Happiness

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy.  Happiness comes from:

(a)  accepting unhappiness as being a part of life, not hating or fighting against it. Hate being a negative emotion causes more unhappiness. The fact that there are ups and downs in life like an electrocardiogram, is proof that one is living; without that one would flatline.

(b)  being connected to other people, even strangers. Connection comes from intimacy. Intimacy comes from sharing, whether it be in the form of communication or being of service. The keys to communication and service, are honesty and compassion. If one is honest, one has nothing to hide, and thus being fearless removes any barriers to communication. Compassion helps us see and feel things from the other person’s point of view, hence the biblical saying,

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
 

“One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it or not: what is the purpose of life? From the moment of birth every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affects this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.”
— His Holiness The Dalai Lama XIV

“I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in that religion or this religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness…”
— His Holiness The Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World

Grow up, men

Women taunt men at large that they never grow up. Some make clever remarks like, “Age – few women admit theirs and few men act theirs”.

If men were to grow up mentally, they would no longer need things to play with or put in their mouth. So they would no longer need to pursue women. Love without physical intimacy, on the other hand, can be had in other types of relationships. Reproduction would be a medical procedure with child-ownership legal contracts and sperm and egg trading auctions replacing the romance industry. Needless to say, women would lose their only leverage over men and the edge to make sarcastic remarks as a form of entertainment.

If men (and women) were to grow up spiritually, they would not crave the affection and emotional intimacy of one “special someone”.

So, do women really want men to grow up? Of course not. Men are most advantageous as dependent children.

Worship Without Sacrifice

Worship without sacrifice means paying lip service to a belief, but not actually living those beliefs. What good is a conviction without the courage? Intent alone is not good enough. Action is required to make good on one’s intent, without which, intent in itself has no real value.

Change Your World

The world around us is but a larger scale manifestation of the world within us. Our beings are self-contained worlds of their own with metaphorical governments, and corporations that control them. We determine the course of our lives by voting for the political party or candidate that best serves our needs, as in subscribing to a certain philosophy. We can choose to curb the power of the greedy corporation, our minds, that dictate how our government, our life is run, by seizing control of the corporation. We can acquire a controlling interest by systematically purchasing stock over time, which is akin to acquiring discipline over a training period. We can discipline our minds by deprivation of what our minds crave most, as oil producing countries control other countries.

2012

It is my understanding that the Winter Solstice of 21 December 2012 marks the beginning of Dwapara Yuga or the Bronze Age of civilization, and all that it entails.

Yes, I expect natural calamities to cause mass destruction of population in a way that it benefits the planet and the remainder of human civilization – like Spring Cleanup as we leave Kali Yuga or the Iron Age, which is akin to the cold dreary Winter in terms of human spiritual development.

Survivors in the aftermath would, as per my strong belief, be more spiritually evolved and more aware of their oneness with creation.

Personally, I have undergone tremendous lifestyle changes over the past nine months, almost exactly since the Summer Solstice of June 2009. Over the past four months, since sometime prior to the Winter Solstice of December 2009 (at which time we were about three years away from 21 December 2012), the transformative energies have intensified and I believe I have emerged a more spiritually evolved person. As such I am looking forward to what I believe would be the beginning of a wonderful new life, as I have always felt that I was born in the wrong Yuga.

profile21 December 2012 is when the Earth’s equatorial plane would align exactly with the galactic centre; the midpoint between the Age of Pisces (just over 1,986 years ending on 21 December 2012) and the Age of Aquarius (2,130 years until 4142). We are entering the Age of Aquarius, during which time the solar system is going to be inside the photon belt, and photonic energy is considered divine energy.

My son was born at the midpoint of Aquarius and Pisces and his astrological chart indicates that he is an Aquarian. His Indian name means, “The Reign of Truth”. When he was born, his doctor commented that he looked like the Dalai Lama. He has always been an extraordinary person and wise beyond most people. He too feels he does not belong in this era. I cannot then help but hypothesize that the purpose of my life is to raise my son, who is destined to be a significant contributor in the new world.

Moral Courage

There are people that (a) either take a stand based solely on merits, (b) withhold comment or opinion, or (c) side with who they benefit from.

I am dismayed to find myself alone in the first category. The nicest people I meet lack the courage to endure unpleasantness and/or are apathetic to morals, and as such form the second category. The majority of people I come across fall in the third category.

It is bad enough having to live with spineless cowards; one could forgive them for being weak, but not for being indifferent. It is much worse when the population is mainly comprised of scumbags.

I need not look far; I have had to mould my own family, instill the courage to speak out for what is just with no age bias or fear; and it is an ongoing effort. The memory of a senior family member choosing to retain an unruly paying client over retaining me at our family business just does not fade away.

People in general side with who they need or benefit from the most. It is about valuing friendship and/or an ongoing business relationship over doing the right thing, and such skewed ethics are the norm. There is no moral dilemma to speak of, it’s just business as usual.

Consumer Unfriendly

Why must we die prematurely, by not living rich lives? Why are we being killed slowly by eco-friendly products that deprive us of the quality we deserve to have today? I care about the environment, but everything in extreme is bad. What is worse is, consumers who are being called upon to help the environment by using eco-friendly products are not the real culprits; it is the businesses with the power to corrupt governments to allow dumping of toxic waste and governments themselves wanting to protect their votes by preserving the jobs of those employed in activities detrimental to the environment.

The government still burns coal for the generation of electricity, to protect the jobs of coal miners. How could consumers possibly outdo the government in polluting the environment, no matter how much gasoline or plastic we use?

We the consumers are the worst affected, as we have to live with buying expensive items like cars, computers and such made of “highly recyclable meterials” that cannot withstand moderate temperature changes, let alone any kind of impact. The big businesses love being eco-friendly, as they can charge more by product differentiation and for products that are otherwise inferior and not durable. So you no longer can expect a Bimmer to be unscathed in a minor impact, have an iPhone that doesn’t crack from normal use or even have eyeglasses that have the anti-reflective properties and durability of yesteryears.

Then there’s guilty consumers who, like donating to a church to acquire the right to sin, buy carbon offsets to purge their guilty conscience. Perhaps even to make a statement that they care for the environment. How is a Lexus LS 600hL 5.0 litre 438 horsepower hybrid, that leaves behind a whole different eco-system and probably pollutes the environment more in manufacture, really eco-friendly? That is nothing more than making a statement about being eco-friendly, not actually being eco-friendly.

Human Values

Jesus Christ, or any good and pure person, is more valuable to society dead than alive. If He were to be reborn, the people profiting from His name would be the first ones to want Him dead. Society would once again virtually nail Him to the cross because pure, honest and just people have no place in today’s society. Good people are social misfits because they do not pander to the the large proportion of society that has tainted values.

“The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”
― George Orwell

Batteries

I thought cleaning a $20 keyboard with a $7 can of compressed air was stupid. How smart then is paying more for batteries than the toy? It is not like a razor and blades, where the overpriced blades are tied to a specific razor. We have the choice to say “no” to toys that require 3 ‘C’ and 4 ‘D’ batteries – case in point, the Hot Wheels Acceledrome Race Track Set. Then there’s the Tyco RCs with proprietary battery packs that cost $45, beyond the $60–$100 one has paid for the toy! Makes other RC toys like the RadioShack Porsche 911 that requires 8 ‘AA’ and a 9V seem reasonable, except the ‘AA’s in the car last only a few days!

Wrong Man

I think most people “just don’t get it”, or feign ignorance or play dumb as an avoidance tactic. But that would make them overly clever and deceitful. So then why are most people clever and not clean?

What about being a person of your word? Promises, contracts, estimates etc. have no sanctity for most people. They consider it perfectly acceptable to go back on their word, to suit what’s convenient for them. I consider them flakes. Or are they smart in doing what’s in their best interest?

Most people expect an apology for others’ legitimate mistakes, but don’t so much as own up to their own wrong doings, let alone apologize. What’s worse is that they meekly detract from the issue and shift the focus to their “feelings being hurt” due to the confrontation, rather than admit and apologize. Why such moral weakness?

So most people are either stupid or dishonest; and don’t so much as think twice about their actions – perhaps because when a large proportion of people do the same thing, it becomes “normal”.

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti