Abundance - Abundance = Abundance

The main motive of a spiritual living is to connect oneself to abundance. In order to connect yourself to abundance, you must realize the presence of abundance around yourself. We are all connected, by default to abundance, it's just that we sometimes get too much short-sighted and myopic to realize our connection with the spirit which connects us to abundance. This is the result of our entrapment in our egos. It's not tough to get rid of that entrapment, it's a simple exercise to get rid of your ego and listen to the innermost voice of your soul that connects you to abundance. Just take note of the simple things that you do in your day-to-day lives spanning over a period of time. e.g. having your meal and drinking water can connect you to abundance. Do I sound crazy ?? But that's the truth.... it's simple !! Simply think about the number of rotis/ chapatis that you relish in a single day, it'll be around 5-6 or 8-10 depending on individual appetite, then simply think about number of chapatis that you've had in the last one week, (for ease of calculation I'll take the figure of 10), it'll be 10 x 7 = 70. Then think about rotis that you've had in a month or a year it'll be 365 x 10 = 3650. Then simply multiply this number with your age, say 30 yrs i.e. 3650 x 30 = 1,09,500. Let's round it off to a figure of 1 lakh. Now envision 1 lakh chapattis lying in front of you, they will definitely require space much bigger than your own size, maybe as big as your bedroom. Can you even think of distributing them in a langar or a bhadara all alone ?? It's impossible for one individual to serve the langar of 1 lakh chapattis all alone but you just ate them up over a period of 30 years. That's not funny.... that's reality... You are connected to abundance of food around you but you never realized that you actually are.

Similarly, we can envision about water intake in our lifetime, that may fill up a swimming pool.  Now that is the way you could think about the money that you made and you spent, then you'll realize that you are much more rich than you actually think you are. It's only a matter of your personal choice which way you want to look for abundance in your life because it's simply not restricted to the countable things like rotis or water (in terms of gallons) or money (in terms of currency). The universe offers you the abundance of things that matter the most to facilitate your existence in it. Things like love, respect, beauty, good health, happiness, satisfaction, knowledge, personal growth, all of them exist in abundance around us. We can not only take these things in abundance but also give them away in abundance and yet we'll be left with them in abundance. Stay connected !! ;)

India must resort to cycling

As the title is perfect and self-explanatory, I simply want my fellow Indians especially Punjabis to seriously consider cycling for commuting short distances. As we Punjabis have become too much superficial and flamboyant in boasting-off our "False Status", I would urge all my friends to consider the hardcore and bitter ground realities before laughing at my suggestion.

Stop showing-off your car, it's on EMI anyways

For those who're not aware, EMI stands for Equated Monthly Installment and this is not a secret that majority of the four-wheeler owners are trapped in their EMI's.

Stop cursing the traffic, your car is adding to it

It's very easy to blame the government for not double-laning or four-laning of the road nearest to your home. Use a bicycle to save time and fuel in traffic.

Gym and Cardio, just another status symbol

Once you develop this good habit of cycling for distances within 5 kms of your homes, you'll feel immense satisfaction in losing those extra pounds.

Bicycle won't reduce your status

It is just another social stigma or taboo that only poor use the cycle. I'm not telling you to sell-off your car anyways. just supplement short-distances with cycling. Simply curse those regressive and myopic politicians and capitalists for promoting the VIP culture in India.

Consider Economic facts

The level of inflation over the last 45 years has gone around 200 times. If your grandpa lived a comfortable life earning  1000 INR per month and enjoyed a lot of respect with a net worth of 2 lakh INR. You simply need 1000 x 200 = 2 Lakh INR per month to live a life as comfortable and need a net worth of 2,00,000 x 200 = 4 crore INR to enjoy the same level of respect.


If Chinese could use bicycles in the interest of their economy then why not us Indians ?? If incumbent PM Mr. Modi could garner huge number of votes by saying that he has risen from poverty and once assuming office, he has even forgotten how to spell "poverty" and enjoying a high-profile opulent life-style, he is simple sending across a message of hypocrisy and selfishness and not love for the nation.... Think about it Mr. PM.... Make one cycle mandatory per home !!

Punjab Assembly polls 2017 - Part I

I think this is the right time to shoot an article on the upcoming assembly polls in Punjab in 2017 as the state is literally crying foul for the lack of opportunities, lawlessness, coercion, power abuse and many other social evils. It would rather feel like one's heart bleeding to see the level of insecurity, red tape-ism, political sycophancy  in the govt. run departments. The incumbent government seems too insensitive to the issues of a common Punjabis who want to make a dignified living in their home state and aspire to get rewarded as per their capability. Some of their draconian policies have almost eliminated the small-scale businessmen and the farming community subject to committing suicides to escape their debt-traps.

Though it may not be the right time to predict the formation of the government in 2017, it is rather the best time to educate and sensitize the voters to have a long-term vision for their brighter future. Though, the Deputy CM may deny the presence of any anti-incumbency against his SAD-BJP govt. but there are a couple of Akali ministers (including himself) who can be pin-pointed for public resentment against them and undoubtedly, anti-incumbency exists for him and his brother-in-law who together are holding 9 portfolios. BJP minister Anil Joshi turned things his way after getting the acquittal in dual-vote scam.

Though the recent Municipal Corporation and Dhuri by-election results clearly portray a flip side but we must consider the fact that voters didn't have a third option as AAP stayed out of the polling arena. Though I'm a politically neutral person, I won't shy away from supporting the AAP to have bright prospects in the upcoming assembly elections. As both the parties of the ruling alliance i.e. SAD and BJP are hardcore right-wing parties, they have shown a regressive outlook in addressing the modern-day issues affecting the educated urban Punjabis. SAD-BJP infighting will definitely cost them a lot in the upcoming elections but that will be nullified, to an extent, by factionalism within AAP where it has shown a clear-cut division in Kejriwal-faction and Yadav-Bhushan-faction. The biggest challenge in AAP's way would be to get sensitized with the rural Punjabis and non-users of social media like facebook and whatsapp.

The time may not be right for the Congress to make a comeback in Punjab as there is a state of complete imbalance in Punjab polity and with Congress completely wiped out in the center, it may not be able to bring about the required change in Punjab polity. Taking in view the current scenario, the time is perfect when India (not just Punjab) needs the resurgence of the leftist forces. AAP may not have a defined ideology but it is beyond doubt that their main agenda is corruption and social inequality which are very rampant in Punjab. AAP is rather an Indian version of the Marxist ideology which really needs to propagate throughout the country taking into account the current state of Indian/ Punjab politics, where majoritarianism and religious fundamentalism are gaining grounds. I would suggest AAP to project a CM candidate who can counter Akalis on panthic agenda too as they're very opportunistic in using the panthic agenda. As Akalis couldn't stop Haryana from forming a separate SGPC, they are no more the proprietors of the panthic agenda. Any sikh leader from any political party is free to invoke or address the panthic agenda and this will make the Akal Takhat more unbiased and community-friendly instead of being ruling family-friendly.

Without promoting or supporting the politics of Vendetta, in the larger interest of my home-state, I would urge the voters to be cautious, vigilant and foresee the various strategies which are likely to be used by different parties to allure their votes. Now SAD-BJP being in power will be in a more powerful position to influence the voters by passing various resolutions at the eleventh hour. Another probable strategy is cutting down of the liquor prices w.e.f. April 2016, after selling liquor at almost double the Marked Price for four years. Just 1 year of effective governance shouldn't overshadow 9 years of coercion and misrule.
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All the netizens especially those using the services of govt. ISP's (Internet Service Providers) should be mentally prepared to see the down-time of internet during elections as this could be intentionally done by the people in power to stop people to freely express themselves. I myself did experience internet downtime during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

In the end, I would just say that this is only the beginning of the articles, I'll continue to pour in more write-ups unless my fundamental right of freedom of expression isn't snubbed ;)

Some social work

Once I shot a video of the dilapidated condition of the unused quarters of ENT hospital, Amritsar located at the backside of my house. Here it is:

It did create some ripples but didn't help much to achieve something concrete as yet.

Holistic Intelligence

Let me put it straightaway to the functioning of the brain and the classification of the left and right side of the brain and the functioning of each hemisphere.  It will be clear from the self-explanatory image as below

This has been pointed out time and again by many spiritual leaders but the main focus behind writing this article is to point out the difference between the left-brained and right-brained individuals and figure out what exactly is the right way to live. In India, left-brained individuals usually are considered intellectual as they perform well in their academics but right brained individuals have to struggle hard and face a lot of resistance. Left-brained people also perform well in competitive exams and hence go ahead to acquire high ranking positions in the government but right-brained individuals are made to feel devoid of the privilege.

But there is a different aspect through which we can look at the right-brained individuals. All sportsmen and celebrities are primarily individuals of immense right-brained intelligence. They make hundreds and thousands of crores in their lives which a govt. official like an IAS or IPS officer can only dream of. Once they find a path to excel, they give a befitting reply to the faulty education system of the country. They are recognized on many platform and fetch the glory of the highest order.

Once we have actually understood about the difference between such individuals, we can realize that there is a universe of opportunities for both the left-brained and the right-brained individuals to excel and grow in life. But in order to live a peaceful and a complete life, one ought to seek the balance between the two. Irrespective of your lifestyle attached to your profession or your means to make your ends meet, you can use the inherent aesthetic sense to embellish your life.

The qualities of the left part, which usually is referred to as the masculine part of the brain, definitely finds more acceptance in the patriarchal societies and the qualities associated with the right part, referred to as the feminine part, are usually valued in the matriarchal societies. Since, patriarchy is a more common set up and is found in majority of the communities in India, the left-brained individual are given more preference over the right-brained. But that does not comprise a holistic personality. Even if the right-brained intelligent person fights out the odds and excels, somewhere he has to come in close interaction with the left-brained people and this is where he struggles.

Though I would personally give equal weight-age to both forms of intelligence but I would insist on seeking a BALANCE between both the sides and one must focus on the holistic growth of his metal skills to enjoy both achievement and happiness in life. Though a person seeking a balanced growth may not make quick strides towards achievements and may not even be recognized at the social or the worldly platforms for his qualities but his existence is always supported and facilitated by the universe itself because nothing is above BALANCE in the universe.

Bureaucracy, Politics and Acquisition of Power

Power is every human's dream and one would go to any extent to grab it. However, if we translate the word into Hindi or Punjabi as "Shakti", it becomes very subjective. Some would consider it a divine gift or a supernatural state which empowers a human to exercise his/ her will. "Shakti" also refers to physical strength, but the social or political definition of power refers to the ability to influence the behavior of other people or a course of action. Though, the common notion about acquisition of power is that it can be captured through force but it may be possible in the rein of terror but in a democratic set-up like India specifically, political and bureaucratic institutions are highly empowered. Though I will not make a mention about the constitutional power hierarchy in India which has President on top of it, followed by the Prime Minister then Unions Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers and the Governors of the states, this hierarchy very well adjusts those civilians in it who have been bestowed upon them the prestigious "Bharat Ratna". A holder of a "Bharat Ratna" decoration enjoys the status of that of the Chief Minister of the state or a former Prime Minister of the country. But in this article I will focus on how people acquire such institutions.

Firstly, let's start from the level of a city/district, the amount of social status and respect enjoyed by the the District Collector (DC) or the Commissioner of Police (CP) in India would surpass the social status of a well-established Director/ CEO in an MNC. Though, he may be getting a much higher salary slip, but he won't enjoy the proximity of the top notch political leadership of the state or the country as that of a senior IAS or an IPS officer. We usually say in a lehman's language that XYZ is the DC of the city or the SSP or CP of the city but let us correct ourselves by admitting that DC, CP or SSP are not people but established institutions which are subsequently occupied by competent individuals and are thrown open to acquisition through UPSC civil services exam for the super-intelligent people of the country or the person from a lower rank be promoted to these positions based on their performance at the lower rank and the work experience of fixed number of years. Now, to occupy these institutions, the main criteria is intelligence- the mind power. Any bureaucrat if reaches the level of a secretary i.e. the defense secretary, finance secretary or the chief secretary is assumed to have had brilliant career in Civil Services. By the time, he/ she reaches the secretary level, he/ she is at the threshold of retirement.

Now let's talk about the Ministerial positions at both the state and the Central Level. Any person who aspires to be the minister in the state Cabinet first needs to win the seat of an MLA in legislative assembly elections, then, based on his past record or his performance as a party worker, the high command of the particular party which has allotted him/ her the ticket to contest the elections decides whether to give him/ her the ministry or not. Same kind of procedure is laid down for those who acquire Union Cabinet berths but they have to either go through Parliamentary elections or they can be nominated through the upper house of the parliament.

Usually, both the processes i.e. selection in civil services and elections in the assembly or the parliament are not very transparent and usually the parameters of the selection or the elections are kept hidden whether by the UPSC or the party high command in question. But UPSC is known for its sanctity and unbiased attitude but the acquisition of a political rank gets dirty because of the involvement of money and muscle power. Hence, the institution of Ministry carries much more power than that of the bureaucratic institutions because it requires three M's i.e. Mind, Money and Muscle whereas bureaucracy requires just one M i.e. the Mind. Though one needs to be physically fit and strong to join the police force but Muscle power is definitely not the physical strength of an individual. It is the number people backing you up who are always ready to manhandle any person or a situation that is proving to be an obstruction for you to acquire the seat of an MLA/ MP and subsequently the ministry. Money power is required to allure such people with alcohol, cash and other benefits.

The things that I've mentioned in this article as yet must be common-sense for a civil servant or a politically socialized individual. But now, I'll hit the soft spot by saying that we should ask bureaucrats personally why did they choose to be bureaucrats ?? Was that their personal calling ?? or Did the leader within them felt the dearth of money or muscle power to acquire a ministerial rank ?? Same sort of piercing questions can be asked to the ministers why did they choose to be politicians ?? Were they born leaders ?? Were they circumstantially forced to acquire power to change their life situations and meet the other ends ?? Didn't they aspire to have their own business empire ?? Don't they envy cult leaders who enjoy much more material comforts than them and are literally worshiped by people ?? Weren't they bound by their dynastic compulsions ??

The term "Leader" is highly misunderstood in India. For an uneducated Lehman, every politician is a leader. For the educated middle class, a "Leader" is the one who excels in life. My definition of a leader is somewhat similar. I would rather define a leader as guided by Stephen R Covey. I would say leader is the one who has successfully found his/ her inner voice and inspires others to find their inner voice. That may be too idealistic for acceptance in the Indian masses majority of whom are still struggling with the basic necessities of life but there are countless examples of both political and non-political leaders in India who have found their voice, followed it and unleashed the infinite potential hidden within themselves. Though the government institutions are highly empowered in India but there are people/ places and events happening in India which makes one feel the complete absence of government in the country. Best examples are , some award ceremony of Bollywood or the award ceremony of a cricket match. Such institutions make you feel that no government is required to govern the country and the country and the citizens can take care of themselves. Government only seems to be a set of nonsensical, egocentric people asserting themselves time and again and making life tougher to live instead of facilitating it.

In the early stages of evolution of the country after independence, the need of the government was absolutely necessary to guide people about the working of the institutions and tell them about what they can/ cannot do for the nation, what they can achieve in their lives. But now, as the Indian society has evolved into a wiser and a much more matured society, even a normal person would not feel connected with any office-bearer of the government and would find it actually hard to believe that a particular govt. institution has been set up to facilitate his/ her life.

Though social stratification definitely has a role to play in the utilization of the govt. institutions as a rich and an influential person can use these institutions better to work for his/ her advantage but that is more the outcome of his/ her own wisdom instead of the directions or guidelines given by the govt. I firmly believe that one should never work for acquisition of power or money in life but one should definitely work for realizing one's own potential and unleash it, chase one's dreams, once they're realized and accomplished, all the power and money will fall at your feet and you won't have to deliberately work to acquire it. It has been rightly said about power that: "Power is like a dead sea fruit, once you reach there, you realize there's nothing."

A Love-centered LIFE

Many a times there are huge discussions about love. Is it a phenomenon that enfolds humanity or does humanity enfold it?  Many philosophers have come up with different approaches and definitions of love which can be better felt than defined. Such definitions give a relative idea about love but it is impossible verbalize something which is beyond comprehension. So is it fair enough to stick to the ideas proposed by some great men. Don’t we have the right to develop and endorse our own idea and frame our own definition of love?

YES!! Absolutely. We have the right.

Just as every individual is unique, his/her point of view about love is also unique. This article aims at developing an LQ (Love Quotient) for the revered reader and help make them Love-conscious. Though I don’t claim that this article can solve the problems regarding world-peace overnight, I can definitely commit that the people who’ll feel this article will give a very positive input to their minds and will definitely make a positive impact on their surroundings and with rigorous propagation of Love-consciousness, the problem of world peace will gradually be solved.

Though I won’t recommend any particular approach to read or implement this article, I do request you,  dear reader, to open your mind and start feeling the words, implementation will follow automatically. The main purpose for writing this article is to unleash my own potential and help others to unleash theirs through the awesome power of love, with which we are gifted. I want to help the reader (and myself) to maintain the balance between the universe around us and the universe within us as the gift of love and wisdom knows no boundaries.

Is LOVE important??

Just like oxygen.Love is not only important but a necessity of the highly intellectual and civilized animal called human. The people who already have a good LQ will say that, “It is inescapable. I LOVE to get carried away by LOVE and there’s absolutely nothing that I fear.”

Before we proceed towards the simplified realization theory I would like to draw a simple classification of people according to the way they chose to live their life.This classification is inspired by Mr. Stephen R Covey’s works (“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The Eighth Habit.”)

• Egocentered is that category of people who put their self in the center of their lives. It might put them in a comfort zone temporarily but it gradually develops a shell around them with has to be broken by either some internal motivation or external impact (usually painful).
• X-centered is that category of people who put anyX-factor in the center of their lives. It can be family, career, peer-group, sex, spouse, money, religion, power, possessions, control, success etc. This approach narrows down the bandwidth which results in low flexibility and ability to accept change as well as other people.
• Principle centered is that category of people who are very true to their calling. They’re usually looked up and act as the role-models in the society.
• Love centered is that category of people who are completely enlightened about their calling and help others to get enlightened. They’re the real heroes of the cosmic drama and have risen above all yet they aren’t hungry for anything.

REALIZATION THEORY Simplified….

It has been rightly said that, “What is most personal, is in fact the most general.” So instead of using some rocket-science or attempting to interpret some complicated love theory, I’ll just introduce a simple theory to develop LQ and become Love-conscious. I’ll be depicting this theory by a diagram that I’ve named as the LOVE-trapezium. The Love-trapezium has to be such that it connects you to universality and abundance leaving a reasonable amount of space for your own self. It is based on the line of interface whichis the linking pin between the universe around and the universe within,commonly understood to be the spheres of private and public life. This line of interface acts as the lower base of the trapezium where compassion and acceptability increases from bottom to top and arrogance and animosity decrease from top to bottom. The non-parallel sides of the trapezium depend upon the sensitivity and the mysticism of an individual. If an individual has an acute sense of sensitivity and mysticism, he/ she will make acute angles along the line of interface and such individuals are likely to be more love-conscious. On the other hand if the individual doesn’t have any sensitivity and mysticism, he/she will make obtuse angles along the line of interface resulting in arrogance,egomania and restriction in the public sphere. Let us try the Love-trapezium with the acute angle first:

 

Now let’s try the Love-trapezium with obtuse angles of sensitivity and mysticism.

 

The Love-trapezium depicts four levels of consciousness/realization where compassion and acceptability increases from bottom to top and arrogance and animosity decrease from top to bottom. The most important factor is undoubtedly the angles of sensitivity and mysticism which every human being has by default. Though the showoff and unreal world around us tries its best to make us artificial human and exerts a lot of pressure to make these angles obtuse. Though, the acuteness of these angles decides the indispensable human potential, lack or absence of these angles means death. Yes… death of conscience and humanity. We can clearly see in the above diagrams that theacute angles lead to love-consciousness and abundance whereas obtuse angles lead to egomania and restrict a person from becoming love-conscious.

Now what?? Do you want to try it with right angles? Don’t even think about it, as that will be the case of a computer program or a machine made artificially intelligent. Though AI is a great subject to study but I think EQ (Emotional Quotient), SQ (Spiritual Quotient) and undoubtedly LQ (Love Quotient) are the areas where no machine can ever challenge the humans’ monopoly.

DECISIVE PARAMETER

Though the fou rlevels depicted in the diagram look overlapped but there are huge chasms of fear and self-doubt between these levels which need to be crossed with theupward force of courage and confidence.As, courage and confidence are acting as the upward force, the intensity of this upward force also plays a decisive part in deciding the acuteness of the angles of sensitivity and mysticism or it could be the other way round too, i.e. the acuteness of one’s sensitivity and mysticism could force the individual to gather courage to break his/ her shell and move out. But the decisive parameter for love consciousness is neither the angles of S&M nor the courage & confidence.

The decisive parameter is the movement between these levels. YES! This movement that has been depicted here is so powerful that it can decide the immortality of one’s name, bring people out of delusions of grandeur, and empower people to make or break cultural, social and religious taboos. It can bring about immediate changes in society starting from the microcosm of each individual.

Now that we’ve realized the power of the LOVE-Trapezium and every dimension related to it, wecan say in a single line without any fear and self-doubt that; “Jin prem kiyo tin hi prabh paayo” as said by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhs, now makes perfect sense and is understood to be an eternal truth.

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa,
Waheguru ji ki Fateh!!