Dependence leads to sorrow and independence to happiness

'para vasam dukham,atma vasam sukham'

When I am dependent upon people, situations and objects external to me for my happiness, I am under their control. I can't be really happy because things external to me suffer from three fold limitations:

• They are finite - finite objects can give only finite results and limited joy
• They bring a mixture of pleasure and pain
• They are addictive in nature

Under this scenario one can never really be happy.

If I choose to remain independent 'atma vasam' I am truly happy. I am not happy because of a situation, a person or on object, I am quite simply HAPPY period.

The job of the nut and bolt is to sit tight

There is a saying "He also serves who stands and waits"

This brings out a unique situation. There are people who contribute actively, I see them running around doing things, getting things done and being visible all the time. There are those who aren't visible so they decide they want to become visible and take up activity all of a sudden.

Remember, if the nut and bolt feel that they are doing nothing and it is the piston which is visible and is doing all the activity and decide to start moving, then the piston would go nuts.

Important to know my station in life and do our best in that station.

"svakarman tam abyarca" (doing your best in your own calling and that is service)

Have the chutzpah to bring out a unique response

When someone insults me, I have the freedom to give it back in the same coin or even worse, ignore it or come out with a unique response.

for instance:

Situation 1

Insulter: "You look like a monkey!"

I : "Look whose talking!"

Situation 2

Insulter: "You look like a monkey"

I : Ignore it and continue doing what I am doing

Situation 3

Insulter: 'You like a monkey"

I : "Hey, why would you want to say that, it hurts the monkey!"

Chutzpah (pronounced "Hutzpah") means courage. I must have the courage and the creativity to come out with a unique response.

Live like a king, a master of all that he surveys

The role of pain in life

Every pain that I go through helps shed wrong 'adrsta'. Physical pain is relatively easy to handle. I just have to grin and bear it and it will go away sometime. But the emotional pain is what bothers me more. It is the sinking feeling that I have in the pit of my stomach, slowly permeates to the heart and takes it toll on your cheerfulness, enthusiasm, faith and just about everything.

The only way I handle it is to tell myself, that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have often discovered that at the end of the tunnel there is another tunnel.

My guru taught me that all experiences are trying to teach me something. They take me life ward and the knocks en route are meant to correct my course.

I seem to have so much wisdom when it comes so many things but when it comes to handling just one situation I seem to go off track.

I pray to the lord to help me see myself properly in his scheme of things.