With coffee for Company

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With Coffee for Company: Telling it as I saw it Authored by Mr Pradeep Maheshwari List Price: $10.00 8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm) Black & White on White paper 212 pages ISBN-13: 978-1540496881 ISBN-10: 1540496880 BISAC: Philosophy / Mind & Body

With Coffee for company Telling it as I saw it.

We can't just hang on to the comfort zones and then complain that life is going nowhere.

By Pradeep Maheshwari (on facebook: Pradeep PK Maheshwari) First published as “notes� on Facebook.

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Introduction.

The theme of this collection is mainly to get a glimpse of the corners and shadows that we may be missing. It is purely my subjective view as I have seen and experienced.

The courage to change; look within; But the courage required..... where is it going to come from..... from getting disgusted with life as it is.......and this state very few arrive at..... never by intelligent analysis.

And then we pass it all to the next generation.

For intelligent analysis, a developed mind is needed and this comes only after lifetimes of study, search and experiences......... disenchantment with the pleasures of physical life, stuck in the "desire mode" And anyway the human is a creature of habit (not a good learner by any yardstick) and will repeat the conditions anyway.

And then there are the virtuous ones who project themselves as near-saints and refuse to look at reality and see only good everywhere. And effectively close all doors to further “seeing” and “seeking”.

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Open only for Appreciation PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2016

The heart and minds are closed. Something that I see in a very pronounced manner in India. There is no equal to us in playing the blame game and the defense game by the rest of us. Impossible to discuss a subject with Indians without their amour-propre getting involved with every word. As if under a great fear that we are being faulted, indirectly insulted or misunderstood.

I see reality as a spiral. You see one point of it and then see the next point alongside and then another and so on till you find you are lost in the spiral going up and down. Our intelligence & wisdom totally snubbed by Reality's various aspects. Baffled and stunned we shut up in enlightenment. But then most us don't see the next point neighbor - rather don't want to see. This is also reality.

People love to be sad and miserable....quite a lot of them. They need something to be seen as exclusive. When nothing else of worth is in their world they latch onto being miserable.

I find it strangely funny when people do not take responsibility for their lives, then when they fall sick, they leave it all in the 4

hands of some stranger with white coats and glittering churches called hospitals who speak half the time in Latin and depend on mechanical mumbo jumbo – and then they are made to lie down in a bed and messed over with murderous intent……..and all this is called a “battle” with cancer.

Caste Creed based thinking, the uncultured mind, conquest on their minds, wanting things to be as "they" want it and are comfortable with....... these are the things that we shall be seeing for a while. So I suppose the next episode of renewal is on the cards universally and this kind of change from the bottom upwards is what we shall see all over the world for some time to come. Let us enjoy the race. Winning is not the goal. When there is talk of winning, achieving, arriving and such......think also of all the people who are NOT in the competition. Wining against a few select people, what does it make you? Example: Beauty queen of the world etc........who cares? And I find my maid more beautiful anytime

Once we accept diversity as the "normal", the wonders never cease to enthrall Why harp back to the past and rationalise or explain the past and use it as an excuse to continue? We can't at one end, use them and then wish them away when done with, We should think of the situation, not forget who created the situation and now 5

that it is a Fait Accompli, take things on a more pragmatic route into the future. Like in polite society, when we do not like someone we simply keep a civil distance. The community that is prejudiced should meditate on this point and try to show some forbearance. I am sure forbearance is taught in all languages and unfortunately practiced in none. What have the Africans done to garner so much hate in USA? The thing is that they were brought in. Now they are citizens. It does not speak well for the superior races at all. Things cannot be brushed under the carpet by citing the past.

And if you look closely, the situation is the same in all religions, societies. We categorise one set of people as inferior and then go after them with hatchets and make a virtue of it.

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Feeling sad.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2016

It is so sad. Vaccination:....... The concept as introduced earlier more than century ago worked. It got accepted universally. Every one now believes in it without a doubt. "Vaccination" has become an accepted word. The big pharma is capitalising on this belief.

People don't know any better so the first reaction is “It must be fine" and "what a relief; now I will never be sick!". Anything then that is promoted as a vaccine has immediate and total acceptance.

It is another matter that most of the new vaccines are now based more on wishful thinking and not really very scientific.

Secondly they are being forced down the throats. Why are people including those practicing medicine against them? This should be a warning sign by itself. If these vaccines are good the unsuspecting public would adopt it without a second thought.

Now it is war. The public has realised they are doing much harm and the numbers of rationale thinkers who now understand that they are being fooled is growing. Big pharma is perturbed that their investment will go bad. There is an obvious show of force and denigrating of those who believe in other more natural systems of cure and prevention.

And the people? Are NOT prepared to think for themselves nor even bothered for their health. Trust in Hospitals is absolute. You

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go in from one door and come out well and restored from the other!

NB: Whenever, I bring this subject up there is violent reaction of opposition by a certain segment of self-proclaimed "scientific" people (they go to the extent of calling all those practitioners of other systems – special kind of stupid) which is another symptom very similar to this "Belief" system - anything that stems forth from the laboratories is like a word from God to them and they are ready to burn others at the stake for not thinking as they would like them to. They are not accepting anything beyond what their microscopes and telescopes can see and sensed by their bodily senses. To them feelings and intuitively is a sham and illogical. The Spirit world does not exist for them.

Then they forget totally that for money and fulfillment of desires the human kind has always and is designed to lie, cheat and fabricate information. It is sad that the media being also in control with this money –maker’s group, they are able to spread any info they want by playing on some words and misusing the trust the people have put in these people.

More than beliefs.... it is the first thought that springs up in their minds. It is more a matter of "I" than intelligent behavior.

Their minds are serving the universal forces at work at the animus level in Mother Nature's world. There is no sign of a mature independent mind at work that has learnt to correlate research and scrutinise information/data before speaking or acting on it.

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Beware of slavery to Convenience.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2016

From a picture of "Knowledgeable, Quality and Great integrity" that we used to see all products/knowledge coming from Europe 100 years ago, we are now going the other way. Everything that has come from Western European/American sources, all great ideas and developments and products now have become obvious to all, products that are designed to weaken the spirit of men, trapped in the sense of comfort and power from gadgets at their fingertips, make them non-thinking, even subservient. We now have fake food, misdirected medical aid, poisoned environment and deliberately poisoned food, a very high dependency on machines. Batteries and Electricity now rule our world. I personally see most of the wonderful things that have been engulfing us have reduced life to a painful joke, alienated us from people and other life forms around us - although life has become easier/convenient, better organised.....yet it has leached into "LIFE" and is taking us on the way to Robotism.

People tell that they would do anything to change their unhappy status and you believe them. Ever tried to have a conversation with them? They will respond with ...."Oh you don't understand". They are not looking for solutions. They see themselves as victims of fate and want the world to appreciate their extreme and unique sadness.....for they see the rest of the world enjoying their lives. The old saying is true� we are our worst 9

enemies. We rarely see the chain of events we unleash when we are coming out with angry words, respond with “murder” on our minds or act with certain desires as our focus. And have accepted reality in a particular way and see no reason to change our outlook – we are so convinced that we are right. WE make no effort to change in anyway even when life shows us the error of our ways. And it shows clearly in the way we obfuscate, change subjects and avoid certain subjects in our lives.

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So you are not going to listen!

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2016

For the sake of etiquette, I’ll let that pass. You say your thing and I’ll show you without a second’s thought how much in error you are. Being at the centre of the earth I know and can fathom everything and am rarely in error.

How do I manage to always find the faults so easily? There is an art to it. All one needs to do is look for a word association in our memory tied up with a concept or phrase or something that contradicts yet connected by a common word or truth.

Blurt it out and there you are: you have properly put the other guy’s sense of self importance in its place. There is nothing left for the poor fellow but to explain and defend – IF anyone is listening.

It is very essential to close “listening” immediately after you have said your piece; after all as the “GREAT” one you cannot be drawn into a long boring argument or if you so prefer to call it - a discussion.

I have a few examples here to show you how it is done.

Story 1.

There was a time when one big light in the room was considered enough. Sp the bathroom was lighted in the same way.

It never seemed to occur to any house maker that the bathroom mirror is also used for looking at oneself rather closely to trim hair, shave and look behind the ears and inside the mouth etc. So a proper light around the mirror is really quite essential. But the lack 11

of lighting never bothers anyone as far as I can see. The make-up table for the wife one can understand but why in the bathroom.

After all it is a room just like any other. All you need is a small tiny lamp to see your way around. What are you going to do there?

Paint a canvas?

Anyway, so this young man rents a house and the first thing he does is place lights around the bathroom mirror.

The house owner, 80 years old, who has to pay the electricity bills, coming from an era when he spent his life using an oil lantern, is aghast - why do you need so much light he asks. The answer from the young man gets this response: Young man: I need light to shave and trim my mustache and check on my teeth/mouth health or even clean my nails.

The house owner retorts without a second’s thought – But the light has to be in the back? (Do you remember the instructions coming with box cameras in which it was always repeated that light should be always behind the photographer? I think this sentence from his long forgotten past surfaced just then to prove his point).

Story 2.

Lately there is a trend to use Styrofoam or throw-away plastic plates in gatherings. I find these picnic plates rather low-middle class and difficult to hold on to with one hand and try to eat with the other as they tend to bend when weighted with food and as we eat with our hands the act of pressing down on the plates creates spills that dirties the entire area.

I relate here a conversation:

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Lady – Oh people are so dirty. They dirty the entire place up. No sense of cleanliness. (you see how she has shown herself as upper class, denigrated everybody around her and done so by stating an obvious truth).

This got my goatee and I could not resist by pointing out the fact about picnic plates as stated above.

Lady - then what can be done?

I said we need sturdier plates but light ones such as the melamine ones would be better.

Lady: Melamine is rubbish. It is not good for health. ( I am sorry to say this lady is too high class for me).

Me: Ok . If you insist. But melamine products are light, strong enough to hold and washable, reusable, cost effective and unbreakable. The Styrofoam one are not only not serving their purpose but also bad for the ecology.

But by then she had focused her energies elsewhere. I was talking to thin air!

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Why should I forget?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2016

Why should I forget? Lessons are to be learnt and remembered.

I will not give you a chance again and if you do try the same trick again I shall have prepared myself to give a fitting and crushing reply. But yes I shall not come after you because you are not worth it. On the other hand this Forgive and Forget cult is right in one way that we must not carry the past on our shoulders for ever and ever. There is a time to let go. Unfortunately it is practised as a forced virtue, very superficial; nobody really forgets.

This is what our friend remarked on this subject: Karine Van Waerebeek ..... Forgive and forget..became an expression, a saying,.forced into the average/mainstream consciousness. It is also called: Kissing ass. Once recovered , the need to 'forgive and forget' is gone..because you understand people's ignorance/stupidity. If you easily forget there could be something wrong with your short term memory..

The first lesson of life: no one is listening. Thereby missing the point most of the time and missing most opportunities. No one is here for you and your welfare. A little moral support, a little walk together, some pleasant exchanges, assistance and a shoulder to cry on‌..is the most we should expect and this too if we are profoundly lucky. Most people would miss their frying-pan than they would miss you or me. We look, hear and note only within a small arena which we "think" relates to our immediate welfare.

Otherwise we expressly shut off all engagements. You may not 14

notice it as people are good at charades but no one is paying attention to what you have to say: at least NOT your story! But we are great at lamenting and want, hope and insist that everybody listen to us.

I am rather opposed to this new fad of being so positive that we refuse to look at the negative side of us and advise everybody else to do the same to achieve contentment in the name of becoming a Positive Persona radiating with love and all that crap.

My attitude is that there are certain negative vibes that cannot be allowed in my atmosphere whatever the circumstances. This is non negotiable and I will literally fight to maintain this state of affairs and make it very clear if anything/anyone infringes. No compromise on this.

We end up with knowing the dictionary definitions of words and have built an image of it in our minds depending on the place and the culture we have been brought up in. Worse we react to words but rarely go into the full sentence. The worst is that we take sentences out of context and misunderstand most of the messages that are trying to reach us through the collection of words. The tragedy is that there are millions of possibilities of how the same message will be understood and misunderstandings are more the norm than the other way round.

The Unfortunates, Mother Nature, Future 15

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2016

WE, the more conscious, must realise that it is Mother Nature at work. We must rise above sentimentality and not promote the thought in any way that everything is OK and in the name of Human Rights people can do whatever they want without considering the consequences for Mother Earth. The other thing is that it is surprising that these so called poor have no conscious sense of their poverty/vulnerability and the misery that they will make their children get into. They are yet animals in human form going about instinctively. It is also true that "suffering" is the only way to raise the conscious awareness of individuals at the Natural level of things. This cycle has to be stopped and it will happen with the raise in consciousness which is not being promoted in the world.(exceptions in small pockets are getting nowhere). How it will happen is anybody's guess. But I feel that crowding will become so intense eventually, life so unbearable that humanity at large will then have to face and focus on this truth and change its style and existence will be possible at a more conscious level or not at all. Remove Whatever laws and concepts we may try to enforce, the Universe is not bound by it. We cannot claim equality by right nor offer it as a matter of course. The separation by law is even more stupid. Laws and possibilities should be the same for all people.

There are two sexes but that is for a particular purpose and that is a minuscule part of our lives. Let us not make it the bug bear of our lives. Can a Rose and a Dandelion be equal? WE are all special in our own ways. Look at us...five fingers, one head, two arms, two legs etc. Same desires and appetites...... but yet all distinctly 16

separate people. Not equality but uniqueness will win and give us all be want to have and be. Our focus should be in becoming better human beings, full of positivity kindness, knowledgeable and master of the arts of living. We need to see the Feminine and Masculine and notice this in men and women which exist in different ratios in all individuals who are 99% children of the same universe.

We may think of ourselves as individuals but if we are able to put aside our vanities, we see that we are permutations and combinations of the same elements.

What people miss is that physically men are stronger and become physical when angry and at this level they always win and visibly hurt the women. Most men are brought up wrong and are psychologically defective in this sphere of empathy and respect.

But the vocal, narcissistic abuse that women, specially wives unleash from which there is no running away can be many many times more psychologically murderous and finally most men go under, lose control & situations get ugly. Egos get bruised. Hate enters the equation and from there on it can only get dirtier.

Nothing is either black or white and there are many shades of gray in between that we quietly hide. It is only the extreme cases that come out in the sunlight.

With Coffee for company PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2016

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The Idea of life or the aim of life should be to achieve without budging.....letting others do the bloody job. Be mentally alert and up-to-date and physically lazy. The sun rises by itself. The moon appears by itself. The river flows by itself. The flower blooms by itself. Why get so turmoiled by personal prejudices and insist and quarrel? Forget it all and have a coffee.

I always ask myself: What is the point? Where can or will it get me? Either do something about it or go and have another cup of coffee. The point is good government has to be above isms.

And life gives very little choice. We can all have only one goal and that is being pro-life. When we govern destinies of people and nations we need to have a very high level of compassion and integrity to be really good rulers. Before taking any decisions, have a coffee.

As I see it, the turbulence of today is the same as it was in Julius Caeser's time. One day thru experience humans will realise that "unending wantings" or living selfishly is unsustainable and then when the chicken come home to roost, the change will happen. At present it happens at the individual level to all of us but eventually it will become global and then bang, the change will have a chance or we all "GO" pouff. But then in Julius�s time, here was no coffee.

Yes.... what is ageing after all? The changing lines of image of my face or my progressive change as a person? With coffee I see nothing but youth.

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Well, our job is to make the thought visible ( if we are absolutely certain it has worth), repeat it as often opportunity permits because we feel it so. But can we really be absolutely certain? But our job never is to change others. Let them live in their wells if they are comfortable there. Do invite them in for a cup of coffee.

When there is disagreement, I simply keep my distance and let them enjoy their paradise. To each his own brand of coffee.

With so much pesticide & antibiotics IN us, how do we get sick?

After all the western/modern medicine is based on the germ theory and in this case the germs should not survive in us at all!

Then here is additionally the stockpile of preservative that should not allow ageing. I think my coffee is also affected.

A little circumspection PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2016

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When making comments on personal spiritual experiences or transferring data from old texts and practices from/into the occult world, we need to try hard to keep comments at a pragmatic level that would be nearer the basic understanding/experience level of the uninitiated at ground level, specially to the humans that have suddenly come into the wealth of knowledge available in writing and are in awe of their own knowledge but not having the experience to go with it.

Today we have the option to let loose our words on a very large scale, with great ease through technology and there is just too much information of every value around. This facility is being misused for personal “agrandissement” to show off or to garner attention to attract wealth as a teacher. Knowledge is for giving away and spreading I admit but we must also judge the receptivity level of the receiver. Our efforts should be to assist in helping in people to enlarge their view and exposure to the Universe, if we can.

A little circumspection would do a lot of good I think. There is always the possibility that a little knowledge can hurt the person who is not yet spiritually ready to receive it. It can be very destructive like a gun/knife in the hands of a child. As it is, one small glimpse of the beyond and most people tend to go and better the world as the first impulse. And of course their vanity makes them not very good students for learning purposes. Most people at this level do not realise that they have been given boiled eggs and they sit on it trying to hatch it – a lot of glorious activity with a lot of color, noise, fervor and yet, at the “CHANGE” level within humanity, nothing to show for it. NOTE: The tit-bits of 20

information is actually creating a havoc of its own kind. Specially in the hand of quacks and parents who are making the child adopt life styles that are totally against their good, growth interests.

Theory, Real Life & Practice PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2016

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Pradeep Pk Maheshwari: Of course it is the woman's right all the way. She chooses to have sex. The baby happens. You don’t want it.....that is fine too ( how does it matter to anyone?). The point is not if the fetus should be kept or not. Legal or not is not the concern at all. It is the act itself. The loss of energy, a colossal level of Creative Energy that is wasted for not much gain. Compare with: The amount of food that is first grown with such effort and then wasted away - it is something like that. In the Indian occult philosophical tradition we believe that for the emotional sensation of a few moments we are using so much of the body's resources that we are only shooting ourselves in the foot. The approach should be - with discretion.

Walter Myers: ¡ And what of the woman who chooses not to have sex, but is obliged by force to conceive? Pradeep Pk Maheshwari: MY answer to this is a little simplified version of what I really think because it would not make great sense to most.

But out of respect of your having raised a pertinent question I give my view as points: 1) In the natural habitat where the mind is not unnaturally titillated, it rarely happens without mutual consent.

We have to study the lives of aborigines, Polynesian islands and other Amazonian tribes not yet touched by the constant titillation and exposure to instilled thoughts and desires. 2) Mother Nature's ways of working are clear to us now and violence as we see it is part of the play. There are again some subtle energies at play that are not conforming to our human laws and morals so it is not easy to accept it all to our conditioned minds. It is best not to try and understand everything by our "Constitutional rights"/Supreme Court edicts. 3) The human mind has not evolved as much, there is a lack of self-discipline and discerning ability. The technology 22

now available is designed with an intent to sell ideas and thoughts. Everyone is affected. A lot of things are happening which would not have occurred had the mind not been exposed to these pics and intentions. The subliminal subconscious is acting and creating havoc. Desires are being implanted by external means and the conditions today offer great means to satisfy them.

4) Humans are now easy tools for some other forces at play in the Universe and these are having a field day as the humans don't even always fully know or want to stop any action that takes birth in their minds.... (it may gibberish to lot of you!)

If you would look at the subtle energies that are at work in this world, you would not be so matter of fact. The act of sex releases certain vibrations and very powerful, very self consuming vibrations. This energy can be very destructive when used primarily for pleasure. Abortion if you want it, is fine like any other self-destructive things human kind do. We raise animals to slaughter them so why not this? As the woman retaliated at me by saying that a fetus is not a person. Ok by me. But my contention is that the mother is more harmed than the fetus... in many subtle ways. The stupidity of mankind to mask their selfish propensity to live for pleasure and that too mainly from the act of mating without consequences if possible.....is anything in life without consequences?.

The concept of Brahmacharya was that the energy be utilized in more constructive ways, deliberately channelized in one particular direction.

Marriage as an institution is also based on this principle. That the energy remains concentrated in a core group. In marriage 23

there is an energy exchange and it is not wasted as it helps both to grow and maintain home and family. Wastage is when you deliberately throw it all away.

Life cannot be without Consequences PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·MONDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2016

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The stupidity of mankind to mask their selfish propensity to live for pleasure and that too mainly from the act of mating - without consequences if possible.....is anything in life without consequences?.

Of course there is such a thing as moderation but taking the path is each one's responsibility at the personal level and humans as they are as yet are not very responsible.....rather they cheat in and about everything. Everything is planned. We are not in control. Nostradamus is the proof. But yes there is BUT and there are possibilities but then we run after things instinctively and lose the options.

Nothing new here but a good reminder. I feel most of us live with a secondary thought of "What are they thinking about me?

Looking for appreciation and being accepted as somebody as "needed & irreplaceable" ........feeling adored and important becomes finally our basic life-support thought.

After having lived it all wrong, having learnt it all the hard way, now somebody tells me. But it was great fun. Anyway in my zeal to impress, I did better myself and did manage to get some applause too.....and learnt that all this means nothing as it is all momentary and every sunrise brings in new themes whole the old ones are forgotten. I wish my teachers and parents had taught me all this before I wasted so much of my time and life. The sense of camaraderie in the animal kingdom reverses all our prejudices and makes me at least wish for a little animalism in humans.

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I am neither lonely nor lonesome. I love being alone because I am pondering over some issues, plans and projects that need total freedom from distractions. And I feel mostly humans look for entertainment and engagement for some needs of theirs. I just don't happen to be available.

In the wars without clear objectives that are happening around us , I am just not able to comprehend how parents find it “Honourable” and take great pride in sending their children to horrible torturous conditions to die and if they ever come back, then not take care of them. What a horrible society we have created.

The Buyers create the Sellers PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2016 26

So the pesticide manufacturer manufactures the illness then sells the drugs for them at exorbitant rates which he is manufacturing too. There is some logic here but also stupidity.

Why accept in the first place that we have to eat their food. and second why accept that their drugs are the only way towards treatment? It is this idee-fixe thing that is enabling them to conquer our lives.

What we need is customer resistance but the human is a very lazy (and stupid) animal. It can see good or harm only when it is immediately perceivable by his senses. Long term effects/views are as good as non-existent for humans. And memories are the most unused faculties because this means learning and reorientation.

People eat by habit, availability and cost factor + the taste factor in which the synthetic food industry excels at low cost so it is very tempting. All this has led me to the thought that it is rather expensive to live healthy. Today leave alone making choices, I am forced to buy the cheapest, germ laden and pesticide laden food; so all this information on food although great from the academic point of view is rather useless.

In India 40% of families subsist on some bread down with water and some green chillies or onions. That is all they can afford.

In Europe which can be considered as the best of what the world has to offer, I have seen people eating by habit very cheap but tasty food. Talk of food and told them to take some basic supplements and they get bored and anyway would believe you only when their doctor told them. They told me frankly that they could not afford the kind of quality eating I talked of which also

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meant change of habits and with free medical assistance from the state they were not very worried about it.

I may mention here that I have always wondered why people go for families they know they can’t support which results in poor education and care and terribly bad health and misery and this has been going on since generation after generation.

Can the human be made to see further than his nose?

Life in the Pleasure Lane PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2016 28

Synthetically made and processed items. That people still buy it and affectionately give it to their children in tons is also true.

Since the last century science became the tool of the corporate world. It has made money out of it. The idiot customers think only in terms of taste, color and texture. The clever ones running the world love this situation.

Had humans considered life as precious and sacred, humans would not agree to bring in through birth so many kids that they cannot nourish or clothe even. Leaving them knowingly to be violated, enslaved and worse. And this they do knowingly to their so called "darlings". In the last few decades, the population has trebled, the misery quadrupled, and the garbage is 100 folds. Yet no one ever stops and thinks what misery they are responsible for.

Children as I see are accidents that happen on the “Pleasure Road�. Do we really cherish them? I don’t think most parents on the average have the necessary basic knowledge or education to bring up a child properly as dictated by the necessities of today.

I see that life only gets harder and we get older. Well, let us say that was part of the plan, straighten our shirt and get ready to cross the next bridge.

If we are to be superior then others have to be inferior. Simple.

Deep down everyone knows what they are. But the charade has to go on and the front maintained. Where is the place for a "why" in this establishment?

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It is easy to put concept into speech and words. Words are independent of strings or attachments. Every word is in itself true but does it really relate with reality around us is another matter totally. What our words may end up conveying is also a totally another matter. It is in fact very true as facts of life go. But this HATING pattern in our psyches is connected with our “amourpropre” and the inferior level of our soul on the evolutionary ladder which translates itself as a Superiority Complex - this then requires intense hating as a corollary. All words that follow from this source are suspect and designed to hurt and often get translated into action too of the same irrelevance.

Depleted, Deforested, Defeated PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2016

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The Industrial revolution is finally taking over the planet.

Chemical spills, Oil spills, spreading pesticides, voluntary seeding trouble through GMOs, deforestation at speeds by machinery that mankind could have no way achieved otherwise and lastly concreting the land.

The break with the Spirit is as good as complete.

When mankind can harbor thoughts like‌ - the fetus is not a child so abortion is ok - the seed is not the forest or anyway the forest does not matter either - children are expendable commodities‌ our pleasure comes first.........sending them in wars to be killed when the war is not even warranted - knowingly profiting via medicine/foods that are known to be harmful because it is the bottom line that matters and corporations are morally bound only to he share-holders.

The delinking to the spiritual cycle can be considered complete.

The Demons have won. It gives us the perfect argument to start things that we eventually will not bother about or take responsibility of, killings in general. Today my heart is heavy. There is too much Quarrelling in the homes. Attacks out side. It is grab and run but to where‌. This nobody is thinking of. The heart begs for sanity.

Time and place. There is a right time for everything. Animals are so natural and understand natural timing. Then there is the difference between child and adult. Which we as humans do not understand - I make this statement on the basis of what I have seen in the attitude of humans toward their children - we see

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them as mini adults, already fully matured/educated and continuously berate them and punish them accordingly.

The Shadows that follow us PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·TUESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2016

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Looking back, I must say that we really spend more of our life contemplating our sad moments. Even the few happy moments eventually bring more sadness than joy.

I have noticed within me a feeling of sadness when some people give me the cold shoulder because this is to be interpreted that I am not good or interesting enough to be cultivated as a friend/relation! It is also my observation that most people stoop down to a dishonest level of continuously finding faults all around them or side-step issues as if they are keeping a protective curtain around them. Trying to expose their fallacy will only give rise to long discussions and a lot of warm air And even more new points to argue about. You can expose them a million times and they will come up with new issues. It is never ending. You can prove it indisputably & scientifically their errors, but they may shut up then and yet start all over again when you meet them again.

Why would anyone want to prove another wrong anyway? It is the other side of the coin where you are doing the same thing Behaving insincerely or correcting their thinking. It is at best an ego trip to prove to oneself how great we are either way. So in my view the Fault-creator and the Corrector are spiritually at the same level. IN my relationships, I try to observe a sincerity level as a high a level in the circumstances or as much I feel the other can take. The idea is to not hurt the feelings of others but also to not accept nonsense from them. It should be understood, that most people will crawl away on their own when they feel that their bumming is not being accepted. Just give them the cold shoulder and let them be. Silence is a good answer. We should not lie but then we are not required to be bluntly truthful either. Let 33

them play out their game while we play out ours. We are ourselves in error when we are being dishonest in trying to please others; BUT reality sometimes forces us to - our existence may depend on it. It is not our job to expose the faults of others. Deep inside most of us already know where we stand and our shows and dramas are conscious props to maintain a facade.

I have always said that there is no enlightenment. There is a disenchantment and the curtain suddenly rots and falls.

Cruelty Lurks not so deep down.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 28 AUGUST 2016

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Why are we seeing so much cruelty? Are we basically cruel or what? There is so much anger seething under the thin film of pretend niceness. We want things to be as we have planned it out in great detail. We have laid down ground rules of what is good, correct and nice. When these are broken by the hordes, we have justification for anger, violence if possible and cruel behaviour as if humans are basically sadists.

Anger is the passion of the loveless. --Thomas Light I bring your attention to this picture and all the bruhaha of what women should wear.

For it is in the final analysis just another Female form. Who is she? NOBODY really! It is no one if you don't identify it with a particular face and the face too until you associate it with some interactive memories. This is the deeply hidden truth of the Human animal. And this is the reason why people are so heartless and cruel to the female person or any of us to each other. Because we don't see sentient beings; we see only a form to be used and discarded at our pleasure. ............

ON finding cures and understanding our sickness.

When one calls for answers(prayer), concentrates and starts looking, a chain and a cloud forms. Then when the being is psychically ready and is in alignment with the Universe, everything clicks into place.

After my dip in the cold waters ( cold for me) in Nice in June, I have not been well. I wasn't exactly sure what the cause was either. I have been going back in my mind as to all the indications the body gave at different times in the form discomfort and 35

related them to each other. I have been studying posts, data on my symptoms and trying out certain products and combinations available in India. It wasn't really working. I had not collapsed yet but I was not wholly well, even slipping in some areas. Yet a certain image was forming. IT meant also accepting the fact that illness of a particular type was brewing. .....Certain words were already popping up, sent forth by my sub-conscious. Was I ready to accept? I think I have always been ready to accept but that is so difficult as it would now mean a further change of lifestyle and reorganisation of habits.

Then, suddenly a post pops out at me in my news feed and the words catch my attention. So I read it through. Then Google info on the med even more. And sure enough the symptoms match with this homeopathic/ayurvedic drugs. I adopt the new stuff and I notice improvement right away.

But the question remains, how do I remove myself from the conditions that are now killing me? One of them is my being’s reactions to all the cruelty around me.

Nobody cares anyway.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 22 AUGUST 2016

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Exceptions: there are extra-human soul to soul relations that are never broken and never fade. But then these are way beyond human. There is something spiritual in these relationships.

Here is a shot of reality. So you thought everyone loved you?

Most of our impressions are purely subjective and only in our minds. And let us be pragmatic, as I have been contending that human relations are based on (generally) some self-centered elements. The interpersonal relations are heavily suffused with recriminations.

Your individualism is a myth - a chimera. It is a daemon wall we create around our Self to feel outstanding and justify our superciliousness.

We look for some semblance of identity in the eyes of others.

I saw through this charade very early in life. I knew intuitively when somebody was not sincere and I would then avoid the person/situation - with little regard to social graces. I can safely say that I have had a wonderful life with wonderful long standing friends surrounding and taking care of me and I attribute it to the fact that I did not waste my time in appearances and social jockeying. Today I may be nothing much to crow about but wait a few hundred years and you will be awed by the fine fellow I am on the way to becoming.

World needs a Wash

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST 2016

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Don’t pay attention to me. Just mumbling....... truth is that things will be done or NOT done because they are in tune or not in tune with our own flowering and development.

At the individual level, modern life with its organised selfcenteredness has permitted the dormant sub conscious to take over.

It simply shows that the conscious mind is now active at the lowest chakra level.

We are moving back to the graceful cultures of the forest dwellers.

We can romanticize but the body starts to recover when the doctors give up when interfering medications are stopped – proof that the drugs are offending the body more than the illness.

And of course the more silent equilibrium of positive vibes around the patient

Unfortunately the mass of humanity is still deeply dormant and this cross mingling of people and churning of thoughts and emotions is very essential for waking up one of these days. These actions and reactions make the world go round and people learn from the unfortunate happenings although regrets are mainly what we are left with but then despair and revulsion are designed to shock us to our present way of thinking and behavior and goad us to look for answers for happier results.

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Live your little bubbles and plop.

New ones will pop up and it will continue.

We are not ready to learn. We shall not be taught.

Our constitutional rights protect us from NOT being an ass

Orisol Brillanti....... At times it takes a lot of consciousness to recognize mistakes. Given same time and circumstances, I would repeat same mistakes... Wouldn't you?

Pradeep Pk Maheshwari....... the chances are very high.....

But in many relationships habits of behavior form and that is not easy to break.

The subconscious is like a mountain and it has a direct backentry into our activity centre; before we know we have reacted and acted.

Using our will and conscious mind to interrupt this automatic activity requires a high level of awareness and silence in the environment.

Did you think about me?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2016

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In understanding people and events we give them motives. The motives of course, unfortunately are based upon our own model of life - extremely personal. Then we go all out to explain the motives.

What a chimera we weave and then get lost in the net.

Don’t be in a hurry to define and explain. Give them the opportunity to discover you. Anyway why would anyone want to explain so much about oneself? Would you be trying to make sure that they do not get any wrong ideas not in good light about you?

Enjoy life to your heart’s content – the way you know how. At least you’ll die without regret – that is if you die – not just linger half dead in some hospice for months and years. We have now so much in our lives to kill us soon. So why are we living healthily just to become old to be alone. Let us eat white bread, drink Colas, cakes and ale and all that. Do everything that will kill us early and go off singing.

The argument against marriage is that it permits you to live more fully; unrestrained and comfortably.

If you want to live a self-centered life, and die depressed this is the way. Anyway why lumber another with your selfishness, stupidity and arrogance!

On the other hand, the small comforts of married life may be tiresome but at least you have somebody to make you "soup" when you are sick.

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In anger the weaknesses of the angry person shows along with their fears and deep guilt etc and the attempted rationalisation.

That is why it is important. At the personal level it is just blowing off extra steam but we need to not take it for granted.

Often anger is the only tool left to us to show to the other person that we are very deeply displeased.

Yesterday I remarked to my wife that in India the old arts, thoughts and designs are so prevalent even today that we have no sense of the antique. We are, as a whole, the country itself is ANTIQUE. It also made me think how many weights we carry in the form of outdated, out-of-the-frame thoughts … – that are meaningless and disruptive but we stick to them because that is how we have always been. We make them an issue of vanity.

Awareness Shocks

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·MONDAY, 8 AUGUST 2016

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When we look at life from moment to moment on the basis of cause and effect the cases can be made out clearly and distinctly and blame squarely laid. That is the human way of doing. It is the cause of much pain but this pain is also a teacher and forces us to look for the long chain that binds to every second that has gone.

The past comes rolling by. We are what we are and the children are what they have been taught and made to live with.

Our parents did it to us. We do it to ours. It is the human cycle and a lot of it is our Destiny that we had no hand in writing and added to it is our karmic bank balance.

We are stuck quite a bit in our thought patterns. The only thing to do is to break them and fly away.

Everything seems rosy from FB. Our obnoxiousness side does not show that easily here - this is why I love FB and my friends here. Most of them I notice can see through though - very perceptive people here.

Some comments are terrific teachers and have helped me keep my morale up.

Get Going. Move!

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 6 AUGUST

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Talking tantra, yoga, kundalini and other occult subjects: It's no laughing matter. This is reality. These subjects are more than just simple magic tricks that one can learn by buying a package on Amazon. These practices have real potential to harm if misused. But the money making thru them has gone overboard.

These so called gurus have encapsulated and rendered meaningless these very difficult practices - normally achieved with arduous practice. I read in a post somewhere a ludicrous post on how they can get your Kundalini active in a two days workshop and this would then bring, health, wealth and worldly success.

Total baloney.

Just get going. Don't delay waiting for the right time. When the Universe sends you an idea/opportunity just move.As for problems, cross the bridge when it comes. Yes. I have met many young ones in my family who prepare themselves and the execution of their ideas by focusing on what they cannot and should not do and the problems they will face. They get so bogged down by other considerations that they cloud their goal.

Not now; I’ll call you......

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 3 AUGUST

...and you know the call will never come!

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Imagine a big, bright gorgeous sun flower growing way high up in the air, attracting attention from all and dwarfing the mustard field and the other flowers amongst which the sun flower is standing.; very proud and quite assured of its supreme importance in the scheme of life as the only one who really matters.

When it is there, can there be any need of any other?

This is how some humans are. Well most of us are. (And this tendency grows with the degree of authority one has.)

Very intelligent and really great in many ways but so stuck in their little fields that they have really no vision - just a remarkable glow which is as you can understand has to be limited - but they see only their glow. What they don’t see does not exist and what they don’t understand is not worth breaking heads about. And worst come to the worst, if there is a problem, leave it to them and they will know what to do about and they will take care of it if they have the time. It is a kind of dramatic brightness that sucks all the joy out of a room.

How does one communicate with these grand masters? One doesn’t. We are expected to follow them, laugh at their jokes, let them run the show while we sit back like the idiots we are supposed to be and enjoy life. Any attempt at discussion quickly reaches the point of becoming silly and counterproductive.

The other field flowers are too small, too inconsequential to matter. This is to be remembered.

To keep the charade of supremacy they will always find your jokes bland or incomprehensible, deny your valuable inputs and will spend all the energies in proving you not worthy, rather than spend a moment to see where new info may be leading to.

It is a small world and you are not really invited.!!!!!

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The mind is such a fantastic logician that it can argue for or against the same fact with the same splendour.

Even make contradictory statements without batting an eye lid and - the best of all - not see the contradiction.

The only way to make someone see things favourably on any issue is to involve them emotionally; specially by making them see profit in it.

Happy with Less

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 30 JULY 2016 Aren’t we? …Examine the values we talk of and the excuses that we finally live with.

Makes me wonder if we are really not interested in a better life?

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I see people fritter away their lives in pretend niceties, pretend elegance, great charades, blatant lying, and creating facades. The comfort zone is the goal if you ask me.

Health is the first on the list of destruction that we bring about.

WE spend time in activities we really don’t want to because making the right impression is so important and end up being unhappy as most of the time is spent with people we don’t like.

Our food is a great casualty in this war of life. The body is the instrument of life but nourishing is not a priority. Today we may be happy with full stomachs but we are not eating well. Many vitamins have disappeared from our foods along with very important trace metals and minerals. The food is denatured and many obnoxious elements added to it. Water also carries harmful elements coming into it from various sources. Nerves are drying up and nerve ends are cracking or getting bruised resulting in many illnesses that are usually thought of as incurable creating comas and paralysis.

In most cases it is noted that the acidic conditions of the body are what is creating the conducive conditions for diseases and illness to thrive, General advice: Improve your trace mineral intake and diet.

Avoid inflammation/acidity causing foods.

Weekend Observations

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 28 JULY 2016

It is so sad to see people running in the same tiny circles, never looking up or down, never stopping to wonder or question the tiny cell of a mental prison in which they have locked 46

themselves - YET EXPECTING to win the world with every little wish granted - just because they want it.

We are as yet not independent thinkers - the majority that is.

Very few can be called individuals. Most of us are 99.99% under the influence of our subconscious patterns and mostly very proud of it all.

Humans are not designed for comfort. The more comfort and ease provided the lazier they get - although the law makers erroneously think that it will increase productivity. Human nature and general knowledge is still very under- developed for mature decisions. Leaving it to Mother Nature is in our best interests. For now.

One of these days the answers will come when they are really interested in finding it out. Everything in life does not have clear and straight line cause and effect which is distinctly visible like the sun and the moon. For the time being they choose to ignore. The intuitive ones know.

My Coffee. Nothing else matters.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2016

Which way is the world going?

What is going to happen?

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The world moves and is carried forward in time by the mass mentality which is at the basest of human intelligence, peppered and garnished with the highest possible human mentality here and there to maintain a semblance of balance.

There is very little we can do about the masses. All we can do and we should do with great fervour is to act from the highest ideals and principles we can think of in the larger good and leave the rest to The Creator.

How can we forget that we are here only for a short stint?

If we could take the attitude of prayer and in the morning just ask HIM what is planned for the day and let it all unroll patiently......we would really help the world move forward by doing, taking action as the situation presents itself.

Stressing oneself with conjectures, religion and politics is not only a waste of time but actually unproductive. Every individual is finally going to do what is in his head, within the confines of data in his head. Our telling and advising only creates backlashes.

Let us meditate on this.

A little worry in my opinion is good. It makes us focus on the situation at hand. But most people get surrounded by fear and lose self-control. The thing to do is to calm down and reflect upon the situation from all angles and find an escape route.

Everything that happens is a consequence of our choices.

Then why complain?

Or is it just wishful-thinking, excuses, blaming game etc to avoid looking at our own lacunae?

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The question is – is it a deliberate attempt to obfuscate or we genuinely do not understand that our choices play a major part in our lives.

Why do we all need to concentrate living in one spot in a congested format of the cities.???

200 years ago we did not have fast transport so cities mattered.

Now we are connected in more ways than one and physical we can transport ourselves at alarming speeds.

Let us spread out. Living in high rises in polluted concentration camps shows how stupid humans really are.

Blame God, Fate, Government

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 20 JULY 2016 Humans like to see others, specially juniors, children and the lesser privileged squirm and beg - make them look up with bowed heads while we look down. This creates situations where 49

“Magnamity” can be showered. We want them to think and act as victims.

So soon in life, we learn to complain instead of looking for solutions. It is such a “freeing” feeling to not be responsible. We can then blame God, Fate and the Government. That leaves us conveniently free to mentally shut down and watch life flow in front of our lives - as helpless victims.

It is uncanny how my parents and elders always blamed me for defending and fighting back. And immediately labeled me for the rest of my life as somebody to stay away from.

It is surprising how easily they see my raising my voice as violence and uncouth behavior against their polished, quiet, soft spoken "run with the tail under your legs" personas - such nice people if we listen to them, obey them, do as we are told and do not talk back – if anyone does then their wrath is epic but so awfully justified!

When we find something that offends us in others, it gives a kind of macabre feeling of goodness and superiority.

It is so satisfying to see that by our logic and principles we are so far above certain good-for-nothings.

So instead of distancing ourselves from it, we pay even greater attention on the activities of those who we find distasteful - under excuse that we do it to protect ourselves from their wrong doings and evil intentions.

Certain faculties we are born with. The process of life is to reduce the negative ones and strengthen the positive ones. This is achieved by stressing on it in our actions and thoughts and so influence the subconscious that the change happens as a natural in due course.

For some, the majority, who are living like automatons, it is best they let out their feelings, passions, desires, live naturally and let their destinies take them wherever it does.

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A lot of people take the path of self betterment and for them rewiring of the subconscious becomes a priority. Will power is then applied. The mind then becomes an instrument of change and growth by using knowledge to grow in stature instead of simply existing upon excuses.

We call this Raja Yoga 1) We "LIVE" yoga to change the patterns.

Yoga can be lived. There is nothing to “practice”. It cannot be practiced.

One can rarely recognize a Yogi by the way he lives his life. Yes if you look carefully, his demeanor will show differences from the majority of people.

When we say “we practice yoga” it is a misnomer.

2) Hatha yoga on the other hand is practiced with or without change in the consciousness levels. Normally the change is in increase in arrogance with the increase in strength.

3) It is so much easier to be indolent.

4) Life itself is yoga. The process is speeded up by the use of the WILL and by leaning on the experience of teachers who have known the path.

5) Nothing is true but your experience.

Destructive Patterns

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 16 JULY 2016 The moneyed class with their cornering of funds, using technology to create unemployment etc has created a frustrated class who are truly as the adage goes - an empty mind is the devil's workshop. What we are seeing is not terrorism, the powers 51

that be called it so but it is not terror but a shriek for help. Their lives whatever little there was of it is being destroyed systematically. Give them back their lives and they will live us alone. The need of the moment is to spend/organise on giving these people a living, something to aspire for. Our governments/kings are the problem. It is in our hands to change them but we are so busy quibbling.......we are not unified enough to bring in change. We conveniently blame the Terrorist for 2-3 short days and go back to sleep.

Looking for Bliss.

There is this behaviour of looking for reaching a higher state of bliss in and through another human is something that I can’t see happening. Momentary glimpses have occurred when the selfish ego centered sheath is pierced. Everything is possible if the ingredients are right. But at this moment in evolution of the human, a lot of ingredients are missing that would make it possible. Many ingredients that pull the other way are in action in full force. The human mind is a plaything of certain elements that humans are not even fully aware of.

Once locked in marriage, the pain actually begins. I have yet to see a totally contented couple based on the foundation of sexual gratification. Yet in the millions of years of passing the humans are still there. Looking for petty satisfactions, bearing heavy emotional loads - most for practical reasons, rarely for joyful ones. Although we are spiritually pushed to look for answers to why and how the expected joys did not materialise but I am deeply perturbed by the fact that humanity is not learning and every new born learns and dies with the knowledge gained. Why is the knowledge not 52

being passed on? Depression and resignation to one's fate seems to be rather the norm.

The influence of Words/Language: The words become the pictures that become the thoughts.

Therefore the words on which we are raised take a life of their own. Religions that are most destructive also have teachings to match. No wonder the Buddhists are the calmest and the Hindu the laziest.

We put more care in the care of our hair.

We show more concern in choosing footwear.

When we have outgrown these, we will Begin paying attention to being humanitaire.

Safety is in Staying Put

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 12 JULY 2016 Maturing means renewal. This means old brain cells have to go and make way for new ones backed by the effort of going collecting new ones. Do you think the old ones like it? No siree.

They have grown so comfortable there with so many relations and 53

so totally snug that they resent the very idea and resist every attempt.

Usually the exact opposite is the norm. A little push towards renewal and there is a hue and cry. The owners immediately rush to buy high speed glue and glue their cells together. This is their simple solution to ensure that no change can take place and the world will not change because obviously it does not suit them.

People would rather opt for their demise which they really don’t expect to happen. Why? Because they deserve it, merit it, have earned this consideration; have they not? Most of us are so naïve. We insist on helping them to change so that they can be happy. It is we who are totally mistaken, even a bit stupid when we should have been worrying about our own changes.

A short story on habits and the lack of awareness of the situation, inability to shift mental track and lose customers.

Today I got a taste of the oriental approach to selling in contrast to the western.

Most of the time the buyer in shops in Europe is treated as a knowledgeable person who knows what he wants. The sales people's job is to help find what he really wants.

In the oriental culture the seller tries to sell him what he wants and will try to gauge the stupidity, naivetĂŠ level of the buyer and then show the buyer his best wares (or what he needs to dispose of).

Making the buyer feel stupid and poor indicating that he first does not know a good thing and that he cannot really afford the good thing.

And this ploy works.

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This afternoon I went to my regular shop for ITTAR (oil based perfumes as made all over the Asian/Muslim lands).

The daily sales person I deal was not there. I asked for him indicating that I was an old customer. The owner was.

First he made me wait for two minutes while he made a show of being busy. As if telling me I wasn't important enough and he was too big a guy to worry about ordinary mortals like me.

Then when he raised his eyes, I asked for my regular perfume made from Kewra flower (Screw pine). His reply: There is nothing like a good perfume from this flower.

So I said give me a small bottle of something from any night flower in the range of Rs 100 or so. ( I have been buying from this shop since many months) His response: Where do you think anything good is coming for this amount?

At this juncture I recognised the game he was playing by veering me to something of his choice and I said "I see" and walked out.

Life Beyond Comfort Zones

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 10 JULY 2016

Yes. This is the problem. In the span of 70 years given to us, we are constantly evolving; some of us more than others and some often not at all. It is therefore certain partings will occur. New 55

paths have to be taken. By sheer circumstances we have to then evolve.

Better we do it consciously and stay ahead of distress. ....we take so much for granted but still the sense of power does release some of our violence. And it is not limited to only the people who have the license to use physical power like the police – this is the very obviously visible aspect of it. It is there everywhere humans wish to dominate, need to dominate to win their way. It can be seen later in every single human relationship possible. Very specially if we think we can get away with it and we are sure we are being very clever.

There is also manifestation of it as a sadistic outlet for our inherent violence which is always lurking in a nearby corner of our spirit. Often there is good reason for it. Humans can be very inconsiderate and where they feel they have “Rights” they can be very asinine and a sheer nuisance. The only way they can be stopped is with some show of physical strength.

The Cruel streak in humans is very strong. Until this fact is accepted by humans we are not getting anywhere. We humans are not the kind loving beings we would like to dream that we are.

Additionally we are all neither very intelligent nor thinking beings.

We are not all equal. I hear so much talk of love and that love will solve everything. I ask: Where is this commodity to be found?

When is humanity going to import it and spread it amongst us?

Our natural state is "single" - togetherness is yoga; a learning process and reconditioning process which is painful. Good or bad, my lips are sealed.

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A lot of "prayering" but no change. The WISHES are constant, unchanging from generation to generation, there is very little effort towards betterment of the self and greater contact with the UNIVERSE. Just a lazy prayer, seemingly virtuous and the great HOPE that the Gods will take care of everything.

A lot of our quarrels have roots in our private perceptions.

Mostly in the fact that we consider to have been injured. And mostly our injured feeling comes from not having our way in the form of not being understood or taken for granted. In our thoughts we see ourselves as givers and not appreciated. So we go to war.

They may be lying. Think!

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 8 JULY 2016 Things sell on the perceptions and accepted factor of the buyer - Not on veracity.

Marketing success is more on the factors deemed important rather than essential. Information that has been repeated often

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gets accepted and today whatever is seen and heard in the media and on the TV often enough gets accepted with ease.

Often good products that would have proven beneficial end up not selling if they go against the existing perceptions.

You must have noticed how easily the world in entirety got fooled with the notion that butter and milk are bad for you.

Hydrogenated fats and processed oils were advised. Nobody took a moment to read about these things because even the medical fraternity was easily fooled. If the entire specialist community could be fooled, what can we say of the poor everyday guys who get tired of reading after 10 lines at the most?! The joke is that data on the Trans fats, the loss of vitamins in processing, the chemical additives in food and the damage to the human body by pesticides was well known even 70 years ago. I learnt about them from the books of Adele Davis whose books were all based on research reports then freely available. But do you think that people have got any wiser?

Good marketing is when you adapt your advertising to tell the client the minimum necessary but enough to be “IMPRESSIVE” to him. We know what is bad for us but we choose to ignore it. The superficial and short term has become so "instant solution" thing.

Certain degrees like “Doctor”, Brands like Philips or Coke are trusted to the point that whatever they say is accepted as absolute truth and they misuse their clout to dish out bad products and practices. Even doctors never read research reports and go along with the advertising.

The “sugar-free” term is now known by everybody and no one questions it. How did it start? Why sugar-free is good for us or is it just our perception based on the words SUGAR-FREE? Who cares!

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This is one of biggest frauds being perpetrated by the food industry/corporate pharma and we love it.

Sugar is a natural substance given to us by Mother Nature, packaged in such a way that it does not harm our system with minerals etc but then it gives it a brownish color when isolated. So the marketing dudes put their heads together and purified it, concentrated it to become 6 times sweeter and made it white by removing all the protective elements from it. The “purity” took the world by storm and the extra sweetness was very welcome.

They played long enough on the word PURE but then it became difficult to hide the fact that it was the increased sugar intake that was causing the epidemic of many illnesses.

So they come out with synthetic sweeteners that are even sweeter and 60 times more harmful to your health but they did not tell you that because they have no research reports to prove in court that it is wholly bad. Legally protected they dish it out now in almost all food items and sell it on the strength of the words “Sugar-free”.

Please people think; you are being served pure poison. The entire populace, hotel and food industry is glibly playing out the game and with the increased profits this brings, nobody is complaining. You see it is all in the perception!

Worse, people like me are called fear-mongers – creating a fear complex without any scientific basis!

Examples would help in understanding: 59

Lights: Too much light at the brightest are now desired. They eat up the Vitamin A in the body and spoil the circadian rhythm.

Anyone cares? No. And if you talk about it they scoff at you.

Now the incessant blue lights of TV, Computer and Smartphones are eating away at the natural balance and all the data on sickness from these products is being happily ignored.

Diet cokes: This is one of the best examples of cheating in marketing and lapped by the populace without a second thought.

Cars: From 0 to 60 in 6 seconds has more value in judging the car than the cruise, ease and factors such as city driving, parking ease, comfortable seating and gears among others. Big huge cars with huge engines are bought to drive in cities at 25 kms per hour.

But big is perceived as power and impressive. These last two factors play a more crucial role.

This same factor can be seen in most things people buy – like fridges etc.

Air conditioners: I remember when the power supply was not very good and in most part of the country it is still not very good, people installed Air conditioners of the heaviest capacity for the simple reason - it cools faster – without paying attention to the wiring load and the coming in voltages and end up having either a fire or the AC burns out overnight. I could never make people understand the simplicity in having a low capacity AC that would work without upsetting the electrical load and go on merrily forever and ever. It is more important to study the loss of cooling though badly sealed windows and doors and insulate the heat coming in. No – this is too complicated. The easier and simpler thing is to buy bigger capacity AC because the seller says so and he is the expert naturally.

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Reflecting on the Reflection

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·WEDNESDAY, 6 JULY 2016

Willfully the work is piled up and even when there is enough and more than one could safely handle in a span of the given 24 hours one does not stop.

Yet the need to go looking for more work continues.

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It is the same work, in the same field, in the same style and manner; there is no real learning involved and nothing much in experience to call it well worth it.

Yet the piling up of work continues. One is lost without it.

Is it the love for what one does or an escape mechanism?

We impress everybody with our industry and receive kudos and make money in the bargain.

This is too much of a lure for someone who at heart knows that there is naught much to his persona or ability and approbation is what one is looking for.

And the excuse to run away from life.

Family, friends, children and so many others can be so conveniently be missed out with the always ready excuse of being inordinately busy.

It is a virtue and pursued ardently; an escape that is wonderfully appreciated. Selfishness in a sheath of gold. Health is lost, the persona eventually sucks, the children move on and then one day when one is not able to do much but reflect on the reflection in the water, standing on the bridge one wonders where did it all go!

One even forgets which way is it to get off the bridge to go home if what remains can be called home.

Lovingly Lonely

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 Why is having someone/partner so important? Loners are seen with a very skeptical eye. I have often given thought to this question as to why do people think that happiness can come only when linked up with another. Or the other way that people who love being alone must be unhappy, lonely and miserable.

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I understand the need for coupling as a practical necessity and no more. Affection, mutual respect and habits may eventually develop when we see how couples and families complement lives.

The opposite is equally true: rife, strife and deep hatred also is born of the same route. It started with mating; then grew into families and soon into communities and tribes and states and countries. But all this is based basically on our basic and overpowering instinct to mate and possessiveness – my man, my woman, my child, my family, my community and so forth because it gives some entity to identify with.

But when intellectual emancipation comes, these lose meaning. The persona grows out of these borders of petty narrow lines of belonging.

Mating is still desired but it is not the beginning and the end of existence and rather a burden due to the constant emotional exchanges and wariness required to adjust to others – it is so much a waste of good energy, pulling oneself inwards towards pettiness while the mind insists on growing outwards without borders.

Thinking can be so subjective. I remember my uncle who loved women, so disturbed by the fact that I was not ready to get married. He kept on talking of the instinct to mate and the need to let it out or it would consume the person with devastating effect etc.... as if justifying his own needs. Which in the final analysis all talk about this subject ...IS!

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Ordinary but extra

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 2 JULY 2016 Technically this is a universal truth. Every single person who is a non-thinker thinks about himself as somebody very understanding and having great intellectual depth and perception although his everyday behavior may not show it..

Why do people take pride in being ordinary?.... in following the most mundane goals and then defending their position by the most negative excuses as if trying to explain their weakness, laziness and comfort-zone thinking by sounding wise and irreproachable.

Most people don't travel with an aim to see and experience new things. They go to new lands and return as they are with some photos and basically the fact that they "have done" this place or that. They interact little with foreigners and come back as raw as they had gone.

You must have noticed we used the bus to go around europe.

Besides the destinations aimed for we got a free visit to 6 more places and were awed by the beauty and culture of the places we saw.

Our connections with the locals added to the pleasure and our memories + we learnt so much from their different attitudes, habits and manners.

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9 out of 10 of us are pickled by the time we are 30 and with continuous exposure to the elements start rotting by the time we are 50

Rise of the Country Bumpkin

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 25 JUNE 2016

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This is the real issue today. “DISSATISFACTION”. They want it all. We are tempting and titillating them to no end with our digital reach - Like putting guns in the reach of children. They can only end up into illegal enrichment programmes and join radical groups to brave their identities.

The lack of discernment and yet the freedom to speak and that too anonymously has let loose a flood of bigots, semi-literates. We give them the same voting and expressing rights and they do it from their hiding holes quite certain they cannot be touched.

These are the real terrors of modern life in the digitalised world. If you will spread the food around too freely and keep the kitchen dirty, the cockroaches will come out in droves. The world is not ready for too much knowledge.

All the knowledge and the freedom and dissemination of it in great benevolence has resulted only creating semi literates who are not only hurting themselves but living an enhanced "enjoyment focussed" life.

There is an endless list of products that have only brought misery.

Want me to give you a few examples or will you work it out yourself?

They don’t see much because they don’t want to see much. I don’t think any living being has seen much more than their village surroundings but yet they talk of the world and gods and what not. It is all in the perceptions and machinery required to see some things.

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What they did to Galileo is an example. Until the atomic microscope came they hadn't seen much and kept on saying that they don’t see. They didn't see flying happening, Radio happening or TV happening.

Just because they don’t see means nothing in the final analysis.

But the body feels and we do not wish give credence to that.

If we are going to give credence only to machines and what they can see then all we need to do is wait till they come out with more sensitive machines..

ZEN thinking I would say to put it mildly, zen is thinking without letting the passions get the better of it and take you on a boisterous adventure just for the fun of it.... out of the reality which is rather calm in essence......

Worth of a CEO

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·FRIDAY, 20 MAY 2016

The secret is in: everyone contributes in whatever capacity they can and avoid as much work as possible at the same time.

There are CEOs and there are Burger servers. They all serve and are important in their own ways. The CEO we can and may do without but not the servers. Do not presume that long cars and air conditioning is the mark of a person and a standard to be appreciated or considered of any worth. Only those with inferiority complexes think that way.

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I can see it coming.

We don't write any more.

We press buttons or touch screens.

Emojis is the expected extension of these activities.

Already the process has begun by facebook by giving us buttons.

In a way it is so sad.

In the last 2-3 centuries the mind has been in an expansion mode and see what grand developments took place in all the realms of human endeavour. But It is now back into the contracting mode.

Perhaps it is time to get off this male female divide aspect; the difference and the equality. This thought process has roots in European thinking and has done so much damage by bringing in an element of separateness. This focus on individuality can’t bode well considering that we are so similar really – the same appetites and goals.

My wife loves to clean – thank the Lord, I have to shout at her to stop, I personally am so allergic to dust that I get sick if someone is sweeping even 20 feet away so I am glad and thankful that she does it. Besides we have 2 helps too.

I have my department in which I am good and take care of the home and make sure that everything works, is safe and the establishment is so comfortable that she will not be comfortable anywhere else.

When shopping for instance we divide the roles like: she decides what to buy, pay for it and all, take my advice on the quality and design etc and then I hold the bag and drive. She is the 68

boss and I am happy to let her be. In return she allows me to scold her now and then for being too stubborn.

Languages fashion us PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI∙WEDNESDAY, 18 MAY 2016

I have been mulling over one fact..... How basically nice people can be so curt in their behaviour which is helpful in attitude but presumptive, curt and their words convey "Lord-of-the-Manor" style that is so down to earth that it makes you feel as if you don't matter....that you are not worthy enough for your feelings to matter to them. Languages play a big part in fashioning our style of communicating. English tends to be in the active voice and a little commanding in style. Try to say the same in French which is mainly in the passive voice it changes tone;, becomes kinder. The same is in our languages Hindu compared to Urdu. People brought up in English /Hindi tend to command and sound curt while the French/Urdu people have gentleness in their words. And I think this also affects their general attitude. When a language and style has been associated with since the very first day one does fashion one-self’s attitude around it.

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* Pics that nearly inspire a poem..... but then there are so many, I went and had some coffee to contemplate on its beauty. * What is indifference? When we are an island, live on an island and behave like the most important and only coconut tree on the island * WE ARE ANIMALS + AN IDIOT BRAIN The animal can live without the brain but not the brain without the animal. The human animal is a mere vessel of a larger phenomenon, and unless this is realised in general and understood by the masses the conversations unending will continue in which everybody is promoting their tiny circle of influence, education, memories and petty lives and wishes; everyone thinking of themselves as individuals and exclusive and complete and all that would be needed is that the masses follow them for peace and love to reign.

Things will change when the memory bank will NOT be considered as knowledge any more. There is an intuitive side to human nature but this is blocked by the over active stupidities of the narrow/shallow brain. Once the intuitive brain becomes aware, we align ourselves with universal principles and then see the commonness and the faults and strengths in common and understanding comes as a result.

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Wired to be unhappy

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 16 MAY 2016 Asking, demanding, expecting, imposing carry a negativity which in this world eventually hurt us. It is in the very negativity of human nature to have these traits. We all have it and so rub against each other in a continuous stream. And we all end up being supremely unhappy; also wonder why!

Live wild if you have the courage. Without demands and expectations. Contrary to all organised living systems of societies.

Just don't complain how others should be to suit your fancy.

The sooner we realise this, the more at peace will we be. The each-other life is technically an impossibility. All friendships, partnerships etc have some contact points and mutually common courtyards. That is all.

The time goes in pursuing our different activities.

Complementing each other. Neither a burden to the other nor making any demands.

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But at the end of the day, we go to sleep in our rooms and private thoughts.

A wave of thought grew since the Victorian times that emphasised a "Pay attention to me alone" kind of philosophy. The need to make the marriage partner the sole focus in life cannot be a healthy way of thinking.

It is like trying keep in a narrow neck capped bottle the oil and water mixed together by sheer mechanical force.

We have mentally prepared ourselves so that we insist on being ourselves, not wanting to give an inch, considering compromise a weakness, expecting too much reverence from partners with “divorce� always on the mind. We have images floating in our minds and compare our real lives with these images and suffer in silence because life is not rolling out as we had foreseen. This is defeatist; it is a formula for unhappiness as it does not take into account the truth of the universe and its workings in which we are but a speck of dust being blown hither thither.

1) Women for men are tools to satisfy certain primordial needs.

2) The emotional exchange of vital forces is a natural necessity, about this aspect most are not fully aware but it is the base.

3) The company of women being possible only under the passionate umbrella of LOVE is not a real state. All relationships are based on something being given and something being taken some needs being met without undue stress.

4) A wife makes things easier to live in the preordained society we are all born into and pass on one's heritage and maintain a semblance of continuity.

5) Women have no idea the amount stress they impose when they burden the men with their expectations of "love".

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6) Part of the stress in relationships is caused by the importance women give to their importance to a man.

The vice- versa will be equally true.

An Alien Concept

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 15 MAY 2016 Looking for safety and security and a life without confrontations and mishaps?

You are on the wrong planet. Once you are on this earth, safety is only an alien concept.

You can only improve your chances. This is done by “learning”.

Learning about how things and people move and think and then train yourself to become aware of the undercurrents around you.

Then you will attract and know how to row your boat in this one way stream which is uncharted.

One way of safeguarding their little "selfie" persona is to become available ONLY to love that exists in their make-believe world in their imagined world. There it is so perfect, so precisely laid out in every detail that nothing in real life can match or 73

compare it, it is too far away from reality and leaves all relationships totally inadequate, incomplete & open to criticism.

There is so much dislike finally that they destroy whatever comes to them.

In their world, they want relationships but it is always a very exclusive one way affair in which others do not matter. All the world needs to do to keep a smiling happy environment is to follow their lead and praise them for their yeoman efforts. And everything is like a perpetual spring garden.

I had to bear the brunt of a volley of fireballs. I had the temerity to speak out of turn. Bang, the judgement was passed and I as the accused was good game therefore for punishment.

I just laughed within and cursed the Lord for having so much fun at my expense.

This is a general style of behaviour, I have seen, with not very informed, not very talented, nor much exposed to the world and having lived in a 9-5 safe monochrome environment. They are acutely aware of their limitations and but cannot allow any discussions on their fallibility so use tactics like ignore, abuse, reject, violence, threat etc to keep control or a semblance of control & superiority.

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The New Era-ttic change

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 14 MAY 2016 When we take all the awareness points raised thousands of years ago by the likes of Confucius, Buddha, Spinoza, Plato, Socrates and others..... how much of a change do we see in human behaviour and understanding?They say the Gita was compliled at least 5000 years ago...... and the relevance has only grown. They argue that it now reaches more people due to all the technology but it is reaching more people because there ARE more people - think what was the population 5000 years ago? If humans had imbibed and inculcated in their children and administration any of these basic values, we would not have been so quarrelsome yet. Even the very basic values given in the ten commandments could not be instilled. Why? Because humans were not yet aware then. Awareness has kicked in only in the last 75

century and so is the opposite side of the awareness spectrum is also the violent side for personal gains. And the world is at war with itself. * There is really no law of karma. Karma means simply "doing".

Everyone is "doing" within the nature and instinct provided by the Universe. There are results. Life goes on. Evolution is at work. The concepts of Good, Bad, Retribution, Recompense are mental constructions of a race only intelligent enough to sow discord and mayhem for now. The exceptions prove my point - that generally speaking the human race is just beginning to evolve.

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* This is a world of takers. And they would not be takers if they remembered. The shortness of human memory is so obvious and yet so ignored in our doings. You gave. The Universe remembers.

New people will come to stand by you. Finally when we give without calculation, we give it to the Universe and this is always credited into our account. Finally it is all a long lesson. And we learn and get shaped into a more real individual which then will be reabsorbed into the whole.

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* If we evolved consciously, death would not be necessary.

Even wars would not be needed and Earth would not shatter us every now and then. So much has to be ignored and belittled in others so that we can maintain an image of superiority in any entourage Let us explore other path ways. We can't just hang on to the comfort zones and then complain that life is going nowhere. * The courage to change, look within; But the courage required..... where is it going to come from..... ? - From getting disgusted with life as it is.......and this state very few arrive at.....and if they do, it is only after a few lifetimes when they cannot take it any more; never by intelligent analysis. And then we pass it all to the next generation. For intelligent analysis, a developed mind is needed and this comes only after lifetimes of study, search and experiences......... disenchantment with the pleasures of physical life, stuck in the "desire mode" Forgiveness.

In the human condition it never happens. The subconscious never forgets. And anyway the human is a creature of habit (not a good learner by any yardstick) and will repeat the conditions anyway.

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For all else remember…

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2016 For all else remember…

I thought I had a home. It disappeared.

I thought I had a family. It disappeared.

I thought I had strength. It gradually ebbed.

I thought I had "smartness". That world changed.

I thought my time has come. But time says no.

Will I ever have a say in my life?

Karma is not a court of law where you can juggle the results.

You are attached to your intentions and they unroll of themselves.

Even at the moment when the words are entering their minds, the garbling begins. What gets recorded and what was told can be so diametrically opposite that one often wonders at the great capacity humans have to deceive their selves.

Very early in life I clearly did see the confusion in the thinking and acting and speaking persona in the same person. What I landed up in was a soup where… I would speak the truth when lying was the norm I would accept responsibility when running away, hiding or obfuscating was the norm. I would take people at the words and confuse the entire issue and create embarrassment for all. I have been scolded by my wife often for not knowing what to conceal and reveal. I think it is called “Naïve”. In short I was a child in an adult world and never did really grow up and became a disappointment to my parents and a liability to others.

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But sometimes the past keeps on coming back like a weed and then the wise thing is to take it by the horns and complete its journey.

Who or what is a Fakir? A fakir is a person, a searcher who lives within the human community but without expectations and manipulation. He refuses to get involved in the machinations of the human greed machine and pleasure seekers. In any other way he is very human and trying to make his way in a world that lives in a very contrary environment. How does he do it? By faith in the positive attributes of Providence and belief that the Universe is a friendly entity that recompenses sincerity, goodwill, kindness and unity in thought/actions.

The stance of the WARRIOR knight. He fought well today and survived. Tomorrow is another day and perhaps he may not see another night - so what! This is what it is and this is what it will be.

Human relationships are based on "use & throw" ususally understood as under expressions like “ fair weather friends” ”need based sharings” etc. Once we understand this, all the enchantments vanish and peace descends because we then learn to relate with our soul and connect to the world through flowers, butterflies, the wind and the sun. We also finally understand that nobody really wants to understand others. This expectations and pull to understand are all rather self-centric. How can relationships happen?

We all have strong likes and dislikes and almost all are based on moral concepts or traditional religious practices in families; rarely 80

based on understanding of psychology, history and geographical necessities. We need to look at life as it is without judgement.

What we would like and what we consider as the right way is another matter and should be pursued too but too much vehemence translates as violence.

Austin Cole Astonishing, and beautiful. Fakir, you say. It is a pleasure to meet another, Dear Pradeep. Thank you for finding me, my friend.

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Growing up scientifically.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2016 From reading or observation, if you see anything reflected in you, become aware and change it. If you are wondering what to do about it in others, don't worry. We can only work on ourselves.

The Universe will take care of its own.

I tend to think, that underlying laziness and wishful thinking is more in evidence in our decisions than the other way round.

We must dream with expectations and act but live ready to be disappointed.

Most good parents, so called good and virtuous by society tend to be rather arrogant and treat their young with some form of violence in their attitudes. Not being there for the child and not genuinely listening to them is the most subtle form of abuse.

Finally I have matured enough to realise that we are all perfect islands. Complete and irrevocable. We are what we are. They are what they are. Observe, note and make the best of it. There is nothing to be taught and no one is teachable anyway and does NOT NEED teaching. Get this into your head pronto. This is the route to joy and happiness. Do what you have to do and let them do what they have to do and they will anyway. It is all simple chemistry. The Creation has its own chemistry, you have yours and they have theirs. Then when the ingredients mix - often, more often than not, there is BOOM. I can understand how the word manipulation may be understood or misunderstood. If you will notice this confusion comes from analysing the possible meaning. The word manipulation means much more than the negative connotation people know about. It also means the strategy needed to achieve 82

an end. You have heard of reverse psychology and have definitely seen it in use. This is friendly manipulation. Most humans use direct strength - using their authority if they have or their position in the big wheel which can be something like black-mail which is also manipulation. So we use our understanding of psychology and assist/influence the other person to think on a given track of our choice. This is also manipulation. AND everybody is doing it all the time - it is the only way to live/interact that humans know.

Technically humans are not ready for technology. Humans don’t use their minds to live better. If they want to kill, why not let them have cross bows? The time needed to load them will give some time to reflect perhaps. Even a karate chop can kill. So finally it is the mind that needs to be controlled.

Life, it is said, is a process of learning wherein we shed our sharp edges and mellow down. Yet, if you ask me, it is not a willing effort. We find ourselves in circumstances and situations that force us to batten down the hatch and plain and simple age melts down our ability to show off our arrogance. What if we did this willingly and with full knowledge and the cooperation of our will?

This would be yoga. We may even encapsulate a few extra lives into one and come at the other end far greater as a Being than we could have ever imagined in the natural course of things.

Whole lives are spent in searching for tenderness. Quite contrary to this earthly life founded on thorns. The permanence of sweet embraces dreamt of Is in the final Great Experience of eternal Death... How does it matter in which hospital we took birth. Or the date or thru who? Are we alive today? Live for today and the moment you are going through in the present. Your past is concentrated here. Your future is focussed in it.

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The Displeased Tyrant PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 2 MAY 2016 Quite a lot of people are basically the Discontented type. Being perennially sad is their base. Their persona starts from that point.

They cannot be pleased. They don't want to be pleased. Their idea of a good life is when everyone remains on tenter-hooks and continually strives to make certain that they are not displeased.

It is not like normal people who are basically happy but a few things might anger them but when put right, they soon come back to being their normal smiling self.

The Displeased Tyrants are so made that they can see only the "wrong". They even use exaggeration if it suits their immediate needs. Accusations also come easily on their lips. Like if they went in the garden, they would miss the thousands of flowers but notice the one plant that has not bloomed and then of course, they have much to say on the upkeep of the garden. And they love to point out all that is wrong. This makes the near ones defend their position in the hope that The Tyrant will understand. But the tyrant is not placated so easily. This is the perfect scenario that suits them. They bask in their superiority but are good actors enough to put up a humble front indicating that even with all going sour around them, they are able to maintain a semblance of not being affected by it all.

The great part is that most of these people are attractive and quite smart and they know it. They know exactly how to play their cards.

Most unassuming simpletons end up falling into their well laid trap.

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We all use this strategy, in milder doses, to keep others grovelling or/and to manipulate in the form called reverse psychology.

When these people trap others into marriages, Shakespearean tragedies are written

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The DNA Dynamics PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·MONDAY, 2 MAY 2016 We often make others feel awful. We may not realise it. But in the game of egos, this is happening all the time. For example a simple admonition like this to a child – “Leave it. You won’t be able to do it”. I have seen it being said even by bosses and often in homes from wives to husband or vice versa. It is happening to all of us and we are all involved in some way or another. We are the source unknowingly due to all the scheming, white lies and pretended niceness we often adopt. Eventually relationships arrive at a point that there is no mutual respect left.

This is what I have fought about in our families always.... we speak out only in anger and to criticise/humiliate. There is a tendency to avenge each perceived insult with powered injury if we can safely get away with it. Then we feel free to even spread the gossip always a little made more potent, amongst us. But never any praise or encouragement or a nice word “for” us.. For this reason I have always said we are one of the most “tamasic”, negative people on earth. You end up with tags like: He is not be trusted. He does not respect anyone’s wishes. He is a wastrel. He is very selfish. Then they have this explanation for everything they do: We are doing it for your own good.

I have seen that manipulation becomes necessary in certain relationships like child and overbearing parents, nagging wife, employee and overbearing boss. Where conversation based on mutual respect and understanding does not exist and we have no options to run away from it, then the art of manipulation comes

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handy. It is a matter of whatever you can get out of the situation for that particular instance.

It is an uncomfortable truth of this life on earth that the more beautiful things you wish to surround yourself with, the more lies you have to live with. None of the pretty establishments are possible without allying with insincerity at the core because making money is strongly influenced by social niceties, norms, give and take and the system available to us.

So we end up having coffee with people we do not like, praising things we do not like, creating publicity materials which are dishonest, pushing products that we know are below par. We are virtually living in a dishonest environment and losing the love of our children and the pleasure of association with them, the family becomes foreign to us and we have never time to smell the flowers in our garden in our estate and the sunsets just aren't there for all practical purposes. The control of the "dishonest" powers is absolute Improve your spiritual well-being via creative pursuits, natural settings and sacred spaces. Let yourself off the hook and relax, especially if life has been stressful.

Not making oneself available to the stressful factors around us is a trick that has to be learnt.

Then our DNAs play the fool in the drama of the sexes. When you look at a woman and something rumbles within, what are you reacting to? I would ask every man to meditate on it. What makes the pom pom go? Is it our DNA, programmed since million of years to react and act? Is it the beauty that we are conditioned to appreciate? Is it just our hormones activated by some spirit energy that we see and feel in the eyes?

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Awfulysing Life PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·FRIDAY, 29 APRIL 2016 * Today the problem is cutting out the useless. For one, people do not know what is not of use. The temptations of variety has muddled our cravings. There is just no end to it. And we don’t know where to stop. There are very few emancipated individuals who purposefully say no to anything that drags them down into complexities. * We often make others feel awful . We may not realise it. But in the game of egos, this is happening all the time. For example a simple admonition like this to a child – “ Leave it. You wont be able to do it”. I have seen it being said even by bosses and often in homes from wives to husband or vice versa.

It is happening to all of us and we are all involved in some way or another. We are the source unknowingly due to all the scheming, white lies and pretended niceness we often adopt.

Eventually relationships arrive at a point that there is no mutual respect left. * It is an uncomfortable truth of this life on earth that the more beautiful things you wish to surround yourself with, the more lies you have to live with. None of the pretty establishments are possible without allying with insincerity at the core because making money is strongly influenced by social niceties, norms, give-and-take and the system available to us.

So we end up having coffee with people we do not like, praising things we do not like, creating publicity materials which are dishonest, pushing products that we know are below par. We are virtually living in a dishonest environment and losing the love of 88

our children and the pleasure of association with them, the family becomes foreign to us and we have never time to smell the flowers in our garden in our estate and the sunsets just aren't there for all practical purposes. The control of "dishonesty" is absolute. * In India we follow the adage: If your faults begin to show, complicate things and make them murkier. And find scapegoats. * I saw the film Bajirao Mastan. All I gleamed from it all was the cussedness and rigidity of the mother who would rather lose her child than shift her principles of absolute control and let life go on.

Prepared to even commit murder and let love be sent to the guillotine. Her hate gave her an identity and she let it spread into the next generations.

The worst thing that can happen to the children are the parents - from the Tantric(occult) point of view.

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Fleeting Thoughts this week PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 23 APRIL 2016 * Most often it is the wife or husband who does the needful to bring pressure of change in our lives. How many of us do anything spectacular enough to have enemies? For once I do not agree whole heartedly with Dalai lama although what he says is basically true. * The average person is called average because he is average and that to by taking into account the achievements of others to get an average figure. So normally the people we call average are rather lowly in real terms * Do what you think is enjoyable. Get into trouble. get punished. Sit and ponder. Evolve. Start again. * Jojo Simons : I think some people are dead long before they die.

Pradeep Pk Maheshwari It happens around the age of 24-30 to most. It is virtually impossible to revive them. Therein they are doomed to roam the earth as zombies. * All wars are bloody finally so let us not get embroiled in exceptions and deceptions. Focus on the justification of wars and quarrels. People kill others, bosses overwhelm their employees, wives nag their husbands, elders hurt their children - all because they feel justified. All have very good reasons; at least they they say so and when in authority and in a position to enforce it, they go ahead - without exception! That is where the problem is and until this is seen in proper perspective, it is all a waste of time. All this history is best treated like reading the newspaper - read and forgotten by the next morning when a new edition arrives. And don’t forget Ashok and Duryodhan. No argument/ It is a matter of 90

perception. The seed is the same. It is like an oak and blade of grass existing and birthing from the same source * Do not let the negative thoughts, judgemental side, manipulative plans etc to under-cut the good that is happening in our lives The Vedas and Upanishads and the epics Mahabharat/Ramayan are I think what remains of the culture/stories that existed in the time at least 15000 - 35000 years ago spread all over the world. It got lost in other places but in India survived and flourished. I think most of what we associate with Hinduism happened in the Asia Minor area. In other places it survived in a deformed form in the name of other religions but commonness can be seen even superficially in the stories they recount. The core of these stories have happened but got embellished in the telling and names changed mainly due to alterations from sounds transmitted orally and stories modified to suit the times, conditions and areas where they travelled to. * Oh kindness is in plenty only the media in its money making and manipulation focusses on the malodorous part of life filling our heads and hearts/lives with distaste and then subconsciously making us do distasteful things by instilling a revengeful attitude.

Clever bustards (referring to the bird & pun intended) selling death and dreams to want to be alone in total selfishness. * If you don’t create your niche and corner you will be literally "nowhere". Especially at the end of one’s life when the platform group on which we grew starts disappearing Humans have very short memories. Remember.

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Life cannot be taken for granted PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·FRIDAY, 15 APRIL 2016 * Oh kindness is in plenty only the media in its money making and manipulation focusses on the malodorous part of life filling our heads and hearts/lives with distaste and then subconsciously making us do distasteful things by instilling a revengeful attitude.

Clever bustards (referring to the bird of death but pun intended) selling death and dreams to want to be alone in total selfishness. * For old age. If you don’t create your niche and corner you will be literally "nowhere" Don’t be fooled by the idea that your friends and family of today will be there. Humans have very short memories. Remember. * You know every time a birth happens who rejoices? Death!

Every time a lamb is born, the wolf rejoices more than the mother.

I am stationed in Uranus. And from here all I see is every creature gobbling up others around it. The animals do it for food. The Humans are doing for food as well for entertainment and most are wiping out everything around them to build estates to luxuriate in.

Even the healing groups are creating more suffering than healing.

It is a grand joke if you ask us from other planets. The only guy who is laughing and having his fill is Death. And at every birth he rejoices because it means he has more lambs for his killing pleasure. – not that he has much to do with all the unscrupulous thoughts and feelings humans have. * This fire of hate is all engulfing if we are not careful. Bad for the earth's consciousness and it is happening in nearly every corner of the world. The intensity with which the hate is pouring out (for whatever reason) is quite at the max level.

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* On relationships in today’s world – of all kinds. The impermanence nature of things. Everything is to be without effortit is either you fit in or you don’t. Too many choices have made men greedy and even more self-centered than ever. Humanity could do with less choices and possibilities but determined by benevolent rulers. History is my proof. This is the only system that has worked till now (unfortunately a ruler of this caliber comes once only in a 1000 years). * Death comes always. And always with a very good excuse.

Interpret it to suit your moral way of seeing life but that is just a mind game. Neither Karma nor Death can be understood by the human mind * The way LOVE is being interpreted today, the only way we can be “loving” and kind is to find a cave in the mountains and sit in the lotus pose and fast unto death. Every other action is pejorative to somebody else it seems.

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It is all of us PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 9 APRIL 2016 Anita Menon: Every storm passes.....Every single one......

PK: ...until the next one. The problem is not the storms. It is the interval at which they come. Occult knowledge says that people with "possibilities" and propensities towards betterment of their personas are the chosen ones, and the storms are sent to them to keep them on their toes and assist their Soul's aspirations. The truer the aspiration, the more the troubles, peppered with many storms in continuous waves. But these people are also provided with intelligence and the means to weather it all ( of course by the Universe).

Jojo Simons Anti Israel people seem to be filled with such hatred they make Nazi's seem reasonable.

PK‌. hahaha what is happening today and the way it is being done, is far cleverer, sinister and widespread. The entire Earth has been affected. In 1940 we had one figurehead to blame. It is no more one guy here and one guy there. Now the chain is so big and being done with such finesse that no one person can be blamed and the perpetrators have hidden their agendas well and have managed to undermine the very existence of 99% of the world.

The Devilishness is not only in the obvious violence we see but also in the products unleashed over the last 50-70 years. Every single one product has enriched the perpetrators and the common guy has willingly been a partner to it all. Excess in all things is the "Word". The idiots in quest for personal glory (an 94

idiot basking in the pride of his colour TV, Smart phone, Limo sipping caffeinated drinks and eating fake food are examples including services like medical care, credit cards etc.) are the pillars on which these Devils operate.

Look at the big picture and not on spots here and there. There is deliberate provocation and then reactions become excuses to hit back. The game being played is not what is obviously being shown to us. All that is happening between countries is carefully choreographed towards war and control.

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Ruminations on my Birthday PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡THURSDAY, 7 APRIL 201625 reads * The garden may not be Zen but Zen is in the garden.

Following hinduism/buddhism will not make you vegetarians but meditation and growth of the spirit into a more balanced Being will. It is a natural happening. * But we humans end up judging too much. Wait and see which way the wind is blowing.... What paths open up on the way....

When the heart is sincere, the Universe puts in His shoulder to ours * I know what I can get done. This is more important than knowing exactly the nitty gritty of every action we take in life. (Do I need to be an expert in medicine to go to a doctor? Do I have to be an engineer to get a car repaired?) We have experts in their fields that we rely on. So focus should be on what we intend doing. The method is secondary. The way will open up of itself. * Finally when all is said and done, the Universe will have His Say and that is what will happen. All our wisdom notwithstanding * The way the things are, it seems the dark ages with a digital overtone are already here Come on grow up. When the heart is made up, it is made up and nobody really cares.

100 years ago food,water and air were not adding to the chemical stress the body is having now. Alcohol was not such a problem, But today the body is overloaded beyond its capacity by at least 6 times and collapses very fast into cancer due to the disruptions it undergoes. * Languages are likes seas. Terrifying when one has not learnt navigation. You cannot expect the common deckhand to 96

understand the working of the minds of the Captains. Too much power to the deckhand without the education has resulted in the mutinous situation of the world order that we see today.

C Sadanandan Chelikkattil ¡ Very well thoughtout and written article.

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The Soul of the Party PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 3 APRIL 2016 The 3 "INGs" that create this separatedness between us and the Universe. The arrogance of Being The arrogance of Doing The arrogance of Knowing. PK All this information is mental gymnastics at best. Let us live in the present and think of what needs to be done in the future. It is best to consider historical connections as play but past.

When you want to do the right thing in a world going the wrong way, things can be hard on the spirit. I was thinking while waiting for my madam just now in the market, that the basic thinking has really gone all wonker. Christian thought of the medieval ages, then the Victorian thought patterns that ruled a great part of recent history and spread European culture on 3/4th of the world, followed by WWs and the technological age mixed up with Hippie thinking and American adventurism now ‌.. a total hotch potch with Budhism and Yoga and what not. And to top it all now the digital divide. The basic truth has been lost in this pretend age of Niceness, Politically correct behaviour and perceived Compassion.

And in the name of personal freedom we pride in excessing our basest behavior.

God save this poor world. HE must be laughing HIS head off.

In any religion or teachings of a saintly persona.... Yes even if all things said are literally true, the meaning contained is of upliftment of the spirit is the message. And focus is needed there rather than the nuts and bolts of the personal historical dates & 98

story of his life. We need to go beyond the importance of dates and exact happenings. Focus should be on the message and not the messenger.

The way I really follow: Give the other person my focussed disdain and let Karma do the rest.

Why should I waste my energy on revenge. It is so petty.

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Pondering by the Pond PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 26 MARCH 2016 Intuition: All it needs is a little silencing of the spirit, quietening of the din of desires and pre-decided goals so the voice from within can be heard.

People can, if they wanted, delve deep into their own selves and know and feel the aura of others if they would simply permit themselves the joy of living in the intuitive world.

Often relationships last because an emotional dependency is also established. Some people also do not protect themselves or do not know how to and these poor souls are often vampirised.

We all depend on words to communicate but we rarely allow them to penetrate or register. The spoken word is just a mosquito buzz around the ears and the written word is just a blot on the landscape.

Very important to connect the nature in us with the Nature out there. Walk in the grass, sing in the rain and sleep on the sand.

Mother Earth will cradle you, sing you lullabies and hug you back into whole.

The human rogue element only can be coerced and frightened but not made to understand or learn to control himself - he is too much in awe of his own strength and intellectual ability + totally controlled by his habits and subconscious patterns.

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I must Fail. I insist.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 24 MARCH 2016 How subjective can we get? That we tend to take decisions and act on what is convenient and understandable to us and within our experience is not just a theory. Practical experience has proven it again and again. Positive thinking and curiosity go together. Curiosity is the mother of learning. Learning results in enhancement of our quality of life if we put what has been learnt into practice.

In their need to prove their better judgement, most people deny validity of inputs first and think later. Once the mouth has said "NO" then it becomes a matter of sustaining the stance. Then all mental, physical energies are thrown in the gamble to deny and fault-finding, studying the myriad ways it is sure to fail. Thwarting one’s own possible betterment and growth in the future. This is what I call being one's own best enemy.

I remember the HMT brand of watches. In our younger days it was a highly respected brand and then all of a sudden it started disappearing from the buyer’s wish lists. What was the reason? I don’t really know for sure but what I heard was that the top management was acting as the designer of the final models being launched in the market and of course their tastes being the benchmark, their selections were plagued by subjective choices.

Their sales were great to begin with but soon started falling. I suppose it never occurred to the top bosses that they were fine engineers, gradually promoted to top management posts in a manufacturing unit and that although very superior when compared to the common man, their market savvy was incomplete. And their character had been shaped by working in a 101

safe, secure organisation funded and founded by The Govt of India where losses did not pinch their pockets. The aspirations of the buyers were never considered and neither was the feedback. No market survey ever conducted. It was a monopoly and being a government run organization, the focus was “for the poor” whereas the money was with the richer class. So evidently the actual buyers defected and today the brand has shut shop.

This is a kind of reverse negative thinking; when you do all the right things for the wrong reasons. This is because all the decisions are taken while remaining within the confines of one’s own subjective comfort zone. Is it so difficult to see that the first principle of marketing is to find out what “they” want and give it to them?

A little peep into our lives will show umpteen instances where we did the right thing by our perspective, never taking into consideration any other factor. This always happens when subjective thinking is at work and our arrogance blinds us to any other possibility as impractical and impossible. Lately an advertisement is on the TV which shows a young lady going to great effort and paying a good price for a pair of jeans with the “used & torn” look. She comes home and places the brand new jeans on her bed. Her mother passes by, sees it and promptly takes it and stitches it up to make it more respectable, with absolute conviction that when the young lady finds it out, she would certainly be pleased.

It is surprising how many people plan to NOT fail rather than Succeed.

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Failures there will always be. They are part of the learning process. And hopefully they can be kept in the limits of what can be called “affordable”. Negative thinking is the mother of procrastination. Procrastination means that there is no urgent need to reach a goal but rather “seem” to be doing; appear busy and seriously involved; a very self-defeating attitude. Considering that we have only a limited number of years on this planet, whatever work can be avoided is a goal in itself. Again the whole attitude is very personal and if that is convenient to the procrastinator, who are we to criticize?

My question is can we really run away from life?

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Wanna live like kings?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2016 First begin by thinking like kings. Most of us think like beggars; continuously hankering for alms and the bowl never quite ever fills. WE are perpetually afraid of losing the bowl but feel confident that we can manage wealth.

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Who dares to contradict me?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 20 MARCH 2016 The Threatening Attitude We Indians are perceived as simple, nice people. From far, the simplicity of our lives and therefore lack of need to upset the boat does shows in our docile attitudes. Then where does all this threatening comes from?

A story comes to mind. I wanted a part-time typist. So A retired gentleman, lame and in need because he still had two daughters to provide for was employed. I thought I was being charitable.

Although he was a branded typist by virtue of his earlier employment under the President of India, it became clear that he had never done an ounce of work and had forgotten all about typewriters in his long life of shirking work which was eminently possible & why people chose employment with the government.

So by the third day I asked him to consider his employment at an end. Immediately he asked for his three day’s salary. I said yes certainly but please come back on Monday morning as I would have to clear it with accounts. This man took this as a denial and abused me saying that we rich people make poor work and then pocket the amounts due to them and things in this tone. He finished by saying that if I tried to play funny with him he would give me a slap that send me flying 5 meters,; what did I take him for…….( I had to get him escorted out).

The other day, a year ago, I told my neighbours that their water problems are due to pipes being clogged and valves needing change. I know because I live in the same building. I even told the most prominent one of them that they should stop quarrelling and see to the supply from the technical angle. But no; they were 107

busy blaming each other for the troubles. So I took the unheard of step to meet the prominent one alone and asked him “what is the point of this quarrel?” He came at me saying that how dare I blame him for creating the trouble and I should be wary of him and that he had enough power to destroy me…..

Things were getting difficult at home. I asked my mother to forget what she had been and reconcile to the life we had now and that at her age she should consider withdrawing a bit from everyday irritants that are only creating quarrels. She retorted by threatening me with suicide!

Frankly all I see in the behaviour of most Indians is brashness, arrogance and a show of “nuisance value” to keep hiding from real issues and reality as a whole; as long as a sense of superiority and supremacy is maintained. Anyone here who dares to contradict me?

It seems as if the strategy is when things are not going to one’s wishes, deliberately misunderstand, accuse the other person in some way however farfetched, and then use the accusation to threaten under the flag of self-defense as the injured party.

Jojo Simons Losing face, has to be defended it seems!

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What have we finally achieved?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SATURDAY, 19 MARCH 2016 People from foreign lands see the people of India, out on the footpaths taking baths, being shaved, having lunch or sleeping and their grandiose feelings surge with pity and they put it into words such as oh how unhappy these people are or must be! They start wondering how to improve their lots and give serious thought to the problem by making suggestions and often even going the extra mile. There is only one question.... People who have no idea what a bathroom is, who have never seen a bathroom, can they visualise a bathroom and thereby be unhappy? I don’t think so.

Similarly there are a million of things that are not in our consciousness and do not bother us. Longing and unhappiness begins when we are exposed to pictures and ideas from exterior sources. And this is what movies, televisions, advertising and the printed media has done in the last century.

Of course, I admit that it also opens our minds to newer possibilities. But then that is another story. Most people start wanting without understanding the effort that goes into getting these extras in life. They just end up being miserable or if there is a tinge of unscrupulousness in their character, it surfaces. There are always short cuts to snatch whatever we can lay hands on.

And this is precisely what is happening.

The haves have not shown much scruplousness either in acquiring much of heir wealth. So in a way the have-nots feel justified in taking short cuts.

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Now the ones who have it are not feeling safe and are forever in an unsatisfied frame of mind as there are always better models and design to crave for. And those who do not have it now incline towards cheating and thievery. The peace is gone. Both within and without the mind. Finally I ask what have we achieved?

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The Battle-Game with Lord Vishnu PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 14 MARCH 2016 I am responding to your comment "You are often still in the cycle of some or other attack/retreat too."

When we take a body on earth, human or otherwise, we are subject to Mother Nature's norms.

I am definitely trapped as you say and I offer my experiences and deductions on a platter so others may reflect and perhaps shorten their own saga.

But all this is akin to a soldier being trained for battle. He may feel trapped but is allowing himself to be formed and not averse to it. Therefore not really troubled.

I normally make very general statements outlining a philosophical or psychological point. But you used "YOU. Perhaps if you did not treat my words as only transcribing "ME" you would understand that I am really under no pressure, there is really no pain. I have manipulated myself out of all the stratagems life has thrown at me. It is a game for me like Lord Vishnu throwing curved balls and I hitting for a sixer.

You would have also read my stories where I credit The Creator of much all that comes to me and happens to me and how Lord Vishnu took care of things for me. But with intense effort on my part to rise to the occasion.

The point some see it as complaints, other see it as sharings some see thru it all and know a game is on.

But in all this the learning, forming and preparation for the next episode is the main agenda.

You have missed this and this is where we disagree.

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There are beautiful people and ugly too; there are more ugly and selfish people than otherwise and then there are wimps or/and creative geniuses. When I talk of humans, it is of the general tendencies. It is not me.

Just because one lion becomes friendly, it does not mean that the very nature of the lion breed has become friendly.

Every story is me and not me at the same time as it has always been with story tellers.

One of these when the learning cycle is complete people will surely accept humanity/humans/earth as it is and not as they want it to be.

Human relationships are based on "use & throw".

Once we understand this, all the enchantments vanish and peace descends because we then learn to relate with our soul and connect to the world through flowers, butterflies, the wind and the sun.

We shall also finally understand that nobody really wants to understand others. This expectation and pull to understand are all rather self-centric. How can relationships happen?

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The Adventures of the Barrel PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 3 MARCH 2016 This barrel was being used to collect rain water from the roof of the cottage in some place high in the hills; it had nothing to do but to sit there and wait for the water to drop into it. It felt so useless, sitting there day in and days out doing nothing. A pity that it never occurred to it that it had an important job to do because the drinking water supply for the cottage came from it. But then what do we really know about what we are doing down on this earth and this life? In the distance the barrel could see the stream going for adventures to faraway places and being part of the big wide world. The barrel could see very far from its position high up in the hills. So it decided one day to travel. One fine day it rolled down the hills it seemed like good fun but then it started catching speed and this getting scary. A stone on the way down asked him if he could join him and they started rolling down. It wasn’t exactly a nice journey. The ground was terribly uneven and rocks and shrubs were everywhere. Yet they had no way to stop themselves they found and kept on going down: dhump, bang, shoosh boing, jhoosh! And then suddenly after a big dhump they both found themselves hurtling into the air. For a moment it was too new an experience and scared them both. Then just as they were enjoying the feeling the stone and the barrel parted ways and the barrel landed in the river with a huge splash; totally shocked by the newness of the whole thing and could feel a burning sensation from the landing on the water. And then it found itself stuck between two big rocks below some trees. A mother crocodile and her son were sunning not far away. The barrel was wondering – what now? But the fears were unfounded. The baby croc decided 113

to make the barrel its playhouse and from that day would spend a lot of its time in it. Oh well, thought the barrel, this isn’t all bad at all. But the baby croc soon out-grew the barrel and one day when trying to get into the barrel a flick of its tail pushed it out of its resting place, and the barrel started going down the stream again.

Sometime later it felt being grabbed and taken out of the water.

Another man had caught it and took it home and put it to use to collect rain-water. The barrel was exactly where it had started from. Ah destiny! But this time the barrel was happy that at least these unpredictable adventures would stop and decided to make the most of life by staying there, as part of the establishment – all that courage and bravado now replaced by wisdom of its place in the scheme of things.

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The desperation of being alive PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2016 People talk of the poverty and desperate conditions of the lower castes and the poor. Try and also imagine the hardship of being born in an affluent home, totally under the mercy of your peers. Peers those are ready to garrote their children if they come in the way of their advancement in corporate/political/money affairs).

Where marriages are made as corporate/kingdom mergers and the soul of the children is sold to the devil.

It is the same at every level. The stories are not so simple or easy but the forces at work are creating different sounding stories but really the same at the roots.

The feeling of helplessness, claustrophobia, terror, and repugnance are the same. Time passes. Changes nothing.

We have to make the changes on our own Avoid emotional train wrecks. Whether it's low blood sugar or not enough shuteye is to blame, doesn't matter to the people you're yelling at. Set a happier tone to avoid unnecessary drama.

Certain things will be because the components are in place and the power switch is "ON". A big BANG is as much possible as anything else.

But I say - let it be. Don't let your apprehensions block you.

Allow yourself to be surprised one way or another.

Jk Karrman Yes!

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My First First-Aid Box PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2016 I must have been 11-12 and I simply had to have a first-aid box of my own. The situation though was not promising. I was a boarding school student in The Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. A good dispensary was available to us from 7 am to 7pm and we were not allowed any money. So what!

This did in my logic gave me more the reason to have one firstaid box of my own. What if I scratched myself in the period 7 pm to 7 am? If I were to ask my teachers, or the dispensary, I was quite certain that I would be rebuffed; even laughed at. No. This was going to be more difficult than that. A stratagem was required. So I planned a picnic into the Red Hills area outside Pondicherry. This is a sandstone stony area in which thousands of years of water flowing has made canyon like structures. The picnic was planned. A teacher was manipulated to supervise and accompany. Permission was taken. And with this grand excuse I went to the dispensary to ask for some cotton, mercurochrome, antiseptic fluid to clean wounds and of course some plaster and gauge. Our great doctor, who could see through us, gave me one look, understood and yet agreed to let me have some! My reputation as a creative genius had done me some good after all!!

There all done!!! We had a great picnic. And the first-aid kit worked its magic. Nobody ever got hurt then or later. That could be called disappointing a little as the kit never got to be used really but I HAD ONE! Now as an adult I am realizing that we collect so much simply because we have to have one!!

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Yogeshwari Yogeshwari…..I am sure this relates to most of us.

Kathy Glover……of course, you returned the supplies to the dispensary once the picnic was over Pradeep Pk Maheshwari….. eh?

Kathy Glover……haha PK

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Opportunities vs. Burden PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·TUESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2016 When we are honored with a senior post, recognition and added responsibilities, is it a burden or honor?

When I was younger, there were many opportunities offered to me like Start my travel company, Start a school, Start a Boutique place, Start a company for some other investors, Big investors were behind me to do their business.

But all I could see was a trap to tie me to a post – like goat/cow and be milked for all I am worth. The very thought that I would then be stuck to a “seat” of their making with nothing on my mind other than the bottom line for the company and being at the beck and call of the investors gave me the shivers. It was so claustrophobic that I would end up disturbed as saying NO in the immediate family circle was simply not an option Every time these offers came my way, I was terrified of the burden they were placing on me. It scared me to death. Not that I am afraid of taking up a challenge; I rather thrive on them. But I insist to be at the helm of it. Being available to others to do their bidding was never my idea of life.

I wanted to be free to do my own thing, study, travel, paint and what not.

I was obviously being foolish as I was told for I would amount to nothing in my place in the world. Without money there is no life I was told.

But said I - I need only a little to be what I am, I am certain I can collect at least that much - and stuck to my guns.

My belief in the fact that The Universe will provide is/was absolute + that if any ability of any worth, money would come of 118

its own accord. The effort should go in improving ourselves to a point where we become essentials. Anyway I was wowed by the statement I read in Maugham's book that “It is a quirk of fate that those who do not settle for anything but the best, normally get it�.

And my idea of best was and still is to pursue my calling whatever it is, to try and learn in the process.

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The Irony of it All PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·FRIDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2016 The irony of it all. Most women when deep into their marriage complain that the men are self-centered, arrogant Momma’s darlings and never really grow up. I agree. The irony is that when these same women have sons they rear them to feel that they are the star, the moon and the sun; that the world exists due to them and for them! And this is behind the sad story. The stories of mothers in law not exactly being “mothers” to their daughter in laws has some basis in reality. It is a very convoluted relationship.

A daughter in law is needed but not wanted!!

Mothers, but first as wives, do not realise the harm their ways to impose their wishes does on the coming generations and this is being perpetuated ad infinitum. Indians are that way. Their little world. You are welcome into it only at their whim/desire fulfillment. Everything else is summarily ignored.

On feeling sad for yourself: The problem is the disengagement required from feeling sorry for oneself, to expecting others to feel sorry for you and support you - to dramatise and make the most out of the situation. Consider where going after what you wanted has hurt you and conversely where not asserting yourself has brought pain. Look to where you may have avoided conflict at a cost to yourself.

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Wilful deprivation PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 201613 reads This is the first lesson of Zen. Sleep when sleepy. Eat when hungry.

This is the reason why I have been able to maintain a certain level of balance in the biochemistry of my body's working. I attribute this to the resilience and reserve the body was able to create with good nutrition, timely support with natural medication and careful organisation of the environment around it.

In addition our sleeping time was appointed at latest 9 pm and wake up at 5-5.30 am.

Our school time in the Ashram was organised to give us an hour of rest in the afternoon. Our warden would make sure that we lay down. This habit got so deeply embedded in my body that it goes for a nap at the appointed hour wherever I may be.

This I carried over into my life. It was the most important consideration. I have compromised with most things but this - NO. I organised my life around it. No joke in this world of 9 to 5 living.

These timings are very natural cycles in Nature. Our bodies follow these times mostly. Known as the circadian rhythm. It is in our interest of maintaining good health to follow it. There others that follow a little different rhythm. One should make a serious attempt to understand this. For example I notice that my time to sleep is very close to the time of my birth. Now I am noticing the same thing in my wife and daughter. I love to be up and about by 3.30 am in summer and 5ish in winter. I am at my peak in the silence of the morning and by midday I need a nap. My wife likes

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to sleep by 11pm, get up by 8.30 and starts getting ready to go out only by midday. This is the biggest chasm between us.

Because the body is allowed to have its say and I do not interfere with my mind, now it is so ingrained that I cannot override the habits. I unfailingly fall asleep in a yogic sleep at around 8.20 pm. Often a short one but when tired it stretches up to 90-100 minutes. When in this sleep you can play a musical band around me and it won’t wake me. This tendency makes it very difficult for me to accept dinner outings. The time is always around 8 pm, food is served long later and then I am expected to drive back home. I simply an not able to return home until I have napped and this I do. But then people are used to by now of my cranky ways.

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You Telling Me? PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 29 JANUARY 2016 Millions of words are being said but only some click with us.

So called sayings of wisdom may even sound silly out of context. All sayings encompass some direct experience which is very personal in its nature. Then every soul is not at the same level. Therefore to many the experience recounted may sound odd or even stupid. Then in reality, the oppositeis also equally true – it all depends on the context.

And this problem is seen with all subjects. What is beyond the knowledge or experience/exposure of an individual will never be understood by that individual.

Sages normally speak from a very impersonal level and so what they say is universal in nature but that too can be disliked by people when it clashes with their personal agendas or indoctrination.

It is always best to choose your audience more carefully. When you pass on something, give it a context like explaining it why you find it interesting or how an experience of yours is explained by the saying etc. This makes it easier for others to grasp the message.

There should never be an element of wanting to influence others. Nobody learns from others. We can only share our experiences and this should be done among people who are interested in it particularly.

Often teachings are resented because they may prove another's attitudes wrong creating a direct clash with their personas.

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We all have strong likes and dislikes and almost all are based on moral concepts or traditional religious practices in families; rarely based on understanding of psychology, history and geographical necessities.

We need to look at life as it is without judgment.

What we would like and what we consider as the right way is another matter and should be pursued too but too much vehemence translates as violence.

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Minds and Men PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·TUESDAY, 26 JANUARY 2016 One of the characteristics of an unexposed mind is that it thinks the rest of the world is full of duffers and it is its job to fill in the vacuum. So it will butt in every conversation; dub things beyond its understanding absurd; leave you no choices; and be very adamant that its decision is to be taken as final and the best possible under the circumstances. It follows the crowd and thinks of itself as an individual: its motto – Everybody is doing it! This is also the reason why the TV, Social digital platforms, free internet are helping spread “attitudes & behavior patterns”. There are just too many cooks around. Most of them are spreading negative vibes which is quietly, unobtrusively spreading disastrous thought patterns and behavior. Today from what I see and know from the NEWS, every solution of young ones is to kill the problem guy or commit suicide. Even the slightest “thwarting” is reason enough.

Just ask yourself where these thoughts are coming from?

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It needed to be said PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 25 JANUARY 201613 reads There is a lot of kindness in accepting that humans are an evolved species and all individuals are created equal. But facts belie this. Most humans are already paralyzed with indoctrination by the time they are adults. Then life doesn’t really require them to do more than take care of their little patch. Their brains are in a virginal state and open to brainwashing. In the democratic system this is now obvious. The right amount of money and oratory gets you a good following. It is high time to focus on the awareness levels of the voter and customer base. Recent pronouncements, lecturing and posturing by many leaders all over the world in countries like India, England, France, USA have shown it clearly and created a great awareness globally thru & due to digital tech who & how runs the countries with so called democratic systems.

Big pharma and industrial giants in food industry have used this factor in their growth.

And a few words here and a few words there are not going to change anything.

Even history and clear happenings like the French Revolution, Rule of Cromwell and better examples of rule from Ashoka to Akbar have not made any impact what so ever.

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Everything they do is designed to sell and kill.

I have always felt that a certain amount of ruthlessness is needed in management but where do we find enlightened managers? Otherwise things quickly become unruly with every idiot wanting to air his piece of aria. And what is obvious to me is that the human race and the individuals therein are not yet ready for self-governance.

Yes - verbalising at great length is not a virtue. It is my understanding that humans are at a level of mental development where they need to externalise themselves in every activity and in thoughts they tend to then put into words/sounds to "see" what they are thinking.

BUT there is another side to it – which is that often thoughts have to be "placed" in the "heads" of others. Their wheels turn only when jump started from an external source. (The entire science of advertising/campaigning is based on it) It has to be short and sweet on TV or Billboard - any crap will do and it is lapped up. It becomes a documented fact, through TV; the subconscious can be reached or penetrated without passing through the analysing mind.

It seems the human animal uses about only 10% of its cerebral capacity.

And it all goes in our concern TO HAVE than TO BE. Dolphins use 20% If you look around you, we see great achievements as a whole which is the result of many trained individuals working somehow together. But individually they are minuscule in their abilities and understanding. For argument's sake I ask you how many people/individuals do you know who could be called experts in 20 different professions ( 20 different professions in one person or 127

even 8-10 profession). And I use the word profession - not subjects.

And the other faculties that now even science accepts like 6th sense, correct listening, memory, observation etc It is sad to see people taking great pride in owning a mass produced product as if they had created something exclusive. I think this is called making a statement. The statement that I read is that there is money available and you want the world to know it so you get the most expensive products, the prices of which are well advertised and the monetary value cannot be underestimated.

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What you are aspiring for as regard and understanding in humans will come when the consciousness levels of earthlings evolve. Taking human history till now you need to just gauge the development in the last 10000 years. So I can safely say given another 10000 years or so there should be definite improvement.

It is also a fact that humans earlier moved in a very small world circle. Now travel and media has opened minds to a greater amount of triggers. The mind h is now coming into its own.

In the meanwhile you should focus on becoming so needed, admired and appreciated so that no one would want to let go and should feel like squandering one’s life on you because appreciation comes of its own accord when you have raised your level of consciousness and you ooze gratefulness, beautiful selfless attitudes. It is well known when you are kind and compassionate in your attitudes to life, LIFE responds by filling your bag with joy.

Talking of respect, how many of us know how to gain it?

Demanding won’t get us anywhere. Especially as a right. Anyway what is so special or what have you done so special as to expect it at all?

All the women forced to wear hijab and burqua must be wondering what is it all about.

I wanted to bring out the thought that with the feminine physiognomy is not a secret, and available to view openly in all Medias, what is there making the men so secretive about?

Control is all it is always about. One thing I have not understood: why this need to hide them so menacingly. Most women live in families with a lot of others around them all the time. Having a sexual escapade is difficult. Is sex is all there is in relationships?

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Why are men so afraid! What is so precious about "their" particular woman? Is he afraid that he is not good enough and that SHE might be attracted to another?

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Thee & Thine as a Bill Board PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 21 JANUARY 201622 reads It is sad to see people taking great pride in owning a mass produced product as if they had created something exclusive. I think this is called making a statement. The statement that I read is that there is money available and you want the world to know it so you get the most expensive products, the prices of which are well advertised and the monetary value cannot be underestimated.

I remember when my cousin went abroad and came back as the proud owner of an Omega wrist watch which unfortunately did not attract much attention. His was lamenting how it was the most useless thing he had bought as nobody ever appreciated or looked at it.

Just imagine, permitting yourself to be a bill-board and think that you are making an impression.

The only impression I get is that you need props such as these to show the world that you have arrived.

If a label on your shoe and shirt makes you feel this, I wonder what kind of arrival is this to be considered. Most high priced cars are bought for this main reason and the car industry is surviving on it.

The “Exception Lobby” would immediately say that it is not always so. I agree. Most of the expensive products are also technically better products with features that are way superior to the middle class average products. But I raise this question: Do we really need these awfully superior features?

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Once I was in New York with a cousin and a Rolls passed us. His exclamation was: “is this guy crazy? Bringing a Rolls into New York?” Today I have the same reaction when I see convertibles in the world’s most polluted city – Delhi. Just imagine a Mercedes Coupe in the unorganized, undisciplined traffic of Delhi that barely crawls at 20 KMPH. Any way Indians love flaunting. Making overkill statements comes easily to us.

I never buy anything where the brand name is displayed so prominently that I become a walking advert-billboard for them.

I would never agree to anyone putting a sticker on my car for the same reason. Yes I agree I am a snob. And this reminds me of a story: A guy came into inheritance and he immediately went to buy himself a better car and he bought a second hand Jaguar. His close friend, surprised, asked him why a used one? His reply: so that people would think he always had one!

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The Hiding Syndrome PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 20 JANUARY 2016 Do we really need these elaborate props to "BE" somebody?

Are we somebody to begin with?

Do people have the talent needed to recognise worth?

Is a kingly posture possible without these props?

So finally can we say that we put up this pomp & show because it is expected!

Well Lord I think now you will have to let me go out into fresh air. I refuse to fight or demand anymore. I refuse to do anything, So there! What are you going to do now? Just feed me and let me live in comfort while I post these inanities on Facebook?

Often we start without knowing what the future will bring. Our hopes are very encouraging.

Where does this optimism suddenly disappear to when the going gets a little difficult?

I tend to think, that underlying laziness and wishful thinking is more in evidence in our decisions than the other way round.

We must dream with expectations and act but live ready to be disappointed.

I wonder what friends and relatives are afraid of in letting each other know or give a first preference on events, happenings,

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stories or when there is buying or selling. I think we open up more and more easily to strangers.

When a child I used to sit and watch my Mamaji (Brother of mother) who practiced medicine in our town of Hapur. Boy! Was it exasperating!?

Most of the patients were from out-lying villages and would come to the town doctor - the most famous one - only when their own "trials" had failed and mostly too when the case would have reached a critical stage.

The conversations that would ensue were fairly comical.

I wondered if they had come for advice or what. Quite the opposite. They would normally try to push on the doctors their own diagnosis and quite often they would hide many symptoms pretending them to be unimportant because at heartthey knew that their own self-medication had worsened them.

And now when I sit by some doctor friends, I see nothing has changed. The "hiding" has become more eloquent with education!

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PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2016 It is so obviously clear now that most of our pains are selfinflicted based mainly on the positions we take on the foundation of self-worth and presumed entitlements. Our expectations from others are fashioned accordingly.

Something that is totally in our mind, others not being aware of it for the simple reason that they have no way to learn how your secret thoughts are forming.

We then obviously crib within and like sour-pusses, make our life bitter and for others too we create a stream of unpleasantness for which there can never be any resolution. The bitterness keeps on spreading and engulfing. Life becomes hell and few know how to break out of this trap. Normally once we fall in the well of selfpity and often to sound virtuous we put up a show of self recriminating drama, the vortex keeps on pulling one down into the murky areas of the self from which only distress can emanate.

Emotional blackmail always backfires and blows up our life irreparably.

People tell me that the argument started because the other party could not see my point of view in the first place.

Often what I have seen that arguments happen when there is a deeper need to "control". It is the Ego-Vampire nexus at work.

There was no intention of trying to understand to begin with.

The words and reasons are couched in reasonableness and very logical sounding. But in the name of "helping", "being kind and virtuous", "wanting the best for you� and such, people are insidiously trying to impose themselves.

This is where the discordant notes arise. When they are found out, they hide by behaving as the injured party. The proof is in the fact that they immediately break-off relations because where there is reasonableness nobody ever breaks off relations.

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The stumble was destiny's way of telling you that you are not paying attention.

The stones have done their assigned duty; now it is up to you.

Well perhaps we may not see god but certainly we see His hand everywhere. Where do you think came the intelligence in humans and the raw materials on this earth to make all the wonderful things that we now enjoy?

Let us not get engulfed by the feeling of arrogance of being the doers with no support from anywhere.

Think a little more kindly.

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PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 14 JANUARY 2016 * On the disturbing trends of today’s personality clashes: Most good parents, so called good and virtuous by society tend to be rather arrogant and treat their young with some form of violence in their attitudes.

Not being there for the child and not genuinely listening to them is the most subtle form of abuse.

The children have to bear a lot of the brunt of their parent’s mistakes because they are totally unprotected and they can be blamed for a lot without anyone getting the wiser.

There is also something like loving abuse in the form of emotional black-mail.

It just doesn't happen in a day. Attitudes and cover-ups in society create this messed up personas we are seeing more and more. There is disturbance right from the core of the being.

Another point that I would factor in, is the complexity of doctrines now the young ones have to face. It is confusing and contradictory. The soul from within responds; the world outside, the reality one is living in is contradictory. Parents are simply not ready to take on this new parenting load. Neither by education or by training nor by willingness. They started with sex on their minds and that is about all!

The simplistic style of thinking and acting are now gone. Society has not as yet grown up to absorb this effect. * We are so at loggerheads about everything That…the only point of contact is silence. * All that effort - whatever for?

Not to please "them" certainly. * Finally I have matured enough to realise that we are all perfect islands. Complete and irrevocable.

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We are what we are. They are what they are.

Observe, note and make the best of it.

There is nothing to be taught and none is teachable anyway and does NOT NEED teaching. Get this into your head pronto.

This is the route to joy and happiness.

Do what you have to do and let them do what they have to do and they will anyway.

It is all simple chemistry. The Creation has its own chemistry, you have yours and they have theirs.

Then when the ingredients mix - often, more often than not, there is BOOM.

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PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·WEDNESDAY, 6 JANUARY 2016 To end our suffering. The goal is to arrive at a clear point where the mind learns to be objective to be able to see as an outsider its own functioning, errors and faults. To arrive at this point the mind has to break its close association with the “amour-propre” aspect of our being. It does help to start with understanding and accepting the nature of the mind.

This is a time to reflect on how our mind works. The sad truth is, we very rarely use our intelligence to benefit our life. Usually we are just reactive, like a programmed animal. We use our intelligence in a cunning way, to get what we want - to tell ourselves (our ego) what it wants to hear.

Often we do not know we are doing this. But now is a good time to check in about this habit, and introspect.

On giving ultimatums to oneself and others: On the down-to-earth level, try to learn to manipulate instead of confronting with ultimatums. They tend to back-fire on the earthly plane for the simple reason : one rigid mind against another rigid mind is like clashing of stones.

And if has to be done then it has to be done and as such just do it. But not through ultimatums that warns the other and the other may manipulate the situation to his advantage.

We have to accept that technology has made things too easy.

Everything is too easily available without much effort. Technology has brought in lethal factors into our life which a person in 1700 could have only have dreamt of. It started with the motorised carriage. Technology permits over producing and over consumption. The new digital technology has made the use of the mind even less important and so we see more mindlessness in action.

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Humans don’t use their minds to live better. So finally it is the mind that needs to be reprogrammed.

Humans come on this Earth for a short period. Not long enough to make any deep change in the evolutionary cycle of earth and humans.

Intelligent people who have a better understanding of things see the problems and suggest corrective measures with great goodwill and often vehemence. The point intelligentsia misses is that the adaptation and evolution is a natural process in which the mental faculties of humans are not really at work.

Breaking our heads on it and stressing oneself out on this subject or any other developments going on in this creation is a waste of energy.

We can only watch and try to not permit what we consider negative- influences in our existence and whatever little influence we have on life to overwhelm our lives.

Life, it is said, is a process of learning wherein we shed our sharp edges and mellow down. Yet, if you ask me, it is not a willing effort. We find ourselves in circumstances and situations that force us to batten down the hatch and plain and simple age melts down our ability to show off our arrogance. What if we did this willingly and with full knowledge and the cooperation of our will?

This would be yoga. We may even encapsulate a few extra lives into one and come at the other end far greater as a Being than we could have ever imagined in the natural course of things.

PS: I can understand how the word manipulation may be understood or misunderstood. If you will notice this confusion comes from analysing the possible meaning.

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The word manipulation means much more than the negative connotation people know about. It also means the strategy needed to achieve an end.

You have heard of reverse psychology and have definitely seen in use. This is friendly manipulation.

Most humans use direct strength - using their authority if they have or their position in the big wheel which can be something like black-mail which is also manipulation.

So we use our understanding of psychology and assist/influence the other person to think on a given track of our choice. This is also manipulation.

AND everybody is doing it all the time - it is the only way to live/interact that humans know.

New Year Sadness.

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PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·MONDAY, 4 JANUARY 2016 Today for some reason there is a “something” that has taken me back to the “massacres” & “pillaging” this world has seen and continues to see. It must be the messages of change that are being so talked of in the beginning of a calendar new year. But what change? Every time a person who wants to be king or assert his authority, only one aspect of humanity prevails and that is of “destroy” whatever is in front of them so that they can fly their flag WITHOUT OPPOSITION. The people are first in line so that they will not breed more and the intelligentsia and the libraries are the first to be targeted on some pretext of the other – destroying them as examples and show of strength is always the first priority. Today we are seeing another form of this violence so deeply embedded in human affairs – the destruction of natural habitat for personal profit. Another worsening aspect in society that I am seeing happening is the elevation of selfishness in the name of individualism – what people are not seeing because it is rather hidden from general view is the spurt in personal violence and barbarity behind doors. Something that has now become possible due to the new way society has organized itself where we can live without showing ourselves to prying eyes. I don’t think I need to give examples or name names. Our news media comes up with new stories every day. We have all read history.

Sadness envelops me. How many more thousands of years before wisdom will become the guiding light? Enlightened individuals are born. They are heard- Appreciated as saints and soon relegated to history. They die leaving a few disciples and books which more often than not become a source of quarrels among believers and the virtuous who take it upon themselves to propagate the “words”. Time upon time hordes get together on 142

the platform of some “principles” go on massacring spree. And to all this we proudly give the word “CIVILISATION” Kathy Glover:….. I feel sad that you are feeling so sad!

Chidambar Stef · ……..Excellently expressed.

I understand completely.

Sadness is a natural, human response to the knowledge of tragedies of ignorance and un-love the media bring to our attention.

One hopes Humanity will survive through this corrupt, disturbed and disturbing period of Kali Yuga.

One must remain an optimist and understand the millions of un-reported acts of love and charity that occur every moment all over this beautiful planet that will never be seen in the media.

We need to understand our own societally implanted prejudices and judgements.

Like a stubborn child, humanity is in its early infancy learning that beyond the grabbing for personal gain (I, me, mine) there lies a world of social interaction, love, connectedness and relationship.

Like a child who realises that destroying the playground is going to affect one's own delight and possibilities for play, humanity is slowly understanding that destroying our environment over here will ultimately touch us all. What I do to another, I do to me and my loved ones.

When our own disturbed false egotism is seen through then every small act of kindness reminds us who we all are.

Tough times indeed! Keep the light burning!

Pradeep Pk Maheshwari….. yes

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Britta Edwards …..Will we ever learn??

Hans Christian…….. Sadly I believe that war is just an excuse for people already having a desire to kill and hurt other people in starting or participating in war they are finding a so called legalised way of fullfilling their disturbed desires.

Pradeep Pk Maheshwari…… I think so too

Here, Hear, “Hier” PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 2 JANUARY 2016 144

Whole lives are spent in searching for tenderness.

Quite contrary to this earthly life founded on thorns.

The permanence of sweet embraces dreamt of Is in the final Great Experience of eternal Death...

How does it matter in which hospital we took birth.

Or the date or thru who?

Are we alive today?

Live for today and the moment you are going through in the present.

Your past is concentrated here.

Your future is focussed in it.

For all else remember‌ I thought I had a home. It disappeared.

I thought I had a family. It disappeared.

I thought I had strength. It gradually ebbed.

I thought I had "smartness". That world changed.

I thought my time has come. But time says no.

Will I ever have a say in my life?

Looking for health?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2015 145

Looking for good health?

You have to allow the body to find its natural chemistry balance again.

Embrace natural food and natural conditions.

Herbs and homeopathy start working and the immunity that develops is easily treated by normal medicines. Antibiotics sometimes then prove to be too strong and disturb the body instead of helping and don’t even need to be thought of.

When the illness has been allowed to grow beyond a point then preventive measures are not enough. One must first live in a such a way that illness does not get a step-hold. But once it has been allowed to fester, some drastic measure may be necessary followed by back to nature methods.

When one is seriously sick, simply a change of diet ( going vegan etc) is not enough. The agitations, of the spirit also need to be quietened. Replaced with silence and music and laughter. And stress has to be minimised which can be mental, emotional and physical.

A beautiful passage from Lua Astrology: Nature has no judgments. It doesn't punish, it doesn't chastise.

Nature just is. Let your thoughts just be. Go for a walk in the wild if you can to clear away mental cobwebs. Notice the trees and plants that grow in your environment, even if you live in a city.

Imagine their roots, deep in the earth. You are supported too, by your history and by your ancestors. You are part of the Earth, a child of nature. Ground yourself in reality to access deep wisdom directing you to the path ahead.

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My experience with info sharing on cancer has had the same negative, credulous results.

The trust in what the modern day doctors tell is absolute.

Cancer patients should be informed that nutrition is their first and best defense when starting down the path of healing from cancer. Information should be provided about how to switch to an alkaline diet, composed of primarily vegetables, with a small amount of fruit, grains and protein. This diet is similar to the ketogenic diet, which is much discussed in the oncology press, but with further reduction in total protein consumption as well as grains, processed fats and sugar, to help control inflammation in the body.

Instead, the dietary information provided to cancer patients is an afterthought, and amazingly, usually includes foods and meal preparation techniques that are known promoters of cancer progression.[iii] Clearly, there is a disconnect between very well documented information on diet and cancer progression and those who communicate most often with cancer patients – the oncology teams.

Suddenly the knowledge of last millions of years has become garbage to all those exposed to today's media and publicity campaigns.

Thousands of years of the same lessons but no change.

Humanity is not going to change with a few words.

Most even refuse to learn from their experiences.

What chance words have?

And as for words, Who is listening anyway?

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Philosophy for Christmas Eve PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 24 DECEMBER 2015 148

* It is Christmas eve and all I can think of is how much of our time we spend on picking on flaws of others. Why? Perhaps we need to counter balance the load of our own flaws that we are deeply conscious of but not ready to acknowledge. So we offset the balance by weighing the other pan with flaws of others. Then we can feel justifiably normal. * We talk of starting all over again. In the night we are convinced that we have learnt the lesson. By morning we are certain we shall be changed people. So here comes another day with all its fresh promises.

But as soon as warmth hits us, we feel relaxed, we slip back into our old sheath and forget everything.

The Sun is not in the habit of asking questions.

The moon is another matter and great friends with Karma. I think Karma put the moon there as his spy and everything is being noted. * If you want to remain sane, don’t take anything seriously and have no expectations. * Associate with the exquisite. Demand it. Expect it.

The Universe, poor fellow will have no option but grant it. * Modern science has given us many products that has definitely put more control of our lives in our hands.

It is the excessive misuse that is the problem. Food supplement vitamins/minerals in easy to take capsule form is one and Aspirin is another.

Last three days I have been under the weather with food poisoning and with more than just mild fever. But I have been going to pick up my daughter from school on the strength of an aspirin. Once done, plop back into bed.

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Since the last 30 years or so doctors in India started taking the easy route by prescribing “terramycin� for virtually everything including colds and fevers. A wide spectrum antibiotic was so convenient and it worked well enough.

The shrewd Indians picked this up super fast. Now most of us are strongly resistant and when really required like in surgery, we do not respond. * I hear more and more this argument: - It is not my language so mistakes are acceptable.

Sorry. You are in error sir.

Mistakes are not acceptable but tolerated.

When you use a language it becomes yours, then it is your responsibility to complete your communication in a style that is understood by all.

You can't borrow a pen and then blame the mistakes by saying it was not my pen! Can you?

Don't look for excuses to cover up your lack of effort to not wanting to learn and improve yourself. * Karma is not a court of law where you can juggle the results.

Your plans and manipulations are on record, deep down in your subconscious history, whatever the images you may have painted for others to see.

You are attached to your intentions and they unroll of themselves. * 4 years ago we went rummaging for jackets for the little one.

The cloth markets are normally out in the open, being handled by not so clean people and dust is everywhere. The chances of picking up a few bugs are very high. Then we had something to eat in a joint - an Indian chain called Haldiram's. This was a Saturday. By evening I was sick. Real sick.

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SO I vowed I am not going to repeat this mistake.

But then by force of circumstances I had to go looking for fabric for some job for Lars in Denmark. This is a different market area but the character is the same. The shopkeeper a friend offered me something to eat and the food came again from Haldiram's. And it was a Saturday.

And I was sick again. Lung infection and tummy upset.

I have got up today for a while after 3 days.

Shall we blame the stars? I am inclined to.

We are masters of our fate they say. What a joke.

Think, think, think.......

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PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 19 DECEMBER 201520 reads This is what I mean when I say “We are so busy being clever, that we have no time to be intelligent” What has gone wrong with us? The attitude is now part of our national character. The salesman in the shop, the cashier in the bank, the clerk in any office, the cop at crossing…..just about everywhere and everyone is behaving as if they are doing us a favor. Their salary is an acquired right, guaranteed by the constitution. Even if cash gratification is not always in order, there is always a lot of pleading and flattering involved in every exchange. If by any chance you allow yourself the pleasure of demanding by right that you be served, the other guy will go into a sulk and find millions of excuses to not do your job and you can’t do a thing about it. It is sadistic the way every little authority becomes a reason for ego-gratification or worse; pocket-warming.

What have we done to ourselves? We are ourselves to blame.

Over the years through our long and checkered history we have taught the public servant that we are prepared to pay extra for everything as along as our selfish interests are served first. So much so that we have stopped keeping our papers or ledgers in order and we break most minor laws with impunity knowing or at least hoping that we shall pay our way through and avoid any official action. The bigger industrial houses with vested interests made this a regular practice with payments under the table on an acquired right basis. Then the democratic style of government learnt the trade, so much so that today everyone has rights except us, ourselves. We have given ourselves up for ransom and are now totally under threat of the system. So much so, that it has even

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permeated into our personal relationships. We are so ever ready to get into the groveling mode.

Can we reverse it? I wonder.

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A True Being PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2015 ( from my book Connect with the subconscious) A true being who is in the process of identifying his self with the Universe would never feel comfortable in any of these regimented and structured mental prisons. Those who are not afraid to get out and be free are easily recognisable. For one they do things rather unassumingly. They wear clothes for comfort and according to weather or the job at hand. They eat anything and everything that takes their fancy. They take their own words seriously and always deliver on promises which they make with great consideration and rarely. It is a charmed life that they lead.

They are intelligent enough to known that they may piss people off so they stay out of the mainstream and enjoy the sunsets alone. But they are not un-social. Simply, they do not run after approbation and they may be good at what they do so people come to them and they are always happy to receive them. Are they afraid? Yes but of what? They are deeply afraid of not being able to become better people. Their sincerity of purpose opens doors to their inner thoughts that they learn to see as “witnesses”.

They have learnt to separate their logical mind from their mechanical, instinctive mind. They are able to observe the process happening within them such as how a word triggers anger or envy or joy. They are able to stop their instinctive responses; for instance in anger they don’t hit back but go silent instead. They don’t blurt out the first reaction that bubbles up in them. They are able to exercise restraint and when needed they can act whether they like it or not.

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They become acutely aware of the discordant notes that they sometimes play even when knowing to the contrary – in spite of themselves. And this scares them to no end as they remember the consequences that they can associate with in their past and see the past repeating itself. This is a great pain to them but they realise that something stronger than them is making things happen, and they are responding rather automatically most of the time.

At this juncture, they begin looking for answers and often find them which they put into practice in their life with will and determination. These are people who are evolving, growing and bettering themselves all the time, till their last breadth. One thing they don’t do – get into worthless arguments. There is no time to waste in this short life and with something new occurring at every moment; who would want to miss out on the fun?

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The Making of the New Breed of Bums PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2015 Lack of proper education and training is creating howlers. Most are not even aware that their communication abilities are way under par. The focus on children is to get marks but not excel.

There is no thoroughness in teaching or the wanting to learn.

In India this is happening because people are using words they have heard but have not learnt. They pick up the wrong sounds with approximate understanding of the meanings - but when it comes to using them, they do so with supreme confidence. The SMS culture is not helping either.

This has been a tendency in our character and it is getting worse with higher & more sophisticated methods/skills of working that are now needed. Our lackadaisical attitude to life and "maintenance" is resulting in accidents more often and with more horrific results. If we are not careful our children will become unemployable semi-experts. Additionally we need to realise that certain activities require special skills and should not be indulged in without proper training and supervision. It is not just a matter of concern for getting employment. The quality of life that we can lead with a mind that has been properly trained and honed is always higher. It is a simple fact that we need to ask more often this question: If we don’t understand what we hear and read, if we do not understand the technicalities of an affair/product/process, how are we going to succeed in this world?

Life at its best:

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But - although it is the life that is at its best, these kids then become misfits in our age of technology and cities where they eventually migrate to.

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The Terrifying State PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 Most spiritual paths have one thing in common and that is the path requires the quietening of the mind.

The mind is not a machine that can be stopped by flicking a switch. It will be there and it has a purpose to run the human machinery. But we can quieten the din so that other intuitive, vaster impulses tuned into the Great Silence can use it as an instrument.

Right now in the normal course, the mind is an instrument of the human instinctive play based on two things: 1) The need to impress, 2) The need to seek pleasure 1 makes us lie, falsify, exaggerate, hide, talk and act continuously because we don't know when to stop as if afraid if we stopped the facade will collapse.

2 the the physical world offers many pleasures and they cannot be reached without 1 So we come to the basic question‌ where is the need to quieten the mind in the first place? Everything in life seems to point to the opposite. The lack of control is terrifying.

The process that has clearly been most effective is that of keeping the mind open but as far as possible to train it to receive impulses from the Intuitive mind and not the subconscious/physical world as happens normally.

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Smog and Sickness PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 201573 reads Today's conditions will result in the illnesses of tomorrow.

Take air pollution seriously.

The breeze is now disease laden. We are breathing it in.

Illnesses are taking longer to treat and heal. The air is infected with open air garbage and oily exhausts from internal combustion engines and chimneys from industry. The air is so foul that it is shutting down the immune system. Older people and children with not-so-strong constitutions are affected. The growing incidences of sore throat, itching eyes, sinusitis and fever prove it.

It is reducing the quality of life giving birth to serious disease and reducing longevity.

You can help yourself by: Cleaning the air in your sleeping/working area and give yourself respite from the continuous onslaught of foul air.

Not talking too much when in traffic and heavily choked arterial roads. Keep your nose/mouth covered.

Avoid the chilly mornings or walks outside and workouts in open air. Keep the wind-pipe warm and don’t let the chill get to the lungs.

We are filtering water due its polluted properties.

The time has come for filtering air too.

A very huge number of poisons surround us that we have allowed in our lives, not always knowing how they are harming us which are insidious. Marring our life drop by drop and making our old age more painful eventually. To mention a few: pesticides.

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additives, processing food with trans fats, electromagnetic waves, wireless, too much light, too many gadgets, noise, continuously engaged mentally and fatigue due to speech, crowding leading to irritation.

In contrast our regenerative periods of sleep and silence have virtually disappeared. Our regenerative natural foods have disappeared and we look for happiness in others and outside of ourselves; the search adds to the fatigue and depresses.

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Wish-lists & Whistling PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2015 The world and our civilisations in every corner of the earth are going through a metamorphosis and there is change seeping in and resistance to it too.

• It could be some thousands of years yet for the instinctive nature of humans to grow into a more thinking and kindly nature.

But if we can conceive it, it will be done one day. • Want to be at peace, well regarded and not taken for granted? I think we should learn to behave so that people see us as a threat. In this the body language, the words, the delivery and throw of voice and arrogant behaviour play a big major part. It is all in the power of enforcement. People who are perceived as "No Threat" normally get the "pushed around" treatment.

How times have changed. Earlier when the plumber or electrician came, he came as a family friend with he intention of helping us out to get things moving again. His vast experience in this line of work was used to make life easy for his clients who were also his life-line and family-friends of sorts. By manipulating and honestly using his technical jugglery he would make things work by saving us money as well. Getting it done cheaply was a great factor. It was all done with great kindness and self-profit was not the motive. A respectable income was all he wanted. The same attitude was in the doctor, the dentist, the grocer, the cobbler and baker and everyone else in the neighborhood. It was all very personal. Now the “personal” is nearly gone. We are now all fair game. They see money and people do behave as if they have tons of it at their disposal. They all use their knowledge to make our life comfortable but with no consideration of expense to 161

us and with the least effort on their part. Replace with “new� is the latest trend. Their time is so expensive that one does not want to experiment either and they cannot be called every now and then. Quite often the problem is not even studied with care. The most obvious and first that comes to their minds is acted upon.

They did the best is what they will say when we complain. More experiments are then made at our cost. It is quite a mess. But then I have noticed that the clients are also getting dumber by the day or just plain too complacent. Cash seems to be available in plenty. What is not available is time. The lack of understanding and curiosity in the workings of the network in which we live is astonishing. So the service industry is profiting. And why should they not? They also dream of making their million soonest. Then we have collectively become kinder. And that has given rise to a philosophy of life that is bonanza for the bums.

In the name of humanity they have inalienable rights rightfully acquired or not. In the name of humanity let them proliferate. In the name of humanity provide them with everything. In the name of humanity everyone should have cars, freedom to move around, freedom to disturb and destroy. In the name of humanity let all Orangutans be killed. In the name of humanity and sport all tigers, foxes, bears etc are allowed targets. In the name humanity dump your garbage in the sea. In the name of humanity poison the food.

In the name of humanity meddle with it all so that industry may profit. In the name of humanity give them all guns because killing is so required to keep the economy moving.

Yes because they have a sword in hand and it has been the answer to everything and always has been. When you have a sword in hand(now guns) and nobody to stop you, you have the

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rights and they have the lefts - not only women, even men are not allowed to speak up.

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We could easily be kinder PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2015 The first move we need to make is to get out of the illusion that we are an enlightened species. We are not even basically kind though at the core somewhere we have this fount. We have all the ingredients but we are not making use of any. The human race at present is totally seeped in selfishness. Even the most altruistic are basically selfish. All our acts are based on some selfish aspect of human nature or laced with it. Pretence and egotism are the two most prominent aspects. This is what separates us from the Divine.

Have you met people who never are able to do what they say they will.

Oh eventually they will. They even mean it rather seriously at the moment they say it. But do not consider their words binding on themselves.

Promises and excuses live side by side in their mouths.

Yet they think they have managed the day well and expect the future to glow for them and they really expect to be liked and believed in!

They are so impressed by their own charm.

Have you noticed how some people can speak out their hearts only in anger? When they feel cheated, or being played with or being taken advantage of or they feel they are surrounded with idiots, lazy incompetent parasites or such?

This is a fact of life. (It may not be wholly true but in their minds the view is made up)

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This is the fount of intolerance. This is where you feel justified to take action to smash the low life in the face or better, crush it underfoot.

This is where it all begins.

And when religious coordinates enter the equation, there is terror at the bottom of their hearts and their wrath can take terrible forms.

Don't let anxiety at work trickle into your dreams. Tirelessly searching for that file in your sleep will leave you exhausted. Equip your mind with windshield wipers -- learn to wipe away your workaday thoughts.

I was born with a magnanimous kind of personality. Do the best, join others in their endeavors, help them out in sickness and their efforts etc.

But then I found that it was not creating any friendliness or close bonds. A friend in need is a friend indeed. That opened my eyes to this world.

But I soon realised that Nobody was that really interested. They wanted assistance but not help. I was not supposed to be using my logic and preference in helping or doing.

And soon wisdom came - wait for being asked for help. Do not interfere. Let the destiny of others play out as it best can.

And for goodness sake don't try to change anything; specially not the person.

It is in all of us. We are all promoting war. The chemist, the grocer, they are the first to horde, raise prices and indulge in black marketing. Neighbors who report on their erstwhile friends.

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Plunder was always the motive when armies went to war. And today the corporate armies are running the show and manipulating incidents that will allow them to control their need to go to war. The TV, internet smartphone have just made it easy and that is why these are so freely and easily available to all. In a way we are at war in our general lives. Things like fighting for control. Brothers and sisters not wanting to share and playing manipulative games to cut each other out. The games being played out among st ourselves to show off and rise the ladder in social/official circles. etc etc etc

Parris Ja Young….. this is NOT to say that violence is the TRUE HUMAN NATURE ... quite the opposite. It is precisely because of this betrayal of human nature that we are so beset with troubles.

Pradeep Pk Maheshwari…… The human nature, the active part that is in prominence on the earth just now is the violent type.

Philosophying it under the carpet won't serve any purpose.

Kathryn Knopf……. Speak for yourself, p Pradeep Pk Maheshwari….. I am speaking for myself. Until humanity accepts this, change will not come. We have to allow consciously to let the godly part come to the fore.

Manjunath Sullolli….. because it is instinct, very few evolve into mature, otherwise its usually true that many wars keep happening in human mind.

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Some thoughts on worldly things PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2015 * Our sense of doom is awfully relative.

All these cases of depression and suicides and frightened violence is simply a lack of wide enough consciousness to grasp it all in * There is a world of humor in the world of thoughts - how imagination plays the fool * The Mind is but a tool. It all depends on what entities we allow to use the instruments. We are simply extensions of a greater whole and there are many Forces at work around and in and through us. The "separateness" was needed to give some solid persona on the material plane, so the ego is a useful Force that is also the Life Force. It has the capacity to transform itself and join the play with other benign (godly) forces if we bring them into play. And children can help us do that. * It is irresponsible, actually criminal, to think of bringing children into this world to satisfy our animalistic hunger, for our pleasures and then lead them into slavery, debt and life-long pain.

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Personality type and bringing up children accordingly.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2015 Our upbringing and education rarely takes into account the personality types the children are showing evidence of. Generally speaking there are the selfish types, the more belligerent types, the philosophical types, the introverts and the extroverts.

Whatever the reasons, it is absolutely essential for parents to understand this and create the right atmosphere of education and insight that the child receives. Right from the beginning the tendencies need to be understood by the parents and the education of the child programmed accordingly. For instance take the selfish ones; they need to be curbed and taught how to understand their selfishness and make them see how selfdestructive it is. Their demands cannot be met and those parents that do to avoid tantrums are laying the foundation for a hurtful existence.

In a similar vein the belligerent type will also invite retribution.

The world is not there to just take what anyone dishes out. So they need to be taught and explained the give and take of violent behaviour.

The introverts need to be left alone and allowed with patience to find their footing in the world. Their fears need to be assuaged and explained so that with understanding they can move forward in this active and violent world. Exercises of self-confidence building have to be added into their upbringing.

These three types normally trap themselves into situations and then do not know what to do or to whom to turn. They end up being depressed and often end up destroying themselves. Suicide 168

is one of the acts they indulge in to attract attention, not realising in this unforgiving world nobody really cares.

When my child was born, I realised she had some unfinished fear troubling her. So I cuddled her and made her feel secure and encouraged her to explore her world. It took about eight years but now she is totally at ease with herself and the world and takes everything in her stride confidently and fearlessly.

Depression; it all starts with acute self-centeredness - it is a mental illness and not curable.

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Behaviour in a group PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 2015 In a group you have to maintain the group's decorum Too much individualism and focus on what one wants can be detrimental for the whole. Don’t expect the group to accept your individuality. The group by its very nature is characteristic of the common lowest denominator and shuns individuality as a dangerous element to its existence.

Of course individuals should live by their standards and wishes.

We all want to that.

But that is exactly what does not allow a group to go forward together.

I think our juniors look up to us and we should live by a standard we want them to follow for the greater good. We need to teach them self-regulation and self-control/discipline and help them grow into their highest potential. By harping on individuality we are only promoting the self0centredness in our midst This is as I see the greatness of India and also its great weakness. We refuse to follow the group's, society's needs and values and consider other individuals and neighbours.

Too much individualism eventually becomes self-centeredness, specially when you are in power to enforce it. Look what it has done to our government.

It also then becomes an excuse to maintain one's low standards.

If we study and look with a cool mind you will see all the discordant notes in our life in India are due to the fact everyone thinks on an individual capacity and from the personal point of view alone to the extent that they do not even consider their own 170

promises and the accepted duties one has under a job one has taken.

When we are in a team, the team becomes more important.

We need to distinguish between the personal and the general.

When we talk of our rights and independence, we should not forget that it is this group that is ensuring that we have it. But if you insist in your individualism then don’t expect anything from the world at large.

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A few words on the Human Mind

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡FRIDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 201532 reads The mind when immature cannot wait, reflect nor quieten and it jumps to speedy conclusions. Superficiality is the hallmark.

Remaining silent has been so completely trampled underfoot that even a few moments of quiet are a surprise nowadays.

My observance is that we are basically lazy. There is a lot of inertia in the basic nature (the inconscient) and whatever psychologists may say, this has overall control over our lives in general.

People not only do not think for themselves, they would rather not do anything else if they can avoid it but they are very good at rationalising as it requires little effort besides wagging the tongue.

There are some over clever ones who are very appreciative of their own wit and are showing off all the time. Don’t get involved with them or try to upstage them.

We create a screen, a foundation of our "Virtuousness" of not needing/wanting/allowing others to approach us until implored and then when we do relent, it is as a "virtuous" gesture.

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Our Karmic Footprints PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡MONDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 201555 reads The human mind can encompass only what it has seen, read or heard. From this fount of great learning it tries to understand the Universe which has been at it for millions of years. The universe has a plan I am told. Nothing is as unconnected as it seems. We and the things that happen to us are part of the process and continuum that has been in the pipeline since this Earth got active.

We have not been able to fathom as yet even the past that has already happened but we feel we can explain the now and the future which has not even unfolded.

Do you care what happens to a grain of sand when the huge wave washes over it?

Why and for what reason should the Universe care when a child is hurt or man dies or a buck is shot. It is part of the drama.

But yes coming to the immediate present, in my immediate life, I have seen, when I keep my attitude kindly compassionate, forgiving and pliable, more pleasurable things happen.

Then I come from a large joint family and have observed some uncles and aunts throwing their weights around and lashing out in their powerful strongholds. Everyone one them suffered acutely eventually in some form or other from the decisions that they had taken.

My personal experience of life from these observations is that even death does not come until the bill has been paid.

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It is so merciful and such a blessing to die early without suffering the consequences. It is a great grace for those who die peacefully, suddenly and in one shot.

I hope I go out that way. I have been paying heavily for my insincerities and desires but since the last 15/16 years I have walked a different path in which I try not to spoil my karmic footprints. This activity includes not lashing back, not desiring (wanting but not desiring), working for the greater group of families and friends and all others who permit it and first see value in me and then open up to me. Never of my own volition..

And I see a change in the trend of my life taking a more joyful existence. Circumstances seem to arrange themselves for my benefit. The right thoughts seem to come to me and it is as if somebody is taking care of me with a benign smile. And even products simply land up on a plate - but I amy add only those things that I really need.

Now you all can make out whatever you wish from all this "telling"

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Words need to become Actions PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 201546 reads Talking of Hinduism and the hardliners. The ones who are going to take us to Vaikunth, Good days and Higher thinking and living.

Let me relate about our visit to Varanasi. It was a disastrous eye opener. Dirt and resignation all around. No place to sit. The cheapest on-the-road eateries cooking besides garbage. No sense of beauty or comfort in their way of living.

It is a crumbling town with very few places clean, maintained.

Nothing to show that it is a place of a proud educated people living in a town famous for its erudition and masters of music, arts.

Millions visit this town but most of them are from the villages and not so exposed to modernity. The old thought patterns, habits and tastes rule the market place because no one demands better.

Finally not a place that I would advise anyone to go to if health is matter of concern.

People may feel that they have propitiated the Gods, but I ask to what end?

One short dip in the Ganges and we had a vomiting fit and fever later. Once out of this, then we had something to eat on the train and since 5 days we are all three fighting food poisoning.

When will Indian thinkers focus on these things? And what do the locals say about it all? - Nobody cares. The Prime Minister wants to focus and promises another Kyoto but the locals clean up only the corners he visits.

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Besides being great and all that we are also terrific in all departments of opportunism, cheating and back-biting. The democratic method coupled with oppressive empire legislation has been a boon to these vote-bank politics.

The lowest of the low now have a say in running the country.

Sri Aurobindo had predicted Goonda Raj. Let us influence our children otherwise as best as we can, this is how change will come eventually The present obvious truth is that the reality people can see and touch and feel and experience in everyday life is connected only to the last 1200 years or so. Take any department of life in India Architecture and architectural remains all around us, our food habits and cuisine, our dresses and designs and lastly our language.

Our life and living is a mish-mash of what the Muslim and British brought us. And we had a beautiful, wonderful and exclusive mix that was unique and still is even with Coca Cola added to the mix.

The new generations of misguided unevolved politicians started focussing on divisive policies. We have only added confusion to the complex brew.

This is what they see and react to because their ability is limited to view anything only as far as back as 3 immediate generations and coloured terribly by the media..

This is our reality and we need to grapple with this now

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The Myth of Multitasking PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2015 Multi tasking is a myth. Making the mind do gymnastics on the bars and the horse and the rings at the same time.

Better doing one at a time and getting the most out of it thoroughness is my goal or should be. I find it very annoying, distracting and error-some when I am disturbed and forced to change my thought tracks when my full attention is needed on a job. The chain of thought breaks up and I normally end up missing out something. Once a though chain-train is broken, it takes 15-20 mts to get it back on track. Multitasking salesmen, workshop engineers, business associates all doing my work but also at the same attending phones or paying attention to some others etc is one of my triggers to an explosion of my short temper. It has invariably resulted in a waste of time with instructions not followed, the opposite being done, wrong deliveries made or some such annoyance that needs to be redone and corrected.

Most often when the message has not been properly registered, the other party ends up doing what it “thinks� should be done.

This is a double shot of annoyance. Long explanations, defensive arguments follow and the actual point of my requirement never gets registered. Yet all these people think and consider that they are super efficient and their ability to handle many projects and subjects at a time is without compare. I simply hate it when people come to me to discuss plans/business and then keep on allowing their phone to break the conversation, while I sit there like an idiot in my own office waiting for them to finish. Besides being detrimental to the work on hand, it is such bad manners.

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What if then I get up and go away and leave them to their phones?

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Loving oneself to be loving others PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2015 Why should we expect them to go about loving others? I am fairly happy with myself, love with gratitude the attributes granted to me by Mother Nature and all the gifts by father Universe. Yet I see no reason to go showering love unreservedly and show it to all like a bee on the task of pollinating. I do concede that being comfortable with one’s own self is of prime importance and in this state we are automatically kindly. This world will respond with kindness to our vibes is a point but let us not fool ourselves that there is ever going to be any reduction in selfishness on the material plane just yet. I am not trying to catch attention nor really bothered if anyone is liking me or whatever. Living pragmatically on this "material" earth is my focus. Don't go where you are not wanted is my first policy. Don't speak where no-one is listening is my second. Don't expend energy in situations where it is not welcome is my third.

The problem has been and will remain that all the education and learning we acquire and wish to pass on goes down with every death. The new ones start all over again and the earth remains where it is. It seems like the picture is changing but the basic canvas, materials and colours remain the same.

A lot of mental energies are dissipated, unused or wasted by people who do not know how to focus. Quietening and focussing your energies is the first step to better health and long life.

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All this talk of "rights" is irrelevant. What to wear and how to behave and the constitutional rights etc are just smoke-screens to vulgar selfishness and display.

In my thinking it shows a level of stupidity worse than that of the excitement seekers who are asked to behave as we would be considered more educated, and with more discernment.

The streets were never the place to show off. In no culture; starting from Mohenjodaro.. When you move in a crowd, the crowd matters unless you want to be treated badly. You cannot neglect the crowd's low IQ levels .

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The Health Alternative PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·WEDNESDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2015 In my 40 years of studying and advising, I have not been able to convince even one person about the necessity of the balancing act that the body has to do and the ingredients it needs. There is enough information and warnings now in different medias about everything but no one is bothered. Convenience wins everytime.

The living style, the need to make a living and all that take precedence. For the first 10-15-20 years of working life it seems to be go very well. Only after the damage/deficiencies becomes serious does it show on the surface. Then alone people pay attention to the problem. As if the carelessness was not a problem enough. The modern pharmaceuticals offer symptomatic relief and assist the patients in their bad habits. (example as in : diabetes-insulin, asthma-inhalers, fever-paracetamol, coughsyrups, skin/eczema-ointments, allergies-antihistamines) Finally when the collapse take place, all their earnings end up into the hands of the medical industry and your health in the dustbin for ever until death doth release you from your trials. I do understand that the only way is to create proper health through correct lifestyle is based on your ability to earn by your saleable talents and earn well to create your own little world. It requires great wisdom, general knowledge, self mastery and a lot of talent about the practicalities of this world to be able to survive by Not Doing in this world of doers – who unfortunately pride themselves in working for others –these others who use their minds to get rich on the labours.

So please study. Practice what you learn and seems to apply to you. Don't follow any system blindly with researching it and that 181

does not show improvement within a few days AND very importantly: makes you FEEL healthier.

We have to learn to live in the new age in which we are born.

Learning to balance it will need intelligence and serious application = education + self-discipline

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We isolate ourselves from existence PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·FRIDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2015 like a "I-am-master-here"; the bull: My friend you are starting your argument with the basic mistake of defending a generalisation with an exception. Is there really a need to contradict me? I notice most of the discussions that transpire are more in the nature of showing-off that “I know better”. This is sad.

It is an accepted fact that the human race in general, at the present state of evolution is still very self-centered, not using its mental faculties and more interested in the world to "Grab" than to give.

The entire feudal system which psychologically still rules Indian thinking and behaviour is behind the "Authoritarian" style of thinking prevalent in India.

Older people do not listen – do not even want to listen. My wife does not listen. The teachers do not listen. Bosses do not listen. Captains of industry do not listen. Brothers do not listen.

Not listening is the norm. Exceptions exist so don't bring them up.

Nobody is listening. Minds are closed. The only motive in every situation is: What can I get out of this? And we follow the thought like a bull.

And this attitude of me and me alone shows so well in everything we do. Take for instance Traffic rules. They are more recognised in the breach. Very few of the new comers even know them. We cut in, zig-zag as if we are the only clever ones on the road. I coined this phrase many years ago: We are so busy being clever that we have no time to be intelligent.

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This non-listening closes doors for the young and progress is denied - not halted.

But yes, Friends may listen. Children are ready to listen. This momentum needs to be kept up.

What we need to see is where these denials is happening and try to open doors by first accepting the fact that change is required.

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The Relationship Tangle PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡TUESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2015 No relationship is without fault, so forgive and forget the small stuff. Perfection is overrated.

You'll never get anywhere if you don't have an independent thought in your head. Start being original, today, instead of just tagging along after others, no matter how comfortable that has become.

Humans in general have not learnt this lesson as yet. It surprising that with all the saints, wise men and Avatars who are helping us, nothing has reduced the violence in humans as yet.

And by violence I mean the petty show of strength that we are indulging in all the time in petty things in our life besides the more violent manifestations.

Old people can be so frustratingly inflexible – exceptionally if they have been in a position of authority.

There is arrogance of knowing. There is arrogance of being the owner - of having run things since last many years and being certain that only they as head of the family know anything about anything. They can be terrible, rigid and intractable.

They have nothing to lose. They stop learning and stop others from doing too.

Then there are those, who learn, who see further than the young ones but decide it is not their affair and go into retreat.

There are those who forsake their authority and do not speak up when they should.

Why can old people learn to withdraw and let the newer generations experience it for themselves? Whatever happened to 185

the theory of Sanyas when your work is done and let the younger ones take over?

Let others be. India is a mess because this is one thing that does not happen in our crowded living and brain-washing.......for instance: that you have to obey parents, elders, be nice, help others, husband is your god, guest is god etc. Have people become kinder? No and selfishness abounds taking advantage of the kindness around.

We impose so much on the psyche of the young that they never learn to think or care. I openly say that our people are four year olds that have turned 40. And unfortunately it is passed on from generation to generation.

It is fantastic how billions of people together in India can live as if they are alone and there is nobody around them.

It is a vicious circle of crowded living in which very early in life one learns to NOT LISTEN. This creates a need for more shouting and noise to get heard accompanied with expletives and irritation reaching boiling point most of the time. This makes us even more selfish in our attitudes so we protect ourselves and our things with greater vigour making it necessary for others to find creative means to enter into our consciousness. This leads to cheating in words and acts and makes us even more vary. Everyone keeps on enclosing oneself in tighter and more compact chambers. Keeping away from too many people is required as vibrations from others, direct or indirect if allowed to influence your life can only mess up your life.

It is like information overload. No value in it.

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Too much sticking to humans or depending on others or being lazy in pursuing one's own life is damaging to one's persona. It is like living in a cauldron always on the boil Let us never forget that it is not an ideal/perfect world we are living in. Vampirical elements run wild in all of us. In some, a bit more than others. In many they have managed to exercise full control.

This sentence of mine has not gone down well with many of the Indian crowd. “India is a mess because this is one thing that does not happen in our crowded living and brain-washing.......for instance: that you have to obey parents, elders, be nice, help others, husband is your god, guest is god etc. Have people become kinder? No and selfishness abounds taking advantage of the kindness around.�

I am as usual being blamed for being a true Indian. That I am trying to sow dissent and spoil the tradition of India and that I am against Indian culture; speaking against my own country. Well, keep your eyes closed and bumble on. Let us stay tied to the milling-stone, resist change and hang on to our comfort zones.

That is exactly what our parents want. And if listening to them is the first law, then there is nothing more to be said. But then I ask why are you asking for jobs, better roads, toilets, internet, better connectivity and all? Let the parents take care of it all. And when you will also be a parent and on your own, you will realise, that you did not take up cudgels when you should have and then in all probability you will hide your indolence behind tradition and keep on. But still, shall we not consider what other possibilities we have? Being aware is no crime. Helping others, ourselves and the 187

country by constructive change is what we want but then we cannot do this without some dissent, by taking in the new parameters in life and make the change we are so volubly asking for. Yet why do I feel I am asking for too much in a country where original thinking is decried and effort is put in staying back stuck than the other way round.

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Clever enough to baby along.

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2015 Why the young are careless and do not care for the older generation?

This carelessness attitude is the direct result of their upbringing. This happens only when the young have NOT been allowed to live joyfully. We are a very "helicoptering” kind of people in India. Our attitude to our children is of total imposition in thought and action. We know what is best for them and we are going to do it whatever comes! It begins with Mummy knows best, later it is Papa knows best and as papa controls the purse strings he demands total obedience. Then together it is “What will they think?” Kids are clever enough to baby along. They understand perfectly well which side the bread is buttered. What parents never realise that they are being taken for a ride. The child learns to behave and act to please the parents and nothing more matters. The rest he hides away and masters the art of lying. This is the beginning of the rift which will show later and come out in the open. It is no wonder that our young people are never fully conscious of anything, specially the responsibilities that go with living. They are made to flow with the flow and they happily do it later on all thru their lives because they are wired that way. As to parents, it never occurs to anyone that parents will need help.

Anyway by that time parents ripe old age the rift between them and the children is where the children wish to avoid them at all cost. We impose so much on the psyche of the young that they never learn to think or care. I openly say that our people are four year olds that have turned 40. And unfortunately it is passed on from generation to generation. Education and exposure to the 189

world now through digital technology has raised the age to about 12ish in a growing number but the “helicoptering� remains a strong factor. Even when the parents are old, they are unable to retire mentally or withdraw and that makes the position untenable; life is not easy anyway for the younger ones who have to earn a living and have children of their own to manage, having been burdened with a family at an early age - most often under the pressure of parents..

MY SAFETY IS "YOUR" CONCERN The problem of India has been its multiplicity and naivete. Here we see a bike, mechanised 2 wheeler and a lorry/truck merrily going about. No safety or safeguards in mind. Wishful thinking is at work for we know since the day of birth that others will care for us. It never enters our thinking mind that we are better off to be a little more conscious of our actions and whereabouts.

Our safety is everybody's concern except ours. There is a childish selfishness at work where we feel we have priority and we shall manage to go through where others are stuck like idiots and squeezed into corners where accidents of the rather hurtful kind then happen. It is unending. I don't see anyone learning from experience. The feeling I get is that there is a resistance to learning, because learning means being careful and vigilant.

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Who cares?!

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2015 When people talk of the world from moralistic standpoints like in absolutes: Love will win all Parents always do for your best Mothers love their children Brothers and sisters are closest and life-long friends to each other Bosses are impartial Wives are loving Medicine is practiced for the general good People are honest and basically ethical Kings think about the welfare of their people .......and so on so forth, I put my head in my hands and despair of the human race.

Why are they afraid to look at the truth of things?

Only Love & Sincerity & Gratitude & Affection & Fairness is to be seen in this world, because it suits our personal agendas? Or is it our inflated sense of virtue pretending? Or are we fooling ourselves?

Most of these traits are more obvious by their absence. People have not been able to rise above the basic Ten Commandments as yet and yet we talk of Brahman, Nirvana and what else.

We try to explain away and butter-coat and sugar-coat the truth that we all realise with philosophy and deem the negative traits as an aberration and logically try to prove that in their own selfinterest no one would be otherwise. The plain truth is absolutely the opposite. Once we accept the fact that we are liars, dishonest 191

and tend to hide our deepest feelings & thoughts, the entire system of justice and such would cease to have value. We are good generally speaking. Specially under duress of life’s demands and our own needs. And our selfishness has taught us that being good, kind and sharing is needed in our self-interest. Had it not been so, and where opportunities arise, our wolfish nature always raises its head like a serpent.

Attraction, Distraction, Temptation, Seducing, Selfishness, Empathy, Sympathy, Psychopathy, Brutishness, Bullying, Blackmail, Human trafficking, Slavery, Chicanery, Charades, Cheating, Lying, Greed just don’t exist because it is inconvenient to our plans and wishful thinking?

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Are “they” good for you?

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SATURDAY, 5 SEPTEMBER 2015 You can divide people in two broad categories. One who revel in human contact and like submissive ones around them to boss around. Second are the submissive ones who prefer to give charge of their lives to others.

Both are parasites and no good in the end comes of it on the material worldly plane although the evolutionary cycle is dependent on this to create the catastrophes that create the stresses that teach and change.

Too much sticking to humans or depending on others or being lazy in pursuing one's own life is damaging to one's persona. It is like living in a cauldron always on the boil.

Keeping away from too many people is required as vibrations from others, direct or indirect if allowed to influence your life can only mess up your life.

It is like information overload. No value in it. But it can easily become an ingrained habit from day one. One may have been impregnated with this attitude and one may be so comfortable in it that it would never occur otherwise.

The answer lies in surrounding oneself with a very selected group of the most positive types if; that is if first, one even recognises this as reality/truth/necessity or whatever you may call it.

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Say it & be done with it!

PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST 2015 The most difficult people to team up with are the honest, totally conscious-of-their-acts kind of liars. Whatever they say they say for the moment. Their intentions have neither past nor future.

They say what they feel is the best thing to say under the circumstances of the moment with no real intent behind the words. The second it is spoken, it is also forgotten. It is like a play of making soap bubbles to them. Words to these people mean nothing but a means to reach wherever their bread is best buttered, eat it and move on. Paying for the bread and butter was never in their intentions. Worse, they are buttering the slice on both sides. It is another matter that these people usually did mean what they said but it happened to be only in that moment.

Other priorities and possibilities, more alluring soon take over. On mature thinking, they would have realized that their promises cannot be fulfilled. Then if you get the opportunity to confront them, you will receive another set of beautiful lies. Until you stop and drop them from your list of “people� and start giving them your own set of lies in the future.

It seems such a waste of opportunity to do something together and make the most of the moment!

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There is a young lady who occasionally comes in for dusting.

She is charming, so naturally sincere and enthusiastic jovial that we don’t really want anyone else to come in her place. She keeps on promising to come and then never does – always smiling and happy to us and even come home once in a while to tell us that she will come on the morrow but never really does. Her diary of engagements is so full! I think she would like to come but she calculates her time badly and never really finds the time to fulfill her promise but then perhaps she is just being clever to keep the doors open so that she if she ever is in a position to need us………….

How will it hurt to say the truth to each other’s faces? It will hurt for a second nut life we all know goes on. Just imagine what this would do (and has done and is always doing) in a marriage and business.

Personally I think what bugs me most is the time that is wasted and the arguments that ensue; the heartburn and anger that is given birth to. The hopes raised and dashed. This behavior is recipe to end relationships but why do it with bitterness? Are niceties of the moment so important? Nobody can be so stupid as to not see that irritation, bad-blood is being given birth for no 195

bloody reason! And it is so simply irrational to think that we shall never need others in our lives...!!

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What is not right and what OTHERS should be doing PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 27 AUGUST 2015 It is fantastic how billions of people together in India can live as if they are alone and there is nobody around them.

It is a vicious circle of crowded living in which very early in life one learns to NOT LISTEN. This creates a need for more shouting and noise to get heard accompanied with expletives and irritation reaching boiling point most of the time. This makes us even more selfish in our attitudes so we protect ourselves and our things with greater vigour making it necessary for others to find creative means to enter into our consciousness. This leads to cheating in words and acts and makes us even more vary. Everyone keeps on enclosing oneself in tighter and more compact chambers. To the point where they even don’t see moving cars or even more astoundingly wives forgetting they are married and there is perhaps a husband in the house!

I fail to see how India will ever grow and how to break this logjam.

The more I see of India and Indians the more I am convinced that we are great debaters. We know exactly what is not right and what OTHERS should do. We on the other hand are perfect (our mothers said so) and as we know exactly what needs to be done we not only don’t have to pay to attention to dumb bums all around us, we are the only one who can do anything.

It is another thing that all is the government’s duty and so we should not meddle in it in anyway.

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Michael Omdevaji Perring‌. this is correct. You aim for samadhi and leave out the Yamas and Niyamas and how do I convince someone what a rubbish bin is and how to use it when they have never used a rubbish bin and would not know what one was?

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A Spoonful of Medicine PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST 2015 If you take a bird's eye of humanity, it is sadder to see how much pain we inflict, losses we incur.....and worse.... no amount of warning or experiences seems to change or dent anything in their inconscience levels. Like into a deep black bottomless hole, everything goes and gets lost. - Won’t learn from experience. Won’t study on their own. - Won’t learn from others. - Insist on proving oneself right - Expend all their energies in NOT doing. Look for scapegoats & adopt violence to prove a point.

People want to be appreciated and not really loved. Human Loving is a little overwhelming.

Loving does not need to be told or cannot be dramatised with superficial activity. That would be like following the book of etiquette and being polite. oh it does need to be told - at the earth level we are still required to tell. But in its essence it works out to be appreciation Be Kind.

If being kind is not in your nature, at least don’t be bitchy to prove a point.

In this ephemeral point of time in this pin-point of a place, it is accepted that you are in control, indispensable and you can create much damage if your amour-propre is hurt.

But then all this exhortation is so worthless. It will only aggravate and irritate the tendency when proving a point is the thing to be done. When one wants to deliberately hurt, where is the place for kindness there?

We can trouble ourselves by reading too much into everything and ignoring that is so clearly in front of us.

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My experience is that love has very little to do with anything in this world as it is today People are taking too much pride in their stupidities and today's possibilities allow everyone to be heard.

Too much of "rights" being exercised in being sensational.

Societal niceties require that we pamper their egos a bit; what else can we do?

When we need their services and they will accept no other payment.

All the wise men tell us: Live by the truth of your being (whatever that means). Speak the truth. Forsake pretence. But then you move out and meet people and you realise either in Rome you do as the Romans do or go and live elsewhere.

I get answers because I have questions.

People don't have questions but they do have a lot of wishes.

No wonder they don't get answers.

They say they pray for answers but their prayers are also wishes.

I don't see much happening there either.

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Cutting edge living PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI¡SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST 2015 Why should anyone want to bring in change?

They went out in life to feather their nest. Not ours.

People are so selfish, self-centred and myopic that it belies our faith in human intelligence.

Why should they or anyone. Are we forgetting that we are here for ourselves alone?!!!

It is a sad fact that those who care for society are so scared of it that they normally stay away from getting too involved because the chances of getting bashed up are awfully high.

Wanting to be alone is the first wish of a person on the path of "Individualisation".

Today technology gives us this possibility and economic possibilities make it easy to create a private reclusive corner even in bustling cities.

But in the long run, is this good?

Humans as a rule need the stress of contact of other humans under duress to thrive and grow as a strong, resilient, selfcontrolled, superior (as Confucius would say) individual.

Things have been going in the wrong directions since the Asuric forces have been trying hard for domination in the last 1oo years.

The human mind lends itself to manipulation easily. It is a soft target and mayhem has been brewing through it. The western mind through its arrogance about its knowledge and partial expertise in certain domains has been a particularly easy fertile

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ground to sow disruptive seeds. They are so continuously afraid of the natural process.

Freud and Jung although great personalities put the "understanding" levels of humans on the wrong track.

Understanding of medicine and human psychology got totally superficialised.

All these concepts that today have given us a disrupted, disturbed and distressed humanity can be seen in the discoveries received by mankind in the first part of the last century and brought to perfection in the last 70 years. ....and most of us try to change others - that is recipe for disaster. In relationships the word tolerate is more operative than love and understanding It cannot be a this or that. There is some corresponding mutual response of some kind in all relationships.

Humans as a general rule are still at an evolutionary level where everything happens at a mutual benefit level - there is give and take.

There is nothing wrong or right. Technically everything is in the right place.

But love although it exists freely in the earth's consciousness it is not operative in a big way in the human. Compassionate forgiving behaviour comes with difficulty to most of the general populace. Our instinct to thrash others be it verbally, physically or other means comes more easily and naturally.

It is another matter that occult laws of tit for tat are at work but for some reason humanity has learnt nothing from the past and that is what surprises me most in this life.

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Enhancing the Joy of Living PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST 2015 I have this certainty on which I base my thinking, activity and relationships: That the human race now needs to take the next step... which is learning to act and think from the Intuitive plane. I see a lot of energy being panned away in talking of great philosophical or religious concepts and arguments being bandied about with great gusto. The ills of the normal mentalised life and its existence are not going to be corrected by using the mind’s logistics. It is like making a truck/lorry fly (although it happens so easily in comic cartoons that my child sees on TV). If we look within we have some character flaws and some character plus points. The flaws need to be corrected using the plus points like self-control, intelligence and all the education we have had to see where we are lying to ourselves and where we are usually contradicting ourselves. Sincerity is the key. This is the next step to be taken. The rest will unfold of itself by The Grace.

We are all born great in some respects. But don’t get way-laid by many of the short positive advice givers who say that you are already perfect. We do have the potential of becoming perfect Beings but not without effort and as the time is rather short on this earth and our subconscious extremely tenacious and refusing to budge, the path to perfection becomes a little complicated and arduous. In every lifetime, there is a particular lesson to be learnt.

This is our destiny operative in this lifetime. And to achieve this end we come, loaded with some positive points and many negative traits that are usual to the human race. But very particularly you will notice everyone has one great particular attribute and one equally negative one. Between these two our 203

life gets played out. The positive attribute is always the instrument getting us out of trouble that the negative one is getting us into.

And certain patterns in life keep on getting repeated until the lesson, whatever is loaded in the program plan of Destiny has been learnt properly. A guru if at all, is needed like the teachers in school, to shorten the duration the learning process.

There is a vast difference between theory and application. The philosophical explanations may sound grand, virtuous and full of wisdom but it does not change the ground reality at the individual level. We are all mixtures with the same elements but operative at different ratios and mixed with different agendas. Philosophy does not help much in day to day interactions. What is needed here is Applied Psychology.

For instance to make my point clear - Consider the instance where you are being bullied. It is nearing 5 at the office, time to go home and the boss arrives from a meeting and asks you to stay and finish his report. You may seethe inside but you do it. What can you do? Philosophy may make you and help you accept the situation but not help you to avoid the situation. For that you need a pragmatic approach, understanding of the factors involved, self-control to act appropriate to the situation as would be done

by James Bond without reacting emotionally so that it would hopefully "kill the snake and not break the stick".

Now that we are on this subject, another thing that has always taken me with giggling surprise is the fact that everyone wants to explain to me what I am saying.

Then given a chance they want to help. Totally and completely selflessly of course.

Which translates itself into letting them control my life.

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I must say that without being aware I was also in the same mode.

My stint in the Ashram atmosphere did not remove it. It is later when I started working with Europeans and made close friends there that I learnt about this tendency.

It is from Danish friend that I learnt about the constant complaining that we are into.

From My French friend I learnt to not try to control others, manipulate others into doing my work and leaving the other to find his own way of doing things or explore and experience life.

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Lost in my fortress PRADEEP PK MAHESHWARI·THURSDAY, 13 AUGUST 2015 Intellectual development has not made a more humane humanity. Why? Whenever and wherever humans have been given the power of knowledge and information the first movement that arises in their beings is of entitlements and selfish agrandissement. It is but natural. Better education and training results in sharpening of the mental tool and success among one’s class of society. Success is normally interpreted as more wealth and power to execute projects to one’s wishes – this includes getting humans around us to do more to suit one’s whims and fancies. This is definitely a potion that goes to one’s head and makes one arrogant, selfish and underlying natural bends that were under warp come out without fear. A kind person becomes kinder and a generous person becomes even more so. Conversely selfishness becomes more acute and the motto of “What is in it for me” takes over. The feeling of “MINE” possessiveness gets coupled with one’s vanity and pride and the result is a very explosive short sighted persona.

When one is riding the wave, it is easy to see one-self as the only one progressing and going forward. Arrogance makes us “little”.

The others around us seem to be stationary, locked in their small mental rooms, incapable of learning new tricks and moving with the times. It is easy to see all the incompetent people surrounding us with their flaws showing critically. We see ourselves as giants among pygmies. What is usually missed is that when with better education and training one moves out of one social circle, one enters a new circle that was earlier a little above this existing station in life. In this new circle it is easy to imagine ourselves 206

fitting seamlessly. But this is a fallacy. Nobody will point it out; this is the tragedy. The art of fitting into this new circle has to be learnt and normally one does with trial and error. This eventually teaches a lot of things making one go through the same process of learning that one had undergone earlier to change one’s first station. Some people do it gracefully. Others just manage to hang on. Many fall flat on their faces and depression becomes their lot.

Today digital technology has given a power and independence along with motor power of a colossal nature. Is it surprising that we are seeing the arrogance side of human nature more in prominence? People are becoming unapproachable except thru monetary considerations. Mutual existence is no more a dependency. When our item is in demand; who needs the world?

But love although it exists freely in the earth's consciousness it is not operative in a big way in the human. Our instinct to thrash others be it verbally, physically or other means comes more easily and naturally. For some reason humanity has learnt nothing from the past and that is what surprises me most in this life.

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29 June 2015 It is a specific problem created by humans, maintained by the humans and cannot be solved unless the humans so will it. They will have to raise their level of consciousness to incorporate gratitude and compassion which I do not see happening anywhere in the world with the larger percentage of humans. Until we learn to live in the intuitive realms, our learning uses us thru the subconscious and we are puppets.

Look at this photo. Similar to our Nandi.

I believe most of our mythological history, stories and scientific discoveries started in Crete or around and Egyptian /Middle Eastern lands. Indian genius may have refined and upgraded it all but it is not the cradle of civilisation as we are apt to believe. The

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origins of the snake, bull, many terms have imprints from there long before our time.

Opportunities make possibilities. Humanity knows it.

The first fact to be recognised and accepted is that we humans are designed to live like automatons. Habits rule us. We are not this idea of ourselves that we have of being thinking and consciously driven exalted Beings. The Being that we think that we are is mostly in our imagination. Try living one day with your mind focussed on every act, action, word spoken – all done with great deliberation. You will understand what I am trying to say. Most people can’t even cross the road “consciously”. Their mind is somewhere else if not busy with their phone. It is surprising when you consider that your life may depend on it. Yet they are busy with concepts of Krishna, God and what they have said, and the condition of the Soul, stuff like Karma and Destiny and they spout scriptures and know what is exactly good for you.

Anyone can spout scriptures. Have you learnt to live the daily grind?

We want answers to our daily enigmas.

Any odd object can be converted into a God. Our Faith sees God easily.

Yet we fail to see God in everything (and everyone). How is that?

The secret of joy is in gratitude. Light small lamps in your heart while you thank the Provider for the bounty. Kindness opens the door. The key to the door is a smile and laughter is the sound you hear when the doors open with a bang.

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Find me true learners 26 May 2015 at 06:00

Let us focus on the insincerity of the seekers. It is the charade they put up. Actually why we do not change or put in efforts to change our circumstances ( forget about our nature).... because we settle easily for OKAY. Is it then surprising that everything now is a superficial put-up job to "seem", a card board facade.

Fakes. In today's world the focus is on "certificates". They are valued and easily duplicated. That is why fakes abound. In an atmosphere where fakes are given currency, even the Gurus and Acharyas are not entirely genuine. There are true ones around but how do we recognize them as they blend into the scenery? The public in general is an ignorant group that follows the herd mentality that is easily influenced by the most glitzy presentation.

We have Cinema,TV, printed colorful journals, and now digital devices.

Find me true learners but I see only the profiteering types who wish to profit from association with teachers, bask in the glory of studentship but learning nothing. The question is can we reach them to look deeper and otherwise?

Then again why should we? Shall we interfere with their destinies? Is that good? Life will teach them in its own way. They are asking for it. Why should we protect them from their learning process? The unraveling is happening. The spiral is on the move.

We may not see the results in our short life-spans. Our work, if we are absolutely certain that we "KNOW", is to answer questions in 210

the light of our experience without quoting others and keep our doors open to instruct without expecting any pecuniary gifts.

Say it and do it with honesty. Sincerity shows. So does insincerity – even more so as humans are conditioned to be on their back-foot and wary of words. Fakes survive on play of lovely word images with no intent in them. They promise and not deliver.

They always have excuses. As if anyone ever pays attention to excuses & explanations. Jumping to conclusions is the norm anyway.

This is the thinking process of humans. It rarely occurs to them that they are the centre and the reason for most of the storms they find themselves in. We are continuously laughing and often jeering at the world for what we consider is folly. It never occurs to us that we may be in error and needing shift and change in our perceptions of things/life.

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