Why Be Good?

"No use being kind and helpful to people these days. They are ungrateful anyways... so what is the point of being good???"  

This was a recent Facebook status update by a friend. It had me mulling over it for a long time as i looked for a way to convey my thoughts to her. 

The more i thought about it, the more it dawned on me that it is a great question to ask. There certainly have been several times in my life when i have asked myself and others the same question. It seems hard, useless and hopeless to be good. 

Why be good? is an ethical question.  A lot of philosophers and great thinkers have ruminated over it.

I have come to realize that being good is a gift we give ourselves because from it, comes happiness and fulfillment. There have been scientific studies which have proved that helping others unlocks the door to longer, happier and healthier lives. All world religions share the same message : To be one's highest self and to always do good. 

May not Fear of God, Punishments, Karma or Self-Interests be the motivator to follow the noble, moral path. May we not need a reason to be good. May we always strive to be virtuous.  

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” ― Mary Anne Radmacher

“Don't wait for other people to be loving, giving, compassionate, grateful, forgiving, generous, or friendly... lead the way!” ― Steve Maraboli

Why be good, when you can be great?

Time is .....?

Take a moment and try to 'fill in the blank' of the title.

Somedays i wish, i had more time in a day. (Mostly, on good days.) If it's a bad day, i can't wait to get into bed and sleep it away. As evening drew close, i had a clock ticking in my mind, i have to update my blog! Isn't it hard to imagine a world without timekeeping? 

From 'The Time Keeper' by Mitch Albom

Don't we all count the hours, until the beauty of the moment, slips through our fingers? The value of time is in embracing life and living it with all of our being. 

Take in sights by blinking the shutterbugs of your eye-lids;

Play a song from memory - Own a ear dripping with sounds; 

Breathe deep to lock in scents and fragrances;

Feel the touch 

of a flower, 

a leaf, 

the breeze, 

the earth, 

a ray of sunlight,

the shadow of a cloud,

a drop of rain 

In your soul.

My response to the question, i asked, at the beginning of the post is "Time is precious gift from God".   

We live in deeds, not years; In thoughts, not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. ~Philip James Bailey

What would you do, if time did not exist?

What is Success?

Have you thought about what 'Success' means to you?

Most people equate success to making or having a lot of money. I personally believe that finding contentment and happiness in whatever state one may be in, is something to strive for, because change is the only constant in life. It is possible to live a successful life without being wealthy. Regardless of age, place or goals, everyone's ultimate aim is to be happy. The ability to keep striving in the face of failure, disappointment and rejection is strength of character. Found this line somewhere on the web, "The person who lives life fully, glowing with life's energy, is the person who lives a successful life.

I like this inspiring poem on Success, wrongly attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. It appears to be originally written by Bessie Stanley in 1905, although the wordings are slightly different (Mostly due to adaptions over time).

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

“The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.” ~George S. Patton Jr.

Words have Power

Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another. ~ George Eliot

Thanks to Princy, i spent some time on my blog today, all the while chuckling, reading a few older posts. The weirdest thing was that i had to google my name and scan through a few pages of the search results to get here. So much easier than trying to make an effort to remember! Excuse me for blaming technology for making me lazier.

Now, if only my mom heard this, she would scoff loudly yet again... "See what tinkering with the mobile phone has done to you". It's true, she still remembers phone numbers (mobile and land-line) of friends and relatives, and she is still good with mental mathematics - both of which are lost arts to me. Mom beats the calculators and embarrasses the cash clerks by pointing out their errors in calculation. And her reward is the confused and startled expressions of the netizens. Her oft-repeated dialogue plays in my ear: "Look, i don't use computers, laptops, and smart phones, but i have my basics right. "
I may have the most answers to any random question and may know a bit more than Mom, but only with the internet connection on. No wonder, i dread losing the wi-fi!

Princy has asked me a couple of times why i don't write. Today, we met and something about the way she asked again, i can't pinpoint that entirely... maybe that simple gentleness, thoughtful look, playful nudge... something lit and I made up my mind that i won't go to bed tonight without checking out the long-forgotten blog. It is rightly said that influence may be the highest level of human skills and that it is the key to leadership (not authority). Bet nobody knows who they influence, when or why?

I switched on my laptop to check the blog and the last post was two years ago.  *Moment of Silence*
If it was a real place, i can't imagine how dusty this place would have been and if i would have had the courage of sprucing it up ever again. But before i actually got down to writing a post, i spent a good 3 hours texting, messaging and checking tweets... the usual distractions.

If it were not for Princy, this post would never have seen the light of day. Isn't it amazing when you have someone in your life who reminds you of things that are very close to your heart, but that you have forgotten of?

I'll leave you with another quote:

Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and where ever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power. ~ Henry George.

Who are you going to influence and inspire today?