“Goodbyes are not forever; Goodbyes are not the end; they simply mean I’ll miss you, Until we meet again!” (Author Unknown)

Saying goodbye to those whom we love is one of the hardest things to do. That’s why someone rightly asked: “Why does it take only a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?”  We meet people in order to part one day, and sometimes we part in order to meet again. But what if the people who have somehow become part of our lives never cross our path in this life again? Flavia Weedn says: “Some people come into our lives and quickly go, some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”  Thus when we bid goodbye, we are at a loss to explain how much those people meant to us and how much we are going to miss them. The real treasures we posses in this life are the people who have come into our lives and made some difference to us by showering us with their genuine love and helping us grow. George Eliot says: “Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.”

Monday Musings came to you through Indian Thoughts’ Share & Learn uninterrupted for more than two years now. With this issue of Monday Musings, I am taking a break from sharing my thoughts through Monday Musings. Many of you have been constantly encouraging me with your comments and suggestions. This exercise also has made me grow in many ways, and I came to know many people through this great programme called Share & Learn. Thanks to Indian Thoughts and to all of you, my readers. I hope to come back to you with another form of sharing in future, if God wills. I am also bidding goodbye to one of the greatest cities of the world, London, and its people, as I am given a transfer back to another great city, Mumbai, which always remains closest to my heart. God bless you all.

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.” (An Irish Blessing).

Someone once made this short prayer: “Lord, give me patience, but please hurry!”  The word “patience” is derived from the Latin word pati, which means to suffer, to endure, to bear. Patience is the level of endurance a person can take before any negative reaction. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Arnold H. Glasgow says: “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” Often in life we encounter situations that test our patience:

– Delay in getting what we want, when we want and where we want

– Sickness, fatigue, hunger, thirst, etc.

– Conflicts, disputes, irritation, pain, temptations, bad behaviour, bad habits, etc.

– Contempt, insults, accusations, etc.

Each of us can sit back and recount the occasions that tested our patience. When we lose patience, the consequences can be unmanageable and disastrous. Many serious quarrels start with impatience over little things. That’s why it is so very important to train oneself in this virtue from young age. It is in fact the taming of our passion and is developed through difficulties and troubles that we encounter in life. It helps us encounter frustrations, disappointments, sickness, privations and hardships without losing our serenity. The virtue of patience gives a person greater advantage over others in every situation, as Thomas Jefferson says: “Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.”

Suicide has become a common killer today. Reports suggest that nearly 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year. And those who attempt to commit suicide number anywhere from 10 million to 20 million annually. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people 10-24 years of age. Suicide is the process of purposely ending one’s own life. In some societies suicide attempt is considered a crime. However, in most cultures and religious traditions, killing oneself is considered negative, immoral and even sinful. It also brings far reaching repercussions and untold grief, guilt and shame to the immediate family and friends of the one who killed himself/herself.

People today develop suicidal tendency, as they identify themselves with a materialistic society where success is measured in terms of recognition, wealth and power. When these are threatened or denied, they lose meaning for life. Real or imagined losses can trigger suicidal thoughts, especially among the youngsters. Break up of a relationship, loss of a friend or a family member, some mental illness, extreme disillusionment with oneself for some failure in life, monetary losses, poverty, etc., can lead a person to taking his/her life. Human mind is a delicate faculty and it does not need much to lose its balance, especially if it is not trained to be strong and happy.

However, most cases of suicide are preventable by taking effective precautionary measures. Those who undergo stress and emotional struggles due to failures and losses as well as those with mental illness need strong support system. They need to have someone like a trusted friend, a parent, a sibling, a counsellor, a spiritual advisor to talk to and share their concerns. If they show some warning symptoms, it is important to prescribe professional treatment.

The best and most effective preventive system for suicide is a happy and united family. This, of course, is not to deny the suicide incidents among people who live with strong family ties. It is possible that even while living in an intact family, one can lose hope and meaning for life. However today there is no better system in existence than a family that shares, supports, encourages and prays together. It is in and through family that children learn the values of life, faith in God, spiritual practices and hope for life which are essential for a happy life.

God is the author of life. He alone has the right to take life away in the manner and time he decides. Through belief in God we understand that life is precious and it is worth living.

Suicide is an act of self centecentres. Taking away one’s life is in a way running away from others and showing disregard for their feelings and needs. Conversely, to be other-centred, to be sensitive and helpful to others and to be involved in the affairs and problems of the society are sure insulations against suicidal tendencies.

A person with good habits such as wholesome reading, sports and personal prayer are less likely to harbour suicidal thoughts ever in life.

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” Ben Okri, Nigerian Writer

“A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi.

Recently I was in a video conference with a team regarding the launch of an online newspaper as part of a social network site.  Initially most of the team members approached the idea with scepticism. Why should there be another online newspaper? Can we compete with the already existing giants in the field? Will people patronise it? But there was one person, the founder of the network site, who displayed tremendous optimism and confidence in the idea. His remarkably strong positive attitude changed everyone’s outlook and soon the entire team was convinced that the idea will work and that it was the need of the hour. Everyone agreed that there was no going back on the project. That’s the power of positive thinking.

Positive thinking is an important ingredient for success. Any successful person in any field would tell you that, among other things, his/her positive frame of mind contributed to reaching his/her present status. Positive attitude is directly linked to optimism, self confidence and success. Winston Churchill had said: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” An optimist sees the invisible, tries the unreachable and achieves the impossible. It has its contagious effect as one person’s positive thinking affects others and helps them change their pessimism into optimism, defeatism into success, impossible into possible. It’s an essential staple for the success of any venture.

People with a positive attitude always get many good friends around them as they generate positive energy, instil confidence and help achieve success and happiness. Negativism, on the contrary, creates negative moods, unhappiness, frustration, failure, disappointment and loneliness. Says Willie Nelson: “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will start having positive results”.

It is important that we clear our minds of all pessimistic, defeatist and negative ideas and thoughts and pump in positive ones in their place. The difference between success and failure can be a fine line and that is often determined by our positive or negative thinking, as W. Clement Stone says: “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”

“When you realise you’ve made a mistake, make amends immediately. It’s easier to eat crow while it’s still warm”. (Dan Heist)

‘I am sorry’! In these three magic words we have one of the hardest, rarest and most profoundly human expressions in English language. It is hard to say ‘I am sorry’ because it implies many things: that I have hurt you, that I take responsibility for my behaviour,  that I am truly repentant of what I have done, that I shall never repeat such behaviour again, that I hold your person, your presence, your friendship and your dignity in high esteem.

It is a rare expression as it requires a strong character and personality to face the person we have hurt, look straight into his eyes, and acknowledge our mistake. To do this we need to rise above our ego and personal pride. It is hard because it is in effect an acknowledgement that we have been wrong and the other person was right in this particular situation. Saying sorry as a matter of habit may be too common and easy, but being truly sorry and mean what we say is rare to find.

It is an expression that needs to be so much part of our human behaviour because as humans we all make mistakes, sometimes big, sometimes small. As social beings we hurt each other. We disagree on things and push those disagreements to quarrels and fights. We, sometimes knowingly, and other times impulsively, speak or do things that bring damage to the reputation, good standing and career prospects of others. But, having done this, we all do posses the capacity to rise above our human weakness in humility and acknowledge our mistakes. Being sorry for our actions may not undo the harm, but it can repair the damage to a great extent.  It’s human to err, but it’s divine to be sorry for our mistakes, just as it is divine to forgive, because a repentant heart is a gift from God.

Here’s a beautiful expressions of being sorry, found on a ‘sorry card’:

“You have only one person to forgive in your journey and that is yourself. You are the judge. You are the jury. And you are the prisoner. An unholy trinity, to be sure! Loosen up, my friend. Everything you think you did to others is just a form of self-punishment.” (Paul Ferrini, Love Without Conditions, page 142)

Being social beings, it’s very much possible that the words, actions and attitudes of others hurt us. They inflict deep wounds which cry out for revenge. Our natural tendency is to get even with the people who hurt us so that we enjoy a kind of momentary victory through which the wounds we suffered seem to disappear.  Thus we knowingly or unknowingly employ our own attitudes, words and actions to punish the person who attempted to hurt us.

However, does it really work? Can any revengeful attitude, word or action make us feel better and enjoy peace? It’s a proven fact that our revengeful attitude can only hurt us more and make us feel more miserable. It takes away our peace of mind, lessens our capacity to rest, relax and interact with others, and badly affects our emotional, mental and bodily health. It, in effect is a self punishment. If we, on the contrary, take the less trodden path of forgiveness and reconciliation, the consequence is peace, serenity and joy.  This, contrary to popular understanding, is not a route to defeat, but to real victory. It’s the defeat of evil with good, passion with reason and division with love.

While our natural tendency is to take all out revenge, we have stories of people who daily, practice the virtue of forgiveness in their homes, in their work places, in schools and colleges, play grounds, organisations, etc. All of these are unsung but heroic acts of victory over evil and healing of divisions. But some such acts stand out as beacons for others to see and follow. Gladys Staines chose the path of forgiveness and so she emerged victorious against the evil of bigotry. Blessed John Paul II went to the prison cell and held the hands of his own attempted murderer and thereby defeated revenge. Jesus Christ unleashed his forgiving love from the cross and prayed: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).

These days battle against corruption is taking many parts of the world, including the second most populous country, India, by storm.  People come out to the open to expose and fight corruption, and to demand stricter laws to punish the perpetrators. The hitherto silent majority of the ordinary people are fed up of the corrupt practices of their leaders in all spheres which negatively affect the progress of their nations. Corruption leads to the poverty of the masses while a few, holding power and influence, get richer by dubious means.  They, in their greed, bend the rules to swell their pockets.

In philosophical, theological, or moral discussions, corruption is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. It’s the decaying of a system or even a society as whole, caused by the abuse of power and influence by some. But in common parlance, it refers to the distorted and dishonest practices of some influential people.  It leads to a broken system. Today the menace of corruption is eating up the entire society and all its organs in many parts of the world.

Corruption starts in the minds of those who practice it. Jesus had warned his followers: “Nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean; it is the things that come out of someone that make that person unclean… For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.” (Mark’s Gospel, Chapter 7, verses 15, 21-23). The evil of corruption, therefore, is rooted and nurtured in the hearts and minds of the people. It happens when we allow the evils such as greed and selfishness, avarice and deceit to take their roots and grow in our lives. It is, therefore, the opposite of the basic teaching of Jesus to ‘love and serve one another’.

For this reason, no amount of public demonstrations, or even the enactment of the most stringent laws and judicial apparatus can root out corruption. These can only act as a temporary deterrent. The eradication process begins with the moral and spiritual formation of each person’s mind and heart. When one is trained to be honest, sincere, loving and kind, he/she cannot be corrupted by greed, selfishness, avarice and deceit. Children, from a very young age, need to be shown the importance of these virtues, not just by classroom lectures, but first by the exemplary behaviour of their parents, teachers, spiritual leaders, politicians and other public figures. It’s only through a total change of our value system, by changing our minds and hearts, can we end corruption and move towards genuine progress.

“Few lions will be better than millions of rats and rabbits. Anna Hazare is a good man and his struggle for a corruption-free India will have some positive impacts.  It will also help people to become conscious of this all-pervasive evil. But the solution lies in a spiritual and moral awakening. This is our divine mission.” Swami Sachidananda Bharathi

Major part of last week saw how London city was burning. There was total chaos and destruction in many areas. People could not move out of their houses and offices freely, fearing the gangsters. The security forces remained clueless and inactive. The major political leadership was vacationing elsewhere during the earlier part of the unrest. Thus, as precious time was lost in reinforcing the security forces, violence and looting spread to other towns such as Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, etc. The whole world witnessed with shame how the lawless anarchists plundered and looted on the streets of this otherwise orderly, civilised and tolerant country.

While the immediate causes of this violent outbursts and looting are hard to identify, a deeper analysis of the scenes would reveal some hard truths. It is easier to write it off as people’s natural reaction over the prevalent unemployment, recession, cut in government spending, poverty, etc. But it does not require an extraordinary brain to understand that such acts of lawlessness can only worsen the prevalent scenario. By burning down huge departmental stores as well as small businesses, they have deprived thousands of people of their jobs and their only means of livelihood.

The events on the streets of England show the moral and intellectual decay that is eating up the western society. Prime Minister David Cameron hit the nail on the head when he called for a return to the traditional values. It is simply the symptom of a society that has dug its own foundation of family, marriage and lawful children, religious and moral practices. People, in their materialistic pursuits, greed for wealth and passing gratification, have abandoned the bedrock of age-old values that keep any society stand erect and move forward. There is a dearth of strong spiritual and moral leadership that the young people can look up to for guidance and direction. Parents are separated, and live with their own partners; children are left to themselves to find direction for their lives and often they end up in the hands of gangsters. According to records, a quarter of British children live with only one parent. A whopping 900 children are expelled from British schools each day for violence and abuse. But this situation is typical not only to Britain; in the whole of western world we have been witnessing a kind of lawlessness and chaos as far as these bedrock institutions are concerned. This situation naturally leads to lawlessness on the streets, inner cities and schools. It simply shows that no society can afford to do away with the basic institutions of traditional marriage and family, disciplined choices in relationships, moral, religious and intellectual training of body, mind and spirit. The whole world needs to learn from these incidents and return to the traditional values of life.

“Creativity comes from looking for the unexpected and stepping outside your own experience” – Masaru Ibuka

It took an hour for them to ride to their favourite restaurant. But when they reached there it was closed. It was never expected to be closed on a Saturday evening. No one knows the reason. The only explanation is that the unexpected always happens! When things go on expected lines, life moves on smoothly. Most people like life to be just the usual routine, go on in the likely and probable manner, and nothing unexpected occurs. In this way, there is less tension and worry, more smoothness and flow of life. But think of it! When life is all smooth and moving only on expected, usual, routine and probable lines, can there be any thrill? Sticking to and moving on a daily routine is easy, but one soon gets fed up and bored of it. On the contrary, the unexpected events bring variety, colour and pleasant surprises to life. Flexibility is the key to facing the unexpected.

An unexpected guest, the unexpected arrival of a baby, an unexpected examination result, a job offer, a good crop, a marriage proposal, a successful venture, a summer rain, etc., can be causes for celebration. Sometimes the unexpected turn of events in life can save us from an impending danger or embarrassment, such as an accident, a wrong decision, a careless relationship, etc. It was said that the unexpected delay in the arrival of a train saved several people from being trapped in the 9/11 tragedy. But there are also negative and unwelcome unexpected happenings, such as, an illness, the death of a dear one, a natural calamity, set back in business, crop failure, betrayal by a friend, break up in marriage, bad behaviour by children, etc. These can turn our lives upside down and take us to the rock bottom. At such turn of events which are totally unexpected, we become powerless and hopeless, lose sight of our goal and unable to pick up the threads and move ahead. But even such happenings can have their positive outcomes. They can teach us of the hard realities of life and make us stronger in our resolve to move on; help us make positive decisions as they provide a second chance to begin life all over again. They can also make us more flexible, understanding and accommodative. That’s the reason those in military training, police force, management, aviation, etc., are taught always to expect the unexpected.

The ‘Friends Life Financial Institution’ has recently conducted a study among British women on when they decide to have children and what factors influence their decision. It was found that 42% of women in their 20s, who are at the beginning of their career, postpone their decision to become mothers due to several factors such as financial pressures, career ambitions, tension, uncertainty about the life partner, etc. The same trend also compels them to delay the decision to have a second child or even decide not to have a second child at all. Their main worry is about the inconveniences and increased cost of living a child can bring to their already stressed and tensed life and the damage it can cause to their career.

One should read this report against the background of people who desperately long to have children, who spend huge amounts of money on fertility treatments, who pray God fervently and with deep longing and visit every shrine they can have access to. For them children are simply signs of God’s blessings. They are aware that the most important purpose of marriage is to cooperate in God’s creative process and nature’s way of perpetuating human life. For them, as Rabindranath Tagore says, ‘every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of humanity’. A child brings joy and angelic beauty as he/she is the most wonderful masterpiece of God. The Book of Genesis in the Bible speaks of this human sentiment in a masterly manner: “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebecca became pregnant” (Genesis 25:21).

The beauty and thrill of parenthood is the greatest reward God gives to couples for taking upon them the responsibility of bearing and rearing children. Financial stress and career related considerations can be overcome with the indescribable joy of being a parent. The presence of children – the joy they bring and the beauty they radiate are far beyond all other negative considerations in this regard. The more the couples delay this decision or reject the possibility of bringing forth new lives within the legitimate matrimonial contract, the greater the loss of these blessings.

The John Paul II exhibition in Vatican is a fitting tribute to the man who guided the course of the world during last quarter of the 20th century. The well laid out exhibition shows that JPII, as he is fondly called now, shall continue to live on in the hearts and minds of the people who love him. His powerful influence in shaping the religious, political and social spheres of his time has been well depicted in the exhibition. The important moments from his birth to death, including his decision to choose priesthood, his Episcopal ordination, his papal election, the gun attack, his hundreds of international trips, his death and funeral, are all well depicted through pictures, videos and audio programmes.

The most touching scene is perhaps his last public appearance through the window of his residence in Vatican. Hundreds of thousands of people waited eagerly at St Peter’s square for the usual appearance that included a prayer and blessing of their beloved Pope. The people, as usual, came from all continents and every corner of the world. They knew their Pope was not well for quite some time. Perhaps some of them were waiting there to see him for the first time. But there were so many who thought it was their last chance to see their shepherd alive.

The eagerly awaited moment arrived. The Pope appeared at the window of his apartment. He seemed weak, unable to stand straight, but he made an effort nevertheless. He looked at the crowd intently. He painstakingly lifted his right hand and waved at them. But the moment came when he tried to open his mouth and speak a few words to the crowd. No voice could come out of his mouth. He tried, again and again, but he seemed helpless. There was absolute silence in the crowd.  All of them focussed their eyes on that one feeble figure. They wanted to hear him. When the voice was not coming, they closed their eyes, most of them shedding tears. As the Pope struggled and could not succeed, the guard removed the microphone stand which was the final indication that they would not be able to hear their shepherd any more.

Watching the scene of that video would surely bring tears to our eyes. But the great Pope, without speaking a word, spoke eloquently to those thousands and all his future admirers. Perhaps this wordless speech of JPII was his most unforgettable one of all. It was his presence that mattered, inspired and charmed millions of people. And through his presence he told them that he loves all, that he cares for all and that he is close to all. It seemed like his farewell speech that assured his flock that he would continue to look down from his heaven where he would be in a matter of a few hours. It was his call to his followers to remain strong in their faith, to continue steadfast in defence of life and never be wanting in bearing witness to the love of their Master Jesus. JPII continues to fascinate, attract and inspire millions today

An important meeting was being held for the leaders of India’s independence movement. Eminent persons like Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak, Azad and Patel were in attendance for chalking out the future strategy to throw out the British rule from the country. The meeting began, but Tilak could only come to the meeting five minutes late. Gandhiji stopped the proceedings, looked intently at Tilak and exclaimed: “If India’s independence from the British rule will be delayed by five minutes, Tilak will have to take the blame for it.”

Gandhiji was so keen on being punctual everywhere. He was always a man in a hurry. In contrast, some people, by nature, are always tardy for everything they attend. They procrastinate with things and as a consequence they can never meet a deadline or an appointment. This in turn can land them in trouble, as it affects their performance at every level – education, career, family, social life, etc. The one who is always late misses on the beginnings of things and events, which often are the best parts. There are many incidents of people missing trains and flights because of their compulsive nature of being late for everything. By being late, he is missing on opportunities for success.

It is said that the world today moves, not on hours and minutes, but on seconds and microseconds. Things keep changing in high speed. Payment for services are calculated by seconds, as for people today time is money and punctuality is the soul of business. Machinery and means of transport operate on the basis of perfect time schedule. The delay of even a fraction of a second can have disastrous consequences. Last year, an airplane was delayed by a fraction of a second to touch down on the ground and that caused a horrifying accident that killed nearly two hundred people.

The virtue of punctuality is both natural and acquired. It is said that some people can never get late for anything, anywhere. They have a natural tendency to be punctual, everywhere, at every event. They get restless when, even if not by their fault, they get delayed for something. However, even if it is not an inborn quality, one can acquire this virtue by practice, especially if we start at a young age. One who misses the deadlines and appointments everywhere is also likely to miss his final appointment with God when he comes calling him because it is said that God is always on time.

“I could never think well of a man’s intellectual or moral character, if he was habitually unfaithful to his appointments.” (Nathanael Emmons).

In life we make frequent journeys to various places and for various reasons. In the olden times people journeyed on foot from place to place for their survival needs. Later on, as they advanced in their knowledge of the surroundings, people used animals, and animal pulled carriages for their journey. This was followed later by vehicles pulled or pedalled by humans themselves. And finally journey became easier and faster with the arrival of automobile engines. Today people can travel by air, by rail, by road and by sea to reach their destination in the fastest imaginable speed.

Every journey has a purpose, a beginning and an end. We journey for business, for vacation, for pilgrimage, for entertainment, and for hundreds of other reasons.  Sometimes we stop our journey for the purpose of refuelling, for food, rest, entertainment, business, etc., but move on again when the purpose has been achieved. Sometimes we make detours because of roadblocks on our normal route. Sometimes we get stuck in one place due to unfavourable conditions. On some occasions we unknowingly deviate from our right path and take wrong routes, but when the mistake has been realised, we get back to the right route.

In our journey we meet various kinds of people – some familiar, others strangers; some pleasant, some sore; some helpful, others indifferent; some friendly, others rude; some we befriend, others we pass by without paying much attention. Some of those whom we befriend become part of our lives, but others gradually fade away from our memory.

Just as we make big and small journeys in life frequently, our life itself is a long journey, a movement, a pilgrimage. We begin our life’s journey at the moment of our conception in the womb of our mother. Our final destination is the heavenly kingdom where the entire human race is invited to by God himself. The purpose of our life’s journey is to attain our final destiny. In this journey there can be roadblocks, wrong turns, sticky situations, stopovers, frustrating experiences, etc. We meet people who enrich us as well as people who create hurdles on our journey. Just as other people influence our onward move, we too, through our actions and words influence others, make a difference to the path we travel and the people we meet. We learn from every experience, be they big or small.  Every event on this journey is a teacher for our onward move. Every place we visit and every situation we encounter have something to make our journey better.  The only things that we can take along with us to our final destiny is the goodwill we have created among people, the love we have shared and the smile we have brought on to the faces of the less privileged through our own self-sacrifice. All the other baggage we have collected along the way will have to be dropped in this world in order to enter our final destiny.

“I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom”. (Les Brown)

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life.Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” – Margaret Cousins

Appreciation is a human need. Even animals show appreciation within and among their kind and respond to appreciation positively when shown. When we do something well, we consciously or unconsciously long for some form of appreciation, especially from those who matter most to us. It brightens our lives and motivates us to do more and better. It is the best reward we can receive for our efforts, as it is more precious than money and other awards.

Appreciation adds joy and spice to family life. Appreciation is a genuine and spontaneous expression of love and joy at the others’ efforts and or achievements.  It works as an incentive to a child to take the next step as it begins to walk; to a young student to study hard and produce better results; to a weak person to struggle against disadvantages and move on in life;  to an entrepreneur to achieve greater productivity; to a sports person to improve her/his performance. In short, appreciation is a necessary part of every sphere of life.

In as much as we long for appreciation, it is important that we are generous in our appreciation of others. Only a person with a generous and loving heart can appreciate another’s efforts and achievements.  Appreciation is different from gratitude. The latter is given for a favour received, but the former is freely given because the person deserves to be appreciated. It is also not to be confused with flattery.  While flattery is fake and false, appreciation is genuine and true. Flattery, based on falsehood as it is, destroys the person eventually while appreciation helps one to grow and become better.

One of the motivating instances of appreciation in the Bible New Testament is when Mary visits Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s words of appreciation of Mary’s new status come straight and spontaneously from her heart: “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” (Lk 1:42-43).

Another equally inspiring instance of generous admiration and appreciation found in the Bible comes from the mouth of Jesus about John the Baptist: “I tell you, of all the children born to women, there is no one greater than John” (Lk 7:28).

A few years ago I had to get some permission from a government office in New Delhi. Even after several trips and spending much time and resources, I could not get the required permission. In my frustration and hopelessness, I approached the second highest ranking official of the department and presented my case to him. After reviewing my application, he sat back, looked straight at my eyes and said: “Do not lose hope because the whole world lives on hope.”

The whole world lives on hope! The farmer sows seeds and waits with hope for the seeds to sprout, grow, and produce fruits. The pregnant mother waits with hope for her baby to be born. The fisherman ventures into the sea with the hope of getting a good catch. The businessman invests in his business with the hope that he makes good profit. The teacher instructs the children with the hope that they acquire knowledge and become better people.  The doctor treats a patient with the hope of getting him back to good health. The patient undergoes the pain of surgery hoping that one day he will recover his health. The scientist spends days and months in the laboratory with the hope that he succeeds in his research. The soldier guards the borders day and night with the hope that the land remains safe from the enemies. The traveller hopes for his means of transport to take him to his destination. The pilgrims travel to holy places with the hope of getting spiritual benefits. Relatives bury the dead people with the hope that the person will enter into a new and everlasting life.

Hope is the force that keeps the world going. We hope for a positive outcome to all our ventures. When there is no hope for a better tomorrow, a better quality of life and a better world order, we fall into stagnancy and misery. In today’s world, especially in the atmosphere of falling economies, unemployment, fierce competitions and natural and man-made calamities, many people live in perpetual insecurity and hopelessness. But hope can be regained and instilled in people by the timely involvement of others. They can, thus, change the outlook of a person and bring him/her back to hope from being hopeless. As God is the source of all hope, even in the worst of hopeless situations, one can find hope in God.

Having lived and worked in the three busiest cities of the world – Mumbai, New York and London – during the past several years, I know what noise explosion is. Industrial, mechanical and man-made noises continually assault our ears in these cities. “The human race has stamped its authority over the planet earth not just by covering its surface with concrete and destroying its plant and animal life, but also by burying the natural sounds of the earth beneath a cacophony of man-made noise,” says Steven Taylor. (New Renaissance Magazine: Vol. 8, No. 2). Artificial noise explosion, as opposed to the natural, God-made state of silence and stillness, diminishes our ability to withdraw, to think, to reflect, to contemplate and to pray. We have almost befriended the artificial noises of the modern age that we keep inventing more noisy machines and gadgets. In a way we can say that we take refuge in noise. And thus we automatically become the enemies of silence.

St John of the Cross, a great mystic, in his Spiritual Canticle, speaks of the ‘silent music’. He explains this paradox as the harmony of creation. Every element of God’s creation – the earth, the seas, the sky, the plants, the creatures and, above all, humans together create a harmonious music with no sound. This harmony is disturbed when we create artificial noises. When the order in nature is disturbed, the creatures become restless. This restlessness is the opposite of peace. And when peace and harmony are lacking, there cannot be freedom and progress.

The solution to today’s restlessness and disharmony is our return to the state of silence. Jesus had challenged his followers with this idea: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Dynamic and harmonious silence leads to rest and peace…to rest and peace of mind and body. In our state of rest we listen to God speaking to us through the sacred scriptures, through the sweet sound of nature, through the events around us and and the longings of our fellow humans. A realisation of God’s goodness leads us to the recognition of our worth as humans who are created in God’s own image. It is in our silence and stillness that we can also appreciate and accept others as our brothers and sisters. We thus grow in our sensitivity and compassion for others.

Silence is not merely the absence of external, artificial noise. One can return to the harmony of silence and solitude even in the busiest and noise-polluted place. At the same time one cane be disturbed and restless even in the most solitary of places. It is a state of our mind. Wherever we are, it is possible to withdraw, be still and enjoy the fruit of silence.

“God is the friend of silence. His language is silence. And he requires us to be silent to discover him. We need, therefore, silence to be alone with God, to speak to him, to listen to him and to ponder his words deep in our hearts… For silence can give us a new outlook on life. In it we are filled with the grace of God, which makes us do all things with joy.” – Mother Teresa of Kolkata

“In the morning let me let know of your steadfast love, O Lord for I put my trust in you.Teach me the way I should go for to you I lift up my soul.”  (Psalm 143:8)

These words of the Psalm show why meditation is so very important in our lives. The Psalm writer gets to know of the steadfast and unconditional love of God only through the means of deep meditation. As a fruit of his meditation, he is able to place his complete trust in God. He learns the way he should walk, make decisions and do things by lifting up his soul to God and meditating on his goodness and love. Saints and sages have found the depth of God’s love being in deep meditation or contemplation.

Simple meditation (dhyana) need not be confused with contemplation and samadhi which are its higher forms practised by experts and masters. The former can be and must be practised by everyone, even if one is not an expert in contemplation. It is simply an inward journey of a soul where it searches for, finds and becomes one with its maker. Finding God is finding the source of our being, of all goodness, of pure joy and of total peace.

This meditative experience is not only helpful, but perhaps it is the panacea for all the problems that afflict our society today. Every conflict starts in the mind of someone. Meditation helps us touch and abide in the goodness of God and being filled with it; thus, our relationships, our dealings, our choices, our behaviours etc. Begin to be defined by that goodness and love. Through this we are able to make a positive difference to the people and world around us. Thus problems turn into opportunities and conflicts turn into concord. It helps us also concentrate better, study better, understand people and world better, and improve in our career prospects.

Meditation also helps us know and appreciate ourselves better. As we enter into the core of our being where God abides, we realise that we are precious beings, created by God in His own image and likeness, with an immortal soul and a perishable body. It is not our appearances, ethnicity or social status that define our worth, but our being children of God who are infinitely loved by Him. We realise that God has created us and placed us in this world for a special purpose. It is in discovering and fulfilling that purpose that we experience fulfilment and joy. And this joy becomes complete when we reach our final destiny where we will be totally united with God, our maker.

Recently, when I received an invitation to donate blood, on a Holy Thursday, my joy was boundless, especially knowing the significance of the day. However, my joy was short-lived as the UK rules for donating blood denied me the opportunity this time because I had made a foreign trip within six months prior to the date of donation. But this trip to the donation camp gave me the opportunity to meet many people, young and old alike, who came voluntarily to donate blood. Those people patiently waited for their turn, and when called, they approached the donation bed with a smile on their lips and with enormous courage. The act in itself is noble as well as amazing. It is marvalous to watch how a blood donor is filled with a sense of joy when that long needle is removed and is told to sit up on bed. Although I was not eligible to go through this amazing process because of the rules, I imagined myself lying in the donation bed, periodically pressing my fist for the red liquid to flow out through my veins into the plastic bag as I had done innumerable times in the past.

One of the few things the modern science and technology has not been able to create artificially is blood. No alternative to blood has been found thus far. When one loses blood by an accident or during a medical surgery, he cannot substitute it with anything else other than pure blood. This is because blood is the agent of life. If blood is drained out from the body, life itself gets drained out. When blood is transfused into the body, life gets revived.

So when one loses blood, where can he get the replacement? The answer is blood donation. Blood and its components are essential for surgery as well as for the treatment of many cancers and immune system deficiencies. True, God has not created a substitute for blood, but he has a unique way to meet the enormous requirement: He has stored it in the veins of other humans. It only takes very little effort, but much love and generosity to go out and share this precious liquid with others in need. Donating blood does not in any way reduce our quota. Within a short span of time our body replaces what we have given away.

Sharing blood in times of need is saving life. But we need not wait for an emergency situation to give away blood. Donating it to a responsible institution periodically (normally once in 16 weeks) would ensure enough blood for everyone in times of emergencies. Any healthy person between the age of 17 and 65 can donate blood, provided he has fulfilled the conditions for safety. It is reported that only 5 per cent of those eligible volunteer to donate blood. But the need for blood is ever increasing as modern medicine and surgery advances.  The number of accidents and various types of illnesses are also increasing. This explains why there is such an urgent call to everyone to be a blood donor. Winston Churchill says: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.

Democracy is the rule of the people, by the people and for the people. One of the most important areas of the democratic process is the election of representatives who make laws and form government to rule over the people.  Often elections are held in a periodic exercise of democratic process. They define the quality and strength of a democracy. They are meant to actualise people’s own rule by them and for them. But are these elections free and fair? Do people really have the freedom to choose the right persons to occupy positions of authority over them?

In many cases elections are only farcical exercises as the political parties nominate their candidates, not on merit and efficiency, but on the basis of party loyalty, money power and influence. Candidates are often tainted with corruption and criminal records. The criterion in thrusting them over to the people is anything but their moral stands, their integrity and their work for the development of the masses. The voters in such cases are forced to choose the lesser evil.

As election times approaches, parties and candidates mesmerise the voters with false promises which are forgotten once the election is over. They also resort to false propaganda and mislead people. The voters are taken for a ride by these parties and are made to dance according to their tune.

In some cases, elections are held only to perpetuate authoritarian, corrupt and despotic rule. The leaders declare elections with much hype and ‘manage’ them to make sure no other candidate wins the election. Kenya and Ivory Coast are the most recent examples such blatant butchery of democracy.

But in spite of all the flaws it has, democracy is the best option before us and electoral process is the backbone of any democracy. Even if we do not have a realistic choice, we are nevertheless duty bound to vote for the best candidate as it is our sacred duty. We need to exercise this right with utmost responsibility and as a sense of duty because this is the only way we can participate in our own governance. As the election approaches and as parties project their candidates, it is important that we examine the candidates’ past records in legislature if they have any, in social service and in their stand for justice, truth, decency, integrity and morality, and vote for the best available candidate.

It all looked surreal, like a computer generated image of a Hollywood movie! An earthquake of 9.0 magnitude! A devastating tsunami battering Japan and leaving 28,000 people either dead or missing! The sheer destruction and sufferings have taken the whole world to its knees! People are still struggling with the impact of the quake, particularly the damages it caused to the nuclear power plants and the hazardous spread of radiation. The survivors have no place yet to build their homes on, no job to earn their livelihood, and most of them have lost their close relatives in the rushing waters of the tsunami.

One could see desperate faces and frightened and tear-filled eyes, but nevertheless calm and determined countenance among the people of Japan. Their mood was summarised by a worker of the Tokyo Electric Power Company who continues to risk his own life, trying to shut down an affected nuclear power plant: “My parents were washed away by the tsunami, and I still don’t know where they are. Crying is useless. If we’re in hell now, all we can do is crawl up towards heaven.”

In the aftermath of such colossal destruction and heart breaking sufferings, the world has so much to learn from the people of Japan. Even when the scenario was as worst as it could ever be, we could see people displaying extraordinary calmness, dignity and grace. They might have lost all what they had built up after the World War II, but they show a firm resolve to rebuild again, a steely determination to move on in life.  They may have lost their dear ones to the fury of nature, but those left behind do not lack in generosity to sacrifice their lives for the betterment of others. How else could we explain the hard work of hundreds of people at the nuclear power plants, risking their lives to the high level of radiation? Ordinarily when a tragedy such as this takes place, the survivors panic, loot, steal and even attack others for their survival. But what we witness in Japan is calmness, order, dignity, generosity and sacrifice.

Paul the Apostle wrote to Romans: “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us” (Rom 5:3). As the people of Japan continue to fight back at the disaster, sufferings and death, we can only pray God to continue to inspire them with endurance and hope.

The world’s attention today is focussed on the people of Japan. The terrible scenes of the devastating earthquake and the resulting Tsunami have touched our conscience beyond what words could express. People all over the world, watching the scenes on television screens, have plunged into a condition of fear and helplessness at the fury of nature. Water from the Pacific Ocean came rushing in a speed of 500 km per hour to the towns and villages in north east Japan and swept away everything on its path. Thousands of lives have been lost in the rushing waters in a matter of seconds. Several towns and villages are now scenes of massive destruction, as they are wiped out of the world’s map. The Prime Minister of the country has termed it as the worst tragedy to hit Japan after the atomic bombing of World War II. The earthquake also has triggered off dangerous blasts and possible radioactive leaks and meltdown at Japan’s several nuclear plants, possibly causing incalculable damage to human and animal lives as well as the environment. The tragedy also could push further downhill the already worsening global economic recession. According to experts, this is expected to be the world’s most expensive natural disaster, with predictions that the repair bill will top $160 billion.

While the incident can be scientifically explained as a geological phenomenon over which humans have no control, many questions remain unanswered in a layman’s mind. Why does it happen there and not other places? Why are the innocent people made to suffer?  Are these the signs of the end of the world? Could we have done anything to avoid it? What precautions do we need to take if it should happen in my area?  Do we need the potentially harmful nuclear plants to produce energy or could we tap the conventional sources for our energy needs? What lessons can we learn from such incidents?

While we are at a loss to understand the how and why of such phenomena in world history, we can surely read the signs of the times and learn some lessons from them. Any such disaster reminds us of the frailty and extreme vulnerability of human lives. And everything that we have built up could crumble down to mere nothing in a matter of a few seconds as we are powerless in the face of such fury of nature. While they may not be caused by a direct will and intervention of God, they should surely turn our minds, hearts and lives to the omnipotent God who guides the course of the universe. Turning to God would mean turning away from every influence of evil, from anything that hurts us, hurts others and hurts the nature. During our short passage through this world, we are given opportunities to do good, to help others, to live happily, fixing our eyes on God who is our ultimate destiny. Any tragedy, be it big or small, be it near or far, calls for not only our sympathies and understanding, but our material, moral and spiritual help to lessen the pain and sorrow of those affected. In times such as these we feel we are one family, whatever the colour, race and nationality we belong to. The whole human family stands together in solidarity and works together and prays together for the common good and helps avoid any man-made tragedy. It is also imperative that we rethink the need for atomic energy sources in the wake of such a huge risk it poses to life. Our prayer to God at this terrible tragedy could be: Lord, look upon our weakness and reach out to help us with your loving power.

“The grass is green, the snow is long gone, and the sun feels warm on my face again.” This is how someone described the arrival of the Spring season. Although the temperature is still in single digits (Celsius), there are already signs of Spring as if the nature can’t wait any longer to break up with the frozen wintry weather. Buds are just about to open up on trees, the daffodils and tulips peak out of the ground with their first blades, everything is fresh and ready to turn into green, people are seen preparing the ground for more planting, many of the seasonal birds are back with their constant chatter and twittering, and children come out to play onto the streets and in parks again. The signs and the smell of a lovely Spring is here again!

The Spring season ushers in the promise of renewed life, freshness, beauty, joy and energy. It is the season of growth and fruitfulness. It is all the more sweet because it comes after the long and boring, freezing and lifeless winter season. Spring is the time when we come out and savour the beauty of nature, enjoy more warmth, meet more people and get more out of life. It is the time to grow spiritually and emotionally too. Often times we experience the winter of disappointments, powerlessness and hopelessness in our lives, but they are not permanent. The age-old saying, ‘Time will heal’ has a great application in our life.  God allows these experiences, but He also showers us with blessings and more opportunities to grow emotionally and spiritually.  Shelly’s immortal words, ‘If winter comes, can Spring be far behind’ is very true in our lives. Spring season pushes us onward and challenges us to work on the areas where we have failed or experienced stunted or less growth.

Just as Spring brings beauty and fragrance, life and energy to nature, we can bring beauty, goodness, fragrance, life and energy to our fellow human beings. We can transmit the Spring of cheer to those who are discouraged, sick and elderly. We can be the instruments of a culture of life where death and evil rule supreme. We can help a person to experience his springtime in life by helping him discover and promote his goodness. We can help people forget their sorrows and failed attempts by offering our loving and caring company. We can hold and raise a fallen person by offering our hand of friendship and encourage him to move on in life.

Some of the North African and the Middle East nations are going through a wave of revolution at present. Years of dictatorship, economic stagnation, nepotism, corruption, stifling censorship and oppression of the masses are giving way to transparency, freedom of expression and human rights. The revolt for freedom, starting from Tunisia, has now spread to Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Morocco. A few other nations are very much in the hit list. These dictators are either being dethroned and forced to flee or effect changes that give power into the hands of the people. These revolts, however, are not without their heavy price. Much blood is being shed, and many sacrifice their lives for freedom, as the dictators use heavy weaponry against their own people. Many cities witness fierce resistance and outright massacres. But these revolts also reveal the stark limits to the utility of violence. Protesters continue to stand up and demonstrate against the regimes braving violence and mass killing.

Why people come out to protest at the cost of their own lives? Someone has said that the ingredients of a revolution are hunger, tyranny, corruption, corrupt wives, corrupt and greedy sons, etc. But the most compelling reason for a revolution is the basic yearning of the people for freedom which allows them to enjoy their fundamental human rights. When the rulers make laws and dictate them to the people; when people have no participatory role in the affairs of a nation; when they are treated like slaves by their masters; when people’s voices are not heard, a revolution is the only option before them. The dictators amass enormous wealth, hoarding the resources that should normally belong to the citizens. They lead luxurious lifestyles while the poor are denied of the basic necessities and they die of hunger. There is a limit to which oppression may be tolerated. A time comes when people realise they have suffered enough and thus protests erupt, most often spontaneously. People who come out are willing to pay the heavy price even with their lives. Those who are in the forefront of the fight might never live to enjoy the freedom for which they fight. But they do fight all the same because they love their country, and want to have a better, more free lives for the future generations, freed of the monster tyrants. No matter how powerful a dictator is, and how long he has been on the throne, when people decide to organise and fight, he has to run for cover.

“The real demand of the people is simple – to be free of oppression. But what’s not clear is if they can agree on what the future can be” – George Joffe, University of Cambridge

Recently, I asked a person how she did her university exam. “I did not do as well as I would have liked to,” she said. “I had studied and prepared well and had the confidence to answer all the questions. However, during the examination, at one point, I lost the connection and could not continue. So I got only 8 marks out of 10.” Although disappointed at her less than satisfactory performance, she added an interesting remark: “But I don’t worry about it. I studied well and that’s sufficient for me. After all examination is not everything in life. We study for life, not for examinations.”

These words reflected a rare wisdom that only a few possess today. In the rat race for success, people spend countless sleepless and stressful hours with their textbooks in order to score high marks in their examinations. Their only aim is to secure a place in the selection for higher studies or the job of their choice. When an examination is near, students get into severe stress; worry about whether or not they have done enough revision or if they will remember everything when the time comes. They take special tuitions and memorise all the exam guides that they can get hold of. Many students approach examinations as an end in themselves and spend all their resources for achieving good results only to forget later most of what they had studied.

Examinations, of course have their importance as an exercise of evaluation of a student’s knowledge, ability and aptitude.  But what is of greater importance is the need to study for life, and thereby to enrich one’s career and enhance the quality of life in the world.

Here are seven tips to help you face examinations:

1.      Know that examinations are important, but they are not everything in life. Study not just for and at the time of exams, but daily, and for increasing your knowledge and enriching your life.

2.      Be attentive in class, take clear notes, and ask questions when you have doubts.

3.      Read more than your textbooks. Use library, not just to prepare for exams, but to increase your knowledge in various disciplines.

4.      Make a clear revision plan in advance and stick to it. If you are well prepared in advance, you will feel much calmer and confident when exam time comes around.

5.      Discuss and revise what you have learned in class with your close friends and analyse how those lessons can be applied to life.

6.      Even when you study hard, take enough breaks, enjoy your favourite hobby, and have enough sleep to energise your body and mind.

7.      Doing badly in an exam can be upsetting but it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself. Poor grades or failure is not the end of everything. You always have a second chance. Stressing and worrying drain out energy you need for your work and study.

All of us are aware of the beauty of a true and lasting friendship. Everyone wants a friend, a friend to share joys and sorrows with, a friend to care and support in need. A friend is someone who makes our life worthwhile and better. True friendship counteracts the effects of increasing hostilities, mistrust and hatred between nations, communities and people. Says Pietro Arentino: “I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship.”

But finding a true friend is not easy. Maintaining a good friendship is as important and as difficult as finding a good friend. The best way to have good friends is to be a friend first. We shall not lack good friends if we are able to reach out to others in need, to understand and accept people with their differences, to have a caring, kind and compassionate heart.

Maintaining good friendship requires the virtue of honesty on the part of both the friends. True friendship is an open book on which the strengths and weaknesses of the friends are written. There is no secret that cannot be shared among friends. Nor is there any hidden agenda or motives in friendship. A friend is to be praised honestly, and criticised honestly. An honest friend never speaks behind your back, but is always open and forthright. He is not afraid to say ‘sorry’ when he hurts you. Many good friendships have broken up because of the dishonesty on the part of one or both friends. The Great Buddha says: “An insincere friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

The basis of good friendship is love and therefore where there is no love, there is no true friendship. Selfish friendship lasts only a while. It is like a bubble ready to break up any time. On the contrary, unconditional and sincere love can withstand any storms in a friendship. A loving friend is there when we need someone. He listens when we want to share our frustrations, he cheers and encourages us when we are down and out; he gives us hope when we reach the end of the rope. A friend always makes us feel special. “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives,” says Euripides

Throughout human history, the institution of family has been the foundation of society.  A man and a woman come together to form a new family where they live in union and share their lives together, and as fruit of their love, children are born. Parents nurture and enable their children face the challenges of life by working hard and creating a loving and caring environment. Strong family ties provide us the love and security we need for a happy life. Children grow into responsible adults through example, instruction and discipline. Duties and responsibilities are shared for the good of everyone.

The foundation for family life can be found in the creation story in the Holy Bible: “But from the beginning of creation he made them male and female. This is why a man leaves his father and mother, and the two become one flesh. They are no longer two, therefore, but one flesh. So then, what God has united, human beings must not divide” (Mk 10:6-9).

But today this age-old sacred institution of Family is under severe threat of annihilation. For many people marriage, which is the starting point a new family, is not even considered an option. They instead prefer the option of cohabitation. For them, marriage is a meaningless and costly ceremony which unnecessarily binds them to a contractual agreement. Devoid of such an agreement, they are free to break up any time and join another partner for cohabitation.

And for many, who, for reasons of social and religious pressure, enter into marriage, it lasts only for a short while. Divorces even for frivolous reasons are so common in today’s society. It is a genuine tragedy that leaves the marriage partners embittered and disillusioned and robs the children of the love and security of a healthy family.

Yet others today redefine the age-old tradition of marriage between a man and a woman. In some parts of the world, it is legal to contract a marriage between a man and a man and woman and a woman! This is putting the axe at the very foundation of the society itself which is founded on family life. The very purpose of creating human beings as male and female by God is defeated here.

Children have become burdensome to parents and therefore many of them decide either not to have children or if they are conceived, abort them even before they are born. This, apart from murdering the innocent and defenceless human lives, is writing the epitaph of the institution of family and society.

Yet another tragic situation that destroys the family bond is that many children consider their parents, as they get aged, as mere burdens, as old fashioned and out of touch with the reality. This attitude forces them to move their parents to nursing homes or houses for the aged, where they live in bitter loneliness and depression.

Happy and loving families, on the contrary, testify that family life can be a heavenly experience. For them it is a place of acceptance, understanding, sharing and loving sacrifices. They prove that family is the most important social unit within the society and the ideal place to acquire all that is needed to face the challenges of life.

The word “humility” comes from the Latin word humilitas, which in turn is derived from the Latin word humus, which means the earth. This means that humility consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds. Desiderius Erasmus, a humanist of 15th century wrote: “Humility is Truth”. And St Theresa of Avila, a mystic Catholic nun echoed the same thought about a century later: “Humility is living in Truth”. It only shows that there is a strong bond between humility and truthfulness: being humble means being truthful – truthfulness towards God, towards others and towards oneself.

Humility is recognising and acting on our total dependence on God. We recognise that every good thing that we are blessed with comes from God. A humble person knows who and what he is in front of God who controls his every moment, every movement, every speech, and every breath. The humble person, like a little child, surrenders himself to the all-powerful, benevolent and loving God.

A humble person recognises the worth, dignity and goodness of others. He considers everyone as a child of God and having the same dignity as he himself has.  He respects their rights, viewpoints and opinions. A humble person is kind towards others.

A humble person knows who he is and who he is not. He knows his strengths as well as his weaknesses. He does not hide his strength, but uses them for building a better world and enhancing the quality of life around him. He also recognises his weaknesses and limitations and works on them to turn them into strengths.

All heroes whom the world honours today were known for their humility. They achieved greatness by being truthful to God, to others and to themselves. Today, however, for many people, humility is not considered a virtue, but a weakness. A humble person is considered spineless, and a failure in life. Jesus said: Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12)

An ancient Greek historian and author, Thucydides says: “The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage”. Freedom is the most valuable of all human longings that people pay any price to gain it and preserve it. It is futile to own everything that makes one happy, but not enjoying the fundamental human aspirations of freedom of conscience, of speech, freedom to organise, and to worship God.

Recently the world came to know of a true warrior for freedom when the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo of China. Liu has been waging a long and non-violent struggle against the repressive Chinese regime. Article 35 of China’s constitution lays down that “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration”. However, in practice, these freedoms have all been curtailed for the people of China. For over two decades, Liu Xiaobo has been a strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights in China. He took part in the Tiananmen protests in 1989; he was a leading author behind Charter 08, the manifesto of such rights in China which was published on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 10th of December 2008. The following year, Liu was sentenced to eleven years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion of state power”. Liu has consistently maintained that the sentence violates both China’s own constitution and fundamental human rights.

Today, China, the most populous nation on earth has a strong economy and military strength.  Poverty has been wiped out of the lives of millions of people, and the day is not far when China controls the world economy. However, this material prosperity achieved by China is not matched by its records of human rights and freedom of conscience, religious worship, thought and expression. Says James Reynolds, BBC’s correspondent for China: “International human rights groups say that China is a police state in which the government has the power to bully, detain, or even execute citizens who step out of line. In this state, ordinary people are denied their inherent rights. They have to rely instead on the mercy of a state which often shows no compassion towards its most vulnerable citizens”. The voice of the millions of Chinese people, echoed by Liu Xiaobo, cannot remain suppressed for long because without freedom there cannot be genuine peace. Says Dwight D. Eisenhower: “We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom”.

Today the media, taken in its entirety, defines and controls people’s behaviours, government policies, corporate interests and world affairs.  Considered the fourth estate of democracy, media brings instant news and information from any part of the world to our living rooms and even to our pocket devices just by pressing a button. It has become an essential element of our survival in the modern world. Media can make or break people’s lives, fortunes and empires. The question is, powerful as it is, how far does media stand for truth, justice, honesty and impartiality?

Recently, when a huge case of corruption came to light in India at the government level, the role of media to get to the bottom of the case and punish the guilty remained crucial. But it was shocking to see that the mainline media simply buried the whole issue under the carpet. The reason was obvious: it would hurt the interests of some of the big names in the corporate world who were clearly involved in the scam. Money and influence overpowered truth and justice.

It is a myth that media is impartial and is on the side of truth. Every single media establishment twists the hard news to fit into its ideological angle or interests and leanings and dish it out to the customer to swallow. The common people simply take it as ‘the truth’. Their case is like that of the man who bought a goat and was taking it home. The thieves who wanted to snatch the goat from the man played a trick. They came one by one and told him: “What a fine dog! How much did you pay for it?” But the man insisted it was not a dog, but a goat. However, when three or four thieves repeated it at regular intervals, the man got confused.

The last thief asked him: “It’s a goat? You call this a goat? Then, respected man, the definition of goat needs to be changed! If you call this a goat, then what will you call a dog? But it’s up to you. You are a learned man; you can change its name if you want, but the fact is that it’s a dog.  Nothing changes just by calling it a goat.” Thus the man was led to believe it was a dog and left it for the thieves to take.

The story tells how the media fools common man to reject truth and accept falsehood by repeated servings of lies. Media continues to make many dogs out of goats!

This is perhaps one of the first lessons we learned in our moral science class. But for many today it is an outdated saying. They argue that if we have plenty of money, we lack nothing; only when we have wealth can we have good health, education and high standards of living.  And when we have all these, we can also build up a good character. Someone recently rewrote the above statement as: “Everything is lost when wealth is lost; something is lost when health is lost and nothing is lost when character is lost”. The present craze is to go after instant wealth, and instant pleasure even at the cost of health and character!

But the importance of one’s character is much more than wealth, success, name and fame. If wealth is lost, one can regain it by hard work and better planning. If one’s health suffers a jolt, there are various kinds of treatments available to regain it, although not all sicknesses have remedies. Preserving one’s good health is, indeed, a serious responsibility. However, one’s character is far too precious than health and wealth. It takes much effort and hard work to form, to build and to nurture good character. We begin this process of character formation right from our childhood. Wealth and fame and name will come and go, but a strong character endures forever. People like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Aung San Suu Kyi are respected and honoured for their strong character which enabled them to fight all odds, make many sacrifices and devote their lives for the good of humanity. Says Henry Clay: “Of all the properties which belong to honourable men, not one is as highly prized as that of character.”

It takes a life time to build up a good character, but it takes but a moment’s carelessness to lose its integrity and thereby lose our honour and self respect. We know of so many fallen heroes like politicians, sports people, businessmen and religious figures who, once were idolised by the people, but, lost the esteem and honour they commanded because they did something stupid or fell to the temptations of greed or lust or bad company. What they have lost can never be regained, no matter how hard they work and how profoundly they repent.

Some people indulge in character assassination through which people suffer the loss of their good name. People, out of jealousy, greed or enmity indulge in this most atrocious crime of bringing disrepute and dishonour to others and thus kill their character. This is even more vicious and potent than killing our bodies. Says Alan Barth: “Character assassination is at once easier and surer than physical assault; and it involves far less risk for the assassin. It leaves him free to commit the same deed over and over again, and may, indeed, win him the honours of a hero in the country of his victims.”

People routinely ask me to pray to God for their particular needs or resolving some of their problems. Many people send prayer requests through internet blogs, E-mails and telephone calls. I make it my habit to bring all these prayer requests to my daily Mass and other prayers. However, I never felt the intensity of such requests until I myself had a particular need for prayer support from all my friends and relatives recently. When my sister fell seriously ill, I sent a heartfelt request for prayer support to hundreds of my friends and relatives around the world who are in my E-mail and telephone list. There came a sudden outpouring of prayer support from every corner of the world. Those who received my message not only prayed for my sister and family, they also in turn sent out the same request to all those in their contact lists. Soon there built up a global network of prayer for this one single person – my sister. I felt overwhelmed by the messages of solidarity and prayer support from people I had known and not known before, people who live thousands of miles away from where I am, people of various religious, national and linguistic backgrounds. It was a feeling of intense affinity, connectedness and solidarity.

When someone requests us to pray for their needs it expresses many things.

1.      It is an expression of trust in God’s power over human and natural powers and in his love and care for us humans. He is always faithful’ He knows what is best for us; He never abandons us; He is near us even when we think He is far away.

2.      It is an expression of one’s confidence in human’s power to intercede with God. God hears the cry of his beloved. Prayer uttered for another person is more pleasing to God’s ears because he sees the goodness of the one who prays for others. It is an expression of one’s other-centecentres rather than self-centecentres; it makes us more humble, trusting and selfless. It changes and transforms us.

3.      It brings blessings of rewards to the one who prays in unknown and surprising ways as every prayer uttered connects us with God and makes us His favourites.

4.      It brings blessings to the one prayed for, perhaps not always in our own terms and ways, but definitely in God’s terms and ways. He knows what is best for us. Even if we do not get what we pray for, he will, by His loving presence, bring us the grace to accept the situation and surrender to His will and plan for us.

5.      Our prayers for others connect us with them and build up a world of solidarity, fraternity and harmony. This is the sign of the kingdom of God.

(Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892 , “Morte D’Arthur”)

Even in this digital age when skeptics have already begun to write off printed books, people still flock to book fairs, libraries and bookstores to search for their favourite author’s works or their topics of special interest and need. Frankfurt book fair eloquently shows that printed paper books are not going out of fashion any time soon although e-books are becoming popular by leaps and bounds. The pleasure of curling up with a good book is unparallel. Paper books have been man’s companions since Gutenberg invented printing press and made mass production possible. Frankfurt Book Fair makes it possible for books transcend boundaries of nations and languages. The purpose of this mega festival of books is to exchange them for translating into other languages, or producing them as local editions so that they are made available to the masses of people who would otherwise have no access to those titles.

Books are perhaps man’s best companion in his earthly journey. Francois Muriac spoke of the importance of reading good books: “Tell me what you read and I’ll tell you who you are”. This is another way of saying: “I’d know you better if you told me what you read.” Books bring people knowledge that in turn effects development and better quality of life. Victor Hugo says: “To learn to read is to light a fire. Every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” Records show that in sub-Saharan Africa, several communities are experiencing incredible transformation by reading the books they receive as donation from more developed parts of the world. They travel several miles on foot every week to collect their ration of two books-a-week from the libraries. They rely heavily on the knowledge that these books bring them in order to learn the basic skills of small industries and business, disease control and sanitation, religious tenets and human rights. Having thus enlightened with the aid of books, these people begin to enjoy higher confidence level and quality of life which we call a silent revolution in true development. Elizabeth Hardwick says: The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, and it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.” Next time when we take a book for granted and allow it to collect dust in our shelf, or throw a book away because it is too boring or old, or burn it ashes in order to make space in our house, we need to remember, there are millions out there thirsting for knowledge that these very books could quench.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Indian Nation and apostle of non-violence, was one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Through his unconventional leadership and adherence to truth and non-violence, he fought the mighty British Empire and won independence for India in 1947. One of the most striking features of his leadership was his close affinity and identification with the ordinary people he represented. He led with his heart of compassion rather eloquence and empty slogans.

A few weeks prior to India’s Independence Day of 1947, Gandhi was in Calcutta, working for peace and harmony among Hindus and Muslims. An emissary was sent to Gandhi by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. Before even opening the message, Gandhi asked the man: “Have you eaten any food?” When the man said “No”, Gandhi personally served him food. And after that, Gandhi opened the message from Nehru and Patel which read: “Bapu you are the Father of the Nation. The 15th August 1947 will be the first Independence Day and we want you to come to Delhi to give us your blessing.” After reading this, Gandhi said: “How stupid! When Bengal is burning, Hindus and Muslims are killing each other and I hear their cries of the agony in the darkness of Calcutta, how can I go to Delhi of the glittering lights? I have to stay here for the establishment of peace in Bengal and if need be, I have to give up my life for ensuring that there is harmony and peace.” Then Gandhi sent a dry leaf that fell from a tree with the emissary as a gift for Nehru and Patel saying: “My friend, you are going back to Delhi. What gift can Gandhi give to Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel? I am a man without power and wealth. Give this dry leaf to Nehru and Patel, as my first Independence day gift.” Hearing this, the man shed tears and took that leaf which he later brought as a gift to Nehru and Patel.

This was Gandhi’s style of leadership – being one with the people and feeling their pulse, their struggles, and their needs and bringing joy and solace to them. Gandhi had no army and weaponry to fight the mighty colonial empire. But his simplicity and strong character were enough to scare them and make them give into Gandhi’s demand to quit India. It was not his eloquence that led millions of people to follow him, but his sincerity and simplicity, his readiness to lay down his life for their cause. He would not wear a shirt because millions of his countrymen under the colonial rule did not have enough clothes to cover their nakedness. Is Gandhism still relevant today? Can today’s leaders follow at least some of his ideals?

Until a few decades ago, the twin-towers of the World Trade Centre of Manhattan, New York, stood high, matchless in elegance and majesty in a concrete jungle. It was the nerve centre of the city and one of the most visited and admired of places. But the huge vacuum, which is today called the ground zero, betrays what evil and perverted minds can do to human lives! New York City is never the same after that fateful day which is now popularly called 9/11 (September 11, 2001). Terrorists razed the two towers to the ground, striking it with two hijacked planes on the morning of that day. The ground zero has become synonymous with a sense of powerlessness in the face of evil. The vacuum of fear, insecurity and helplessness in the minds and hearts of New Yorkers and the people who loved that place can never be replaced again.

As a person who had climbed up the Twin Towers several times when they stood touching the sky, going back to the site of this dreadful man made devastation was never easy for me. Is evil so powerful that one feels helpless at its most visible presence? Has hope eluded the humans in the face of hatred and perversion? Why is such a mighty structure that once stood there kissing the skies absent today? Are we resigned to the fact that evil has overpowered us and made us powerless? Why did God allow the evil forces to take the lives of 2,979 innocent people?

But even in the midst of paralysing fear and utter helplessness, we discover stories of hope and heroic sacrifices. Thousands of volunteers, firefighters, police personnel, chaplains and emergency, sanitation and construction workers and others worked round the clock to feed, comfort, clothe, massage, counsel, worship with and provide  places of safety. There have been truly liberating and transforming spirits all around on that fateful day as people placed their trust in God – the source of all solace and security and experienced deep meaning in love, compassion, service, self-sacrifice and faith. The aftermath of 9/11 has led us to an unshakable faith in goodness, to believe that love is stronger than hatred and that it cannot be conquered by evil.

Collen Kelly, the bereaved sister of Billy Kelly who was one of the victims of WTC that day, describes the outcome: “I still believe that good will overcome, that goodness will overcome, and that my worldview has not been shattered. There were too many good things that happened that day, and all the days afterward – the thousands and thousands and thousands of acts of kindness. If anything, I am more firm in my belief in God; more firm in my belief in family; more firm in my belief that there is an overwhelming goodness in the world, and that goodness will overcome”.

The journey back to home; the story of a touching prayer song….

Pope Benedict XVI declared Cardinal John Henry Newman ‘Blessed’ on 19 October 2010 at Birmingham, England, before a strong congregation of over 70,000 people. Newman’s life (1801-1890) spanned most of the 19th century. Converting from Anglicanism to Catholicism at the age of 44, he wrote powerfully under both religious affiliations. It is said that as a literary workaholic, he prayed with a pen in his hand. His motto was “Heart speaks unto Heart” as what he wrote came straight from his heart, touching and profoundly transforming the heart of millions of people.

Among many volumes of prose and poems, his verses “the Pillar of Cloud” more popularly known by its first words “Lead Kindly Light” he wrote in 1833 ranks among the best. As a young priest John Henry Newman fell sick in Italy and was unable to travel back home to England. He describes the situation in his own words: “Before starting from my inn, I sat down on my bed and began to sob bitterly. My servant, who had acted as my nurse, asked what ailed me. I could only answer: ‘I have a work to do in England’. I was aching to get home, yet for want of a vessel I was kept at Palermo for three weeks… At last I go off in an orange boat bound for Marseilles. We were becalmed for whole week in the Straits of Bonifacio, and it was there that I wrote these lines, ‘Lead Kindly Light’.”

Although the poem expresses Newman’s longing to be home, it expresses his deeper yearning to be united with God in heaven. The situation of being away from home represents darkness, perils and struggles of this world. People can be so much overcome by this world’s attractions that they, in their pride, forget their true home. He acknowledges his own pride that made him lose sight of his destiny for a while. He pleads God not to remember the past years, but lead him again so that he can be where the ‘angel faces smile’. May Blessed John Henry Newman’s own life be a light to the world today!

Kahlil Gibran, the master story teller in his parable, ‘God’ in the book titled ‘The Madman’, describes how human beings experience God in a progressive way.

First, man considered himself a ‘slave’ and addressed God as ‘Master’.  “Thy hidden will is my law and I shall obey thee forever”. But God refused to answer. Second, man addressed God as ‘Creator’, considering himself as ‘creation’: “Out of clay hast thou fashioned me and to thee I owe mine all”. And God made no answer. Third, man thought he is the ‘son’ of God and addressed him as ‘Father’. “In pity and love thou hast given me birth, and through love and worship I shall inherit thy kingdom”.  And again God passed by without giving an answer. Finally, man addressed God saying, “My God, my aim and fulfilment; I am thy yesterday and thou art my tomorrow. I am thy ‘root’ in the earth and thou art my ‘flower’ in the sky, and together we grow before the face of the sun”. Then God leaned over and whispered words of sweetness in man’s ear, and enfolded him.

This concept of man and God as root and flower of a tree is a profound understanding of our relationship with God. It shows that we are not two separated beings, but two parts of the same tree – root and flower.  Of course, being influenced by the Holy Scriptures, our understanding of God and our relationship with him grow in a progressive manner. But it reaches its peak when we are able to say God and I are one. Jesus, for whom God was a loving father, could say: “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30). He could confidently say this because he had the fullness of divinity in him while being also fully human. A close follower of Jesus, St Paul, was able to express his relationship with Christ: “It’s no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:16).

The Hindu scripture, Upanishad, speaks of ‘Atman’ of self which is the immortal existence of mortal being. Atman is hidden in every object of creation. And this Atman is Brahman itself, present in created beings. This is yet another way of saying that I am divine as much as I am human.

In spite of the mortality and corruptibility of our earthly existence, there is also the divine being present in us. And if divine being is so present in us, our worth and value as human-divine beings are immeasurable. This concept also shows how each of us is related and connected as being part of the one divine being and how much we need to accept, respect and uphold life as it manifests in our humanity and divinity. This is when, God leans over and whispers words of sweetness in our ears, and enfolds us.

‘The Master’s Touch’ is a moving poem written by Myra Brooks Welch. The “poet with the singing soul” was severely disabled by a condition of arthritis and was confined to wheelchair. The poem is about the auction of an old violin. There were no takers for the old violin and so the auctioneer thought it was not worth the while to waste time on it. It was about to be sold for a mere three dollars. The auctioneer was happy to close the bid in order to move on to more valuable items. But no! It was not to be!

“From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Soon many began to bid for the old violin. Its value climbed up from three dollars to three thousand dollars! The people cheered; some of them cried. How did the miracle take place?

Often we are like the old, rusty and useless violin being auctioned for a mere pittance. We feel battered and worthless with no meaning for life. Our life becomes a burden for ourselves and others. But when we allow the Master who created us to touch us, cleanse us, heal us and make us wholesome, everything changes. Our worth increases beyond any limit. The magic of God’s saving and healing grace is greater than our sins. Prophet Isaiah speaks on behalf of God, the Master of the universe: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).

Television sets occupy the most visible place in our living rooms. It has evolved as the most trusted friend of humans that we cannot now take it away even for a day. In this marvalously advanced age, TV has become the most useful source of information, education and entertainment. We are able to know the events in any corner of the world instantaneously, thanks to the many television networks available today.

However, TV is also the villain that dictates the way we live our lives as it forms and shapes our outlook, values and morality, and even plans our daily programs. It often forces us to give up more important things in life for the sake of reality shows and unending serials. It creates lasting impressions in the minds of children and young people as it takes up much of their time during their years of growing up. They now look to TV’s heroes for answers on growing up, questions on human sexuality, values, morality, etc. The ramifications of this sordid diet are truly incalculable as they openly discuss and endorse homosexuality, adultery and premarital sex. They speak vilely about the human person, especially women, and push the limits of immorality to heights never imagined before. This is the cause for several social and moral epidemics that we face today.

Studies indicate that by the time a child graduates from High School, he or she will have witnessed more than 200,000 violent acts on television, including 16,000 simulated murders. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), 10 to 20 per cent of real life violence is attributed to violence in the media, especially television. Teens who watched more than one hour television daily are almost four times as likely to commit aggressive acts in adulthood. Even Ted Turner, the liberal founder of CNN and TBS, has said that television is the single most significant factor contributing to violence today.

We often think Children’s programs are harmless and attractive. Many parents thus naively use TV as a baby sitter. However, these programs are only wolves in sheep’s clothing. A content analysis of children’s television found that there is more violence on children’s entertainment than on adult oriented TV. A three-week period of entertainment programming for school-aged children that aired on eight networks found that there were nearly 3,500 incidents of violence, or an average of 7.86 instances per hour.

Studies have shown that too much TV affects also the students’ academic performance. Researchers at New York Albert Einstein College issued a report in November 2006 which confirmed the need for students to turn off the computer, TV, radio and other media devices and focus more on their studies in order to enhance their academic performance.

Why do we allow our children to get information from anybody and everybody on important topics like human sexuality and relationships when their own parents and teachers could be the better guides?

Here are Seven Action Plans that might guide us in our use of Television as a medium:

1. Keep television out of bedrooms. It should be in rooms accessible to the entire family.

2. Place time limits on TV viewing – not more than two hours for children.

3. Avoid watching TV during meals and when guests are in the house.

4. Parents – watch what your children are watching.

5. Pay attention to positive behaviours on TV, including examples of kindness, cooperation, friendship and challenge negative behaviour. Discuss them with your children.

7. Parents – be good examples by monitoring and controlling your own TV habits.

A recent news report tells that a very serious food crisis is hitting the Sahel region of West Africa, where 10 million people are facing acute hunger. Niger, where 8 million people are at the risk of perishing for want of food, is the worst hit. Food shortage is also very acute in Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso. These people are now selling off livestock, eating wild foods, taking children out of school and abandoning their homes in a search for food. The crisis, resulting from irregular rainfall, crop deficits, rising food prices and chronic poverty, is much worse than the last food shortage in 2005.

Take look at the other side of the picture:

• According to a study by the University of Arizona Garbage Project, each American throws away 1.3 pounds of food a day, which amounts to 474.5 pounds per year per person. The US Department of Agriculture estimated that recovering just 5 percent of the food that is wasted in US alone could feed four million people a day; recovering 25 percent would feed 20 million people.

• According to a government-backed report, 8.3 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households in the UK every year. The report says Britain throws away 220,000 loaves of bread, 5.1million potatoes, 1.2 million sausages, 4.4 million apples, 1.6 million bananas, 1.3 million yoghurt pots, 660,000 eggs, 5,500 chickens, 300,000 packs of crisps and 440,000 ready meals.

• The ‘Waste and resources Programme’ report found that Scottish households throw out 570,000 tonnes of food and drink each year.

• The University of Western Sydney’s Urban Research Centre report says: ”Sydney is such a rich consumer society that it happily throws away $603 million in fresh food every year.

The disturbing reality of hunger on one side and waste on the other points to the urgent need for action from individuals, governmental agencies, social organisations and United Nations. How can I respond to this most urgent humanitarian need? Could I feed at least one hungry person with the food that I would have bought in excess and wasted?

Recently I heard about the death of a person I had known since some time. Describing his life’s achievements, someone wrote to me: “John will be missed by us all.  He was a man who loved life. He shared his passion with others by his life’s work, dreams and visions…. He is a man who did leave the world a better place because he made a difference”. The force of this last sentence struck me powerfully. It sounded like an epitaph that anyone would dream of having on his tombstone! It is the best legacy that describes the life and work of the person and something that will stay for a long time to come!

Each person is born into this world with a task – to make a difference and consequently to leave the world a better place for others who come after them. Some great people, like Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Swami Vivekananda, and scores of others in various fields and disciplines spent their lives making positive difference to the world and left it a better place. They influenced others so much that generations of people remember them as their heroes. Were it not for their contributions, the world would not be what it is today.

There are others, like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Idi Amin and Pinochet and scores of others who also influenced the world, but left it worse. They, through their repressive, oppressive and negative influence, became agents of death and destruction. Such people live in the pages of history as those who butchered humanity and its culture.

There are yet others – billions of them – who make a difference to the world they live in, not through social revolutions and heroic deeds, but by silently carrying out their daily duties with devotion and dedication. They are fathers who toil whole day to earn livelihood for their family, mothers who nurse and care for their children and teach them good lessons of life, children who work hard to succeed in a competitive world and try their best to use their talents, teachers who impart knowledge and values to the students, people who work in fields, offices, workshops, machineries, construction sites, to name a few. Each of them, by doing their jobs as best as they can, and by caring for their own families first, and by involving in some community service, by helping others in their needs, by visiting a lonely or sick or imprisoned person, make a difference in their own ways and leave the world a better place.

In what way do I make a difference today to the lives of others and to the world I live in? What influence does my life have on others? What will others say of me when I leave this world? Do I leave the world a better place?

Recently a newspaper reported that a 20-year-old college girl in a certain town was ran over and killed by a running train. As I read this terrible news, I was saddened that a precious life was cut short in such a tragic manner. However, as I read on, I was more shocked to know that the girl was talking to somebody on her mobile phone and did not notice that a train was speeding towards her. A careless behaviour took away a precious life! Such tragedies are repeated daily in every part of the world, especially by using mobile phone while driving. It was pointed out by someone that a recent air tragedy that killed so many people was caused, perhaps, by someone not following the warning that all mobile phones should be switched off inside the plane. The navigational system of the plane can malfunction or interfere with the landing system and thus cause terrible tragedies.

None can deny the manifold functions and advantages of mobile phone. It has become impossible to ignore it or do away with it. It helps us connected to our relatives and friends, even across the continents. But the tragedy is that it has become so much a part of our daily life that it takes precedence even over the safety of our lives! This goes to say how badly we misuse this wonderful invention which, if put to right use, is our fastest medium of communication today. However, mobile phone has made many its slaves that it controls the way they spend their waking hours. In a study conducted recently in one of the advanced countries, it was found that 50% of youngsters between 13 and 14 years of age regularly use mobile phones. It is 80% amongst the age-group of 18-19 in the same country. These figures may look exaggerated in a less advanced country, but the trend is towards increased use of the media everywhere. Improper and exaggerated use of mobile phones can have serious repercussions as the tragedy mentioned above proves. Uncontrolled use of mobile phones can also cause us to miss out on precious time with God, with family, with good friends, with nature and even with ourselves.

This quote, attributed to Ashleigh Willard Bauman hit me right between the eyes. I was immediately reminded of two mothers who represented two different attitudes to the storms and sorrows in life. One is a mother who entered the church and prayed: “Lord, I am fed up of my son. You know he does not listen to us, his parents. He cares little for us, he comes home late, he habitually gets into heated arguments with his father, he fights with other boys, he takes drugs and alcohol, and he gets into trouble with the police. I do not know what to do with him. I am ashamed to call him my son.” The second mother, suffering from advanced cancer, prayed thus: “Lord, I know I have only a few days to live in this world. You have always been good to me and I believe in your goodness to me until my last breath. I am thankful to you for so many people who lovingly support me and care for me. In spite of the pain and sufferings, I experience a deep inner peace that comes from your presence in my life.  I believe that you have the power to make everything right for me despite my weakness.

When misfortunes strike us, calamities take away what we hold dear, sickness paralyses us, death separates us from our dear ones, we fret, we fume, we complain. Our everyday worries such as family finances, enough food on the table, raising kids, unfaithful spouses and betrayal of friends force us to ask God why always me and not my neighbour for whom everything seems going right. Often the storms that strike us are big indeed. They weaken us and sometimes strike at the very roots. What we forget at these times is: If the storm is so big, how big my God ought to be! There is no storm, no calamity, no battle, no sickness and no struggle beyond the power of my God. He has the power to overcome even the fiercest storm as we put our trust in him:

Beginning 14th April, 2010, Southern Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed tons of lava and clouds of ash and smoke into the sky to a height of 9,000 meters (30,000 ft). Its enormous cloud of ash paralysed airline traffic, resulting in a whopping 100,000 flight cancellations across Europe in six to seven days. About 8 million passengers were stranded around the world. The airline industry lost $1.7 billion in business. The disruption also caused huge loss in other business across the world. Major car companies suspended production in Germany and Japan for want of spare parts. Fresh flowers, vegetables and fruits rotted in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Heaps of clothes piled up in Bangladesh, mobile phones in Korea, household goods in China. There has been also huge loss in tourism industry. All these coupled with physical and mental ordeal experienced by the marooned passengers across the globe made this flight disruption worst in aviation history.

Technology has made life easier, faster and comfortable for us in the last few decades. Progress in technology makes us want more comforts and at an instantaneous speed. We find it hard to accept anything that is slow, ordinary and cheap. We fret and fume even at the slightest inconvenience. We calculate every move, every event and every opportunity in terms of monetary gain or loss. But in our greed for more, we cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem, forcing nature to react in destructive manner. The events such as this act as signs that we need to curb our greed and be judicious in reaping nature’s bounty. Even as we stand and stare helplessly at nature’s fury and its aftermath, we do well to remember also that there is a higher power that controls the universe. Technology, no matter how advanced it may be, cannot dictate its terms to the all-powerful God.

In 1998, when Ryan Hreljac of Canada was in grade one,  he learned from his teacher, Mrs Prest that people in many parts of the world were dying because they didn’t have clean drinking water. Being moved by this revelation, Ryan immediately decided to raise money for helping people to get clean water. He worked for four months, doing some simple household chores, in order to earn his first $70. Ryan’s first well was, thus built at a school in a Ugandan village in 1999 when Ryan was seven years old.

From that first $70 grew the Ryan’s Well Foundation (RWF) that has till date contributed to a total of 546 water and sanitation projects in 16 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to 663,901 people. The Foundation has raised millions of dollars.

In spite of the fact that today Ryan attends the University of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, he remains dedicated to the Foundation and its work. He speaks passionately about the need for clean water around the world, and has visited over two dozen countries in spreading his message. He has made presentations to hundreds of schools, churches and civic clubs, and more than two dozen international conferences and global events including Rotary International and the World Water Forums. He is recognised by UNICEF as a Global Youth Leader. Ryan has also met some of the most important people in the world, including Pope John Paul II.  Today the Foundation’s projects include

1. Build: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene projects, 2. Educate: Youth in action program, on water conversation, and 3. Motivate: How you can make a difference.

Ryan’s is truly an amazing story of determination, motivation, inspiration, action, and change. He continues to be a role model with a clear message – that every person on the planet deserves clean water, and one voice can make a huge difference.

The recent dreadful earthquake in Haiti (January 2010) that killed over 150,000 people and injured and maimed thousands may have happened far away from our safe and secure environment. But they affect us in some ways as they bring out stories of courage, faith and generosity. A man who was rescued from under the rubbles after 10 days attended Holy Mass in a Church along with hundreds of other survivors. This scene was telecast live by a news channel in the United States. The news caster made this comment at the end: “How can these people worship a God who allows such terrible tragedy to happen?”  Was he poking fun at the worshipers?  Was he being sarcastic? Or was he making a point to the listeners who were angry at this terrible natural disaster? Whatever his intentions, the answer was found in the actions of that man and the other survivors who gathered together to worship the God who ‘allowed’ this dreadful calamity to happen! The point is worth pondering!

 Here is a man who goes to thank God for saving his life after being buried for ten days! He attributes his survival to God. Here are a people who recognised God’s benevolent presence right in their midst even at the time of sorrow, pain and loss! Natural disasters are oftentimes inexplicable. Is God aware of them?  Yes. Can he stop them? Yes. Then why does he allow them to happen? The only answer is that they are not the actions of a loving God. Often they are the result of human greed that destroys the echo system. But he ‘allows’ them to happen for our good! He visits us more than ever when we badly need his help no matter how we have collaborated in the destruction of nature. He also opens our minds and hearts to reach out in generosity to the suffering and needy people.

Can we then say tragedies are blessings in disguise? Yes, indeed if we are open to the message they bring out and adjust and change our lives accordingly.

The images of heaven and hell are described well by the story of two groups of people who try to eat their delicious stew with spoons having long handles strapped to their arms. People in one group were happy and contented after enjoying the delicious stew. The other group could not figure out how to eat the stew and so was found to be famished and dissatisfied. The reason for the difference between the two was clear: the first group, representing heaven, helped each other to eat the stew, extending their long spoons, filled to the brim, to each other and thus making an impossible situation possible.  The second group, representing hell, remained selfish and did not think of helping each other. Had each of them in the second group thought of the person sitting opposite him, they would all eat and be satisfied. One group fed each other while the greedy thought only of themselves!

Heaven and hell are but our own creations, depending on the way we deal with situations, challenges and problems in this world. If we are mindful of the needy and less fortunate ones, and care for them, this world cannot but be a heaven. When we are able to extend hands of love and care, there can no more exist a needy person who should go to bed with empty stomach, a lonely person who feels hopeless and worthless, a child who should sacrifice his or her childhood to labor in factories, fields and workshops, and a young woman who should sell her body to earn money for her family. The experience of helping a needy person as well as being helped by a generous person is indeed heavenly. When there is the spirit of sharing, caring and understanding, this world becomes heaven! And this heaven continues to the next world – an eternal heaven!

When soldiers die on battlefields, it is a normal tragedy. However, when they are gunned down by someone in their own army base during peaceful times, it is a tragedy of different magnitude. The army base at Fort Hood, Texas, USA, is the biggest in the world. A graduation ceremony was about to begin there on the afternoon of November 5, 2009. At about same time, an inmate of the same base who is also an army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hassan, took out his gun and pulled the trigger 100 times at his army colleagues. He succeeded in killing 13 soldiers and seriously wounding thirty-eight. Till date no one knows the motives for this dreadful act by a person supposed to be expert on post-traumatic disorder of soldiers.

The tragedy provoked nation-wide anger, shock, sadness and fear. Two days after the massacre, the inmates of the army base and the neighbouring communities gathered for a prayer and worship service. Army Chaplain Rev. Frank Jackson prayed thus: “Lord, all those around us search for motive, search for meaning, search for something, someone to blame. That is so frustrating. So, Lord, as we pray together, we focus on things we know. And Lord, teach us to love and pray for those who rise up against us and pray for those who do us harm. We pray for Major Nidal Hasan, asking that you do the work that only you can do in his life.”

 Worshippers sobbed and embraced throughout this moving prayer service. Such prayers were replicated throughout that horror-stricken town that day. What makes this prayer service special is the ability and willingness of the people and their pastor to forgive the murderer and leave all vengeance to God. It is based on Jesus’ famous prayer from the cross for his murderers:  “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”. (Lk 23:34).

Tom Brown’s Schooldays is a famous novel by Thomas Hughes first published in 1857. Tom Brown was very popular at his Rugby Public School; he lived with about a dozen other boys in one of the school’s dormitories. He was very influential and was the undisputed leader of his gang of friends. One day a new boy came to the school. When the bedtime came, the new boy innocently knelt down by his bed to say his prayers. Some of the other boys began to snigger, laugh and joke; one even threw a shoe at the praying boy.

That night Tom Brown could not sleep for a long time. He lay awake thinking about what had happened to the new boy. He also began to think about his mother and the prayers she had taught him to say each night before going to bed, prayers he had not said since he came to school. The next night several of the boys were looking forward to poking fun at the new boy. But that night something totally unexpected happened. When the new boy knelt down to say his prayers, Tom Brown knelt down too. The whole atmosphere of the dormitory changed. It also brought about a real change in the lives of all those young boys. That day they learnt something new, thanks to the newcomer.

It is said that actions speak louder than words. The simple act of the newcomer boy so touched the undisputed and even hard hearted Tom Brown that he perhaps bent his knees and raised his eyes heavenward for the first time. Today, how can I be an inspiration, a message, a life transforming agent to others around me?

Tom Burnett was an ordinary person who was deeply patriotic, a very good athlete, a loving father and husband, a successful businessman, and a devout Catholic and daily communicant at Holy Mass. He seemed destined for a peaceful life. However, early in 2001, something special happened. He had a strange dream, a premonition, a voice from God! He told Deena, his wife, about it saying that he didn’t know exactly what it meant, but that it had something to do with the ‘White House’ and that it would have some serious consequences. He also told her that, on account of the premonitions, he had started going for daily Mass during his lunch break.

On September 11, 2001, returning from a business trip, Tom Brunette boarded United Flight 93 headed for San Francisco from Newark, NJ. Also on the flight were four young men, filled with bitterness and hatred. Determined to take the extreme step, they forcefully took over the plane from the pilot and redirected it toward Washington, D.C. Tom Burnett made quick phone calls to his wife. His wife told him what had happened in New York – the terrible tragedy of two planes crashing on to the Twin Towers. Tom then informed the other passengers they were on a suicide flight. He called his wife again and spoke these final words: “Don’t worry. We are going to do something.”

Led by Tom Burnett, a group of passengers stood up and fought back against the dreaded terrorists. Soon the plane turned out to be a battle field.  Soon the plane went out of control and crashed in a Pennsylvania field. The dreadful plans of the terrorists to crash the plane on top of the White House was thus aborted by the valour, courage and self sacrifice of Tom Burnett and those who joined him.

Tom Burnett acted in an extraordinary manner in an extraordinary circumstance. But his heroic act of diverting Flight 93 did not happen by chance. His courageous actions and his amazing serenity were the result of his strong belief and trust in God and his openness to God’s message. The strength he received from his daily communion, his meditation and prayerful moments with God gave him enough courage ‘to do something’ in that moment of terrible crisis. His inspiring courage, character, faith and integrity in all the aspects of his life; his valour and leadership in that perilous plane are lessons for people of all generations. Tom Brunette shows that our faith and trust in God is our best weapon in moments of crisis.

One evening when the sun was setting in the horizon, I noticed a rare occurrence outside the windows of my room. Two black crows flew into one of the branches of a Neem tree that stood tall. One of the crows carried a piece of flesh and it began eating it while the other crow sat watching. After sometime the crow that was eating the meat stopped, looked around for a while and then passed the remaining piece to the one that was sitting and watching! The second one took it and started eating while the other sat watching.

The incident would seem simple and insignificant to an ordinary onlooker. But a more curious observer could draw a lesson or two from the behaviours of those birds – lessons in harmony, spirit of sharing, patience, peaceful coexistence and concern and care for one another. One notice that there was no quarrelling over the piece of flesh, no animal instinct at work, no snatching away and no restlessness on the part of either of them. If we learn to care and share, be patient and trust in the goodness of the other like those birds, our world would be much better than what it is today.

Yet, what we see around us is precisely the opposite: impatience, mistrust, selfishness, greed, quarrelling, fighting, wasting and destruction of the natural resources. There is so much hunger, poverty and famine in the world. The solution to these could be found on the branches of that Neem tree.

A ruthless Chinese general in Tibet would mercilessly kill all

the Buddhist monks and destroy their places of worship. All the monks would flee when they heard he was coming. One day he arrived at the gates of a well-known monastery.  The general was pleased to hear that all the monks had fled. However, an officer reported to him that in the inner courtyard there remained one solitary monk. He strode off into the cloister and went right up to the monk who was sitting there peacefully and meditating. “Don’t you know who I am?” shouted the general. “Without blinking an eye, I can run you right through with my sword”.  The monk gently, but firmly responded: “Don’t you know who I am? Without blinking an eye, I can let you run me through with that sword”.

Nothing, not even the fiercest sword, can frighten us or destroy our inner peace if we discover and recognise the presence of God in us. Our inner strength comes not from the swords and guns, but from the power of God who resides in us. We can withstand and endure the persecutions of any sort if we trust in Him who is the source of life.

It was a hot afternoon. As I took a short cut to Mumbai’s Bandra Terminal reservation building, I could not help notice an old and ailing man pulling a heavily laden cart. He was sweating and panting for breath. As he stopped to recapture his drooping energy, I stopped by him and enquired if he was alright. He threw a sweet smile at me as if that’s his most natural expression even in the midst of such struggle. We then got engaged in a brief conversation. What he shared with me about his life would always remain in my mind as a touching message with a universal appeal: Mai khush hum kyon ki Bagvan roj mere parivar keliye dal-roti dethe hai. Mujhe aur kya chahiye? (I am happy because God provides my family with the daily bread we need. What more do I need?).

In the world of today people struggle not only to satisfy their need, but their greed. It’s in our human nature to amass and hoard for a million years to come! But what we hoard after our legitimate needs belongs to the ones who do not have! Was it the Hindi poet Premchand who wrote, “daane daane mei likha hai khane waale ka naam?” (The eater’s name is written on each grain). Hoarding is equal to wasting. And wasting is equal to depriving another of what belongs to him/her and thereby being a partner in the scandal of inequality and poverty. I do not know the name or whereabouts of the man with that heavy cart. But he taught me the great lesson of being happy and content with what God provides me each day.