Bertand Russell has – in many of his books – written about the dangers of fanaticism. Both religious fanaticism and those involving non religious beliefs. Two relevant quotes by him are as under: It always has been and has done untold harm. I think fanaticism is the greatest danger there is. I might almost say […]
Author Archives: nikhilmg
How to Contemplate
What is Contemplation? I did a Google search and came up with these results Sourced from – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemplation Relating to how to do this sort of contemplation I have come up with my own method. It is explained below: Whenever he has the courage and initiative to question life and keep questioning it, to interpret […]
Attn Students – What To Choose After your 10th Standard Board Exams
One of the members of my extended family has a young teenage son who is faced with the choice all middle class kids face in India – the choice between science, arts or commerce streams after their 10th standard board exams. I would like to make a pitch for encouraging your kids to choose the […]
How the British ruled half the World
How did the British – a small island nation with a limited population – conquer half the world? This article will attempt to explain one of the psychological factors underlying their success. It is a continuation of my previous blog below: There were other factors of course. The scientific inventions in the west that gave […]
The Ultimate Self Help Tip
There are some sentences from Shakespeare (Hamlet) that are justly celebrated as some of the most meaningful sentences ever written in any language. They are: Forget the first quote above. That is beyond the scope of this article and possibly beyond the scope of my intellect. Focus on the second (To thine own self etc). […]
Pros and Cons of Being Childlike
The Bible advises us to be as a child if you wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I have a history of being childlike. Just about anyone could make a fool of me (ever since I was young) and I was and am very easily influenced. Careerwise also, a Chartered Accountant is supposed to […]
What does being Fair mean?
The golden rule states: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I was thinking of some events that happened in the mid 2000s. Due to certain events I did not want to have anything to do with some people and their friends and acquaintances. They complained that although I may have […]
How to be Blissful
I am writing about some high philosophy concepts that you will probably not understand unless you have some background in Advaita Vedanta. Be warned. Yesterday I was meditating and I felt blissful. This is not usual for me. Mostly I am caught up in my mind and trying to concentrate. But yesterday I felt bliss […]
Downside of being United
I’ll start with a quote from Bertrand Russell: The power of the State may be brought to bear, as it often is in England, through public opinion rather than through the laws. By oratory and the influence of the Press, public opinion is largely created by the State, and a tyrannous public opinion is as […]
I am not I
I am not I. I am studying Advaita Vedanta. It is a radical school of spirituality that challenges us to question and reverse our most basic assumptions. It is not for everybody but if you are an intellectual sort of person (like I am) you may find it not only interesting but also useful. One […]