THOUGHTS OF THE NATION
EVERY part of Ireland was beautiful to me last week as we drove through the country, with its lush green farms, long winding, narrow country roads, and folklore that still lived in the minds of locals we met in pubs, taverns, restaurants and churches. But even as we saw what God gave the Irish, we also heard about fights they had in the name of God.
It was only in the late 90s, after thousands had died through bullets and bombs that a brokered peace was established twixt the two warring religious sects, both believing in the same God, but each believing their method of worship was the best.
Against this bitter background did I attend an inter-faith gathering promoted by the Inter-Religious Solidarity Council and what I saw was a way we as a country, even though being cleverly seduced into communal destructiveness, could escape this evil and come together as one nation, with different religious ideologies.
I heard different religious heads from Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Bahai faith, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and others with rationalist perspectives, share their approaches to the Divine.
What struck me was that all religions spoke of peace, oneness, acceptance and inclusion and no discrimination to be shown to someone of another faith. Swami Dayadhipanandaji of the Ramakrishna Mission for one, spoke about this aspect found in Swami Vivekananda throughout his life. Salim Khan spoke on forgiveness, and one speaker, Dr Noumaan, amazed me as she said that “according to the Holy Quran, the diversity of the human race in the forms of tribes, religions and nations was a deliberate act of Allah, so that human beings got to know each other.”
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Another aspect I saw as co-organiser, Irfan Engineer so succinctly put everything together at the end, was that the idea of service, brotherhood and love stood out in each religion; a common thread.
As I walked out and nearly got into the Swamiji’s car, which was the same model and colour as mine, making me smile and realise we shared similar tastes about comfort despite any religious differences, I remembered Ireland, peaceful serene, and exceedingly beautiful, except for the bold brutal strokes of bloody red that tarnished it’s past.
Why, I wondered, did we fight for our different ways to the divine, when these paths were made for those who walked in peace? And as I drove back, my driver wondering, I’m sure, why I was so silent, I realised that what political leaders picked up and exploited from religions were religious customs and culture, and not any spiritual awakening. That those who promoted violence in the name of religion, had never felt or known spirituality ever, whereas what I had seen and heard from each speaker was deep spiritual emphasis, each faith offered.
Your acceptance dear reader, of spirituality will take us to a united India, or be led by political leaders to the bloody evils that plagued lovely Ireland!
–Robert Clements, courtesy FB post
NIRMALA’S 7TH BUDGET
UNION Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on July 23 presented her seventh consecutive budget. It took a couple
of hours for people to understand what was in Budget 2024 for them.
It’s true, there is no budget that can make
everyone happy. However, the Right-wing can be seen as very upset over the
budget. Many BJP supporters come from the middle class and looks like they have
felt betrayed by their own government.
Without any major relief for a decade, BJP
supporters kept voting for the Modi government, in the hope of some relief in
the taxes, and on Tuesday, there was an epic meltdown of the BJP supporters
after the budget presentation.
While these reactions bring some humour, the
reality for the middle class is paying hefty taxes only to deal with giant
potholes, electricity issues, inflation in every sector, and more.
–Vladimir De Monte Furtado, Panaji
INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL LIFE
IN life one must be confident, hardworking and zealous in everything we do. We live in a very competitive era needing excellent oral and written communication skills, besides the ability to think and process information logically and clearly, especially as we live in a digital and social media dominated world. Being multilingual is always an asset as one is able to communicate effectively and provide an outstanding service to a wider cross section of the population.
One should with a positive frame of mind be able to work under pressure handling complex and difficult situations. With the skills and experience acquired over the years it should enable one to successfully diffuse difficult and emotionally charged situations.
One must be frank and flexible in dealing with issues by being always willing to learn, develop and grow in life. Where we need help from others to grow and achieve our end goals, we should always with humility be prepared to seek from people who are willing and qualified to do so. Often, the quality of success we experience in life ultimately depends upon the tiny choices we make every minute of every hour of every day.
It is imperative that one uses the qualifications, skills, experience and achievements to lead a successful and well accomplished life.
–Aires Rodrigues, London