Monday, December 29, 2008

Donkey Wisdom…

As we close this year and barge into another, there will be a sigh of relief among many, some people will bid farewell with a moist eye and there will be others who would have never wanted this to end. Different people, different perspective and different opinions and I guess this is what makes this world very interesting. Imagine a world where we all would be same, of same shade, thought likewise and there were no difference ..the world would be such a bland place to stay. But irrespective of what we think and want, change is inevitable and if for certain we have to usher in a new year i would rather welcome the year with a new found optimism and courage then to accept the change grudgingly with disdain and anxiety.

I came across this story and it fits the bill:-

 

Once upon a time there was a farmer who had an old mule. The mule fell into a deep dry well and began to cry loudly. Hearing his mule cry, the farmer came over and assessed the situation. The well was deep and the mule was heavy. He knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to lift the animal out.

Because the mule was old and the well was dry, the farmer decided to bury the animal in the well. In this way he could solve two problems: put the old mule out of his misery and have his well filled. He called upon his neighbors to help him and they agreed to help. To work they went. Shovel full of dirt after shovel full of dirt began to fall on the mule's back. He became hysterical.

Then all of a sudden an idea came to the mule. Each time they would throw a shovel full of dirt on his back he could shake it off and step up. Shovel full after shovel full, the mule would shake it off and step up.

Now exhausted and dirty, but quite alive, the mule stepped over the top of the well and walked through the crowd. A great attitude. A great way to approach life. Shake it off and step up. Too often we hold on to what has happened to us.

As we head towards a brand new year we wish the readers of the blog a great year ahead. We would also like to believe that New Year will bring in new joys, opportunities and challenges for all. There are too many among us who hang on to the past, just shake it off, step up and move on…..

Have a scrumptious and sumptuous year ahead……

Sac

 

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Wonder COSMOS.....

The year 2008 has been a traumatic year for all of us, the global meltdown has affected all and sundry, the series of bombing and terrorist acts has left us shaken, the floods and other natural calamity has set us thinking that even the gods have taken a displeasure, the violence and agitation in Jammu and Kashmir that lasted for more then a month and if this was not enough we had the dastardly and cowardly Mumbai attacks that defied all realms of human morality.

So many lives lost, so many homes destroyed and in turn countless other affected. There have also been some major achievements and between these white and black there has been lot of grey areas and life has to move on. All this events though have a huge impact in our lives and sets one thinking about the significance of it if at all.

The other day i was reading a book named COSMOS by Carl Sagan, when i picked up the book i thought this would be just another book on realms of the universe, its beginning and all the scientific stuff, but what I found was extraordinarily different and gave a new insight into life and its origin, but most of it made me feel how insignificant we were.

Its says that our planet must be about 4 billion years old and the simplest of life form that originated in the planet in the form of one celled organism would be about 3 billion years old. Since then various life forms has evolved and then only a few million years ago humans appeared on the scene. To come to think of our presence in the planet we are a relatively new phenomenon but in this small existence of our's we have had profound impact on the planet. 

Also in this period billions of different life forms has come and many have become extinct. To think of the probability that we are born as humans is one in many billion, the probability of we being living in this era, at this time and in this place would be almost 1/infinite. To comprehend the space that we occupy in the planet would be almost as insignificant, lesser then a speck of dust particle. The probability keep getting compelling the more we think of our existence and our life.

So does that make our lives inconsequential, when lives can be lost at the drop of the hat what meaning does it hold, does that mean that we carry no value and all our actions actually come to naught?

In my article "A Life less ordinary" I had mentioned how each one of us can contribute to nation building, to development of each other, to upliftment of society as a whole and this is what gives significance to the whole concept of our lives. When the probability of being what we are is so compellingly against us i.e. less then one in many billion then I would assume that our presence on earth is not by chance but by design. If by design then there has to be some purpose; as a purposeless life is like a rudderless boat.

Though insignificant it might sound but our actions are very significant. Small actions live a big impact on our lives and present a future that is completely unforeseeable from the present. It’s not just ours that get impacted but the impact is multifold. Just like a forest fire that starts with a spark and eventually engulfs the whole forest or even a town. A small action as writing this blog might have some profound impact on people that I don’t even know.

People who lives the lives less ordinary are like eternal torches whose light emates long after they are gone and though they are not present physically their saga lives on brightening the lives of humanity. They are like flames that can light millions of other candles and though they might be gone, their light is there to inspire coming generations.

In one of my articles i had said that it is in death that we treasure life, the recent spate of events should make us treasure life even more and in doing so help others to enrich their live and thus give it a real purpose and make this planet a real wonder of this whole cosmos.

Sac...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Mind Teaser - II

In the given division every letter represent a distinct single digit.
            
        __________
   c d 9) a h a h b i  ( 5 b 1
             a g d e
                g 3 b
                f  i  8
                  c d i
                  c d 9
                   o

Find the value of h, d  and c.
Post your answers in the comments.... winner gets it all... :-) 
Sac