OLD IS GOLD - A TRIBUTE TO ANCESTORS

"Old is Gold" is a well known proverb. It means that whatever is old is as important as gold. It is applicable to old songs, ancient monuments, sculptures and various other things. Old things are valuable and should not be considered as a waste. It is more true in the case of old people, our ancestors, great saints, yesteryear leaders etc. Elderly people have tremendous wisdom and knowledge because of the experience they have gained during their lifetime. Hence it is good to respect them and heed their advice.   Our parents and grandparents are the people who deserve the utmost respect. It is practically impossible for anyone in this world to repay their parents for the sacrifices done by them. They have provided food, clothing, shelter and education during childhood for which children have to be grateful to them. Everyone has a filial duty to honor and obey their parents during childhood and to take good care of their parents and grandparents during their old age. The blessings gained by doing the filial duties to ancestors will surpass all other achievements in life. Some of the ways to pay tribute to ancestors is by visiting their graves, giving donations in their name, sharing their memories and photographs and by behaving in such a way to honor their name. Stay blessed!

HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

Human relationships is a complex subject in which many parameters are involved. A human being is actually a very complex entity.Human psychology and perception is also subject to changes. Aristotle has said years ago that man is a social animal. Human beings live in a society and hence all are mutually dependent on one another in some way. So it is not possible to avoid relationships and it is also necessary to have a mutually beneficial relationship with fellow human beings in the society. Unfortunately it is not possible to maintain such good relationship with everyone because of the inherent human qualities such as animosity, jealousy, hatred, racism, communalism etc. Even among family and friends hatred, jealousy, bullying and ego clashes are quite common in today's world. One of the main causes of disputes is greed for material wealth. Generally people who are honest, kind and considerate towards others will be able to maintain good relationships. In practical life it is actually difficult even for a good person to maintain an amicable relationship with everyone because other people may have some animosity, jealousy, hatred or greed. It is a well-known fact that this is not an ideal world. You cannot expect a dog to not bite you because you do not bite a dog. Some people will always be unpleasant, unkind and spiteful even if you are good to them because it is their inherent nature and it is not possible to maintain a good relationship with them at all. Such people are always nasty because of the underlying tendencies such as jealousy, racism or communalism. Even in matrimonial relationships there is much discord nowadays and many marriages end up in divorce. In some matrimonial relationships or even in friendships both parties may be good people but still they have conflict and they eventually part ways because there is no mental compatibility between them and they are not like-minded. It is futile to try to maintain a good relationship with a nasty person and it would be same as trying to straighten a dog's tail. Hence the only strategy for having good friendships, relationships and partnerships is to choose the right people carefully. It is good to choose friends or partners who are unselfish, gentle, kind and honest because friendships with such people will be pleasant and beneficial. It is also necessary to choose friends or acquaintances who have something in common. Usually relationships between like-minded people with common goals or hobbies will only be long-lasting and mutually beneficial. God bless!

LUCK VS HARD WORK

Everyone wants to be lucky. Everyone wants to get things quickly without much effort or hard work. For example people who win a jackpot or get some other windfall gains or a huge inheritance suddenly are considered to be very lucky. These people also become victims of jealousy or hatred because of their sudden luck. Some of these people will not even be able to hold on to their suddenly acquired money and they lose it frivolously due to wrong decisions or they may even get cheated by their own friends or relatives. So sudden luck is not exactly a blessing in most of the cases. Some people may get a fantastic job opportunity or a chance to act in movies due to sudden luck but they need the abilities and knowledge and skills to hold on to that fantastic opportunity.  Without skills and qualifications it is not possible to take advantage of any lucky opportunity and for such people the benefits of the lucky opportunity will wither away soon. Hence diligence, persistence and perseverance are also essential for success in addition to luck. Anyone would be very successful in life if he or she has both diligence and also luck. Actually luck is like a catalyst which will give huge success for some people only and not for everyone. The key to success is to be at the right place at the right time which also means that one has to be somewhat lucky in order to be successful. But one of the subtle truths in life is that a very diligent person will definitely be moderately successful even if he is not lucky. On the contrary a lucky person without any diligence or discipline will never be able to hold on to his luck and he may lose whatever he gained by sudden luck. In life luck is not reliable but hard work always pays off for anyone. Luck is also non-repeatable, uncontrollable and unpredictable. Hence 75 percent of success in life depends on planning, preparation, diligence and discipline and only 25 percent of success depends on luck!

THREE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE

What does everyone want in this life? What are the most essential things in life?The three most important things in life are health, wealth and happiness. If anyone has these three things in good proportion then he or she can be called a blessed person. Anyone with a  balanced life should have these three blessings in the right proportion. The real truth is that too less of one and too much of another thing will not result in a happy and successful life. If a man is very rich but has poor health and has to visit the doctor frequently or get hospitalized frequently then his life is not really a blessed life.  On the other hand if one has good health but has no money to even feed himself and his wife and children three times a day then it is a very sad situation and he cannot be called a successful man at all. What if a man has good health and is also very rich but has no happiness and peace of mind due to his own self-undoing or his own unlawful activities or due to his enemies? Such a man will be in a pathetic condition because he will not be able to enjoy his health and wealth properly. Criminals and people who are hiding from the law are in this pathetic condition without any peace of mind and unable to enjoy anything. Having too much of something and too less of another essential thing in life is a pathetic situation. What if someone is very rich and famous but has a short life span?  It means he was actually unfortunate though he was rich. In life a really blessed person is one who is happy and has all the essential things namely health, wealth and happiness in the right proportion.

WHAT IS SUCCESS IN LIFE?

What is success in human life? How to measure success? Will I be successful in my business or financial matters or legal disputes? These are the questions asked by everyone today. Actually, it is complicated to exactly define success in life. What if a man works very hard and amasses huge amount of money but loses his health and peace of mind? What if a man has good health but lives in poverty? Both these categories of people cannot be called successful in life. If a man has all the essential things in life in good  measure then he is deemed to be successful. In other words a man who is happy and contented with what he has can also be called successful. Happiness is a key factor which indicates success in life. There are so many people in this day and age who have lots of money but no peace  of mind and happiness. Some people go through hell in life because of marrying the wrong person. Definitely such people cannot be called successful in life. If a person has all the essential things in life then he or she will be happy and contented in life. In some rare cases people who are blessed with all the essential things in life are still not satisfied with what they have because of greed or lust or too much ambition or other mental disorders. Such people also cannot be considered as successful in life.  On the other hand there are many people who have moderate amount of money and  only few friends but still quite happy and contented with what they have. They are the really successful people in life.  In the end happiness is only the highest level of success in life. Be Happy!