The Angry Story

A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger?
Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'

'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint.
'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice?
Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot.
To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other.
The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'
Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why?
Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens?
They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love.
Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all.
That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other

Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems ...

Eight fold Path

    Speak or act with an impure mind,

    And trouble will follow you.

    An untroubled mind,

    No longer seeking to consider

    What is right and what is wrong,

    A mind beyond judgements,

    Watches and understands.

    

    In this world Hate

    never yet dispelled hate.

    Only love dispels hate.

    This is the law,

    Ancient and inexhaustible.

    

    In every trial

    Let understanding fight for you

    If a man's thoughts are muddy,

    If he is reckless and full of deceit,

    How can he wear the yellow robe?

    Whoever is master of his own nature,

    Bright, clear and true,

    He may indeed wear the yellow robe.

    

    Your worst enemy cannot harm you

    As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.

    But once mastered,

    No one can help you as much,

    Not even your father or your mother.

    

    Whoever follows impure thoughts

    Suffers in this world and the next.

    In both worlds he suffers

    And how greatly

    

    Understand that the body

    Is merely the foam of a wave,

    The shadow of a shadow.

    

    Desire never crosses the path

    Of virtuous and wakeful men.

    

    The fragrance of sandalwood and rosebay

    Does not travel far.

    But the fragrance of virtue

    Rises to the heavens.

Sankranti Attractions

Bhogi Mantalu marks the beginning of Makar Sankranthi Festival. At dawn, people light a bonfire with logs of wood

On Bhogi, people discard old and derelict things and concentrate on new things causing change or transformation. The disposal of derelict things is where all old habits, vices, attachment to relations and material things are sacrificed in the sacrificial fire Useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes.The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter. Bonfire represents realization, transformation and purification of the soul by imbibing and inculcating various divine virtues. Bhogi is celebrated the day preceding Thai Pongal,Makar Sankranti and Lohri.

Folks in Andhra Pradesh celebrate Sankranti, the telugu harvest festival.

Colourful ‘Kolam’ decorations are put in front of the houses with balls of cow-dung placed on it (to show its contribution to the harvest). The seasons’ first harvest in the form of seeds, pulses, fruits and flowers are also scattered symbolizing the abundance of food for the year.

 

This is ‘Haridasu’ , also called ‘Basvanna’. He is generally seen during this festival in his unique attire along with his decorated ox, roaming along the streets seeking alms door-to-door.

Youngsters enjoy flying kites amid the playing of songs blarring from the speakers on rooftops. Sky appears silvery as thousands of colourful kites fly across the sky by kids and youths who compete with each other in kite-flying. A big commotion is witnessed by people as kites are cut by competitors.
 

Another unique excitement which I never got to witness is the traditional cock fights.  However, I kinda enjoyed watching sheep and bull fights held during dussehra festival in Andhra Pradesh. This 3 day festival is celebrated in line with gaiety and keeping the unique cultural tradition alive.

Hurry , Worry!

There’s no doubt about it, appreciation in any form at any time brightens anyone’s existence. And, like a beam of sunlight striking a mirror, the brightness is reflected back at you. -Unknown.


 It is nature's way that teaches you - what you give comes back to you. One can say, 'I don't believe in God, I don't see Him or hear Him, then why to fear Him? Agreeable! Then I would like to ask such person, can he see nature. And of course, he cannot deny this fact. My next question would be, 'Then are you blind"? This might startle him and make him angry too. Smile :)

Nature is first best teacher who teaches you silently so many things. A tiny plant tells you to grow silently and as you grow silently, nature inspires you to develop strongly- both within and externally. To such an extent, that you can withstand the strong winds and other forces of nature. When you are strong, nothing can destroy you. It is only the weak, says nature who are easily washed away or eliminated because nature follows the law of survival. Only the strong shall survive, and weak discarded. Where do I gain the strength from? I did not learn this in any book... If animals can learn through mere observation, why can't we- the most intelligent beings superior created by God.  Who has taught a seed to germinate? Who has taught a seedling to grow into plant? Who has taught to bear fruits and flowers? who has taught a tree to provide shade to the tiresome travellers to escape the scorching heat of the sun ? Who?

When we ask ourselves these questions, it would put us to shame. Inspite of learning in books, from parents, from elders and gurus about lessons of life and the essence of our existence, we ignore it and try to explore new ways... but where is the new way, that we trot, going to lead us is what we do not realize. It is therefore very essential to keep a constant check on our thoughts and actions and the direction we are heading. Just like a tree- develop strong roots; branch out in all directions; bear sweet fruits; take your time, 'No hurry, No worry';  covert all the decayed things into pure oxygen and let the world breath through you and remember you always... there will be no death.
Seeds strewn from your fruits will bear similar trees and WOW! What a beautiful place this Earth would be.

Tools that make elearning effective

Tools that make elearning effective

Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!

As a kid, each one have been disciplined by their parents on wrong actions. Many times it must have hurted the children or not being allowed to do as they wished. But many a times, they must have also realized, that had not father or mother stopped him/ her from doing a particular action, he /she would have landed into grave trouble and sorrow. At the time of being disciplined, kids never fail to realise that parents are being strict not because they do not love them, but because they love their children more than anything else. Because they want their children to make better decisions in future and lead happy lives.
Discipline, might at times torn us to pieces, crush our joys (temporary), leaving us wounded and bruised us from within.... . this is time when we need to turn to Him again, to help our wounds recover.
If God disciplines you, it is because He hasn’t given up on you. His discipline comes with the goal of making you a better being. Like a gardener prunes trees so that they bear fruit, God is removing the bad branches from your soul. This doesn’t feel good, but it is necessary.
Even in the depth of discipline, know that God has greatness planned for you. Once you have learned your spiritual lesson, God can remake you better than before. Once the discipline is completed, God will bind up your wounds and restore you if you have repented. What He took away to teach a lesson will come back better than before.
Prayer for Today: Thank God for the discipline He gives you. Ask for Him to help you learn from your mistakes.
Quicklook: Hosea 6:1–11

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.
 

 Remember, God loves disciplined children. Because in that discipline, there is love, binding you with God.

The Twins

The woman inside and out. The two out of many facets of a woman- Compassion and strength. Fall in love for the right reasons. Geminis make friends easily and want people who can understand them and share common ideas, ideals and thoughts. Ventures within a short span and move into actions without planning are what excites them, because they are ever ready to make things smooth even in unplanned situations. The lively curiosity is what makes them act so.

 Versatile personalities, Gemini’s excels at gathering information, processing it, and expressing it in an accessible way to the waiting world. . With so many talents and an ability to make something out of nothing, Gemini's difficulty lies in deciding where, and how to concentrate. Gemini is almost always doing at least two things at once. They enjoy multi-tasking, and bright, witty and adaptable.

Effective communicators with strong opinions, who believe they are right, tend to change their mind quickly at times. Gemini’s believe in, “Healthy mind makes a healthy body’. But the dual personality often marks a mental moody counterpart. Distracted by their inquisitive minds, they even often forget bodily needs as basic as eating and sleeping. Balance is the formula they follow.

To sum it up, Versatile, adaptable, intellectual, witty, charming, logical, energetic, spontaneous, lively, chatty, amusing, youthful, up-to-date are Gemini’s. They keep feeding that ever active and inquisitive mind.