TEN PEARLS OF WISDOM FOR

2012
Essays on
LIFE LOVE GOD WORLD GREED EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ENTERTAINMENT PAIN WORK
RAJESH MENON (Guru30)

Life
As you whiz past time, remember to stop and smell the roses. Life is a journey and there is no destination. You may have set goals. But those are temporary in nature. Once you reach them you have another set which you start out to achieve. And life goes on like that, from one possible destination to another. Some of you may be living without goals. Thats also fine, as long as you are happy. Enjoy the journey. Thats what matters. Many a times you will come across situations which are difficult. Do not avoid them. Face them with full courage. God will give you enough strength to do so. Remember the saying in the Bible And it came to pass. There is no situation put in front of you by destiny which you cannot tackle. You have been given enough strength and perseverance to face them. So like I said, however heartbreaking it might be, you have got to live this life. Rest if you must, but dont you quit. Another thing about life Its a short one. So be graceful, treat people with respect and spread joy to others. Be their Santa Claus. Do not let undermining emotions get in your way. Even if they do, shake them off as fast as possible. Always be in an optimistic positive mood, despite anything. Cheer up, treat yourself to a cookie or a drink whenever you feel that you have done something right. Do not waste life in petty emotions. Stand up and claim your life. Thats the only one you have got. Even if you miss an opportunity do not worry. God keeps sending them often. But dont miss them all. Latch on to a couple of them. Steer your ship by your inner compass. Let no one else do that for you. Remember its your life after all. Even if you make a mistake, you will be happy because you and only you are responsible for it. Do not put off things, because if it has snowed today, chances are it will, tomorrow also. So do not wait for an auspicious time. There is no such thing. The greatest life is that which connects us to God. Although, unconsciously we are connected, we have to witness his marvels in the light of our consciousness. That life which takes us towards God, step by step, is a life worth living. God always will love you, no matter what. So be confident of that, however bad you screw up. And in the end, its a lesson. You have to take it that way. Learn the lesson and then toss away the past. Begin a new future. Live life in the present. Fully.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Love
The only reason why we are here - (1) To feel love. (2) To enjoy love. (3) To spread love. Love is the uppermost emotion of our soul. You know how wonderful it feels to be loved and being lovable. God has created us for this only and nothing but this only. All other emotions feel petty besides this one. So go out and search for love. Chances are you will get it. And once you do, remember to share it with everyone. Otherwise its strength goes waste. Love is pure magic. Its that Aha moment, when we feel like we are lifted to the sky. Love comes in various forms. Brotherly love, motherly love, spouse love, love from children, love from your pet and so on. You may experience many of them in different ways. How can you be so sure if its love? Well your heart is calibrated for that. So do not worry. You will feel it, when it is love. There is no mistaking. Love expands and makes us feel lighter. Also love brings a lot of happiness to us. Feel it, enjoy it and spread it. Your life will be fuller.

If you are in the pursuit of love, and it brings hurt, note that love is giving you one more chance to find it and embellish it in all ways possible. Keep searching and you will find it. But sometimes you may have to persevere. So hang in there and you will get there one day. Promise. If you are charged with love, all your actions manifest in bringing love to others. Work from this angle, because it will bring you success. Guaranteed.

Let the hurt from the past go. Remember John Lennons song Let it Be. Be a new individual. Trust more. Help more. Enjoy more. You may sometimes feel love from inanimate objects also. Like say a blue ocean or a rocky mountain. Well, this is just part and parcel of the game. These kind of wonders are a bonus. Capture them in the deep recesses of your memory and savor them as much as you can. You are a special human being and you deserve nothing less than love. Love in the greatest form can be felt when you give it. That act of kindness or that act of courage is something that people will remember forever. Be a sensitive human being. Know that others are also going through some situations like you are. Extend a gentle hand to them. Try to pacify a little crying kid, or give a rose to a loved one. All these acts and others which simply bring a light of love into peoples lives are what matters. Rest is conversation.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

God
The greatest of all. He/She is everywhere. Inside each and every atom that sustains the universe. In those large expanse of silence. In those paddy fields and that river that keeps humming throughout and those cliffs of the giant mountain looking menacing and those snowfalls of the winter months and in the depths of the unexplored mighty oceans and that great big blue sky and beneath the earths surface and in one word ubiquitous. We came from God and we return back to God. Lord Krishna in the Bhagvad Gita says that only 1% of his opulence sustains the universe. We do not know the remaining 99%. Prophet Mohammad in the Koran says that the Almighty is closer to us than the vein that runs through our neck. And indeed it is true. He/She is the knower of all things and can be described in just one single word. Love. Yes thats what He/She is. Known by different names, he is one and all, that has ever been or that will ever be. God is the highest experience that we should all desire. Love is His/Her gift to us. And so is everything that can be perceived by us. He/She is a super natural power that cares for us to the nth degree and is the most gracious and loving being. No matter whatever we may have gone through or done, He/She still loves us. Despite anything. There is nothing that is hidden from his view. His/Her presence is everywhere and he keeps giving us all that we want. As far as we are concerned, we should be returning His/Her love back in ample ways that are possible. Like for instance by helping others, by being more caring for the environment etc. We say our daily prayers yet then next moment we become so immersed in ourselves that we forget Him/Her and do things as we wish, when all of His/Her time He/She has been just thinking about us. Helping us, Nuturing us and feeding us whenever we were hungry. The least that we can do for Him/Her is that we do not hurt others and try to help them Console them when they cry, feed them when they are hungry but most of all first change ourselves to be upright, honest human beings. And go after one thing in life God Realization. Because that is the only purpose of life. To feel Him/Her in all his might and pay respects to Him/Her. Is there anything else in life worthier than this? Yes. To live a life of love. His/Her way.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

World
The world is also called mykhana in some songs, which means a place where people go to drink. And what do they drink in this bar? Their daily dose of experience, which can be positive or negative. Let this not affect you. Life is bigger than the day to day experience of this world. Of course, this is also part of life, but nevertheless, we should not call it as our entire life, as there is more to life than meets the eye. A ship with a strong sail does not topple with the wind. The world can be a very dangerous place as we meet some people who may have a treacherous nature. These people drag us down from our loft aspirations. Stay away from such people. Be only with them who realize your true potential and egg you on. And I mean it from the heart, not just a plastic smile. There are people who would sincerely wish the best for you and dont think that they have to be relatives or friends. The gesture may come from a wayward beggar. Basically to deal with the world, you have to read people. Those who are on your side and those who are not. Now everybody is on his own side, but not at the expense of others. Live life morally strong, so that you do not do some of the ghastly things that some people seem to do. Do not just look for happiness for yourself, give some back to people who are in need. The world has its own ways of rewarding and punishing people. But remember none of these laws are above divine laws. You come across people who fear God, then you come across people who act as if they are the only beneficiaries of God. Different people, but see through peoples intentions. Join hands with people you know who wont create obstacles in your path and be in sincere friendship with some of them. You will find that such alliances are uplifting. Sometimes you dont have much of a choice. For example there is a bully in your group. Do not heed him. There is also a set of individuals who are set out to make this world a better place. In case your goals appeal, you can join them. Or in your own way, make a contribution (not necessarily money) to those goals which God would approve of. That should be the yardstick. What we do in the world comes back to us as our karma. Bad actions bring bad results and good actions bring good results. And remember the most important thing. The action is yours but the reward is entirely in the hands of God.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Greed
The only type of greed that is good is the one that takes you one more step closer towards God. Greed for love, for happiness etc. The Almighty has given all of us bountiful resources of the nature to be enjoyed by all of us. But some of us hoard these treasures and some willingly give it away. Dont be mean. Everyone wants three square meals a day, a place to sleep, clean up, excrete and good healthcare and schools. I dont know why this is impossible. It is, if you look at the present world. Some people have looted the world more than necessary and keeping the loot to themselves. After drinking your fill, you should let the rivers be used by others who are thirsty. This is the right approach. Why do we need to stock the water. Because stored water can be full of disease causing germs, unlike a river that flows. But still we want the whole river for ourselves. Who has given a birthright on this? There is nothing above Gods laws. Although he has given people free will he meant this to be put into just force. And most of all Greed for money. Im not saying that this is bad. But money works when its put to use for the right purpose. Make a million (if thats what your financial goal is) and be happy. Do not covet for more. The more the greed, the more the unhappiness. Put the money that you have to proper use and that would last a lifetime of gratitude to you from some innocent bystanders. Be greedy for love. Love of god. There is nothing more nobler than this. And if you look at life from a holistic perspective, you will soon realize that this is all there is to it. Nothing more, nothing less. If you find a room full of darkness, light a lamp if you have a candle, dont just leave the place without doing your part. And after all, where are you going to take away all your belongings. On the death bed, you cannot take a single feather out of this. Greed is good in the right proportions. People who say that all types of greed is bad are wrong. Greed takes us forward causing us to act. Hence some of them are good. Like I said earlier, greed of love, position (which entails us to do things) and greed for happiness are good. Anything that takes us towards God is good. So have greed but focus it in the right direction. Have your fill, but remember there are others waiting in the queue just besides you. Be a little more generous.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Education
In todays world, education is of paramount importance. Education ideally should be a birthright, but there are many who languish in not getting educated and hence not finding proper jobs. Education is like light which dispels away darkness. Hence everybody should get an opportunity to waive their darkness away. Education taught in schools and colleges is not enough. We need to get more of life education, to be able to afford a living and to be happy. Education is often mistaken with literacy. The ability to read or write is simply the first step towards a constant and continuing education in the school of life. Education should not be rote learning, as is portrayed by lots of schools. We need to educate people to be happy, because only a happy person can make others happy. True education is education about getting closer to God, to realize his gifts and make us of them properly. Everyone of us seems to be gifted with some skills. But still we have frustrated lawyers wanting to become doctors or accountants wanting to become engineers. Do not confuse a living with life skill. Your life skill may be different from your education. Go after it. Because we should do only what we love to do. If at all we are taught something in the schools and colleges, the uppermost should be realization of our natural skills. That will go a long way in building the happy individual. Education should not dwell on the obscene or crime or as such. We have to teach our kids the positive aspects of life and dwell on their strengths. Still we find that newspapers and magazines carry more of negative content. As our kids get exposed to this, they think that life is such. Education should have a moral code attached to it. At the right ages we should expose our kids to the right content. A value based education is the need of the hour. Its strange that we learn things like calculus and mechanics for being an engineer, but nobody teaches them how to find God. God based education amicable to all religions or plain simple spirituality should be taught in these institutions. Because the greatest education for a person is to have felt the love of God and lived his way upon some moral commandments. Unfortunately we do not teach all this in our schools and colleges. The highest knowledge is the knowledge of God and there is no greater education.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Technology
Technology brings us closer to God. How is that you may ask me? Imagine life without telephones and Tvs . Telephones connect us to each other. If we have an expression of joy we can send it across using a telephone. Even grief. Doesnt mean that grief sharing is not conducive to happiness. They who grieve more realize more of the depths of happiness. TVs help us keep occupied. Im not debating on the content right now. But its better than idleness you will agree? Today the computer is helping us socialize and also make some of our difficult jobs easier. Robots in factories achieve work with so much precision, that we cant seem to do by ourselves. But technology for technologys sake is not good. It has to help us in a way that was not there before. Technology at its core is a strange mixture of electricity and magnetism that works in a predictable way. Herein lies the difference between us and these machines. The catch word is predictable. Some people worry that a world ahead in technology causes problems. To which my answer is : There is a pro and con in each and everything. If technology brings us happiness, choose only that part of it. We are free to ignore the bad part. In life choice is essential. We can choose the long road or the short one. That is why God gave us wisdom. Technology sometimes cuts short the time required to realize God. There are hypnotisms, NLPs (Neuro Linguistic Programming) etc achievable by use of technology today. And it helps people to reach a higher level of being which means getting closer to God. I use a word processor to write, and its so helpful. I enjoy writing, and in turn it takes me closer towards God, I believe. Thus each person using the flairs of technology should be able to find God faster and thus realize the benefit of being a human being, The ability to realize God. And technology helps us in doing that. There are many applications of technology whose scope is beyond the discussion now. Software and Hardware which are like the brain and the mind are being put to use in varied applications. Today at the touch of a button, you are able to read a newspaper and at another click you can share that with the whole world. The world is getting smaller, they say. And its true. The 0s and 1s are nothing but an extension of Gods dream for us, so that we can appreciate him better and maybe build a world where everyone will be happy. That to me seems to be the plan.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Entertainment
This is something which we cannot afford to miss. But what is really entertainment? Its a means of getting engaged in something fruitful. It can become an addiction, beware. Earlier people used to watch a natural waterfall or a mountain to get entertained. That was before the era of TVs. Now we get entertained by artificial waterfalls and mountains. Although the effect is not the same, the feeling is, albeit a bit lower in strength. Sitting on a computer we can get entertained by music or a video or simply browsing websites. We go out and watch movies and talk shows to get entertained. Entertainment is central to our being today. But there are so many nefarious things that goes under the guise of entertainment that it has become difficult to draw a line between the good and the bad. For instance there is so much of violence in TVs and games, that our kids are getting addicted to. Entertainment should be clean. Pure fun. It should make us happy without agitating our nerves. If we watch a movie that leaves us with some of the petty emotions that we have, its not done its job. Entertainment must make us happy. It should leave an indelible mark on our being and transform our thinking from one plane to a higher plane. It should also help us explore more avenues of such good entertainment. Hence be careful of what you watch or hear. One of the best forms of entertainment is that which educates us. For example, in our quest to study further we may take up a course. View this also as an entertainment option. A real life tour of people living in difficult times can also awaken our charitable senses to do some things for others. Kids being taken out on picnics, say a tour of a museum or the aquatic world is also a good form of educative entertainment. We must encourage entertainment in such a way that it should educate. Entertainment of sports is also quite appreciable. But things which have cruelty in it should not be called as entertainment. I firmly deny the aspects of such forms of entertainment which trigger our wrong baser instincts. Entertainment is a form of love and thats the way it should remain. A means to make other people happy and prosperous. In whatever form , we have to acknowledge that its a powerful medium of conveying the joy of others and that should be the paramount goal.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Pain
We all go through this sometime through our life. Look at pain as a means of making us more strong. The deeper the pain, the more we bounce back. But we must try. The rebound is not automatic. Pain is the opposite of happiness, when we have to struggle to keep us intact. People go through a mild headache to various depressions and still make a comeback. If you are in pain, my suggestion to you, seek out a remedy. God will ease your pain. Pain is something we all have to experience in order to make the experience of happiness meaningful. God doesnt give us pain. Its caused as a result of our body or mind staying away from the normal. Always pay heed to moderation. This is good. Do not do anything in excess or be frugal. Absorb the right amount. Have a proper lifestyle and stay in a positive frame of mind. You will find that you are surrounded by happiness everywhere. Some people think that the pain is caused by the devil. Let me assure you that there is no such thing as a devil. And some resort to witchcraft and some ancient methods to drive the pain away, but that is useless. Its a false belief of some people. Yes, pain needs to be treated, otherwise it aggravates. There is a remedy for most of the pains, except some chronic ones. But medical science is making progress and soon we would have rooted out pain in all its forms. I suggest you just hang in there. There will be better times, when you will be surrounded by sunlight, blue in color. With no trace of pain ever, you will be ushered into happy only worlds and I mean when you are living you will enjoy all this. Pray to God regularly. Look after your body and mind. What you feed them is what you get as results. Remember to be moderate in what you do. Do not fluctuate on extremes. It can be nonbeneficial for you. Do not try to substitute one pain for another. The situation will get worse. Bear the pain with treatment of course. Like I said, there will be better times. Right now the pain body needs rest. Hence go to sleep. Do not worry about tomorrow. Actually you should never. Otherwise you may get an anxiety attack. Pain is nothing but an imbalance. Treat it like you would treat a child. With lot of care and candies. (medicines) Soon you will find that pain can be controlled by you.

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Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com

Work
Work is worship. Work should be your deepest expression of love which manifests in the world. Do not work with antipathy. Its better to stay away from such forms of work. Work like a painter who paints his most beautiful painting, like a carpenter who whistles away when he is sawing or like a movie star who forgets himself and gets so immersed in the character. Work is what we will be known by, whatever be the type of it. So give it your best shot. If you are unhappy for some reason with your work, redo it. Practice. Practice. Practice. There is no other cause of beautiful work. When preparation meets opportunity, you get success. It may not be in your first try, but nevertheless, keep trying. One day you will get it. There is no work that is 100% complete. Work is a process of improvement and you have to have the mentality of a student to excel. Keep learning and improving yourself. Sometimes work is also referred to as duty. That last word adds a severe connotation to it. Duty is prime and there is nothing bigger than it. Love, yes. But duty has a moral tinge to it. Hence it sometimes is more sacredly held than love. Love for duty. Yes, and that is the best. Sometimes you may have to do things which you are not comfortable with, in the line of duty. The only thing is you should be wise enough to know so. Give all you have got and see how any mundane work can become a source of joy. Work rightly done will bring a lot of happiness. But mind you, you have to train yourself. There is no work that you learn from your mothers womb, except to suckle. When we encounter the world, with our value system, we start defining what we will and what we will not do. This is good as long as the value system is sound. Once that is in the right place, unleash yourself onto the world. Good work will never bring grief. As your work starts improving, you will find yourself becoming more confident and energetic. The shadows of doubt that used to prevail beneath your skin will evaporate away. Take to work like a fish to water. Breathe it, feel it and accomplish it. Leave an indelible mark for the world which will witness your work and appreciate the things you have done. Further, take work as duty towards God. You will never go wrong.

www.guru-30.com

Rajesh Menon (Guru30)

guru30.blogspot.com