Anger

Seneca, the stoic philosopher, speaks at length about anger. He was poisoned and sentenced to death by the angry emporer Nero, whose anger is well documented. He burnt Rome and laughed.

When we are angry, it is easy to say anything. We don’t realize how the other side will take it. Our loved ones, parents, sons, or wives might take it and will be understanding. The same applied to our dear friends.

But the world outside is crazy. Everyone is living with challenges. And very few have time for empathy. We with our anger are adding fuel to the fire. We are affecting everyone around us.

logic

Many of us resort to a life of logic because we feel alone and isolated. At this juncture, we prefer becoming a robotic system. There is no one to listen to or take care of us. We feel alone. This self-induced negativity and cravings make us more bitter. We end up creating our little world with self-induced thoughts.

This world is a beautiful place. The humanity exists because of empathy, love, and emotions. We train machines and robots on logic.

cuddle

Imagine getting old with the better half till late 70’s. She is your operating system and driving the minutest decision of your life. One day she passed away due to a heart attack. Your world will come crashing, you are suddenly back to starting your life from scratch and getting familiar with everyday struggle of life. Your siblings are long gone, your offsprings are fighting their own everyday battle. How much will you miss your other half, the moments of laughter, joy, pain and sharing secrets? Or most importantly their cuddle?

advice

I met an airbnb flatmate today.  At the age of 85, he is traveling the world and aiming to live beyond 100 years in SKI in Switzerland. I asked about some learnings in all these years and these are the things he had to share.

  1. Think positive, it’s the mindset which can make you win or lose battles.
  2. Eat well, eat less and exercise.
  3. Manage your finances well. Put 10% of monthly income in savings. 
  4. Cultivate some hobbies that can keep you going.

I spent over 2 hours talking to him. I felt like sharing his advice.

insecurity

Some of us, maybe because of our insecurity, get into overthinking mode. It does more harm than good to us. As a result we harm ourselves. We will get into the loop of pessimism.

Our life should be guided on our guiding principles. Most of us don’t have it. We are reactive. As a result we end up into this rabbit hole. It does more harm to us. It increases blood pressure and gives us all the ailments.

Love

Love is feeling where you are at peace. When everything feels at rest and in the best shape. The feeling that you are not alone, there is someone to pat you up and cheer for you. 

The modern day media has it’s own version of love. So is hollywood and bollywood. The glittery side of love is more to do with projection for others than the self. 

Love is about knowing each other, feeling for others and being with each other. 

Everything

Everything we have in our lives is nothing less than a gift. We are breathing, and all body parts are functioning. On top of this, a healthy upbringing, what more can we ask for?

After living like a traveler for all these years and still hopping between UAE and India, I thank the almighty for every minute of my life. I know one should keep a bigger goal, get rich, and whatnot. Something social media markers are paddling all nonstop.

Our mind is unstoppable, and our quest is limitless. Sometimes, we need to relax and thank the universe for everything we have. I agree the sky is the limit, but being grateful knowing you are not in rubble should make you feel good.

present

Our fate or destiny depends on our present. We learned as we grew, our teaching happened when we gasped whatever was imparted to us. There is so much one can do in the limited time of our lives.

People die doing nothing but dreaming about doing big. The aspect of life requires both dreaming and doing. A few lucky ones realized early on in their life in living now, about acquiring self-knowledge.

age

I keep hearing age is a number. But in reality, it is a number till you take care of yourself. Our sedentary lifestyle is making me sick day by day. It has more to do with our actions than age.

What I have learned from people in the late years of their lives is simple 3-4 things.

  1. Eating healthy and eating less.
  2. Staying happy and forgiving.
  3. Mobility of body and bones.
  4. Company of friends and loves ones.

Before mass migration for jobs started, most of India lived in villages. We had the company of people we grew up with for eternity. The company had a healing power. We had less TV and more sitting together, talking, and sharing happiness and sorrows.

With the advancement in food technology, India has started consuming refined food more. As a result, we are more hungry, more sick. Our calorie intake and lifestyle both got a major shock.

All major philosophies talk about letting go, not worrying about the future, or keeping a grudge. But it is just in the textbooks and sculptures, not in life. We humans crave superiority, glory, and respect. In the process, we get angry and become sad due to our expectations from others.

In short, we can live a better life, age well, and die longer, keeping things in our control and actions.

Pain

In the last few years, many startups with big markets and growth as primary enablers have gotten funded. Currently, many such companies have shut. Mass layoffs are happening for cost-cutting, or unwanted mergers are taking place.

We have come this far because money was cheap, and FOMO was in its prime. The business fundamentals were missing. It was just go fast, kill competitors, raise as much you could.

Nobody cared about solving the pain.