SHARING

This is beautiful and means more than a thousand words can say............

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle,
and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared." 
----- Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Life isn't easy and we all know that. For some it is even more so difficult than the rest. Happiness and Joy in such a condition seems as a distant horizon for it easily wearies the mind, body, and soul of a person.

The greatest gift we can give to ourselves and everyone around is the gift of sharing. In a situation where any one of us has been blessed with the priceless gift of delight, we should hasten to share it out with those who may be needing it too. Perhaps a smile... a warm thought... a kind word... a helpful gesture... a prayer... or maybe just a simple hug can do wonders. This may perhaps seem unimportant and insignificant ... but to the person you will be giving it shall the whole world.

Happiness and joy is contagious. All it takes is to light up the spark and the sooner than we think, that tiny spark bursts into huge flames quickly warming those plenty hearts around you reaching out to everyone with its light. Share this gift freely. It shall only enhance by spreading and we will not lose anything. In fact, it doubles up in huge measure and becomes a blessing it was meant to be. For them..... As well for us.

Without a second thought we should invest our energy into cultivating relationships as such associations are like a garden, the more time we spend tending and planting in the garden, the more spectacular the garden turns out to be. Similarly, our focus should be on investing our time, effort and imagination into developing and maintaining meaningful relationships as it is our sincere efforts only that shall yield good results and we shall see all the relationships flourishing and growing.

We live in a truly abundant universe that is filled with opportunities and possibilities. We should give ourselves and everyone around us the gift of our ongoing personal development because when we commit to take care of ourselves, we become a better, friend, business partner, employee, spouse etc. Believe in yourself and the support everyone around you can, this way we shall discover the key to unlock our unlimited potential.

Teach the people how you should be treated by treated them the same way. When we project an exemplary picture to the world, in which we commit to keep improving, we tend to give ourselves freely and this helps others to achieve their dreams too. Exactly the same will be reciprocated back and everyone around us will become part of our support system.

What are you waiting for, take the plunge today and commit to become the type of person you want the world to be. This way the world will seem to change and will be filled with all the right type of people. If you want the world to change, then change the only thing you have control over, change yourself and the world will change. Everything around you will change as you change. Anything you pursue will always elude you; everything you embrace will be attracted to you

Still why are people hesitant? Sharing happiness should become one's second nature. Happiness never gets abridged but expands with multiplier effect by sharing.

********************

Role of the Women of Today

  

India is gradually emerging as a powerful nation since women began playing significant roles for the development of the country. The role of woman in India today is phenomenal and the transition of woman from the past to present is worth mentioning as the woman who was once considered to be the masters in the art of home making are now considered to be the forces that shape a country.

So true are the words of Albert Einstein- “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”  

In India, there was a time when women were just confined to kitchen and house, but gradually, awareness towards education uplifted them where they began to get educated and some after higher education came out on the social and political platform to rub shoulder with the men. This struggle was the opening up of the new horizon for a new womanhood in India.

The new generation of women seem to have wheels under their feet where girls are extremely ambitious and focused. They seem to emerge from clearly defined boundaries of their homes and enter schools, colleges with a well-defined role at the workplace. They efficiently rearrange their career and social life along with her family life following all the traditions and festivities. A great amalgamation of Western emancipation and Indian warmth, full of compassion and family values. They are extremely talented and progressive trying their best to walk on equal footings with men in all fields of the society.

Previously women faced many Social Problems like Dowry, Child Marriages, death during Childbirth, Sati and many other social problems but nowadays the status of women in India has been a subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. Today, they are well aware of their status and position in society so that they refuse to suffer but fight for their rights. There is no doubt this awakening is making them move faster towards a better tomorrow.

“The extension of women's rights is the basic principle of all social progress.” -- Charles Fourier

The status of women in modern India is a sort of a paradox. The modern Indian women have honed their skills and jumped into a battlefield of life fighting against social restrictions, emotional ties, religious boundaries and cultural clutches. She can now be seen working on par with men in every field. As compared with past women in modern times have achieved a lot but in reality they have to still travel a long way. Their path is full of roadblocks. The women have left the secured domain of their home and are now in the battlefield of life, fully armoured with their talent. They must avail themselves of the educational opportunities provided and learn to empower themselves.

"Educate a man and you educate an individual. Educate a woman and you educate a family."  

There is no arena, which remains unconquered by our Indian women. The most important name in the category of such women is the politician of recent times: Mrs. Indira Gandhi. In India, women have adorned high offices including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, etc. Where Kiran Majumdar Shaw is the richest Indian woman, there some of the notable and outstanding women who have set examples for others are Mother Teresa, Kalpana Chawla, Kiran Bedi, Sarojini Naidu, etc. Indian women have mastered anything and everything which a woman can dream of. But still women have a long way to achieve equal status in the minds of Indian men.

Development of our country depends on the empowerment of women. A man and a woman are like two wheels of a cart. The cart can move fast and safely too, when both of them pull it in the same direction and with equal strength. Hence no developing country or society can afford to ignore the role of women, if they are to progress. Because it is very positively acknowledged that history looks different when the contributions of women are included.

“You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of women”- Jawaherlal Nehru.

***************************************************

Contentment

Contentment is that learned behaviour which is not dependent on circumstances but it is a state of being, not a state of doing for it is entirely based on the riches we develop inside us through our upbringing, thought process and behaviour etc. It is the inner sense that makes us contended and satisfied, therefore we must understand that contentment is a journey not a destination with a beginning, a middle and an end and on its completion which we enjoy to the utmost while travelling. Living each day and savouring every moment of it as if it were our last should be our resolution and we must learn to cope with our frustration because total control in life is rarely possible and we get frustrated for different reasons on various issues.

At some point, we all get caught up in our own misguided attempts to find peace and contentment by over working ourselves to death.

This reminds me of a famous artist who met a fisherman enjoying himself and soaking in sunset.

“Why aren’t you out fishing?” the artist inquired inquisitively.

“Cause, I’ve caught all the fishes I needed for today.”

“Well, why don’t you go out and catch more? Make a profit, buy a bigger boat, hire more men and become wealthy. Then only you could just sit and watch sunsets.”

“What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman smiled.

Our frustration should be at such a tolerance level that it should not kill contentment giving rise to frustration. Today is all what we have, right now is all that we possess and we need to appreciate and thank God for the same.

Just living for ourselves shall give us contentment. Many of us don’t even know what exactly contentment is because we expect our environment to be exactly the way we want it to be. We want our spouse to fulfil our expectations and our children to conform to a prewritten plan we have ordained for them. And this way we want everything to fall into its perfect niche in the little cupboard where we compartmentalize every element of existence. Why?

Why can’t we not let everything go according to its own pace? Why do we not let everyone live their own way? Why do we need to command everyone? Why cannot we give space to our own near and dear ones so that they too live their own life? Why can we not be happy in the happiness of others?

When we’re focused and aware of our ambitious goals, we are likely to feel contented and happy because if we don’t know of our expectations, then life becomes dull and boring therefore always make small achievable goals and pursue for them vigorously for inspiration to a prosperous future. Enjoy even the small things in life as we can only be contented from such deeds only. This cannot be purchased from materialistic things as money is not everything in life. In the pursuit of contentment, chasing after life’s big pleasures instead of enjoying the small ones is futile because this is as if we are losing tiny sparkling diamonds that are strewn across our path in running after the big ones.

Never sacrifice family for the sake of your own achievements because family is the one who is the real well-wisher and always wants to see us happy and smiling even during odd circumstances. Just imagine for a moment … you are extremely rich living in a big house of your dreams with an expensive car and rich bank account and plan for a luxurious five star holiday. No doubt it is wonderful that you have achieved what you aimed for, but how, with whom and on what cost? You are standing all alone with no one to share your contentment whereas your other family members who may not be having so much wealth are united and happily enjoying themselves with each other. For wealth you might have sacrificed your family, but your family preferred sacrificing you for happiness and contentment.

You may have had to relegate your loved ones to the second best, but you have a failed a precious relationship in your awakening, and you have missed all your children’s childhood years, or been too busy to celebrate birthdays and remember anniversaries. At the end of the day, it’s no good having all life’s luxuries if there’s nobody meaningful to share them with. Discontentment leads to more desires and needs which is nothing but deception. We can only feel contented when we need to complete our journey from earth to heaven in peace, satisfaction and humanity, it is only then, when we actually can attain self-actualization.

****************************