I have a message for you this year end of 2012

Yet another year goes by with so much left to do. All the good deeds of the year have been overshadowed by incidents like the Connecticut massacre and the Indian girl who lost her life to gang-rape. Every day the news seems to be so much of killing everywhere. I just read the death of 19 Pakistani people killed by a suicide bomber. Now, why does this happen? And most importantly, are we in a position to deal with such unfortunate incidents? The people who suffer such atonement and their near and dear ones seem to be going through the roughest of times. My heart goes out to all of them, and that’s the least I can do.

It feels like somebody just sapped out a lot of energy from my soul. These are trying times. I still have no clue as to why these mindless menacing things happen. All I know and hope for is that God puts some sense into these misguided people. There are not many I believe. But the few who are out there can cause a lot of harm. Wish that we had a GPS on these individuals and could help them before they pull the lid of that grenade. Still there are many more people in the majority who wish for peace than the sidelined few who have shrouded their goodness by wrong beliefs.

Anyway, I’m not writing this to make you feel down. There are many positive things that also happened during the year and will continue to happen. Gangnam style. So, let’s welcome the new year with the fizz of champagne and hope that this year would be better than any other year that we have known. Miles to go before we sleep. Put on your best outfit and party hard, if you may. Let your new year resolutions be firm throughout the year and I pray that you find what you seek. May this new year bring you and your loved ones lot of joy and fulfill your dreams, beyond your wildest dreams.

I also pray that may God heal the souls of those affected by tragedies. And let them have a good year ahead. Let them find love, for those who haven’t found it yet. Let them be showered by money, whose monetary needs are imminent. Let all those whose careers have not gone as expected, take off to dizzying heights never experienced before. Let there be cheer everywhere and let sorrows stay miles away. Let the peace of God dawn upon every single soul and lift them up from their struggles. Let there be life everywhere, as we realize that we are all connected to each other. Friends forever …

Wishing your best always,

Guru30

How to make more money

You may all have heard of the law of attraction. Simply desiring something is not going to manifest it. However, desiring is the first step. Then comes action, or plain simply work. You have to work towards making that desire come true. If you put 100% effort, the universe will make way for your dreams. Of this be sure.

Remember you get what you are worth.  If you are making 50,000 and you want to make 100,000, then you have to deliver value worth 100,000. Your company pays you for what you are worth. If you do not agree, you have to prove otherwise. Add continuously to your skill set. Learn new things. Move forward. And show to the world that you are worth more.

It all boils down to what problems can you solve. The more difficult the problem is, the more money is thrown at the person who has a solution. If you are not making enough money, it’s simply because you are not solving enough problems. Don’t blame it on the circumstances. Make a change. Improve yourself in whatever you have decided to do. Utilize the day.

There is one thing you should not forget. Do not simply run after something interesting. You know what you are good at. Pursue that only. The very thing that you can do easily which others find difficult. This is what you have been carved for. Go after it with all your might. And soon realize that your dreams will come true, one by one.

Guaranteed!

Guru30

Who am I really ?

Somebody is born, somebody dies, every second. Iam sure you don’t find that amusing. But if you know that person then its something that matters to you. If you read statistics there are just seven degrees of separation between us and any person on the planet. In this way, we are all related. But our feelings do not span across. It is limited.

We come to this world and get entrapped in the workings of it. One thing we are taught from the beginning is to accumulate assets, so much so that, it becomes the central force for many of us. In this rush we neglect to hear what that sparrow is trying to say or what that rustling wind is trying to whisper.  The best we can take out is maybe a months vacation in a year.  But, by then we are so embroiled in our situation, that we forget to enjoy this break.

Why can’t all of us be more sensitive? Why do we have to be preoccupied with the ways of the world? Some say for a living. Mother Earth produces 5-6 times more than what every one of us can have. Why can’t we share this and live happily? Maybe you are reminded of Beatles song ‘Imagine’.  Dreamers. But the world keeps moving its way.

A poor man can’t have a heart bypass surgery because it costs too much. So we let him die. A poor girl born to laborers can’t go to school, because her parents can’t afford her fees. So she ends up in child labor. I mean these things happen right in front of our eyes, but  we are unruffled. How inhumane. If I had a magic wand, I would wish all these things away and restore some sense to this crazy world.

Or somebody else. Or a group. Or a nation maybe.

Waiting …

Guru30

Happiness for all

Where did we come from? And where are we headed? These are perplexing questions that stare us every time we get in the mood of introspection. Well, the answers are simple. We came from nothing and go back to nothing. Which in simple words means that we came from God’s kingdom and go back there. Not that this Earth is not in God’s sovereignty. Everything is and will be. But we are sent to this planet with a purpose, which we have to unravel ourselves. The purpose if you ask me is to make this world a better place than it was before. Maybe, a little better. We must do our part and leave the rest to God.  It may take us a lifetime to make a positive difference. But however small it is, we would’ve made a difference.

Do not think of anything else. Live simple. Do not complicate matters. You were meant to be happy and happy you shall be. All days may not be the same. Some days we may feel down, and other days spirited. We live for the latter. Because when we are truly happy, we exude an aura that can benefit not just us, but the whole world. Good decisions are taken when we are in a good mood. Mixing up important decisions with a bad mood can make things adverse. Hence always put on a smile on your face. If its genuine, its better. Still try to smile. God wants you to, always. Shed  your sorrow or your tension for a moment d d see the world for what it is – a den of action, which results in love.

All of us are God’s children and have equal rights. The distribution however has skewed up things. Make a million if you want to, but remember you can’t carry it to the other world. Alone you have come and alone you shall go. In the end it really doesn’t matter whether you are a billionaire or an average Joe. So share what little you have with others. The reason why Facebook is doing well (not the stock price) in terms of publicity is the very ability of sharing that it enables. Sharing doesn’t always have to be physical. We have learned this. The other reason why we like to share is also to be appreciated. Feels good to get a pat at the back. And if what we share is touched a person or many people, even without a pat, we would’ve done our bit.

If you look at the world, there is so much out there. But don’t get inundated by the din. Use filters. Only be receptive to what is important to you. That means your interests. Stay away from swallowing everything. You simply can’t. Hence enjoy a straightforward simple life by taking it in, one piece at a time. Multitasking is not meant for us. Machines do it well, we don’t. Do not take in things that don’t agree with your value system. In simple words, do not go against yourself. And soon you will find that this life gifted to us, is the most important thing that has ever happened. You are the trustee of this gift. Please guard it and enjoy it, the way God has meant you to.

Happiness for all …

Guru30

Be of firm faith

Life has its moments. Sometimes up and other times down. In this wave like life, we need to be of firm faith. You cannot afford to falter your faith anytime. The hope of a better morrow is what spurs us on, despite adversity. So keep it up, always, never forgetting that there is somebody out there who is witness to all your trials and tribulations. Keep hustling while you are at it, even when hope seems to simmer. Be sure that times are going to change and we have to keep pace with it. What seems to be a down moment is a lesson to be learned. If we don’t, we are condemned to repeat it. The future will happen when it does, so don’t be anxious about it. Whatever it is that you have dreamed of, is bound to manifest. Just in a matter of time.

In the meanwhile, hold on to your paddles with full strength. Row as much as you can, with full faith. You will soon realize that every cloud has its silver lining. And yours is quite near. You are almost there. Don’t give up in between. Take a break, if you will. But return back with an arduous attitude. Keep up to what you do best. Your time is going to come. Every single one of us is unique. We all have our strengths and fallacies. If there is a word that sums up what we have to do, it is ‘contribute’. Give with all your might. Whatever you can. To as many people as you can. Whenever you can. And you will find that receiving is in giving. Let me repeat that. In giving, we receive.

Tough times make people tough. They are there, so that we may change our outlook to life. So be flexible always. Do not drown in dogmas. Or anything  that can prove detrimental. This life is a gift to cherish forever. Make good use of this gift  that  has been give to you. Leave a legacy behind, before you exit out into other worlds. We are in control of our life. Like an artist who puts pastels onto the painting, to make it look good, we also have to give meaning to this life, the way we want it. Challenges are there. That’s what makes the ride fun. If we could easily get what we wanted, then life wouldn’t be that much fun. So collect all those colors together and paint to your heart’s content.

The best part about this life is that we get many chances. We learn through trial and error. Once we set our mind to a goal, while we are at it, we find the attributes of the goal changing and maybe the outcome is not exactly as we had contemplated. But be sure, that’s the way it is meant to be. Maybe the original dream that you saw was incomplete. Never mind, God fills in the gaps. As always. Whatever may be the stage of life that we are in, we need to remember one thing: Never to lose faith in God. Thank him for what he has already given you and more that he will send towards you. Dream big. Because for him, there is nothing in this universe which he cannot bring to life. Life is his gift. Have faith in him and then start walking. That is all there is to it.

To your dreams …

Guru30

The key to happiness

There is no such thing as bad or evil. The devil is just an imaginary being. While good and bad contradictions have been raging throughout the ages, the truth is God would not make anything bad. What seems to be an act of bad is because of lack of love. Let me explain. You see love is the greatest force that we have come across. And what seems to be bad or negative people are because they lack a degree of love. The more love they lack, the greater is their conundrum. If everyone where to feel love in its most pure form, this world would be made up of joy everywhere. The fact is some of us do not vibrate on this frequency. Hence for such people, everything seems to be going wrong.

Whereas some people seem to be happy always, as they are closer to the frequency of love. Love is an attitude. This is something we are born with, but gets lost in the real world education. As we form or own opinions which in turn become beliefs we tend to do things or move according to them. While there is nothing wrong with  this, if the beliefs are negative (If I may use this word) the effect can be disastrous. There are beliefs which reinforce love and there are those which arise from things like anger, jealousy etc. Now these emotions are far away from true love and we must not cede to them. Because in this process, we may not experience ample love always.

But the good news is that we are made of love atoms. We can get in touch with them, if we try. A strong belief in a supernatural power guiding all of us is a good start. However, others can also embrace love. The most fundamental question is why do we live? The answer is simple: To experience love, to share it with others and to spread the message of love every single day. This is only possible if we start giving love consciously. The more you give, the lighter you feel. Till a time comes when you become pure love. A joy to behold! We can have anything that we want, if we practice giving love. Because it comes back – always and that too in multiples.

Gratitude is the key to happiness. But I’m talking about a deep feeling of thanks for everything. Count your blessings and be thankful for that. If you don’t, at least try. Thank the person who invented electricity for you are reading this quip because of that. Thank the Sun for giving sunlight everyday without fail, and that without making a noise about that. If you think, there are too many things we have to be grateful about. And the more grateful you feel, the more happy you will be. Some days you feel depressed, that’s because you have drifted  away from the frequency of love. Get back immediately. Start feeling those moments that make  you special – because that  is what you are – a special person.

To your happiness …

Guru30

The power of Silence

Silence is golden. Yeah, its true. The universe is made up of 99.99% space. Void. Within each of us is a tremendous amount of force pervading as Silence. Once we learn to unlock this force, we become human in the right sense of the word. From a world of thoughts to thoughtlessness. A step that is worth its while. We must  all transcend this chattering mind and enter the realm of thoughtlessness or Silence. Absolutely. There is just one type of Silence in this world. And in case you ever wondered, what the first word was – it was Silence. We have all experienced it. But then we return back to the world of humdrum. Because we have a schizophrenic in each one of us. One living in the noisy world and the other in the reams of the world of Silence.

What do you think most people are looking for? Goals, Plans, Targets all are worthless, if we don’t encounter and enhance the other side of our personality. Learning to live in Silence. Meditate a little, because that brings us closer to our real goal. This goal of experiencing the absolute is the true goal for which we must strive. Great  saints and gurus gave up the material world seeking the truth. I’m not saying we do that. We can very well find the absolute in the midst of madness, that is this world. And once we have found it, it’s like a drug. The more you want it to last. But unlike drugs, this addiction is good. The more we enter the gap, the more we become centered. Because in the end, life is like this circle which never ends. Hence we have to find the center.

So what is the big deal about Silence? Well, for one, we are lost without it. The answer to all our innumerable questions lies in this center. The decisions which results in rights and wrongs are, when we are moving n the circle. When we are centered, all our decisions are right. In fact, there is nothing in this universe that we cannot achieve, after centering ourselves. So great is this thing that all that the great  people have written about, is to identify this powerhouse. Once you enter it and shed your dichotomy you will just have a single personality. The silent, ever at peace, always satisfied and happy, spinning the web of joy, for self and others, the one and only – you.

Now how do we do this? Here’s a tip. Watch your thoughts as they rummage in your brain. Just watch. Don’t judge. Once we practice this art, we will very soon realize that what we are made up of, is not these silly thoughts, that portray as important, but a deep meditative Silence, within each one of us. And that is where all the answers lie. We don’t come to this earth to learn. All that learning is there in the midst of this great Silence. We just have to reconnect. Unlike a website wherein, if the page is not found, we get a HTTP:404 error, this website is never out of pages. All that has ever been conceived or will ever be conceived, is lying right there. There is also an alias for this site. Yes you guessed it right. God.

Cheers,

Guru30

Never give up

In life there are two things you got to follow: First, never give up. Second, never give up. Maybe today was not the day for you, as you intended it to be. There is always a morrow that you can hope for. To make your dreams come true, to lift you up to the seventh heaven and to bask you in the glory of the sunshine, you have to learn to wait. But, hustle while you do. Have you noticed, all days are not the same. You have to believe in yourself first. And be with people who believe in you. Just keep in check your anger. There is not a greater enemy than that. Your only defense against this emotion is you, yourself. Enjoy the ride. Every moment of it.

You see, life is like a game of cards. You don’t know on a particular day, which cards would be dealt. But whether you get a full hand or not, you must  play to the best of your ability. That is all that is asked of you. The day you decide not to play is alright, if you want to take a break. But you must come back and learn the game. Play as hard or as best as you can. Then go home. Get yourself a good night’s sleep and come back to play again. Life is not an impossible game. We can all learn it. But we must first get in the mood. By that I mean that we must get ready, by first negating our negative qualities, and then emphasizing the positive. Bring the best of our qualities to the table and then play.

If you feel like quitting, that decision will haunt you for the rest of your life. So don’t. Unlike an airplane, where you get to see the clouds only out of the window, this game is like a train ride. We get to enjoy the scenery. Now it is entirely up to us. We can be morose that things are not going well. Look at what is going for you. Never focus on the negative. There are so many things about life that we need to be thankful about, the little nuisances seem just small. For example, you have good health on your side. A healthy body and a healthy mind. Thank God for that and move on. Never squander time. I know we all have sometime or the other. But realize that time is our best friend. So utilize it most appropriately.

The whole world is yours. In fact, the whole universe. Claim it through earned work. It doesn’t matter what type of work. But something within us which we are made to manifest. Discover that and then life will be a fun ride. Play to your fill. There is no limit. This game never gets over. We are like a wave of the mighty ocean. Be the biggest wave that the surfer will never stop talking about. Leave a legacy. That’s what you are here for. If not the whole world, at least we should make a difference to one person. Touch someone somewhere. With all your best wishes and blessings. And it will come back to you, ‘cause it always does. So remember to spread your joy to others, and most of all, never give up.

Sincerely

Guru30

What will Facebook do?

So finally Facebook is listed. Despite ambitious expectations on the first day, the stock managed to cruise safely at the offer price of $38. It did touch a high of $45, but that was momentary. Now all eyes are on this great company. What are they going to do in the future? For the latecomers here’s some news. Facebook just bought Karma, a company which helps Facebook friends to gift each other.

You may recall that Facebook bought Instagram (a photo retouching company) for an astronomical 1 billion dollars. Now photo sharing on Facebook won’t be the same. Facebook is valued over 100 billion dollars. Facebook is not just a website. Its a phenomenon.  A social networking giant. It has a user base of 900 million users all over the world.

There are many positive things that can happen in the future for this company if they play their cards right. For example, mobile advertising (without intruding too much like MySpace) is ready to take off. Facebook can do a lot here. I’m talking about revenue. The stock holders are eagerly awaiting to make money on this one.

Another idea could be an ebay like facility on Facebook. This would turn it into a retailer. What goes for this company is their established user base. The reach to be more specific. It’s high time that Facebook looks seriously at some revenue streams, as they are answerable to each stock holder. Facebook can also look at becoming a cloud contender, like Amazon.

There are many ideas out there, and Facebook should move in fast. That’s the only way that investors would stay put. Dorm days are over. Welcome to the real world.

Congrats,

Guru30

Waiting for you

In my eyes, I have seen

The worlds and the ones between

My words in galaxies far away

But for you it’s nothing but a play.

I have yearned like no one else

To be with you like everyone tells

Sick and tired of daily chores

Waiting to witness your shores.

Wherever I see, I see you

In those mountains and the dew

In the sky shown as a ring

Where people assemble to sing.

And in the lashes of those waves

Deep inside the ocean caves

I know you wait for me just like I for you

As ages go by bringing in the new

One day I know you shall be mine

First in the queue of the endless line

And in your heart I want to witness it all

The beginning and the end of my soul

Guru30

The thing about poetry

Whether it’s Chuang-tzu or Yeats, poetry touches us in a soft spot. There is something magical about it. Yes, poetry is feminine. That’s why. It’s luscious, it’s dazzling and close to our heart. Poetry comes from the innards of our soul. Hence it touches us in a mysterious way.  This whole universe humming away in the distance is nothing but the poem of God – the one and only, that is.

Nowadays I hear that there are software programs in the market which create poetry. Fancy that. Is it real poetry or some juxtaposition of words, because for poetry to arise, it has to come from a feeling. Do machines feel? To the best of my knowledge, they don’t. Then how can they nuance the subtlety of such a thing as a poem? Well they don’t! They just copy styles of great poets.

And I guess anybody can do that. Are we really losing touch? In the future, if a machine passes the Turing test for a poetry, can we say that it also feels? Obviously, it doesn’t. But here’s the real test. If you read a poem and it touches you, then no matter, whether a machine or a human wrote it, it’s worth the commendation.  So let’s welcome these new people on board.

Now what about prose? That is more easier to write as it is flowing sequentially. Prose is masculine, hence it is more logical. However, that does not mean that prose can’t touch us. We can be moved after reading, say a novel. Be it fiction or non-fiction. Note that prose has the ability to paint a picture as it chugs along. Whereas poetry is more direct.

While we may have to read an entire set of 400 pages of prose to get the idea, poetry can be succinct. And still convey the same that a novel did. But it is not easy to write a feeling. Fine you have a feeling, how do you put them into words? Because words are just approximates. So the best you can do is whip up a fairly accurate description of your feeling. Wish we had a machine which could capture feelings.

And on and on it goes, but one thing is for sure. If there’s anything that makes us special, it’s our feelings and nobody can snatch that away from us. That is, till death do we part.

Wishes and Love

Guru30

The power of integrity

Be very clear about the decisions you make on your path of life. If you don’t make the right ones, some of them may come to haunt you. Do not go on the wrong route. You will fall short of a good night’s sleep. It doesn’t matter whether you sleep on a feather bed or an iron mat, as long as you get sleep, without taking pills. Lead an upright life. Be honest in your dealings. Money that comes out of sweat is earned money. By that I mean, what is rightfully, yours.

Do not worry about the millionaire next door. It really doesn’t matter whether you make a million or a billion. Aim for it, if you want to, but don’t be disappointed if you don’t make it. Instead, aim for good health and a good reputation. All your life’s work may be endangered by one foolish move. Hence be clear. Live a principled life. Do not get lost in the worldly rhythm which like the disco lights can blind you. Never compromise your integrity.

It’s quite simple. You will get what you have worked for. Beyond the rulings of the courts, there is a bigger court up there, where the justice is just. God knows every single thing about you. You just can’t hide away from the unpleasant aspects of your life. Try to forget it. And start a new life, if you have gone astray.  We get many chances in this life. God has given us wisdom to choose the right ones. Yonder you go to the higher worlds or the lower realms, depending on how you live your life.

You came empty handed to this world and you will go empty handed. This is the irony of life. No amount of possessions that you hoard will come with you. You simply have to leave them behind. Work you must, but do not worry (anxiety) about the results. If you are destined to get the result, you will. Nothing in this universe will stop it. But learn to persevere. Be with like-minded people. Do not cheat or betray. Limit your desires and most of all don’t worry. Be happy.

And be true to yourself, always.

Guru30

Can we become immortal with technology ?

Can technology provide us the answer to most of our questions? I’m sure it can. For this we just have to look at the history of the evolution of technology. Where were we, in Circa 1993, and where are we today. The Web Browser in the form of Netscape (Mosaic to be more precise) had revolutionized the way we would access the internet. Today we have apps. While the web browsers were generic in nature, the apps are more specific.

Now, where are we going with this? Google has just got clearance to test the driverless vehicle in Nevada. If this succeeds, which I’m sure it will, the next generation of cab drivers would be headless. By that I mean no cab drivers. Further, our own cars would be on automatic. Which means while we read the paper in the back, the car will navigate us to a place we want to reach. It may seem odd, for a while, but we will get used to it.

Computers are getting more intelligent (if I may use that word). While our brain is a massively parallel processing unit, computers are essentially reaching there with neural nets. The place where they beat the human brain is in the calculations per second. While a PC today can do billions of calculations per second, the human brain crawls at 200 calculations per second. Maybe evolution did not destine us to calculate. And maybe, that’s the reason why we invented computers. But now they are expanding their reach into image processing, language understanding, the arts and the like.

Techno-evangelists like Ray Kurzweil predict that by the year 2019 we will have a 1000$ computer to match our brain. And that is 100% of our brain (You may reminisce that we don’t use 95% or more of our brains in a lifetime) Seems challenging, doesn’t it. Now most of these computers would be put to good use. They will be smart enough to be our assistants and would carry out things without much fuss. We are already aware of personal assistants like Siri (Apple) and Majel (Android). Now imagine them with the smarts.

Advancement in medical technology like nanobots (to clean up the blood stream) and noninvasive jabs are already here. Robots are creating other robots in Japanese factories. New virtual reality glasses have just been released. Hardware manufacturing will utilize the third layer (height) to create complicated, interleaved chips. What about DNA and Quantum computing? Well, research is on its way. I think we should have a demonstrable prototype by 2020.

What about Spirituality? Well, some scientists agree to the fact that there is a spiritual spot in the brain, tickling which, we may be able to experience what we do while meditating. Sounds like a shortcut, doesn’t it?  Death itself will be delayed by so many life enhancing drugs and other contraptions. But will we ever be able to transcend death with the help of technology? You tell me.

Best Regards,

Guru30