Insulted - not without my permission

While watching a video on YouTube another video popped up. After seeing the title I watched it. It was Russian version of Britain Got Talent. Maybe it's not entirely Russian but it sure belongs to some 'Russian' continent before. A woman in her mid twenties was singing on the stage. Not even a minute has been passed but just then a judge abruptly raised his hand to signal her to stop. The singer was totally confused, but she complied the gesture and stopped singing. Because she was doing well and audience liked her so they hooted to express their anger. However, two judges agreed on it and send two assistants to check on the back ground to see something there. As they found nothing they have to start the show.

Then the singer was signaled to start again. She poured herself in to that one song and sang so beautifully, her voice won the heart of audience as well as judges.  The hall was erupted with a thunder clap. Then why they had abruptly told her to stop ?

When it was time for judges to comment two of them admitted it was so good, I mean so good they doubted that it could not be she or her real voice. She could not have that good voice not without passing the backstage check up that she was not faking it by lip singing. Those assistants who were sent to back stage confirmed there was no machine to support her faking she was allowed to sing the song.

This whole episode took on the live TV when program like this have the highest on the most counties. We all are hooked to reality show now.  I must admit like the half world I too did not understand a word in it even if I watched that piece of video. This odd judgment skill exhibited by the Russian talent hunt show is something hard to understand. I watch such reality shows all the time. If an American find uh good talent performing so beautifully they will give the stand up ovation. Over the years, I have watched it hundreds of times artist around the world getting all three or four standing ovation, now they have found the word like golden buzzer moment for this. Then saying this show needs you and you are the reason we do this show.  

Whereas in Russia, they stopped the show, just because she sang so beautifully it was hard to believe it's her voice. Should that be the ground to allow anyone to stop the show ? But, before I raised this question it already happened in Russia.

During the British colonial ruling era white men took pride degrading Indians. at that  time Gandhi had tremendous influence over Indians. His take on such insult, well ignore it.

I remember reading a story about Abraham Lincoln, one of the most respected leaders in American History.  When he became president some of the parliamentarians complained about the shoes that needed repairing. Abraham Lincoln's father was a shoe maker and he was so good at it that most of the parliamentarians were his father's client when it came to shoe. After hearing the comments from his fellow members in parliament he said, I still can repair those shoes, my father did it and I can do it. That Shoe repairing episode and his remark of Abraham Lincoln makes the whole difference. It was his opponent tactic to make him feel insignificant, but with that remark he failed their attempt to degrade him that to after being President.

If you feel insulted then, probable; you deserve it. That is why you must stand tall for you yourself. For that, the best way is to know you. Embrace who you are and what you are. If you fail to do this small favor to yourself, there are plenty of people who will tear you apart. When someone insults you, some of you may opt for the Gandhi policy and if you don't fell like saint then opt for the Lincoln way. I mean face them boldly and answer in a way that the one who indulges in insulting will never even think twice to insult you. But, what about that Russian Singer on TV; who sang so beautifully, it silenced the doubting Thomas that to when millions of viewer were glued their eyes on TV. Sometimes, not words but your dignified act is enough to silence your critics.

Law of Karma - A Fool's Logic

Ancient Hindu religion proclaims the law of karma; we reap in this life the fruit of the actions of our past life. I read this line the book Learn to Live, Vol. 2 by a Swami Jagadatmananda which is translated by Dr. N. Thirumaleshwar Bhat.

Karma is a psychological law and acts primarily in the psychological realm, the physical circumstances being merely the means whereby the psychological purpose is fulfilled. What the entity is today is the result of what is has been in days and experiences ages and eons past. For life is continuous and weather it is manifested in materiality or in other realms of consciousness. It is necessary for its enforcement. Edgar Cayce.

I myself grew up under Hindu philosophical believe, which strongly believes in law of karma than other religious groups. Karma law nail hammers in your mind, your sufferings, success, failure, your present condition [good or bad], your relationship with people around you depends entirely on your previous life results. Ever since I was so young; I have been hearing it all. My young mind soaked up the karma concepts like a blotting paper. Hindu philosophy also tells you everything is predetermined and nothing can be changed or hoped for. Having been raised in Bal Mandir which is an orphanage; do I have to tell you how much I abhorred this philosophy, which tells me why I am in this condition and denies me all the good things in life; especially money, success and everything that comes with it.  

As I grew more, I become an avid reader; who was in search of why of perplexing questions in life. Then, I found some really good books that do have power to shape our minds at any age which also offers some answer to our perplexing questions and what we should do about it. Needless to tell you, I started reading these books again and again, especially by world famous religious leaders from both side of the world. I mean Christian as well as Hindu, also those who are not religious not even remotely interested in God yet they are hugely successful in life. Then it started making sense to me, some may say it that was the eye opening moment in my life. One of the best part of the study was gaining some intrinsic knowledge which I learned only after reading those who were not Hindu nor they were religious but yet advocating prosperity, success and money in life. Reading books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, Think and Grow rich, A Brief History of Time, Magic of Big Thinking, The power of Positive Thinking and The Fourth Dimension drastically changed my whole thinking after that, no need to tell you those books acted like a thought cleanser for me. 

How I wish, I had read these books long time back, when I was still a teenager; because just because I know, things do not change dramatically around me nor I will be able to change things drastically; just because I now have understood and gained confidence. It really takes time to choose one for us, especially the one that will prove to be good in long run of life. We as an average people do get lost when we hear 'respected people' or 'so called expert' in the subject matter. There are times we as an adult have to choose one like whom to believe a Pastor like Dr Norman Vincent Peale from the west or a Swami from the east. It is up to us to choose one from Yogananda or Dr Yonggi Cho. It is up to us to choose, one from two viewpoints, as both sides do have valid reasons to say or believe what they say. Both have a lifetime of experience to say or preach what they believe. There comes a time in our life, we just pick one and move on rather than get lost in what we could not understand or that make any sense to us.  

It sure will not be easy to choose one, especially when you see you are the only one who is siding the other side of the tide. I may be minority in this society but this is a right of all to hope for better life and to work for it. It is also our right to understand, why should I be deprived of all the good things in life ? Why some get it and why some do not !   

Why leave everything in the hand of Karma, when we have human brains to solve the problems. Let me quote Pastor Norman Vincent Peale here; it's from his very famous book the power of positive thinking. "Its pity that people should let themselves be defeated by problems, cares and difficulties of human existence and it is also quite unnecessary. In saying this, I certainly do not ignore or minimize the hardships and tragedies of the world, but neither do I allow them to dominate." Here in another line without terming it Karma he is talking about strongly against the law of karma, "you can permit obstacles to control your mind to the point where they are uppermost and this becomes the dominating factors in your thought pattern."  

If you read this book you will know that he believes in life after death, deathless life and infinite life. Yet he did not believe that karma should be blamed or given credits for all your good work or effort you put or should put in life. He is one of the most respected religious leaders of the past century and if you read his book The Power of Positive Thinking, you will understand why he is so respected around the world; not just in the Christians diasporas but outside of the circle also.  

A fool do not know nor want to know that law of Karma is retirement from even trying to understand true human potential and power of our brain. It's also lazy mind saying rather than trying to understand real answer that troubles us. It's a viewpoint of those who do not see the world with 360 degree but super confidence with 180 degree view of the subject matter. Law of karma do not tell us the story of those who got it without caring what was buried in the past but tries of offer you vague answer of question that bugs us in life. Did you read in Edgar Casey saying Karma is 'psychological realm?' No doubt, there will be people who will believe him and some will go on with Pastor[s] who leaves you with a thought to ponder over, why allow obstacles dominate your thought ?

Education

Every year hundred of thousands young educated people leave the country. Nepal now have become a manufacturing labor nation  for the developed or semi developed nations. Statistic shows that Nepal has 71% literacy rate and we all know many graduate people are working as a laborer in rich nations. No doubt, they are the one who are most frustrated bunch of the society. Does Education mean to mass produce laborer for other nation ? Why their education allows them to demand for workers and  ours education qualifies us to fill the form and cross our fingers.

Before the economic boom in India, a famous TV hos Shekhar Suman quipped about major hotels in India having doorman who hold a graduate certificate in their arms. If the owner or operation manager wanted to know, "why the lights on[ even on daytime ] ?" the door men then would respond its Thomas Alba Edison sir ! Does getting graduate certificate mean  to go and stand on the door all day long ?   Watching Satyamev Jayate also tells us there are some vegetable hawkers who are holding a graduate certificate. Should we go to school and college for yeas to do a job that requires no education ? If it does not change your life style or make you rich enough then is that education is needed anymore ?

Education is light. Education is power. Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. This very famous last line is said by Nelson Mandela.  These are some very powerful lines you must have heard more than once in your life. This reminded me of Baburam Bhattarai, one of our politician. He once was a key person in Maobadi party, but now he has his own party. 

During the Maobadi people's war time its cadet were involved in blasting many government offices, police & army posts in remote parts of the country and killing innocent civilians who never did any harm to them. All they wanted to do is to inject terror and fear in the mind of public. During the ten years so called people's war, the destruction of national properties amounted in billions of Rs, killing more than 13,000 lives. This however do not include the people who left the country in search of job or better life, stolen properties and emotional drain of people of my country. That war only pushed back the entire nation for more than 25 years. 

After they came in full political power, once some mabobadi top heads were on TV to discus the cost of hydro power that was going on and that would have done good for this nation in the long run. Hissila Yami, wife of Baburam Bhattarai was also on the show along with others to say that we pay unnecessarily huge money to those who got contract and they hire people who are more expensive than our local people, who are affordable. Thus incurring more cost and they take the bigger pie of the nations investment. Hearing this, the contracting company which was from America, broke the contract immediately from the hydro project. That single contract costed nation billions of Rs, as it was a long term development plan for the nation. As asserted by another officer working on this project on live national TV to discuss further about the topic of corruption they felt that was going on in that project. The officer sarcastically thanked Yami, who was holding a position of some minister at time, saying they got it the way they wanted it, only it costed nation multi billion Rs in loss because of the broken contract. This again pushed back the development process not just the electricity. Remember Hissila Yami served long time of her career as a lecturer in a college before hiding in the jungle.

What is my point here is Baburam Bhattarai was gold medalist in his student life. He topped the board exam in SLC - School Leaving Certificate. He also topped his college. Maobadi was very much similar to the revolutionary movement in Peru some calls this Shining Path of Peru. That again was ignited by another super bright but very frustrated student. Its only that the fate of Peru's peoples war and its leader and Nepal's people's war leaders is vast different. Peru's leader were strategically nullified, that's what I remember reading in one of Reader's Digest long time back. Does not this mean frustrated educated people if they team up with the man like Prachanda cost nation multi billions dollar. We sure have the biggest percentage of people who are highly educated equally frustrated to their career most. 

Pushpa Kamal Dahal a.k.a. Prachanda is the man behind the revolt that engulfed the nation in the name of people's war. I remember watching Bijay Kumar, the famous and  very outspoken TV journalist once asked him during one of his interview, there are so many people in your party who only reads and they don't do anything. In another of his interview I remember Bijay Kumar finding the man very 'carismatic'.

Any person who is educated has learned to get whatever they want in life without violating the rights of others. It seems that Bijay Kumar never came across the book Think and grow Rich to find those  lines by Napoleon Hill. It also seems Baburam and his well educated circle of intellect never came across the book named Rich Dad Poor Dad to find the lines like, getting a good education making good grades no longer ensures success. Still parents tells their children go to school and get good grades to get good job. The world around us has changed but the advice has not, by Sharon Letchrer.  It seems none of those highly educated people ever had time to read and understand people like Jhamak, a physically challenged woman who writes in her autobiography, effect of education should be seen in your manner and life style as well as in thinking; mere gaining certificate is not sufficient.

We all know the importance of education. l remember reading an article in a college book named, the Gold Flax, compiled by Moti Nissani and Shreedhar Lohani. In one article, why you must go to college; the writer argues so many things and one particular issue is, if you lie on the operation table the chances are high you wont get killed if you are collegge educated. When I read that, I was thinking did not they get higher percentage in school and college than me !  

"That is why it is foolish to simply say to a child, get a good education", writes Robert Kiyosaki in his book Rich Dad Poor Dad. Now, I would like to leave you with just one thought about this subject, education is the foundation of all success.