Golden Nuggets #3

" Most of us accept the myth that we are rational creatures and masters of our own destiny. Till, out of the blue, something awful happens to us."

Sudden death. Severe disability. Betrayal. End of a relationship. Failure. Any of these can hit you in the stomach. Calling it trauma or tragedy does not take away the feelings of pain and helplessness. No matter how well other things in your life are going, your rational self seems to vanish. Your predominant reaction is anger towards anyone who counsels acceptance and bitterness towards cruel destiny.

There are many ways of coping with personal loss. As someone said " The highway of life has some pretty rough patches of asphalt on it." By simply accepting it, gritting your teeth and moving on, you will get through. 

This post is just to remind ourselves that we are only human ... not always rational and certainly not always masters of our destiny.

Golden Nuggets #2

A genius is someone who discovers that the stone that falls and the moon that doesn't fall represent one and the same phenomenon"

When the Argentine physicist and writer Ernesto Sábato wrote this tribute to Isaac Newton, he was not exaggerating. For Newton's theory of gravity - unlike several others in the world of science - remains unchallenged and unmodified centuries after he announced it.

Newton's greatness is not only as a scientist. Very few brilliant minds have had the humility  to admit: "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.".

Golden Nuggets #1

"The game of identity politics appeals to shared roots in blood, soil, descent and religion. The trappings of flags, ceremonies, anthems, parades and kinship are powerful tools employed by the controlling elite. They attract committed followers who are prepared to make enormous sacrifices- foregoing security, wealth, family and life itself - with unwavering loyalty to the common sacred cause."

This golden nugget is about identity politics, triggered by the state of current affairs in many parts of the world, including my own country.

Whoever wrote it, decries jingoism, regimentation  and misplaced patriotism deliberately fuelled by scheming leaders for their own ends. One needs to think hard about Bertrand Russel's famous quote, which resonates to the same theme: "Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons." and remember what Johannes Rau said at his acceptance speech when he was elected Federal President of Germany: "A patriot is someone who loves his fatherland, a nationalist is someone who despises the fatherlands of the others."

Am I a patriot or a nationalist?

---

[ Now and then, I come across a brilliant saying which cries out to be shared. I've been placing these quotes at the top of this blog since April 2014. The first quote that I posted was Arthur C Clarke's gem: 

"I don't believe in astrology. I am a Sagittarius and we're very skeptical".

From now on, whenever I display a new quote, I'm also posting a short comment under the title Golden Nuggets.]

Memorable Quotes of Maya Angelou

Yesterday I posted my Tribute to Maya Angelou.  If you have never read her before, here is your chance.  I picked these  25 quotes from the Latin Times, to celebrate her life and lasting legacy:

1. “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -- Maya Angelou
2. “My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.” -- Maya Angelou
3. “My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.” -- Maya Angelou
4. “While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.” -- Maya Angelou
5. “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” -- Maya Angelou
6. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -- Maya Angelou
7. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” -- Maya Angelou
8. “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” -- Maya Angelou
9. “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” -- Maya Angelou
10. “You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'” -- Maya Angelou
11. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” -- Maya Angelou
12. “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.” -- Maya Angelou
13. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” -- Maya Angelou
14. “All great achievements require time.” -- Maya Angelou
15. “I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” -- Maya Angelou
16. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” -- Maya Angelou
17. “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” -- Maya Angelou
18. “Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” -- Maya Angelou
19. “I'm grateful to intelligent people. That doesn't mean educated. That doesn't mean intellectual. I mean really intelligent. What black old people used to call 'mother wit' means intelligence that you had in your mother's womb. That's what you rely on. You know what's right to do.” -- Maya Angelou
20. “You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” -- Maya Angelou
21. “One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” -- Maya Angelou
22. “A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be any one's victim.” -- Maya Angelou
23. “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” -- Maya Angelou
24. “I'm convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they're stones that don't matter. As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good.” -- Maya Angelou
25. “What is a fear of living? It's being preeminently afraid of dying. It is not doing what you came here to do, out of timidity and spinelessness. The antidote is to take full responsibility for yourself - for the time you take up and the space you occupy. If you don't know what you're here to do, then just do some good.” -- Maya Angelou

Body Parts

We have Two Hands and One Stomach Which means We need to Work Twice as much as We Eat.

We have Two major Brain Parts--Left and Right and One Heart

So We can Think Twice, but Love only Once.

We have Two Eyes and One Tongue Which means We need to Look Twice and Talk Once.

We have Two Ears and One Mouth Which means We need to Listen More than We Talk.

Amazing How Our Body Parts Remind Us how to Live...

Loose Talk

This one is about a most effective filter against Loose Talk.

When someone comes to you with a juicy bit of gossip or an exciting bit of  *news*, ask these three questions:

1. Is it true?
If the source is not sure it is true, don't pay attention to a rumour.

2. Is it something bad about someone?
Definitely a negative sign! It is not a confirmed fact and it is going to pull down somebody.

3. Is it useful to me?
If not, why bother to listen!

Want to know where I got these words of wisdom? It is said that Socrates preached and practiced them, thousands of years ago...

Words of Wisdom

If one has the inclination, there are a zillion quotes and wise words available to learn from. The problem is whether one is able to act upon them!  Here are three gems that I wish I could put into practice for my own good.

Silence and Smile are two powerful tools to maintain relationships. Silence avoids many problems and Smile is the way to solve many of  them.

***

Don't trust words. Trust actions.

****

Don't start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday.

***

Punny One-liners

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

The earthquake in Washington obviously was the government's fault.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crêpes.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.

They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O.

I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.

She recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.

When chemists die, they barium.

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

PMS jokes aren't funny; period.

Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.

We’re going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.

I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

The cross-eyed teacher lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils.

When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.

Broken pencils are pointless.

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.

I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

Velcro — what a rip off!

Three Little Big Thoughts

This week I celebrated my birthday. A year older, but not much wiser! 

A time to reflect on 'Life'.

Mother Teresa - Anyway

People say that these words were written on the wall of Mother Teresa's Home in Calcutta, India. In popular belief world-wide, they are attributed to her. And they do seem to reflect her philosophy of life.

In 1968 Kent M Keith wrote a composition called "The Paradoxical Commandments"  which was, apparently, modified and adopted by the Missionaries of Charity.

Andy Rooney

Over the years, I have come across and appreciated Andy Rooney's quotes from random sources. Initially, I had no idea who he was. Later I came to know that he was an American broadcaster. His weekly appearance on CBS  made "60 Minutes"  a very popular TV show. Millions watched and listened to his homespun wisdom and peeves which he aired week after week, from the seventies till now. In October 2011, a few days after his final broadcast at the age of 92, Andy Rooney Died in New York.

Some of Rooney's Famous One-liners

• I've  learned....That the  best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
• I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.
• I've learned.... That just one person saying to me,  'You've made my day!' makes my day.
• I've  learned....That having  a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful  feelings in the world.
• I've learned.... That being kind is more  important than being right.
• I've  learned....That you  should never say no to a gift from a child.
• I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when  I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
• I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life  requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
• I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a  hand to hold and a heart to understand.
• I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around  the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me  as an adult.
• I've learned.... That life is like a roll  of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it  goes.
• I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give  us everything we ask for.
• I've  learned.... That money  doesn't buy class.
• I've learned.... That it's those small  daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
• I've  learned.... That under  everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and  loved.
• I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change  the facts.
•  I 've learned.... That when you plan to  get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue  to hurt you.
• I've learned.... That love, not time,  heals all wounds.
• I've learned.... That the easiest way for  me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter  than I am.
• I've learned.... That everyone you meet  deserves to be greeted with a smile..
• I've  learned.... That no one  is perfect until you fall in love with them.
• I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
• I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost;  someone will take the ones you miss.
• I've  learned.... That when  you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
• I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom  that I love her one more time before she passed away.
• I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft  and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
• I've learned..... That a smile is an inexpensive way to  improve your looks.
• I've learned..... That when your newly  born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist,  that you're hooked for life.
• I've  learned.... That  everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the  happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
• I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with,  the more things I get done.

Slow Dance

Ever since my mother died a few months ago, people ask me: "Don't you feel lonely, living all by yourself? How do you pass the time? "

And I stopped to ponder: Should I be rushing through my days doing this, that and the other to spend time? Is time to be used up quickly?

Then I recalled a poem called Slow Dance - an email forward supposedly written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids On a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. Do you run through each day On the fly? When you ask How are you? Do you hear the reply? When the day is done Do you lie in your bed With the next hundred chores Running through your head? You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, Not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die Cause you never had time To call and say,'Hi' You'd better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift Thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower Hear the music Before the song is over.

Ob Portu

I just discovered that the word opportunity originated from ob-portu.

In the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for the flood tide to make it into port. The Latin term for this was ob portu. The captain and the crew waited for the moment when the tide was exactly right because they knew that if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in. Shakespeare wrote:

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our venture.

Ob portu, Opportunity. Chance. Fortune. Luck. We call it by many names. Unless one has it, the best of plans will fall flat. How important it is to be in the right place at the right time!

Aasim: on your special day, here's wishing that you seize your ob portu all through the year.

Rambling Rose

Here I go rambling on the first day of April ...

Today I feel philosophical. Is it because it is All Fools Day? Or because I woke up last night at 3 pm, with itchy mosquito bites and read Herodotus till my eyes ached. I like to think of him as the inspiration for  My Travel Page where I am blogging about my own rambles.

In one of his narratives, Herodotus (the most ancient Greek historian, born in 484 BC) writes about Solon the ancient Athenian statesman. Once, Solon snubbed King Croesus, the guy with enormous quantitites of gold in his treasuries, by telling him that his great wealth doesn't ensure his happiness. That made me feel better, because my financial balance sheet doesn't  look too good!

Three quotes for the Day

• It doesn't matter much how much you have; what really matters is how much you experience.
• One lives as long as one's memories are alive.
• A happy person is one who has enough health, wealth and family; and above all - whose life ends well.

 Let me ramble on... hoping that my life too ends well.