Monthly Archives: October 2011
Mirror – The Wonder
In the Bible, the Book of Genesis says that God made man in his own image. Therefore when we look into a mirror do we merely see our own image? Or, are we looking into the face of God?
Man first found his own image in water and got scared. Later when that image did not haunt or harm him – he started wondering what could be that thing … moving, mimicking and gesticulating in such perfect, simultaneous and instantaneous replication!
It took some evolution before he understood that – in fact it is his own image! Ever since that time – he fell in love with the objects that reflects his own image. He was not satisfied with the fidelity of reproduction and went on to invent the Mirror. Mirror has become the integral part of human lives – the first thing to visit when you wake up in the morning, and mostly the last thing to look into – before going to bed each and every day. A lady can probably go without food for days – but not without a mirror for few hours.
Contrary to the belief that mirror shows your own image exactly the way you are – it actually shows it in inverse – right & left – interchanged. In fact only a photograph shows you the way you actually are – but never the mirror. Thus mirror creates the first illusion. Subsequently, mirror has been used by many magicians for creating much bigger illusions.
There are areas of the world, including parts of the USA, Greece and Southern Ireland, where it was, and in some cases still is, the tradition that when there is a death in the house, all the mirrors in the household are covered until the body has been removed, so that the soul of the dead person will not be forever trapped there. There is also a belief that if a person was to look at the reflected image of the dead person in a mirror then they would see the face of the devil.
The thought of the soul being seen in a mirror, would also explain why, in stories of vampires, the vampire does not have a reflection in a mirror. As the vampire is already dead it has no soul and therefore cannot have a reflection. To break a mirror is to have seven years of misfortune and bad luck, is a widely held superstition. There are a couple of reasons as to how this may have come about and became widely believed.
The Correct Understanding of Beauty
| In a time when beauty is often equated, in many cultures, with a “fair” complexion or a fashionably thin figure or the shape of the nose, it is interesting to look back to a time when beauty was defined in holistic terms, and that beauty was within every woman’s reach.
Right thinking, clear speech, regulated and refined body-language are all essential parts of true beauty. Ayurveda, the most ancient healing system of India, has a unique perspective on beauty. Holistic, all-encompassing, the Ayurvedic definition of beauty reads thus – Roopam, Gunam, Vayastyag – iti – Shubhanga Soundarya Kaaranam. According to Ayurveda, there are 3-foundations of beauty. Roopam is outer beauty – personified by shining healthy hair and a clear radiant complexion with sparkling Eyes. Gunam refers to inner beauty – the beauty that shines from within, characterized by a warm pleasing personality and innocence of mind and heart. Vayastyag means lasting beauty – looking, and feeling younger than your chronological age.” Thus, Ayurveda does not focus only on cosmetics to achieve the state of true beauty. Roopam does not specify a type of figure or the color of the skin or the length or style of the hair. Outer beauty, according to Ayurveda, is a reflection of good health – Mental & Physical. The frame of the body is what you are born with. Each type of body structure can be beautiful as long as good health exists. “You are what you eat.” Ayurveda takes this notion very seriously. In fact it goes a step further to say “You are what you digest and assimilate.” A radiant clear complexion begins with proper nutrition, efficient digestion and assimilation of nutrients by the body and regular elimination of toxins. Yadha Bhojanam, Thadha Vyakthithwam – says Ayurveda – meaning “The way you eat is the way you become! There are simple Ayurvedic principles you can follow. Some of Ayurvedic tips MSR Ayyangar (Inventor of VedaCeuticals) strongly recommends for life are …….
|
Extensions of Murphy’s Laws !
1. Law of Mechanical Repair – After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will definitely begin to itch and you’ll have to pee.
2. Law of Gravity – Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
3. Law of Probability – The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
4. Law of Random Numbers – If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.
5. Super market Law – As soon as you get in the smallest line, the cashier will have to call for help.
6. Variation Law – If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).
7. Law of the Bath – When the body is fully immersed in water or the body is full of soap, the telephone or the door bell rings.
8. Law of Close Encounters – The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don’t want to be seen with.
9. Law of the Result – When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will.
10. Law of Biomechanics – The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
11. Law of the Theater & Hockey Arena – At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay to the bitter end of the performance.
12. The Coffee Law – As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
13. Murphy’s Law of Lockers – If there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.
14. Law of Physical Surfaces – The chances of an open-faced mayo sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.
15. Law of Logical Argument – Anything is possible if you don’t know what you are talking about.
16. Brown’s Law of Physical Appearance – If the clothes fit, they’re ugly.
17. Oliver’s Law of Public Speaking – A closed mouth gathers no feet.
18. Wilson’s Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy – As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.
19. Doctors’ Law – If you don’t feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you’ll feel better. But don’t make an appointment, and you’ll stay sick!
Death Penalty – Is the following argument valid?
The death penalty is degrading proof of man’s inhumanity to man. Look from all aspects to understand why such an idiotic thing has continued everywhere. In a few countries where it has been dropped, it has been replaced by life imprisonment which is worse than the death penalty itself. It is better to die in a single moment than to go on dying slowly for 50 or 60 years.
The first thing to remember is that the death penalty is not really a punishment. If you cannot give life as a reward, you cannot give death as a penalty. This is simple logic. If you cannot give life, what right have you got to take it.
Strangely, unless you are proved innocent, you are guilty. This goes against all humanitarian ideals, democracy, freedom and respect for individuality. The rule should be: unless you are proved guilty, you are innocent.
The death penalty is an eye for an eye. If a man is thought to have murdered somebody, then he should be murdered. But it is strange. If killing somebody is a crime, then how can you remove crime from society by committing the same crime again. There was one man murdered; now there are two men murdered. And it is not certain that this man murdered that man, because to prove a murder is not an easy thing.
If murder is wrong, then whether it is committed by the accused or by society and its court makes no difference. Killing is a crime. The death penalty is a crime committed by society against a single, helpless individual. The death penalty is revenge. Society is taking revenge because the man did not follow the rules of society; society is ready to kill him.
When somebody murders, it shows that man is mentally sick. Rather than sending him to prison or to be executed, he should be sent to a nursing home where he can be taken care of physically, psychologically and spiritually. He is sick. He needs compassion; there is no question of penalty and punishment.
Yes, it is true, one man is murdered; but we cannot do anything about it. By murdering this man do you think the other will come back to life? If that were possible, I would be all in support of this man being removed, he is not worth being part of the society and the other should be revived.
But that does not happen. The other is gone forever; there is no way to revive him. Yes, you can do one thing; you can kill this man, too. You are trying to wash blood with blood. Nobody needs or deserves the death penalty. In fact, not only the death penalty, no other kind of punishment is right, because punishment never cures the person.
Every day the number of criminals is growing and you build more prisons. This is strange. Just the opposite should be the case, because with so many courts, punishments and prisons, crimes and criminals should be less. Slowly, prisons and courts should be less. But that is not happening. Nobody is a criminal in his natural state. People need compassion to become compassionate, not imprisonment. All prisons should be transformed into mental nursing homes and schools.
MSR Ayyangar's Blog 