice chancellor of a varsity got the top post by corrupt means and bribing those in powers. 

Education should guide a person for long term and sustainable benefits. Learning the art of cooking helps to live in any part of the world. Wealth lost can be regained through effective use of one's knowledge. Self-reliance and confidence are the fruits of any education. So, Education is the greatest of all assets in the world. And, Eternal too!

Maintain Your Originality, ALWAYS

History shows that great leaders and scholars had maintained their identity throughout their life. That gave them charisma and followers. Identity crisis arises for three main reasons; the sheepish mentality, lack of individuality and intense competition. With the unique talents and skills only, a person can shine and set an exemplary record in his chosen field. For instance, Charlie Chaplin created his own brand of comedy that conveyed the life's hard reality. Nobody can imitate him, because any originality has only one life. In India, a Tamil actor maintained a revolutionary image throughout his film career to spread the good things of life and became the darling of the masses. Later on, he became the Chief Minister of the Tamilnadu state. Here, the significance of keeping an identity is highlighted.

Education. Right from the kindergarten to the college level, parents decide the educational need of their wards purely based on the status, market demand, and income prospects. Actually, education is thrust on the kids without caring for the individual capacity and aptitude. Many a times, English is preferred over the mother tongue as the former has the global presence and acceptance.

Profession and business. Many people simply copy the methods and practices of those already proved in the field. People seek foreign employment and settle abroad forgetting the roots in the home country. People are ready to give up their originality for the sake of promotions, money, and other favors. 

Medicine. The value of traditional and indigenous medication has been forgotten as the Allopathy is squeezed to favor the products of MNCs made part of other medicines. In fact, the efficacy and wholesome effects of the local systems like Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy, etc. are sidelined. They are shown as unscientific and made supplementary to the English medicine.

Lifestyle. Copying the lifestyles and cultures of others leads to more harm. One must understand the values of the native lifestyle. For instance, the use of cell phones is proved to harm human health. Yoga remains the best for physical and mental fitness. However, copying the good things is advisable. An ordinary man cannot afford an affluent life. 

Religion. Renouncing one's own religion just for worldly reasons like status, money, and power makes him very mean. Such a person will not only lose the identity, but credibility in the society.

History. Generally, the past events are twisted to the advantage of the previous rulers. The British scripted India's history based on their convenience and perceptions by concealing the facts and truths. The present rulers of a nation  boast of their leaders as champions of society relegating the greatest achievements and sacrifices of other leaders in the background.

Food and Health. Depending on the physical and mental make-ups, a person should decide his eating and other habits for good health and happiness. A diabetic man must refrain from eating sugary dishes instead of getting tempted by the indiscriminate consumption by a stranger. 

Imitating anything leads to the loss of one's identity per se. Sometimes it invites dangers too. Do not compromise your individuality, because it earns you recognition from others. That is possible only when you do good to others. So, explore your individuality with a positive attitude. Definitely, it rewards though belatedly.

Have You Ever Met God?

 Definitely, Everyone of us have in one way or other,

-felt

-smelt

-seen

-realized

… GOD.

Many a time we tend to seek that HE should appear in front of us, that too, in Person.

That is not the case, in reality.

Do you think that in your office or business, your presence is a must for the things to move?

Is it possible for you to appear wherever or whenever it is required?

When you are able to run your show without your physical presence, why not the Almighty to dispense with the wish of every person who pretends that he should see the God to believe Him.

Whatever we see in this world are the manifestations of God only.

Let us appreciate the innumerable ways  and means by which God represents  in the Nature.

The most essentials of our life are provided in the Nature  in abundance and free of cost :Sunshine, Rain, Air, Land,Fruits, Timber, Honey, etc..

But the selfish humans, forgetting these are from Nature, claim ownership to them and fight among themselves … paralysing the balance of Nature…ultimately the bliss and peace of life.

Read more at Wisdom of Hinduism