Being Me: Myself

Everyone of us, go through various emotions every day, and have different experiences that we learn from. Sometimes, nothing seems to happen, no matter how hard we try – be it our career plans or personal relationships. And if it continues to be so for a long time, we get frustrated with life and believe that we are unlucky. Unfortunately, during such times we allow several unfortunate events in our life to affect our feelings about ourselves and to dictate our future. Because we believe that we are unlucky and that bad things happen to us on a regular basis, we attract the very things we wanted to avoid.

It is important to realize that each of us have the power to be successful at anything we put our mind to. The Laws of Attraction, will explain how what one focuses on is what one attracts. In actuality, we are very powerful at manifesting things and our "bad luck" is proof of that. The problem is that we keep focusing our energy in the wrong direction.

For those amongst us, who are going through a trend explained above, I wish to propose a little exercise. Allow yourself some time; sit quietly for a moment and look into your heart to find the thing you most desired to do with your life right now. You will have to think about things that might help speed up your path of being what you wish to be. Come up with a list of daily activities to move towards your goal. And finally it is important to realize that gratitude has the power to attract abundance into one's life. It is important that you frame your daily routine as follows:

1. Spend several minutes every morning before getting out of bed imagining your life as someone you wish to be.

2. Then be thankful to the universe that you were good and well-paid at what you want to be, even though it hadn't happened yet.

3. And at some time each day, try to do at least one activity that will move you towards your goal.

It is a six weeks experiment, which you will have to follow and you will come to see how you can make your own magic happen, if you just continue to focus your energy in the right direction. Anyone who chooses to follow the three steps outlined above can create their own magic. So the next time you experience a burning desire in your heart, I suggest you give it a try and watch the magic happen

- Abhijith Jayanthi, 25 May 2011

Formulae : To Unlearn

Rachel,

Friendships and emotional connections have an influential role over our health. In fact, our relationships are apparently even more important to our psychological well-being than our careers. Such relationships for the elderly who remain emotionally active boost their cognitive functions and help them to stay healthier and live longer.

However, we all can enjoy the benefits, but we have to invest time and energy into developing and maintaining them. I know that sometimes this is easier said than done, but it is well worth the effort.

I am going through a transitional thing now. After you called, I decided to get on the plane and get here and get you back. I hate to fly often, but I told myself that there is no way that everything we built will come crashing down just because of someone, who wants to steal my woman. I bought the ticket, got on the plane and somehow made it across the big blue ocean.

Then the most extraordinary thing happened…everything went wrong...I was on the street feeling cold, without a hope in the world and let me tell you, you can do a lot of soul searching in a time like that. I realized I spent most of my adult life trying to protect myself from exactly this situation and you can’t do it.

There is no home safe enough, no country nice enough, there is no relationship secure enough, you are setting yourself up for a even bigger fall and having an incredibly boring time in the process...

Continued....

P.S.: This blog post presents a first view/glimpse of the chapter titled 'Formulae: To Unlearn' of my book (not yet published) titled Precocious Truth: Unrequited Love. You may read the prologue for the same here.

Life : Social Butterfly

Disclaimer: If you are here expecting to read about an inspiration - As butterflies flutter, so does the freedom to see our dreams take flight, this post will be of little or no use. 

About couple of years ago, I was 22 years old and had many ambitions. I was standing in the bathroom looking at the mirror on the blank white wall, with multitude of thoughts in my mind; I was confused and did not have a sense of direction. Then I thought, “Well, what do you expect? You are just 22 and you still have to learn a lot, before you can declare that you have arrived! It is supposed to be challenging path ahead.”

Now, as I stand in front of the same mirror; mosaic of words, emotions, and feelings fill my mind. But, I am not confused anymore, about what life is about and about me – I. It was no longer just a blank white wall. Now it was a wall holding the mirror reflecting my personality – solutions lie within us. I’ve always believed in emotions. I’ve always believed – and been interested in – the emotions that most people pay no attention to; ordinary emotions – including emotions that frame casual relationships with strangers. We all experience them every day, but give little or no thought to how much power they carry. We can all agree that inspirations happen from everyday experiences and change our lives, but we usually take emotions for granted. There is a necessity and you’re supposed to study your own emotions and when it’s time, it’s time. This is what I believe in. Two years… and I understood, the only lesson to learn is to understand emotions. It’s my religion.

SimplyJITH Partners: Zillion Arts

It gives us great pleasure to announce that SimplyJITH is now partners with Zillion Arts. The partnership will provide subscribers of both SimplyJITH and Zillion Arts with opportunities of creating synergies through the various joint projects that will be rolled out in the near future. Adding to our existing array of programs, this effort of ours will help nurture the creativity of youth, give wings to their imagination and transcend the skies. We invite our subscribers to explore possible opportunities through this partnership.

About SimplyJITH

SimplyJITH is an ethics and belief enterprise with emphasis on youth engagement and empowerment. It is a collection of various initiatives and partnerships, including a Blog which remains our flagship project, now enjoying readership in around 158 countries, with over 32,000 subscribers from various countries; a  Grant – Partnership Project and SimplyJITH Finishing School.

About Zillion Arts

Zillion Arts is a central hub to all the concept artists. Zillion Arts offers a single stop gallery for beautiful and inspiring works of various artists from all round the world. Zillion Arts also has a collection of insightful interviews to learn from. This is the place where you can learn, discuss and participate in topics related to concept art and nothing else!

Staircase to Heaven

Today, I like to write about my personal thoughts on dignity based approach towards destiny. I have been practicing it for a number of years and have always found it a useful tool for becoming more aware of our environment and for learning how to make it more harmonious.

    

This approach can be especially helpful for creating balance and harmony in relationships. I have yet to come across someone who hasn't been interested in either having good relationships or attracting the right relationship, and it is nice when I can help them do that, so I wish to write about it. 

It is important to realize that when we are to follow dignity based approach, it is important to understand that it should be our only choice. You may probably think, when I say it should be the "only choice", it means one thing to do, then how can "choice" be true? We are talking about the approach, but not the means. To follow a certain approach, you may subscribe to various means, suitability and necessity of each of them are to be evaluated and it is our choice.

I wish to draw your attention to one of the areas, where we can begin and learn the difference. When dealing with a relationship area, it is good to think in twos. If you are to place dignity of being a couple ahead of yourself, you will not have to wait for long to see what effect it might have. Without the clock ticking away in regard to forceful existence, you will begin to cherish the emotion.

While my article may make this approach sound like a quick and easy fix, it is an ancient practice that works in mysterious ways. If you are curious about it, why not take a look at your own relationship corner. Give it a good cleaning out. See if it seems cozy and if  it is well represented. All the best!

-abhijith

Date: May 15, 2010

Place: London, UK

Flavors of Life

When we are children, people say to us, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" At that age, we usually have dreams. We know that we want to reach the Moon, or learn to fly the fastest aircraft in the world, or save endangered animal species, or make some brilliant scientific discovery that will transform human lives. We are not yet old enough to worry about job markets and balancing budgets and supporting ourselves and our families. We are true to our intentions and so we find many admirers. We have only our dreams and the secret certainty that we are unique and have a very special thing to do in life. Even if our parents have different dreams for us, we know the difference between their dreams and our own. When we are children, we are still capable of hearing the voice of the soul.

As we grow older, the questions change. People say to us, "You had better start thinking about what you want to do with your life. How will you make a living?" There is no longer time for dreaming; we must now "face reality" and think about how to survive in the big, bad old world. The inner sense of specialness fades before the numbing evidence of high unemployment figures, stiff competition for every job application, and economic swings and downturns which make us feel we are fortunate to get any kind of work at all. And if we find ourselves discontented in that work, or we lose our jobs, we feel demeaned, devalued, and unable to trust our deepest dreams and aspirations, because there might not be any other work. And even if there were, we have probably long since lost that inner connection which could tell us what makes our heart sing and restores the sense of having a very special thing to do in life.

Each of us sees the world differently, and feels strong and competent in some areas and uncertain or ill-equipped in others. No person is perfectly adapted to every sphere of life. Finding the right direction may depend partly on your knowing how you evaluate and adapt to life, and finding an outer situation which matches your fundamental outlook. Of course it is not as simple as just looking for a place where you can exercise what you believe to be your strengths and avoid what you perceive as your weaknesses. Sometimes, working to develop sides of your personality where you feel unsure can generate the greatest feeling of accomplishment. But it does help if your perspective on life is in harmony with what you do, and you can therefore feel confident and able to meet the challenges which your work offers. It can also make a difference if you are able to remain loyal to your values, people in your life and needs, rather than accepting a situation where you believe neither in what you are doing nor in the people you care for. 

Lessons of Higher Consciousness

In this post, I wish to share few lessons of Higher Consciousness. And when I say lessons, these are not observations of myself - a single individual but by a group of individuals, for lessons can only be appreciated by a collective approach to understand them. I invite you to read, participate and comment on them. The process of learning is an eternal one and your comments will definitely help us learn more from our experiences.  

Lesson # 1

We are not here on earth to struggle for a satisfying existence, or just exist aimlessly to the whims of our destiny. The Vedic view is that cessation of all misery is the purpose of human birth.This can be achieved only through complete liberation of our consciousness. Good and evil, happiness and misery only exist in the mind of the observer. The conditioning of the mind is dictated by the manner in which we live. No one on earth can live a self-indulgent, indiscipline and want-on life and hope that this lifestyle will not affect his state of mind, for it would impact all his perceptions and circumstances.

Even our subsequent departure from this world would not alleviate our distress, because the cycle of birth and death is endless. Only Self-knowledge can free us from miseries. Self-knowledge can be achieved by living right. According to the Vedas, there are four values that are to be cultivated by any individual for living right.That is, there are four main purposes to human life. They are: Moral perfection, worldly attainment, fulfillment of legitimate desires and liberation. The first three values have meaning only when they are aimed at the fourth one. Only when the major aim is liberation, can an individual remain centered while following the other three tenets, else he may tend to become arrogant, greedy, power-hungry and immoral.

Lesson # 2

We live a life of moral perfection when we live in tune with our real Self, thereby always being in tune with the rhythm of life. We discover how to function in an optimum manner, and have the full support of Providence to evolve because Nature is always inclined towards progression. This is also known as 'the righteous way to live'. Our behavior then becomes constructive, life enhancing and appropriate. When we have a harmonious relationship with the Universe, it provides for all our needs. Whatever is required to make our lives satisfying, unfolds spontaneously. We are always in the flow of harmonious relationships and supportive circumstances. But we should also cultivate the faith that whatever is showing up is for our highest good. Impatience does not have spiritual virtue. With unshakable faith in God, we should be joyous and enthusiastic always.

When our life-enhancing, legitimate desires are fulfilled, life is fulfilling, enjoyable and we can devote ourselves to higher learning and practice. As spiritual beings we have this ability to have our desires fulfilled by gentle intention. We do not have to apply great effort or struggle to have them fulfilled. As our awareness increases we are naturally in a state of fulfillment. We only need to acknowledge our desires and have complete faith that they will be soon fulfilled.

Lesson # 3

As spiritual beings we cannot be satisfied only by living a life of contentment, worldly attainment and having our desires fulfilled. Without spiritual unfolding of our consciousness, we would always remain disgruntled and despite the fulfillment of the first three ideals, we would still be prone to getting waylaid. The first three practices make our lives satisfying so we can devote ourselves to the fourth and most important ideal. All four resolutions are interrelated and work in conjunction. We can demonstrate commitment to spiritual practice by making it the focal point of our lives. All actions and thoughts should be conducted from that platform. As we keep progressing on our path with full dedication, we are forever assured of a graceful life.

More to come...

Dignity March

Rachel closed her eyes, and was gasping for breath. The letter she was holding in her hand was the last that Albert wrote to her. She struggled to breathe normally, her pulse rate was high, and she could feel her heartbeat. She thought about how she put Albert repeatedly through emotional pain - with her blatant lies. The painful days after every discovery of her ways of life, were blur to her now. Now, what she has done is beyond repair. Rachel, slowly turned over the envelope, and opened it. She pulled out the letter, and immediately stuff it back. She was fragile, and did not have the guts to read through the letter.

She started breathing heavily, as if she needs to catch up with her pounding heart. Well, the very least she could do to understand the pain she has put Albert through was to read the letter. That is all that she has to go through. She pulled out the letter... 

Dear Rachel,

Our relation has been a gripping portrayal of my courageous struggle to deal with a vicious cycle of your conscious prejudice. It is the journey of how my tolerance is sniped at both by your acts of indecency and desire to live an imposturous existence. I approached our relation as a temple of trust, seeking refuge from the falsehood all around me. Ultimately the trust I sought was met with revelations that the differences that blind us both actually span a far smaller divide than we could have ever recognized. Yet, your intention not to reveal widened the gap, which underlines the clichés influencing your sensibility of and respect for my emotions.

Continued...

P.S.: This blog post presents a first view/glimpse of chapter titled 'Dignity March' of my book (not yet published) titled Precocious Truth: Unrequited Love. You may read the prologue for the same here.
Photo Credit: Kelly Kumi

Crucifixion: My Dignity

With my mind full of despair…

And heart full of gloom.

With my fervor melting away…

And apprehensions to bloom.

With my existence sans joy…

And dignity has no room.

With my heart filled with love…

And emptiness to thread my loom.

With my life without you…

     And it is an impending doom.

I...Stand.

                                            - Abhijith  

Sunshine Through My Window

You, I begin this letter with a bit of hesitation: Should I begin this letter with dear you, or rather stick to just you, I do not know whether I continue to enjoy the privilege to do so, or am I stripped of it? I choose the latter…it represents the necessary you and that will stand forever. As a child, once spring came around, my mom would throw open the windows to air outside the house and give the place a good scrubbing from the attic down to the basement. While I'm not as much of an enthusiastic for spring cleaning, I do have the urge to clear out clutter and do a bit of cleaning once the weather warms up and the world outside starts turning green again. And it happened every year. Our lives and relations are similar, we enjoy a relationship…living within closed quarters and need nothing else, completely absorbed by the warmth of it. And when it does not work out…when we throw open the windows; we are lost in transition…absorbed by the dust...painful remains of long structured emotions. We fail to notice the sunshine through the windows, and then we want to close the exposure…remain in our quarters...away from the light. Life was and is just the same. For a while, I valued our quarters more…life had the same respect for me all through and even now. I learnt… and I shall look through my window…and embrace the warmth that life offers me.  It was the same day then; same day now and it will be same again tomorrow. Yesterday, I failed to realize it. But today, I will not ignore to embrace it. I realized there's nothing like the freshness that life presents us with … to go along with the fresh breezes of this spring…and I hope it will be a new start this spring… With dignity, Me. Date: Unknown Location: SFO, USA

Reflection Theory of an Emotion

Emotions and subsequently relations take birth through communication which is a result of interplay between significant gestures in the form of symbols and appreciation. The most important category of symbols is language. One’s senses and assimilation of such communication are characterized by the processes of understanding the meaning of one’s reflection. I wish to propose a reflection theory of emotion: The reflection of any emotion is the value of appreciation needed to maintain a relation, if it exists.

If relation does not exist, then the value of such an appreciation is the effort needed to create one. A possible anomaly is when individuals under the influence of their intentions put up a ‘front’ through disturbed patterns of socialization and act to standardize their behavior while others come to believe it to be true, only to be deceived later.

Moods

Are you familiar with the expression "to live in the moment?" This is the ability to be fully present and aware of yourself and your surroundings as you live each moment...with a pleasant mood and have a happy living experience. Rather than as few unfortunate and confused souls think “to live in the moment” is to live the present, and do not really worry about what lies beyond. Achieving such a state requires observation, appreciation, patience, quiet, and the ability to turn off the clock and put away the calendar. In this post, I wish to discuss how it is indeed possible to work on our moods...and reflect on living every moment to the fullest.  While most of us don't experience such times frequently, this is when we feel the most alive. In theory, being present involves learning how to pay attention, and the process of getting there is far easier than you might think. Before we proceed, I wish to present a small experiment that you can try right now to help yourself and pay attention to your life experience in a very positive way. Set a few quiet minutes aside each day to close your eyes and take stock of what you are feeling, no matter how good or bad those feelings may be. Don't judge your feelings, just allow yourself to become aware of the emotions behind them. Next, send your attention outward and become aware of things around you. Notice if you feel warm or cold, what your clothing feels like against your skin, the feeling of the air moving in and out of your lungs. Let the sounds around you filter through you and notice the underlying noises that you may have been tuning out. Next, open your eyes and notice the colors and sights around you in this same subtle, attentive way. By the time you are halfway through this little experiment, you may be surprised at how much you actually notice about your internal and external presence. If you try this, you will probably find that "paying attention" will take on a whole new meaning, and it will be a very nice one at that. Coming back to what I want to present in this post, I think it is a fact of life that every once in a while we find ourselves in a bad mood. Sometimes we know why we are in a bad mood and sometimes the reason may not be an evident reason at all. Even though we all certainly experience times like this, it doesn't mean we have to be stuck in them. Bad moods are often an indication that we need to check in with our feelings and do something about them or take action to shift our energy in a more positive direction. If you are not sure why you are in a bad mood, imagine what you would say if you were allowed a very secret few minutes to complain about anything that is going on in your life. Chances are the things that come up may be tied to how you are feeling. The good part is that once you pinpoint why you are in a bad mood you are in a better position to do something positive about it. Sometimes when we are in a bad mood, the energy we give off simply attracts more negative things our way. That's why some “bad mood” days can spiral even further downhill with problems and annoyances that appear to validate our discontent and frustration. When this happens, consider doing something nice for yourself. Enjoy your favorite beverage or snack, find a funny movie or sitcom to watch, or just go for a walk in the park. Allowing yourself the time and opportunity to do something pleasurable is a positive step that could help to break the negative energy and hopefully shift your mood. Sometimes, we just have a day that isn't so great, but if you find yourself in a bad mood, there is a need to look at the bigger picture. There is enough reason to be happy...for now and beyond. It is for us to seek!

V – Key Leak Cable: Osama Calling Obama

Osama:  Hello Mr Obama!

Obama:  Holy Lord! I never knew technology got us connected to hell! Why don’t you leave US alone?

Osama: Hell? Me? Ok if it pleases you. I never say no.

Obama: WHAT?!?! Never say no?

Osama: I understand these little games of polity.

Obama: Polity? You are a serious treat! And we got you!  (signaling for the phone tap record) God bless United States of America!

Osama:  Running for your second term, no credible success stories, huge unemployment figures, invested 1.3 trillion USD over 10 years and Pakistan feeding on you for nothing. You needed me, and I never say no.

Obama:  Non sense! What do you mean?!?  I said yes I can!! And we got you!

Osama: Morphed Images of beginner level Photoshop, DNA link up with about to die sister (did she die yet?), Buried near the Sea – Shutting down with dignity and saving money on Pakistan for free!

Obama:  We got you! And it is true! Why would a self respecting dignified American lie? And for you! Never!

Osama: Dignified Americans wont, but politicians do – running for the re-election is never easy! I helped Bush too! I never say No!

Obama: Why did you call me now? What is it that I can do?

Osama: Yes you can! And remember, I never say no.

***

It is a rarity that I write about polity and related issues on my blog. But ever since I heard the news and facts associated with it, there was a possible theory hitting my mind, with an explanation: How the entire episode can truly be stage managed, and more so it has far reaching effects. Running for the second term, with little or no success story to claim – Brand Obama needed a jolt, to revive ‘Yes we Can!’  Passion. Costing over 1.3 Trillion USD for ten years now, with Pakistan feeding on American Aid, there should be a way to end all this in style and dignity – save money, claim the honor, revive One America Spirit – get re-elected!  

With morphed (may be?)  Images as proof, DNA sample tested against a dying sister (No trace of her soon?) and burial by the Sea (Nail any possible evidence?) – scripted perfectly and Director Obama charms us all! Yes he can!

Disclaimer

This post and the transcript is a work of fiction. If the content, despite being fictional, proves to be a little offensive to few parties; I apologize for hurting your sentiments in advance. After all, it is works of fiction so do not take it seriously. 

A Little More of a Woman

There is an inspiration behind every action/inaction in our life. There is a necessity to hold ourselves true to our belief, and learn from lessons, nature presents us with. To be or not to be is a question that will stay with us forever. To grow into a new person, become better is a constant struggle everyone of us are going through.A true account of reflection written by a friend of mine, inspires me to understand the struggle of being a woman.  I hope it will inspire you too! 

-Abhijith 

***

I was brought out as a little girl into this world

Little bells tied to my feet, a woman she will-be, thought all
Life went by soon, like just another girl next door
Soon came the youth, bringing in discoveries untold.
The mind then slowly got clouded with the deceptive world
And the heart paced faster than the  little bells of gold….
Nothing to stop, none to hear, no men, dare to come near….
Just an intellectual drive which knew only to raise the gears
The world filled with men, bothered my feminine pride n ego
A mere shallow thought that  my ‘self’ could not let go
Until one fine day, I happen to stop by  mirror that traced me
It reflected but strangely no little bells as far as I could see……
Instead a image, dark, neither a woman nor man, partly a beast;
There was sharp pain inside, could feel, the little bells, falling apart:
When sudden came a hand that strokes my fontanel heart:
I woke up, and found lying in front of the mirror again
Dreading to face the fierce I, me and myself in strain
But what revealed upon it was a vision beyond my human conceit
There I was, the ‘true’ me and the little bells sparkling thru my feet.
A sister, a wife, a friend, an aunt, a Mother- embrace to your will
Jingled loud and clear, to me, each and every little bell,
A toast to womanhood within, till my heart came to a peaceful Still!
Although the hand that caressed both me and my heart
Have left to another manifestation, dimension and beyond
She returned to me, the little bells, those I’d lost and ’ve found again
The bells now have found, both in feet and heart their designation….
For now, Am More of a Woman, am still within ,

And herein lies my journey as well my destination!

                                                       - Lavanya Nicola 

                                                         Place: Washington DC

***

Death March

The expectation and thrill of the 'instant attention' drives anxieties for an 'instant gratification' culture. When it is necessary to use our moral education, to judge and act; most of us are happy to go with the flow rather. There is a necessary check that one should not skip: give yourself a minute before you commit yourself to act on some thought, or emotion. Because, when one is associated with an action, she/he invariably rubs off its effects onto others in her/his life. We do a fair bit of intellectual jugglery about (wo)man as both aggressor and victim. We have a moral consensus on the essentially scandalous nature of our actions by force or choice (intent). Yet in our desire to seek social consensus, we act beyond what our morals preach and live a life of duality.  And pacify ourselves citing it as a reason for aesthetic consensus, allowing this strange contradiction to be glossed over in - and as - cultural migration, freedom of personal choice and being an independent wo(man).

Let divinity bless us with brains, to save ourselves and live with dignity.

@ Innsbruck  2011