A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'
'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.
Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'
Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
CRITICISM: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Parents' losses compounded by China's one-child policy
China's one-child policy, implemented in 1979, has blocked 400 million births
Schools collapsed on thousands of children Monday when the quake hit
China's one-child policy magnifies the loss parents are feeling after learning their child died in the earthquake.
The grim ritual repeated itself Thursday across southwestern China, as thousands of mothers and fathers await news about their sons and daughters. The death toll from Monday's massive earthquake could be as high as 50,000, according to state-run media.
The grief is compounded in many cases by a Chinese policy that limits most couples to one child, a measure meant to control explosive population growth. As a result of the one-child policy, the quake -- already responsible for at least 15,000 deaths -- is producing another tragic aftershock: Not only must thousands of parents suddenly cope with the loss of a child, but many must cope with the loss of their only child.
China's population minister recently praised the one-child rule, which dates to 1979, saying it has prevented 400 million children from being born. Some wealthy families ignore the order, have more children and pay a $1,000 fine. In rural areas -- like earthquake-devastated Sichuan province -- families can petition for an additional child, but there's no guarantee the authorities will approve the request -- they usually don't.
Thousands of children were in class when the temblor hit Monday afternoon. Many of their schools collapsed on top of them. In Dujiangyan City, more than 300 students were feared dead when Juyuan Middle School collapsed with 900 students inside. A similar number died at the city's Xiang'e Middle School. Now parents cluster outside collapsed school buildings, held back by soldiers in some cases as rescue crews search for signs of life. Many are missing at a middle school in the city of Qingchuan. The scene is devastating at Juyuan Middle School, where sorrow seems endless.
CRITICISM - This shows how China policy makers are working for the growth of the nation rather than personal growth. As parents who lost their kids in the disaster complaining about the one child rule, but even if they have more than one child can not save them from the disasters like this. Will India come up with policies like this to control their population bust.
Schools collapsed on thousands of children Monday when the quake hit
China's one-child policy magnifies the loss parents are feeling after learning their child died in the earthquake.
The grim ritual repeated itself Thursday across southwestern China, as thousands of mothers and fathers await news about their sons and daughters. The death toll from Monday's massive earthquake could be as high as 50,000, according to state-run media.
The grief is compounded in many cases by a Chinese policy that limits most couples to one child, a measure meant to control explosive population growth. As a result of the one-child policy, the quake -- already responsible for at least 15,000 deaths -- is producing another tragic aftershock: Not only must thousands of parents suddenly cope with the loss of a child, but many must cope with the loss of their only child.
China's population minister recently praised the one-child rule, which dates to 1979, saying it has prevented 400 million children from being born. Some wealthy families ignore the order, have more children and pay a $1,000 fine. In rural areas -- like earthquake-devastated Sichuan province -- families can petition for an additional child, but there's no guarantee the authorities will approve the request -- they usually don't.
Thousands of children were in class when the temblor hit Monday afternoon. Many of their schools collapsed on top of them. In Dujiangyan City, more than 300 students were feared dead when Juyuan Middle School collapsed with 900 students inside. A similar number died at the city's Xiang'e Middle School. Now parents cluster outside collapsed school buildings, held back by soldiers in some cases as rescue crews search for signs of life. Many are missing at a middle school in the city of Qingchuan. The scene is devastating at Juyuan Middle School, where sorrow seems endless.
CRITICISM - This shows how China policy makers are working for the growth of the nation rather than personal growth. As parents who lost their kids in the disaster complaining about the one child rule, but even if they have more than one child can not save them from the disasters like this. Will India come up with policies like this to control their population bust.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Global Warming
The term global warming refers to the rise of global temperatures caused by increased amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As the sun's energy enters the Earth's atmosphere, these greenhouse gases block heat reflected from the Earth's surface, which would normally travel back into space. The result is an increase in global temperatures. As the amount of greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere, the Earth's surface becomes warmer.
There are many greenhouse gases and the most abundant is carbon dioxide, which accounts for approximately 85% of all greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is formed when fossil fuels, like gasoline or diesel are burned. The continued accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will result in a warmer atmosphere resulting in warmer winters, inundated coastal areas, droughts in arid areas, flooding in wet areas, lost habitat and species extinction, increased intensities of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, decreased productivity of agricultural land and more.
With the rising global use of fossil fuels comes an ever-increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Though it can't be seen, scientists observe elevated amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect of annual amounts of carbon dioxide emissions on total atmospheric amounts of carbon dioxide is cumulative. The earth's natural cycles cannot process as much carbon dioxide as human activity is producing and scientists are observing corresponding increases in the average global temperature. Over the past 20 years, scientists have concluded that the increasing amount of carbon dioxide is the major contributor of rising global temperatures. In the last 15 years, the warmest 10 years of the century have been recorded. Over the past year, the Arctic ice cap is probably its smallest size in the last 100 years of record keeping. In recent years, the proportion of powerful hurricanes has doubled, from 1/6 to 1/3. (COURTESY: www.hyderabadunplug.com)
CRITICISM - In India we have to start a movement of not using vehicles on the roads for atleast a day in month, by this it will saves our cities from pollution a lot.
There are many greenhouse gases and the most abundant is carbon dioxide, which accounts for approximately 85% of all greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is formed when fossil fuels, like gasoline or diesel are burned. The continued accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will result in a warmer atmosphere resulting in warmer winters, inundated coastal areas, droughts in arid areas, flooding in wet areas, lost habitat and species extinction, increased intensities of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, decreased productivity of agricultural land and more.
With the rising global use of fossil fuels comes an ever-increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Though it can't be seen, scientists observe elevated amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect of annual amounts of carbon dioxide emissions on total atmospheric amounts of carbon dioxide is cumulative. The earth's natural cycles cannot process as much carbon dioxide as human activity is producing and scientists are observing corresponding increases in the average global temperature. Over the past 20 years, scientists have concluded that the increasing amount of carbon dioxide is the major contributor of rising global temperatures. In the last 15 years, the warmest 10 years of the century have been recorded. Over the past year, the Arctic ice cap is probably its smallest size in the last 100 years of record keeping. In recent years, the proportion of powerful hurricanes has doubled, from 1/6 to 1/3. (COURTESY: www.hyderabadunplug.com)
CRITICISM - In India we have to start a movement of not using vehicles on the roads for atleast a day in month, by this it will saves our cities from pollution a lot.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Widening gap between rich and poor
Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans - those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 - receiving their largest share of national income since 1928, analysis of newly released tax data shows.
The top 10 percent, roughly those earning more than $100,000, also reached a level of income share not seen since before the Depression.
While total reported income in the United States increased almost 9 percent in 2005, the most recent year for which such data is available, average incomes for those in the bottom 90 percent dipped slightly compared with the year before, dropping $172, or 0.6 percent.
The gains went largely to the top 1 percent, whose incomes rose to an average of more than $1.1 million each, an increase of more than $139,000, or about 14 percent.
The new data also shows that the top 300,000 Americans collectively enjoyed almost as much income as the bottom 150 million Americans. Per person, the top group received 440 times as much as the average person in the bottom half earned, nearly doubling the gap from 1980.
CRITICISM - This is like 90 percent is working to make 1 percent very happy. If this gap widens will there be any disaster or not? I am sure it will provoke for more crime rate. Does god created this planet equally for all or not?
The top 10 percent, roughly those earning more than $100,000, also reached a level of income share not seen since before the Depression.
While total reported income in the United States increased almost 9 percent in 2005, the most recent year for which such data is available, average incomes for those in the bottom 90 percent dipped slightly compared with the year before, dropping $172, or 0.6 percent.
The gains went largely to the top 1 percent, whose incomes rose to an average of more than $1.1 million each, an increase of more than $139,000, or about 14 percent.
The new data also shows that the top 300,000 Americans collectively enjoyed almost as much income as the bottom 150 million Americans. Per person, the top group received 440 times as much as the average person in the bottom half earned, nearly doubling the gap from 1980.
CRITICISM - This is like 90 percent is working to make 1 percent very happy. If this gap widens will there be any disaster or not? I am sure it will provoke for more crime rate. Does god created this planet equally for all or not?
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Happiness in Society
Otherwise, in your unhappiness, it won’t matter what good intentions you have, you will only spread misery in the world. Once you are miserable, knowingly or unknowingly, you only spread misery. You cannot help it. Being happy or unhappy is actually your choice.
People have chosen to be unhappy because they think that by being unhappy they will get something. It is being taught that if you suffer, you will go to heaven. If you are a suffering human being, what will you do in heaven anyway? Hell will be more of a home for you. Once you are unhappy, whatever you get, what does it matter? If you are happy, if you don’t get anything, what does it matter? This is not a philosophy; this is your true nature. By nature you want to be happy. This is not a teaching I am trying to give you, "Be happy, be happy." Every creature wants to be happy. Everything that you are doing, every single act you are performing is in pursuit of happiness in some way.
For example, why would you want to serve people? Serving people gives you happiness; that is why. Somebody wants to wear good clothes; somebody wants to make a lot of money, because that gives them happiness. Whatever every human being is doing on this planet, it does not matter what, even if he is giving away his life to somebody, he is doing it because it gives him happiness. So happiness is the fundamental goal of life. Why do you want to go to heaven? Only because somebody has told you that if you go to heaven, you will be happy.
After doing all that you are doing, if happiness is not happening, somewhere you have missed the ABCs of life. Somewhere, the fundamentals of life have been missed. When you were a child, you were simply happy. Without doing anything, you were happy. Then somewhere along the way, you lost this. Why did you lose it? You got deeply identified with many things around you, your body, your mind.
What you call your mind is actually just the stuff you have picked up from social situations around you. Depending upon what kind of society you have been exposed to, that is the kind of mind you have acquired. Everything in your mind right now is something you picked up from outside. This nonsense did not come with you; you picked it up and got identified with it. You got so identified with it, now it is causing you misery. You can collect any kind of garbage you want. It is okay. As long as you are not identified with it, there is no problem.
This body is not yours; you have picked it up from the earth. You were born with a tiny body, which your parents gave you. After that, you ate plants and animals and grew. You borrowed it from the earth; it is not yours. For a while you have to use it, so enjoy it and go. But you have become so deeply identified with it, you think this is you. No wonder you suffer. The basis of all this misery is, you have established yourself in untruth. You are deeply identified with that which you are not. That is why the suffering.
The whole process of spirituality is only to dis-identify with that which you are not. When you don’t know what you really are, can you search for it? If you search, only your imagination will run wild. If you start thinking, "Who am I?" somebody will tell you that you are God’s child. Somebody else will tell you that you are the devil’s child. Somebody might tell you something else, endless beliefs… Imagination runs wild. So, the only thing that you can do is, whatever you are not, start discounting that. When everything is discounted there is something, which cannot be discounted. When you arrive at that, you will see, there is no reason for misery in this world.(COURTESY Buzzle.com)
CRITICISM - If you think on this issue you will only become a good person of this society.
People have chosen to be unhappy because they think that by being unhappy they will get something. It is being taught that if you suffer, you will go to heaven. If you are a suffering human being, what will you do in heaven anyway? Hell will be more of a home for you. Once you are unhappy, whatever you get, what does it matter? If you are happy, if you don’t get anything, what does it matter? This is not a philosophy; this is your true nature. By nature you want to be happy. This is not a teaching I am trying to give you, "Be happy, be happy." Every creature wants to be happy. Everything that you are doing, every single act you are performing is in pursuit of happiness in some way.
For example, why would you want to serve people? Serving people gives you happiness; that is why. Somebody wants to wear good clothes; somebody wants to make a lot of money, because that gives them happiness. Whatever every human being is doing on this planet, it does not matter what, even if he is giving away his life to somebody, he is doing it because it gives him happiness. So happiness is the fundamental goal of life. Why do you want to go to heaven? Only because somebody has told you that if you go to heaven, you will be happy.
After doing all that you are doing, if happiness is not happening, somewhere you have missed the ABCs of life. Somewhere, the fundamentals of life have been missed. When you were a child, you were simply happy. Without doing anything, you were happy. Then somewhere along the way, you lost this. Why did you lose it? You got deeply identified with many things around you, your body, your mind.
What you call your mind is actually just the stuff you have picked up from social situations around you. Depending upon what kind of society you have been exposed to, that is the kind of mind you have acquired. Everything in your mind right now is something you picked up from outside. This nonsense did not come with you; you picked it up and got identified with it. You got so identified with it, now it is causing you misery. You can collect any kind of garbage you want. It is okay. As long as you are not identified with it, there is no problem.
This body is not yours; you have picked it up from the earth. You were born with a tiny body, which your parents gave you. After that, you ate plants and animals and grew. You borrowed it from the earth; it is not yours. For a while you have to use it, so enjoy it and go. But you have become so deeply identified with it, you think this is you. No wonder you suffer. The basis of all this misery is, you have established yourself in untruth. You are deeply identified with that which you are not. That is why the suffering.
The whole process of spirituality is only to dis-identify with that which you are not. When you don’t know what you really are, can you search for it? If you search, only your imagination will run wild. If you start thinking, "Who am I?" somebody will tell you that you are God’s child. Somebody else will tell you that you are the devil’s child. Somebody might tell you something else, endless beliefs… Imagination runs wild. So, the only thing that you can do is, whatever you are not, start discounting that. When everything is discounted there is something, which cannot be discounted. When you arrive at that, you will see, there is no reason for misery in this world.(COURTESY Buzzle.com)
CRITICISM - If you think on this issue you will only become a good person of this society.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Turn Your World Around
Bake sales and recycling are common fundraising tactics in middle school. But Tara Suri wasn’t baking cupcakes for just any common cause. Her cause was hope, literally.
When Tara was 13, she was more than saddened by her trip to India with her family. From her sadness sprung the idea of trying to help the orphans in India and Sudan whom she saw abandoned by their parents, sometimes found in garbage dumps. Tara started H.O.P.E., or Helping Orphans Pursue Education. It aims to give kids the opportunity to achieve their full potential with the basics, like a sturdy roof over their heads, that Tara and her friends sometimes took for granted back in Scarsdale, New York.
Now, at 16, she has expanded her cause with an umbrella organization called Aandolan, which means “a movement for change” in Hindi. Through that fundraising group, Tara now runs Turn Your World Around and Connect a Kid along with H.O.P.E., and a lot of it for kids growing up continents away who are in sad situations.(COURTESY Turn Your World Around)
CRITICISM - People should give more publicity for her than to so called film or politician celebreties.
When Tara was 13, she was more than saddened by her trip to India with her family. From her sadness sprung the idea of trying to help the orphans in India and Sudan whom she saw abandoned by their parents, sometimes found in garbage dumps. Tara started H.O.P.E., or Helping Orphans Pursue Education. It aims to give kids the opportunity to achieve their full potential with the basics, like a sturdy roof over their heads, that Tara and her friends sometimes took for granted back in Scarsdale, New York.
Now, at 16, she has expanded her cause with an umbrella organization called Aandolan, which means “a movement for change” in Hindi. Through that fundraising group, Tara now runs Turn Your World Around and Connect a Kid along with H.O.P.E., and a lot of it for kids growing up continents away who are in sad situations.(COURTESY Turn Your World Around)
CRITICISM - People should give more publicity for her than to so called film or politician celebreties.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Health, Education, Water and Sanitation Key to Uplifting Poor
A new report says health, education, water and sanitation are the keys to transforming the lives of poor people. The report – In the Public Interest – says building strong public services should be “at the very heart of making poverty history.” Max Lawson is a senior policy advisor for OXFAM.
“The main thrust of OXFAM’s report is that in order to get every child in the world into school and basic health care, water and sanitation for all poor people, we need to see a massive expansion of public services in poor countries. We think that’s possible, but we need rich countries to step up to the plate and give the development aid that’s necessary to do this,” he says.
“Our report shows that 6,000 children die every single day from diarrhea, which is a disease caused by dirty water. If we could get sanitation to everybody, which is quite affordable, quite possible, we could eliminate those terrible and completely unnecessary deaths each day,” he says.
Lawson says, “Women are the first to suffer when these public services – education, health, water and sanitation – are not available. They’re the ones that have to walk for miles every day to collect dirty water. It’s their children that get sick (and) they have to look after. Girl children aren’t able to go to school because they can’t afford the fees. Because education is still not free in a vast majority of poor countries.”
OXFAM also estimates that 1400 women die needlessly each day in pregnancy or childbirth.
The report says, “Developing countries will only achieve healthy and educated populations if their governments take responsibility for providing essential services.” But it also says they need help.
“We need rich countries to give more in foreign aid and to give better aid and support public services. We need the World Bank to stop pushing private sector solutions to public service failures. We think it’s about the public sector. It’s about governments taking the lead. And lastly, we need to see those poor country governments that aren’t doing enough to step up to the plate,” he says.
The report, Lawson says, is a plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Those goals include getting all school age children in the classroom, reducing the number of women dying during childbirth and lowering the number of children who die by age five.
“If the Millennium Development Goals are not met it’s a terrible tragedy, literally a life and death promise. And if broken, millions will pay the price with their lives. This is something we can do; and we can do quite possibly for the first time in history. We’ve got enough money; we know how to do it. All we need is the world to act properly and quickly and we could reach these goals,” he says.
The OXFAM official says it’s “not just about charity, it’s about justice.” Something he says that would benefit rich nations in the long run.(COURTESY www.oxfam.org)
“The main thrust of OXFAM’s report is that in order to get every child in the world into school and basic health care, water and sanitation for all poor people, we need to see a massive expansion of public services in poor countries. We think that’s possible, but we need rich countries to step up to the plate and give the development aid that’s necessary to do this,” he says.
“Our report shows that 6,000 children die every single day from diarrhea, which is a disease caused by dirty water. If we could get sanitation to everybody, which is quite affordable, quite possible, we could eliminate those terrible and completely unnecessary deaths each day,” he says.
Lawson says, “Women are the first to suffer when these public services – education, health, water and sanitation – are not available. They’re the ones that have to walk for miles every day to collect dirty water. It’s their children that get sick (and) they have to look after. Girl children aren’t able to go to school because they can’t afford the fees. Because education is still not free in a vast majority of poor countries.”
OXFAM also estimates that 1400 women die needlessly each day in pregnancy or childbirth.
The report says, “Developing countries will only achieve healthy and educated populations if their governments take responsibility for providing essential services.” But it also says they need help.
“We need rich countries to give more in foreign aid and to give better aid and support public services. We need the World Bank to stop pushing private sector solutions to public service failures. We think it’s about the public sector. It’s about governments taking the lead. And lastly, we need to see those poor country governments that aren’t doing enough to step up to the plate,” he says.
The report, Lawson says, is a plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Those goals include getting all school age children in the classroom, reducing the number of women dying during childbirth and lowering the number of children who die by age five.
“If the Millennium Development Goals are not met it’s a terrible tragedy, literally a life and death promise. And if broken, millions will pay the price with their lives. This is something we can do; and we can do quite possibly for the first time in history. We’ve got enough money; we know how to do it. All we need is the world to act properly and quickly and we could reach these goals,” he says.
The OXFAM official says it’s “not just about charity, it’s about justice.” Something he says that would benefit rich nations in the long run.(COURTESY www.oxfam.org)
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