I have decided that for the time being I will not overthink the articles in my blog and will write about my day to day thoughts and challenges. So these are my thoughts for today as regards my meditation practice. I had earlier put up a post with a lot of points that I expected […]
Monthly Archives: December 2020
Another Hodgepodge of Thoughts
I am sitting in front of the computer screen not knowing what I should write. Normally I have a good idea about what I want to say but today being a bit busy I have not been able to organise my thoughts to write a coherent blog post. But I need to maintain my goal […]
More on Envy
Why is there so much envy in India? According to Gurcharan Das, the well known author, the cause of envy in India is socialism. According to him in his book, The Difficulty of Being Good, If greed is the sin of capitalism then envy is the vice of socialism. When I was young Indira Gandhi […]
Guarding against Envy
I want in this article to summarize a few points that Francis Bacon makes in his essay on Envy. There is a link to the full essay at the end of this article. Please read the original essay. It is heavy going but it is less than 5 pages and Francis Bacon understood human nature. […]
Why you should not read Self Help books
Now I am writing a Self Help article and telling you not to read Self Help books. There is a contradiction right there. But bear with me and I will make my point. What I would like to say is that all youngsters would be better advised to read novels – preferably but not necessarily […]
How to guard against Envy
I want to write two maybe three articles on the subject of envy. I have suffered as a result of envy – when I was young I was (definitely because of my genes) something of a potential genius. But I was also a troubled youngster who behaved in eccentric ways. I have every wish to […]
Vital Secrets for a Successful Career
Read earlier article that I published on this topic earlier. Better yet get hold of the book from which the concepts of the article were taken. The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell is a classic of self help. I first read the book when I was around 20 and I still keep a copy […]
On Self Mortification
A close acquaintance of mine responded to my earlier post (https://insightsandexperiences.com/do-good-to-those-who/). Here is her reply. Acquaintance: The first premises here is “forgive those that trespass against you.” It’s there in the Lord’s Prayer and has been a great source of strength and inner peace for me. True it isn’t easy. But once you start consciously […]
The Best Maker of Men I Know
Thomas Carlyle is not one of my favourite authors. He is not somebody I read over and over repeatedly but he has exercised a dominant and beneficial influence over my life. I remember when I was I my mid-twenties I was searching for a direction in my life. Or rather I was searching for strength […]
When you are seeking Vengeance …
I’ll start with two quotations from the Bible: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; “Vengeance is mine” saith the Lord. I have been used despitefully and I can tell you […]