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Showing posts from July, 2009

A world without religion

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I was having a casual chat over the phone with my friend one day and somehow that discussion got into the relevance of caste and religion. Do we require religion? I know that non-believers in God will definitely answer in the negative. However, I wonder why believers in God should answer in the affirmative. If God is a creator and if he does not have a beginning or an end then, why do we require religion to keep Him alive? Do I need to be a Hindu to believe in Lord Krishna and to read the Bhagwad Gita? Does someone else have to be a Christian in order to worship Jesus Christ and to read the bible? I am not against temples and churches. They may exist but do we need to have a tag associated with us to differentiate us. Even our governments want us to have a religion associated with our identity. Especially in India we let the caste factor to play a big role in our identity too. I do not understand how we can eradicate the caste system when even our governments want to distinguish us...

What do I believe in?

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I believe in having gratitude towards those who have been there for you. It could be your parents, a friend, a colleague, your boss or a complete stranger. It may be an animal, an inanimate object, a situation in your life or almighty God. In this context, I distinctly remember the following words communicated to me by a friend: “Always be nice to people on your way up. You never know you may have to face them on your way down.” Showing indifference to people around you who have contributed for your success would be like sowing seeds for your downfall. At the same time I do not mean that you have to go out of the way to express your gratitude. It should be in your heart and communicated through simple words like “Thank you for being……..”. I find it absurd when someone says that he is a self made man. I think no one in this world can be a success story without a helping hand. Every step you took in life was influenced by so many factors. People and circumstances prevailing around y...

Give me a break

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Holidays have become a dream in the literal sense. I just don’t remember when I had been for a holiday (a long one). When was it that I had hugged Mother Nature? When was it that I slept in a peaceful environment? My dream holiday would be any place that is miles away from the noisy and chaotic city life. It would be with select friends. No mobiles to beep, only friends to talk endlessly on topics that do not hover around work. Work has become a priority in life so much so that we have lost touch with dear ones. Gone are the days when one used to work for 8 hours and spent the rest of the day with family or friends. Laptops and mobiles are supposed to make life convenient for us. Have they? I think they have actually created a virtual office wherever we go. In our efforts to make life easy and comfortable, we have actually ended up making it miserable. Rest is important for maintaining physical strength and to reduce mental stress. It also helps to think about life with an unclut...