Orlando - I feel hopeless!!!!

Every gay man and woman would have heard the news of Orlando shooting completely terrified and would have froze by the fact that the man who did that was a regular at the "Pulse" bar. He is reportedly a closeted homosexual. Investigation is going on and that is good. But is it enough? Listen to some of the voices which are nothing but abject homophobia. Some were congratulating the killer for shooting 50 innocent human beings. The ridiculous fact is that they were speaking such trash on a completely hypothetical ground in the name of religion and god. They believe god has punished the gay sinners in the form of the maverick shooter. There were many ridiculous tweets which were not only homophobic but misanthropic. Such reactions from society really terrifies me as a human being than being at the gun point. People are justifying the killing of a fellow human being. And what is their fault - they love somebody belonging to their own sex.  Reading such comments actually makes me ashamed of calling myself, a human being. I am far more comfortable being an animal, if this is what human means. These self anointed guardians of faith and religion are the real terror and they spread the intolerance faster than a jet plane. 

Once renowned Indian author Vikram Seth said that " intolerance is violence and accepted intolerance is violence with the acquiescence of the society". Very true. If society alienates from such atrocities and people who support such atrocities, they will no longer exist. But there are always takers for any kind of atrocities in this world. There are supporters for all kinds of evil. Evil in the name of god. Evil in the name of belief. Evil stemming from ignorance. Evil stemming from fear. Sometimes it seems hopeless. Breaking these shackles is the real struggle. Religion is that kind of evil like the fox in the sheep skin; nobody realizes the impact it causes, until the last moment. It is like a Trojan horse. Deceptive and effective. It clouds logic, clogs mind and makes people slaves. The shackles can be broken only by collective consciousness. collective mindfulness, collective effort; each individual is important and must contribute. Hope for a peaceful world.

 Courtesy: Thoughtcatalog blog

Anger and the healing touch of Nature

Here is a wonderful thought of Eckhart Tolle from his book "A New Earth" which proved quite interesting to read and he says about flowers......."Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. We could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants". I was quite angry when I had read this. I was angry at the world, the people around me and totally pissed off with my life. It shook me after reading the analogy of bud and flower. Anger alters you, destroys you inch by inch, slowly and you don't realize it. You get angry at others when are angry at yourself. The anger within is like a bud. Seeing things in a different perspective can provide abatement of anger and moving more towards enlightenment. Just like the bloom of a flower. Openness! A bud is closed but a flower is all embracing and the flow of fragrance from an open flower will make others happy. That transformation is essential for finding the meaning of ones life. We need to delve into the deepest troves of our own soul and at the same time embrace others. Letting go and taking things easy is quintessential for finding peace. We set ourselves standards so high that we often get angry on trifling matters. 

Nature provides us with such clues. Most of the Eastern philosophies like Indian, Chinese and Japanese give profound importance to nature. Observing nature can give valuable insights and lasting peace. Buddhist, Zen and Taoist teachings revolve around rivers, flowers, bamboo shoots and the undeniable natural beauty. The chirping of birds, rivers flowing over the pebbles, a gust of wind caressing the  bamboo shoots and  leaves, all educate us of the essential humility and the importance of letting go. The bamboo shoots are flexible, they curve down and oscillates back in order to avoid breakage. The pebbles get shaped by the flow of river, sometimes even giving rise to magnificent geometrical shapes. They don't resist. They get ebbed down by the flow seeking a greater purpose. A greater meaning. The purpose of existence. Birds do their duty regardless of the rewards, it is their instinct. In fact we are the only species who think of rewards for our duty, for rest of the animals, it is just instinct. We complicate things. We bring our "ego" to everything and their lies the fault.