Life and Spirituality

   A worldly wise uncle of mine had advised that soon after one begins work, one must start planning for a home that would be suitable for one’s retirement. The sooner one builds it the better. Just as is the case with most humans, my working life was spent in thickly populated urban areas spread across three countries including in Delhi, India, the country of my birth. However, it must be kept in mind that, “While one may be compelled to spend one’s working life in a crowded city, it is not at all necessary to do so when one retires. It is wiser to look for a home in quieter less crowded town and cities for retirement.” I am thankful that I did not choose Delhi to acquire a home because the pollution there now is such that many an aged person is  either running away from it or landing up in hospitals unless they drop dead first. From a practical point of view it is wiser because property and land is much cheaper in the countryside than in large urban areas.

A s a step towards peace and happiness, humans seek many different things. Some of these are - wealth, health, fame, beauty, ability, worldly education, education of life etc. A few achieve excellence in one or more areas. For the moment, let us confine our attention to two prominent acquisitions - wealth and wisdom. There are examples in human history when a few individuals attained excellence in both. Two famous examples of this are - King Solomon the Wise and King Rama of Asian prehistory. However both were godly personalities. More often, among humans we find persons have attained either great wealth or much wisdom but not both. Examples of wealthy persons in modern times are the billionaires of the world. Examples of excellence in wisdom are a series of saints and hermits through human history. These latter have shown the way to other humans when they were in distress. While wealthy persons have fine jewels, clothes from leading designers, fine mansions with expen

The path that leads to the gate in the author's home A t the root, humans are basically a species of good beings All begin their lives by loving their mothers or care giver with utmost tenderness. They nevertheless do much wrong through the course of their life times (this author is included, hence the knowledge). This is because of lack of wisdom or a limited wisdom and habits that develop out of that and manifest according to circumstances. By far the biggest lack of wisdom is to think that all actions, good or bad shall not be brought to account at some stage sooner or later. A good person on the other hand, knowing that there is a Universal Eye that notes all, does good not for the reward but because it feels good and right to do that. The practice of love and compassion, truth and simplicity helps one to overcome shortcomings and drives one towards wisdom and good habits. The reverse helps to enhance one's foolishness and drives one closer to the intense