Mental boundaries.

Recently I was having a pleasant conversation with a friend of mine who is associated with a charitable organization. Somewhere during the talk I casually said that I had heard this criticism about this organization being partial to a certain section of the society. That was all... and all hell broke out... This friend got angry and he not only questioned me but also called those, who criticized his organization, as mean and went on to defend his organization, it's people and it's work......

This set me thinking ... I wondered .....just one sentence about the organization and this person snapped instantly and all the pleasantness between the two of us ceased at that very moment and the situation turned grim!!

After I parted from him... my mind was a bit disconcerted and also set off a chain of thoughts about this incidence. Why such a reasonable person and a friend had snapped suddenly at the mention of the some thing he perceived as not acceptable about his organization?

My thoughts turned to similar incidences and the more I thought the more such incidences flashed in front of me about the conflict among different religious & political groups/institutions; between  people of one race and another;  about one State and another; between individuals holding one faith and another... So, the conflict seem to be present in, right from the largest of the organizations to the small groups and  even between individuals. 

This thought really perplexed me!

 The Human species- the most evolved, gifted with the best of  many mental faculties such as intellect & reasoning ...,  which species alone among the various specifies of animals, has many inventions creating amazing machines and made discoveries of the various aspects of this earth and the moon should snap and react to the smallest perceived provocations!? The reasoning seems take back seat while people snap instantaneously, with some small remark or a comment, perhaps may not even be intended to belittle or question the other's beliefs.

I set out to contemplate why this tendency exists in so many spheres of the human beings!... At that moment my thoughts were interrupted when my dog started fiercely barking and when I lifted my head and saw that the neighbors dog had come close to the main gate of the our house and the curious thing that I noticed was that my dog stopped barking as soon as the other dog went away from the gate.

This somewhat seemed to provide some answer to my quest - Forming territorial boundaries seems to be an inbuilt instinct all animals  possess.  Animals anyway are known to create physical boundaries and any trespass by another animal is resisted and the boundary is fiercely protected. But in this case  'Mere survival' seems to be the object of God when he created these subliminal animals that  perhaps would explain the territorial instint in animals.

Then the question that popped up in my mind was, why humans should continue to have this instinct despite being bestowed with the best mental faculties to deal with not only to survive but to lead more evovled life on this earth ?

My mind was contemplating whether the residue of this animals' territorial instinct may have been inherited that  subconciously created the subtle psychological boundaries in human minds?

Then I thought of the countries and their boundaries which are fiercely guarded by their huge army - billions are spent in this exercise - An obvious testimony for the  human physical boundaries! My mind exploded at this chilling thought !

I started wondering, is there any solution to overcome this little residual animalistic  instinct that may perhaps save human beings from this menace of "snapping" and "conflicts" that lead to wars, violence, breaking of relationships and even misunderstandings?

My thoughts turned to God to see if there is something that God has bestowed on humans to overcome this and perhaps it may be time to honorably use that gift to overcome this problem.

Suddenly I thought of the freedom of choice given by God only to the human species which I prefer to call it "free will",  if properly understood, will bring awareness to humans that it is in the exercise of that freedom to choose or free will, they determine who they turn up to be as human beings.

If it was not for the "free will" bestowed by God, then the actions of humans on this earth would just be mechanical acts and there would be no necessity to seek wisdom, pray and differentiate between the good and the bad because everything would be mechanical and there would be no choice at all!

I had read  this  - "between a stimulus and a response  there is a gap and in that gap one has to exercise his/her "free will"  in a  book  "Man's serch for meaning" by Victor Frankle. This may perhaps provide a solution to human "conflicts" that bring  misery and suffering to them.

 Actually this one sentence  inspired Stephen R Covey to write his best seller - 7 habits of highly effective people.

Then I thought about Free will and   Further I thought if we use this free will - No one or nothing can hurt or distract or disturb us - it's our own 'free will' letting the hurt and distraction enter us. 

Then  George Bernard Shaw's quote appealed to me - "The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react." 

Then the conclusion seems to come from one of Osho's quote which summed it all:

"Man has freedom to choose. And this choice can make you pathological or this choice can make you a Buddha. Now it depends on you, how you use your freedom."

So, to exercise or not the free will is yours!

Suspicion - .

We tend to suspect about many things and  about people and their motives. So, I decided to see and learn more about suspecion and it's effects and I came up with many quotes and among them I thought the following appealed to me and I have tried to collate them to bring out what does suspecion means and it's effects. I have not shown the author at the end of each quote, instead I have given credits at the end of this article so as to keep the continuity of the dialogue I this article. Here it is:

I began with the first quote:

"Suspicion is a mental picture seen through an imaginary keyhole." 

I felt this quote very aptly tells what suspecion means. Actually seeing though the key hole, one can see a limited space of what exists behind that key hole. Thus, you get a partial picture through seeing through a key hole. Therefore, in suspicion the judgement is fragmented because of the partial picture one sees to arrive at his/her conclusion.

The next quote tells us that the suspecision is detrimental as it disturbs our peace of mind and therefore eminently avoidable:

"Suspicion is far more apt to be wrong than right; oftener unjust than just.  It is no friend to virtue, and always an enemy to happiness." 

So, I asked myself, with such deadly side effects should I even remotely think  of suspecting anything or anyone?! I told my self Naah!

The next quote so aptly states the futility of suspicion:

"Suspicion is very often a useless pain." 

If knowing well that suspicion cases pain, one still prefers to suspect,  then it is nothing short of a condition known as neurotic paradox - which means the person knows fully well that something is not be done because it causes pain but cannot help but doing it! I said let me be aware of this paradox and avoid suspecting!

Then the next quote gave a caution:

"Suspicion is ever strong on the suffering side." 

So, if you are the suffering  party, please avoid suspicion because the suffering mind looks for evidence to suspect and inevitably through the imaginary key hole comes up with something to convince you to suspect! I felt this should be a guiding principle to keep in mind when I am the suffering party.. Bleep bleep!

The next two quote  quotes made it clear that, suspicion becomes an impediment to acquire wisdom and takes away your chance to be wise.

"Suspicion is a great enemy to wisdom." 

"Ignorance is the mother of suspicion."  

So, I thought ignorance in itself is the enemy of wisdom and if ignorance is the mother of suspicion, it is better to keep it as far away as possible.

Then the last quote I thought gave a piece of sensible advise 

"There is nothing that makes a man suspect much, more than to know little; and, therefore, men should remedy suspicion by procuring to know more, and not to keep their suspicions to smother." 

Then I thought in order to overcome suspicion I should endeavor to know more.. and the most beautiful part of knowing more and striving to procure more will lead to  wisdom, which will as a natural consequence vanquish suspicion.

So, avoid suspicion like plague until you know more!! And the catch is when you know more you are wise and suspicion simply disappears!

* *Credits :

unknown.

Francis Bacon, Sr.

Hosea

Samuel Johnson
Publilius Syrus
Thomas Fuller
William R. Alger

You can write the stories of your past life but you can’t change even one tiny bit of that.

So instead… Begin a new one!!!

Whether we are young or old, whether our years number a few or many, we have a past and now we are here – right now, where we are.

Life begins with birth and all of us go through various phases of life – childhood, adolescence, adult hood. During our lives we go though myriad of events, situations and countless experiences, thoughts and emotions – some good, some not so good -some memorable and some forgettable. All these things are a natural consequence of the very laws of the nature.

Life is not a ‘Constant’, it is a continuous going by, being here and moving ahead. It could be said life is in ‘flux’ or ‘perpetual motion’.

At different points of time in our lives, we are in different geographical, social, financial and psychological environments. We experience life in different ways and meet different people who themselves are subject to the same set of experiences; experience their own situations and major and minor events in their lives. No one is exempt from this.

And during those different points of our lives, different perceptions are formed, changed, modified and destroyed and new ones formed. Just like our lives, perceptions too are not constant!

Over many millennia, the concepts of good and bad, right and wrong, moral and immoral and a host of other concepts have been formed and changed.

Even the scientific concepts – (which are empirical and tested and proved to be correct at the time they were accepted, have been changed and modified and new concepts have taken their place. These are accepted as true at this point of time, but as science progresses, it’s likely we will have new concepts replacing the current ones!

If this is the state of empirical concepts which are tested and proved to be correct, imagine now the position of the human concepts of good and bad, moral and immoral, right and wrong, correct and incorrect, that are socially accepted and ‘normal’ at this point in time, but it has not always been so – and will not be in the future no doubt.

In our life we go through a host of experiences some pleasant and some not so pleasant … they are like a video or movie recording available for replay. We can watch as many times as we wish, but we cannot change even one bit of what happened in the life that has passed…

So!!!! My questions are “Why carry the burden of the past and let it interfere with the present? Why carry the memories of the past as if they are happening in the present and be disturbed by them? Why remember the past miseries and cry now?”

It’s our past and it has passed.

We can write what is past as our story but no matter how much we may like to, we can’t change even one bit of it…

But what we can do and what we do  have,  is the choice to begin a new story while we have time on our hands…

So, why carry the burden of the past and waste the present time available to us…instead start a fresh and new story and celebrate the new life and its journey.

Written by Venkatesh Dharmraj

Edited by Grace Lee

 

Experiencing God!

God, Grace and blessings are almost synonymous with one another.  

Different Gods are accepted and worshipped as their creator and savior in different parts of the world ... But the common  thread   'God'  runs through the  acceptance and worship by the entire humanity.

Looking closer we discover that the most common thread that runs through the entire acceptance worship of God is that :

- The entire life on earth is the creation of one God.

- The God is present everywhere and in everything on this earth and -- - There is no place where God doesn't exist - he is omnipresent.

If that is what the entire humanity accepts and worships, then why we don't see God? Why we don't experience God? 

That which is accepted and worshipped by the entire humanity over millenniums can't be seen and can't be experienced is some what disappointing, since God ought to have been seen and experienced by all with such acceptance and worship over the millenniums! 

It is common knowledge that, some months of single minded working on a stone gets the worker to see some shape and experience the shape of what he/she is working on. 

If seeing and experiencing something which is worked on for as short a period as months lets the person see and experience it, then why God being accepted and worshipped by the entire humanity is not seen or experienced  by people and why only a few say they have seen God and experienced God?

Is God so tough and elusive that we can not see him and experience him?

Is God so unachievable despite millenniums of acceptance and worship by the humanity?

Has God discriminated to be seen and experienced by only a few people and not generally available to be seen and experienced by all?

My mind was saying that this somehow does not go well with the most worshipped belief that God exists in every thing on this earth and there is no place where God is not there and that God is omnipresent.

Then I sat  down  and contemplated, looked into many writings and went through noble quotes but still i didn't get a satisfactory answer and then  I went out for a walk ...but this thought lingered on in my mind .. As I stepped out -  I saw a tree, I gazed at the tree then I asked my self is this tree God? Then I saw a man passing by me and I saw him and he saw me .. He smiled and smiled back.. I again asked myself is this person God?.. My mind started racing and everything I saw .. I asked this question.. The sky,  the sun, the earth right below my feet, the flowers, birds, the people around... I asked the same question.. 

Then I walked a little ahead and it started drizzling and the first rain drops hit me and I experienced the droplets falling on my head and my face, I felt the coldness in the rain drops... My mind stopped!! I stood there soaking in the rain and it felt very good ...... 

... Then suddenly there was a flash and in that moment  I realized... Hey I am SEEING  God .. Right here..in this tree ..in the sky, in the sun, in the people around and I am experiencing God ..in the coldness of the rain drops and the wind that hit me... 

The rain stopped and I reached a huge banyan tree and sat underneath it and my mind began contemplating... God is not one thing  and is not in one form ... It's everything.. and in every form .. Experiencing God is the experience of rain drops on my face, experiencing  a smile of the person who passed by me... 

My mind settled down in calmness with the  realization that all of us are seeing God every moment... in the tree, the sky and every human around.. and all of us are experiencing God .. in the experience of the rain drops falling on the face, in the smile of someone who smiles at us.. Then I concluded that... It's our ignorance in recognizing a simple truth that God is omni-present and therefore, everything we see and every thing we experience is Seeing God and experiencing God... God is right there within us and around us... And what stops us from seeing and experiencing God is our ignorance to recognize it.. Those who recognize this simple truth are blessed and are known and called as enlightened! 

Seeing God and experiencing him is so simple and it is so simple to be enlightened!!. 

Whether we choose to be ignorant in recognizing this simple truth will makes us either ordinary or enlightened!

An angel who chose us as parents.

 29th January 1985 the day my daughter was born in a town - Dharwad -400 Kms  from were I was working - Bangalore.

On the evening of 29th I received a call to tell me that I was blessed with a  baby girl ... and in an instant I was on my way to Dharwad,  an overnight journey, which for me, seemed  like an eternity as I was anxious through out my 400 km journey  and had hardly slept just imagining about MY new born baby.

It was early morning when I reached the place and went straight to the nursing home to meet  my baby girl  for the first  time.. !!!   I had become a father at 26 and  it was an experience which I can hardly describe in words.. 

The moment  I set my eyes on the baby I simply dissolved and became one with her - the baby was stunningly beautiful, fragile and calmly sleeping.  I couldn't resist but to pick her up and put her on my lap and the baby was in her own dreamy sleep.... With the baby in my lap, I waited patiently for an hour simply gazing at her and during the entire time nothing around the periphery in my vision appeared except the tiny baby! It was an amazing experience!

The  next best ting that came about was her naming ceremony. My wife & my sister,  supported by  a gang of relatives  had   chosen the name 'Mansi' and I had chosen the name 'Sarovi'.... so, inevitably it was me (alone!) versus the whole 'gang'!  At the naming ceremony I pronounced the name 'Sarovi'and the whole 'gang' pronounced in one voice the name  'Mansi and it doesn't take a genius to understand that my voice  was drowned by that of the 'gang'(!)So the little angel was named Mansi (!) but in deference to my wish, my kindly wife entered my daughter's name as Sarovi in the official records and it remained there on paper and every one addressed the baby as Mansi. Thus Mansi was born with her official name as Sarovi!

It was an year or so later, me, my wife and Mansi travelled to Delhi to attend my friend's wedding and my wife was so impressed with the bride - Nidhi-  during the marriage ceremony that soon after we returned from Delhi,  my wife changed my daughter's name in the official records as Nidhi! Despite this.. Mansi remained the favorite and a popular name with every one all the time and even now!

I had chosen 'Sarovi' because that name represented the name of a calm lake, while Nidhi means treasure... In India,  Mansi means the goddess of mind - Goddess  Saraswathi - who represents education and knowledge.

Though she is addressed as Mansi now, but in retrospect I feel she is a combination of all the three names - a calm river, a treasure and the goddess of mind!

Though psychologically it was a very satisfying time but financially it was the most difficult time in my life... With both me and my wife working together, we  could not afford to make both ends  meet! 

Even during this time Mansi remained a great support - We had to drop her to the baby sitter and go to work as early as 8 am in the morning. There were no complaints about my daughter from the baby sitter.. On the contrary she loved the child as her own.

Since we had literally no money, we used public transport to go around everywhere. On such day when we were returning home, my little daughter asked me whether we could travel home by a taxi.   

I knew for certain that the money in my pocket would be just enough to pay for the public transport to reach home... and I was at a loss as to explain this to the little child!  I  cheeringly said to her... " look Mansi this vehicle (pointing at the public transport bus) is so big and the taxi is so small.. let us travel by Bus" .. I was stunned when  she said.. " yes papa you are right... let's go by Bus"..  that minute I turned my face away from my child to  hide my tears and I have tears in my eyes even now, as I am writing this.. Such a small child.. Yet so understanding!

One of those days a child model coordinator met us and asked us whether our daughter can be used as a child model for advertisements? We said yes and from that day for the next seven years she became a successful child model for media and TV. I took much pride in that and felt rich as a father. 

Except paying her initial donation when she joined her 1st standard in a reputed school in Bangalore.. We have not paid any hefty fee for her education as she managed to be a meritorious student and we had to pay the only minimum fee and all the model fee she earned put together actually took care of her education including her law school education!

She finished her law school, and remained a likable student, friend during those days. She was inclined towards humanitarian work and served as an intern in the Amnesty International and worked in the Common Wealth Human Rights Organization.

Though, she worked about 6 months in my Law  Firm.. but being inclined towards human rights, presently she is working for a Global Humanitarian Organization for the last two years

When I look back, I see Mansi as a support and an inspiration. Even today she is my biggest support and and also a great admirer and a constant inspiration.

I am reminded of a Quote by Dr. James C. Dobson : "Children are not casual guests in our home. They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built."...

But I would like add that children are angels which choose you as parents.. The angels of support, the angels to admire and the angles who admire you and inspire you .. And I have always told Mansi:  "thanks Mansi for choosing us as parents"

I was famous as Mansi's father when she was a child model and now I am  proud to be famous as Mansi's father in her organization she is working now!

Mansi - the angel who chose us as parents.

Experience with Mansi when she wanted to travel by auto from RBI 

The experience of being with Mansi as a child model.

First shoot with Dinesh photographer. Then Sudhir ramachandran.

Days in basaveshwr nagar... Playing with my friends... Cricket

School - in basaveshwar nagar how we dropped her early I the morning.

The experience with Mansi when we went on vacation to Mysore for the first time and her singing  in the bath room.

Experience with Mansi when we shifted to orchid apartment.

Physical space & psychological space.

We live in two spaces - the outer and the inner - i prefer to refer to them as 'physical space' -the outer space & 'psychological space' -the inner space within us.

We as human beings exist and live  on this earth. We have both closed  and open physical spaces for us to experience. This space can be as restricted as a small room or an open garden or the entire sky with the sun or moon or stars and it's universe!  

A quote by Douglas Adams aptly illustrates this point clear....!

  "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to space."  

So you can imagine how huge is the dimension of  physical space! 

Through our senses we can see and feel the vastness of this space but we as human beings can exist and live only within that part of the space where there is air to breath....air is THE essential ingredient, without which we will simply suffocate and die...the body is dependent on air and it withers away as soon as the body stops breathing air.. So, the body has sever limitations to exist in relation to the all pervasive physical space!!

We have heard stories about how people suffer when they climb the high mountain peaks where the air is thin... There are also stories about people who are not used to living on high mountain areas and when they go to such areas they suffocate and die, because they cover their faces with blankets to protect themselves from the cold!

Why go so far away and high.... there are many stories next door, of people dead when they dozed off  and fell asleep inside parked cars for hours with all the windows and doors closed!

Therefore, physical space with air is the only fit place- rather the only place where every human being can survive and live -  and in spaces where there is no air... suffocation and death is certain.

In the physical space, one can lock up in a small room and think that, that  is the WHOLE physical space or one  can live in a mansion or venture into space and get a glimpse of the vastness of the physical space - the Universe.

The physical space and it's air are easy to understand because they are obvious and we can see them.

However understanding what constitute psychological space and  psychological air  is not so obvious as this dimension is subtle in nature.

The psychological space is the space within us - within every human being....  and  that psychological space is as huge, as vast and as all pervasive as the universe of the physical world outside.  

And how much psychological air we have is determined by how much  psychological space we allow to consciously expand in within us.

Psychological space allows us to experience our inner self and also is important for people around us.

If we prefer to limit our psychological space and it's air... our perceptions, our perspectives will be limited by that space. Smaller the space we choose to be in, the smaller the personality we will be. In that limited space what can arise is only knowledge to fulfill our basic needs and to relate to a very few people, thus restricting the growth within and allowing only a few people to come into that space.

Smaller the psychological space more the misery and suffocation and equally people around have limited space and air in our presence.

But if one chooses to venture to expand his/her psychological space and automatically the psychological air (which is very much abundantly available)... imagine the  space and the air in which he/she resides, floats, swims and flys and allow themselves and  others to experience the   ecstasy, bliss and freedom. 

Perhaps the following sums up what I am so strenuously trying to say above :

"Space is as infinite as we can imagine, and expanding this perspective is what adjusts humankind's focus on conquering our true enemies, the formidable foes: ignorance and limitation." -Vanna Bonta

Thus expanding our psychological space and air gives us a chance to overcome our ignorance and limitation and allows us to see the world from a bigger perspective, thus wisdom to arise as a result and also allows us to include many people in that space to experience our companionship. 

My  invitation to you is to - see what size is your inner space and would you wish to work towards broadening that space that will  allow you  to breath easily and gives you a chance to seeing the world from a bigger perspective - wisdom. It also allows people around you to breath easily and gives them a chance to broaden their horizon.

An angel who chose us as parents.

 29th January 1985 the day my daughter was born in a town - Dharwad -400 Kms  from were I was working - Bangalore.

On the evening of 29th I received a call to tell me that I was blessed with a  baby girl ... and in an instant I was on my way to Dharwad,  an overnight journey, which for me, seemed  like an eternity as I was anxious through out my 400 km journey  and had hardly slept just imagining about MY new born baby.

It was early morning when I reached the place and went straight to the nursing home to meet  my baby girl  for the first  time.. !!!   I had become a father at 26 and  it was an experience which I can hardly describe in words.. 

The moment  I set my eyes on the baby I simply dissolved and became one with her - the baby was stunningly beautiful, fragile and calmly sleeping.  I couldn't resist but to pick her up and put her on my lap and the baby was in her own dreamy sleep.... With the baby in my lap, I waited patiently for an hour simply gazing at her and during the entire time nothing around the periphery in my vision appeared except the tiny baby! It was an amazing experience!

The  next best ting that came about was her naming ceremony. My wife & my sister,  supported by  a gang of relatives  had   chosen the name 'Mansi' and I had chosen the name 'Sarovi'.... so, inevitably it was me (alone!) versus the whole 'gang'!  At the naming ceremony I pronounced the name 'Sarovi'and the whole 'gang' pronounced in one voice the name  'Mansi and it doesn't take a genius to understand that my voice  was drowned by that of the 'gang'(!)So the little angel was named Mansi (!) but in deference to my wish, my kindly wife entered my daughter's name as Sarovi in the official records and it remained there on paper and every one addressed the baby as Mansi. Thus Mansi was born with her official name as Sarovi!

It was an year or so later, me, my wife and Mansi travelled to Delhi to attend my friend's wedding and my wife was so impressed with the bride - Nidhi-  during the marriage ceremony that soon after we returned from Delhi,  my wife changed my daughter's name in the official records as Nidhi! Despite this.. Mansi remained the favorite and a popular name with every one all the time and even now!

I had chosen 'Sarovi' because that name represented the name of a calm lake, while Nidhi means treasure... In India,  Mansi means the goddess of mind - Goddess  Saraswathi - who represents education and knowledge.

Though she is addressed as Mansi now, but in retrospect I feel she is a combination of all the three names - a calm river, a treasure and the goddess of mind!

Though psychologically it was a very satisfying time but financially it was the most difficult time in my life... With both me and my wife working together, we  could not afford to make both ends  meet! 

Even during this time Mansi remained a great support - We had to drop her to the baby sitter and go to work as early as 8 am in the morning. There were no complaints about my daughter from the baby sitter.. On the contrary she loved the child as her own.

Since we had literally no money, we used public transport to go around everywhere. On such day when we were returning home, my little daughter asked me whether we could travel home by a taxi.   

I knew for certain that the money in my pocket would be just enough to pay for the public transport to reach home... and I was at a loss as to explain this to the little child!  I  cheeringly said to her... " look Mansi this vehicle (pointing at the public transport bus) is so big and the taxi is so small.. let us travel by Bus" .. I was stunned when  she said.. " yes papa you are right... let's go by Bus"..  that minute I turned my face away from my child to  hide my tears and I have tears in my eyes even now, as I am writing this.. Such a small child.. Yet so understanding!

One of those days a child model coordinator met us and asked us whether our daughter can be used as a child model for advertisements? We said yes and from that day for the next seven years she became a successful child model for media and TV. I took much pride in that and felt rich as a father. 

Except paying her initial donation when she joined her 1st standard in a reputed school in Bangalore.. We have not paid any hefty fee for her education as she managed to be a meritorious student and we had to pay the only minimum fee and all the model fee she earned put together actually took care of her education including her law school education!

She finished her law school, and remained a likable student, friend during those days. She was inclined towards humanitarian work and served as an intern in the Amnesty International and worked in the Common Wealth Human Rights Organization.

Though, she worked about 6 months in my Law  Firm.. but being inclined towards human rights, presently she is working for a Global Humanitarian Organization for the last two years

When I look back, I see Mansi as a support and an inspiration. Even today she is my biggest support and and also a great admirer and a constant inspiration.

I am reminded of a Quote by Dr. James C. Dobson : "Children are not casual guests in our home. They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built."...

But I would like add that children are angels which choose you as parents.. The angels of support, the angels to admire and the angles who admire you and inspire you .. And I have always told Mansi:  "thanks Mansi for choosing us as parents"

I was famous as Mansi's father when she was a child model and now I am  proud to be famous as Mansi's father in her organization she is working now!

Mansi - the angel who chose us as parents.

Edit -  honoring the Women:

 

God in his wisdom created men and women on this earth at the same time and gave them the gift of the same earth and all its bountiful immeasurable treasures.  

 

God didn't place any embargo or any condition on either the women. They were to equally experience life, explore it and create, contribute to the treasures of this earth and enjoy the treasures of this world.

 

To think, even remotely, that God would differentiate or discriminate between men and women in living and exploring this earth and everything in it would not only be preposterous but would be against the very essence of the concept of God!!

 

The question then is, why do we see a host of restrictions, embargos and differentiation in societies, (developed or underdeveloped), (rich or the poor) - between what women can and cannot do and what women ought and ought not to do in a host of human aspects?

 

Where, why and how did these conditions and embargoes on women, that we commonly see originate and how did they become societal ‘norms’ in various ways in different parts of the world?

 

Ask yourself... Who is the most intimately connected person to any human being?  The answer is the "mother", who through the umbilical cord gives life to the unborn child, the life sustaining milk of its infancy and throughout the early years - the teaching in the basics of life till the child grows is. It is mother – it is Woman.

 

A woman performs so many roles depending on the requirements of her life, but those closest to her will remember mostly the nurturing caring roles of mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunty, grandmother and friend.

 

But despite all the best things said about women, it is a fact that women who are past their 50th year often find themselves abandoned by those for whom she strived for years..! Who will support and empower them?

 

With everything women have lived through in a rapidly changing society, where motherhood is first revered and then relegated to a lesser role, with all the role changes women who are now over 50 have lived through, I venture to think that these women are equally capable of creating enough and more for themselves to live the rest of their life with joy, love and bliss and also show to the community that - where there is a will there is a way!

 

It is my belief that there is no magic wand, they will need to do so themselves – and that is not acceptable in most people’s eyes – however it is the way of a throwaway society, where values change like underwear. Single women over 50 are particularly vulnerable – but they are not without resources and they have the special benefit of numbers.

 

Women are well known for their ability to work together to achieve group purpose and this is the purpose of the Womens Creative Cooperatives – groups of women gathering locally across many locations who can share their resources and offer social support, where currently many women find themselves isolated.

 

All over the world, women over 50 are experiencing the same things. As they cooperative together to create a better tomorrow, they are recognising the strength they have on the inside. The inner beauty of an authentic woman working towards a more positive future - that encompasses the freedom to be who they are without restrictions, is something to behold.

 

For any change to occur, women must become empowered to make themselves  not only self-sufficient but also to inspire and empower other women, and in doing so create the political and social platform for change, that will ensure greater participation levels in women over 50.

 

 

There are examples of this choice being exercised by women all over the world at different periods of time and also in the same culture.  One such Community project is - "You and the community” in Australia.

 

There are women who stand up to support other women in their times of need and I am very sure a window will open and things will fall in place for projects like "You and the community" to be successful.

 

 

 

Genuine appreciation 

I have been thinking about what motivates people and enthuses them to carry on further something they have strived and achieved? I felt the following two quotes aptly summarize  it:

"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." -William James

"Next to excellence is the appreciation of it." -William Makepeace Thackeray

Thus excellence shines through genuine appriciation  and perhaps without which the beatific nature of human beings to excell will perhaps  become extinct! So appriciation should be such that it really touches the heart of the person appriciated to enthuse him/her to further excellence - that's what I mean is 'genuine Appriciation'!. Therefore I decided to write what genuine appreciation means.

 The following anecdote perhaps brings clarity to what has been said above :

One of the days in this week i had sent one of those normal tweet requests to follow  a woman on tweet - Lee Patrick from Australia. She responded by thanking me for following her and had added that she would look forward to my tweets. Normally people thank for following them on the tweet, however the last sentence of Lee Patrick somehow made me feel I should send a tweet enclosing an article written by me on my blog. I did so.

Her first response to one my writing I sent her thrilled me, she sent this message saying:

"Venkatesh, this is supurb, it is invigorating, you drew me into the story (it is my story - it is the story of our purpose - our journey), it built to a crescendo and walked on through on the heights of mountain as your conclusion claimed 

"It dawns on me

that taking a step ahead, pasuing and pondering in my continuous pursuit ...my destination is 'infinity' and it is the "Journey" in itself the destination.

It is so!! It IS the journey, thats the purpose. So therefore it is the destination also.

Beautiful work - beautiful words and poetry and symmetry. 

...

Thanks you for such wonderful, inspirational words and for sharing them with us.

Lee Patrick "

This elevated me and I subsequently sent some of my other stories to her and what followed that was simply amazing.... I would do well to extract a few lines of her's than to narrate it myself.. What she wrote in response really made me feel blissful - she wrote:

"I have been pouring over your site and recognise something special is occuring. Every time I read one of your works, I know this is the basis of a teaching with my women. 

...

Your mission statement is beautiful and meaningful. I am so at one with how you think, I sometimes fell that you are expressing what I cannot put into words - you say what I am - what I believe. ......

You are teaching me much Venkatesh. This morning (and I have just returned), I walked down to the beach and sat and just meditated. Something has changed in me and you and your writing are part of that. Nothing is as it was - in fact it is infinitely more exciting and alive.

" I have just finished reading Amma's Story. 

I would very much loved to have met your mother in person, however in spirit already I believe the connection is made. 

 Perhaps God has not finished with Amma. What if Amma's wisdom was taught in cooperatives across Australia? What if Amma lives not only in her loved ones but has moved to an energy that can guide and grow women even in Australia - even who did not physically know her as you do. What if her wisdom (and your wisdom Venkatesh - as you have built on that)  became available to other women who are lost in a material world of fear and worry?

These beautiful words and their meaning touch me as a mother and as woman seeking to voice that which you have so beautifully written. The  meaning has such  significance and impact that it can be shared with others, If I may teach this D. Venkatesh, then it will help to bring hope where sadness, grief and despair currently live. Thank you so very much. May I please use this?

...you did it so beautifully, so simply and so kindly ...and I can tell you I have a tear or two happening."

Isn't what Lee Patrick wrote in response to my writings was wonderful  and genuine, which enthused me and I am on with some more writings... thanks, to Lee Patric.

I am reminded of a quote which says that :

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." -Voltaire

Further, I believe when appreciation not only elevates the one who is appreciated but also the person who appreciates... that's what is "genuine appreciation"!, as Francois De La Rochefoucaul put it very aptly that :

 

"To praise great actions with sincerity may be said to be taking part in them." -

I had struggled to write something on 'genuine appreciation' for some time as the topic was teasing at me from my iPad... and a fortuitous meeting Lee Patric on Tweeter and what she wrote simply filled in the space to explain genuine appreciation.  If anyone wants know what genuine appreciation is and what it does to the person appriciated, the above anecdote should be enough to understand it.  It goes without saying  that this article is dedicated to Lee Patric, who showed what genuine appreciation means.

Overcoming 'politics' in an organization.

In order to run  any government or an organization - big or small- certain policies, guidelines relating to people's relationships, authority and power to be exercised are essential so that the organization runs smoothly to achieve its mission. This is the original meaning of the word "politics"

However, over a period of time the word 'politics' has acquired a negative meaning..... and I pause to think why so??

The most important thing about an organization is its mission statement - what does the organization striving to achieve. For that very cause people have come together and have formalized guidelines for relationships, authority and power. 

Therefore, guidelines in a organization about authority and power are only means to achieve the mission of the organization. Simultaneously, it is also important that the people who come together in an organization to achieve the mission should grow, thus achieving  the mission of the organization, while there is  growth of people and their relationships in the organization.

When people in the organization forget these fundamentals of an organization,  it will lead to stunted growth of the organization and diminishes the growth, the value of people and their relationships in the organizations.

When people occupying positions in an organization use the position to wield power or when the people occupying positions in the organization use other people to satisfy their needs... the whole thing goes topsy turvy.... the mission becomes secondary and suffers as a consequence and people in the organization will no more derive satisfaction and stop growing.

I was contemplating about this and was wondering what can be the solution to overcome this kind of a situation in an organization, the recent quote by Guruji provided the answer!

"Objects should have value because of you. The sofa should phave value because you sat on it and not you having value because you have a nice sofa. That is successful living."  -  [This wisdom of Guruji is well echoed  by Gray Zukov in his book 'Soul stories' under the chapter - 'positional power vs. authentication power'.]

Then it dawned on me that, the guidelines regarding policies, positions and authority are merely recipes to achieve the mission. We don't eat recipes - but can prepare a meal out of the recipes.

The position occupied by a person should get value because of that persons ability and not the other way round. When power is derived by a person because he/she occupies a certain position is the positional  power and as soon as that position  is lost, the person loses his power. The position should get importance because of who the person is, then the power is authentic  and such a power cannot be taken away even if the position is taken away ....it won't matter.

If what Guruji said about sofa and value in the above quote is understood and implemented with knowledge by the people assigned position and authority in an organization, there can be no doubt that the mission of the organization is easily achieved by people who come together in an organization and in the process the people grow and their relationships would be satisfying. It's a win- win formula!

Serendipity. 

It was 29th may 2010.  I was born on 30th May 1959. I am  mentioning 29th May 2010, not because, that day happened to be a day before my 51st birthday, but for a special  reason that my daughter was married on that day.  June 2010 was full of activities and travel for my whole family, because after the marriage and marriage reception in Bangalore, we travelled to Shimla and  Shwantha. Shimla happens to be the place where the parents of the boy to whom my daughter is married live and Swantha happens to be the place near Himalayan range, where they have their apple orchid. The marriage reception in Shimla  was followed by our visit to Swantha. Shwantha is a scenic beauty with all it's mountains, rivers and apple orchids surrounded by the Himalayan range.  June 2010 passed by, with celebrations, travel and fun. We returned to Bangalore where we live, while may daughter and her husband went to Europe for their honey moon. After all the celebrations, I settled back to my work - my law firm. With all it's twists and turns in my life, I had done fairly well in life and life was  comfortable. 

Though, all my life's needs were met and I felt successful educationally, career wise and money, some how after reaching this point in life, I felt not very satisfied about the daily routine of my work in my law firm and all the routine connected to me. I was asking myself ...is this all to my life? Is this all that I would be doing till the end of my life...the work routine, money, parties....? I felt there was something missing in my life. But I couldn't pinpoint and say 'doing THIS' would be satisfying. So, I tried different things to find something that would bring  me that 'aha'  satisfying experience/feeling. I tried making new friends, visiting my Golf Club regularly where I had my beer sessions with the club mates, going to different restaurants in different places in the city and even tried night outs exploring the night life in the city followed by sleeping for the whole next day.. but still the boredom lingered on... 

Then I thought of finding some other activity that will interest me. I searched several social web sites and  kept my search on  for many days, hoping to find something that will evoke interest in me.

I tried looking at opportunities to travel to different countries, develop and deliver inspirational speeches (the irony was that I myself needed inspiration!),  adventure groups with whom I can associate and go on adventure trips, karaoke groups where I can participate and sing songs, educational institutions that are involved in personality development programs, children's organizations connected to development of children, nature gazers who are interested in nature - birds, trees and mountains; vacationers -visiting exotic places like the Caribbean Islands,  the Australian great barrier reef, Amazon jungles, Forests in Kenya and wild life in South Africa, the country side and the ancient forbidden city in China, tribal areas in various parts of the world........ Well the list was endless. I didn't know which one and where. I didn't know what awaited me. I spent more than a year with this relentless search and hoping something will turn up..... Nothing happened!!!

In the mean time I have had fortuitous meetings with Guruji the founder of AOL. I was invited to travel with Guruji to Bali and taking this opportunity, I travelled with him for ten days through malaysia, Singapore and Bali.  All this has happened in the period between 9th January and 20th March!

After I returned from the trip, I felt the urge to express myself through writings... during the middle of April 2012, the first writing happened ... "God whispers in Silence"!  Since then I have been writing whatever flashes in my mind as relevant to write. I shared these writings with Guruji by merely emailing my writings as offering to God. I also shared these writings through email with my sister, brother and my daughter and Timothy Wong (Tim) from Hong kong- who became a friend  during my visit to malaysia to Bali in April 2012 and a couple of my other friends. They seemed to like them. My daughter is my great inspiration and admirer and she also encouraged  me to pursue whatever I enjoyed doing most-  inspiring people, including  writing.

Thereafter a couple of incidents happened, which in retrospect do not seem to be mere coincidences...  Firstly, my daughter gifted me a book "Stumbling into Infinity" by Michael Fischman [click the link http://www.stumblingintoinfinity.com to read more about the book and the author]... with a note attached to it saying "paa.. the next book on a similar subject will be yours!".. I thanked her, laughed and told her in a lighter vein .. that If it were to happen, it will be better than this book! [..look at my audacity!?]  .. Then I tried to explain to her that, I am merely writing to inspire people to look at life with  a different perspective and if a few people are inspired reading what i am wiring, it has done its job.... and if the writings were to turn into a book, then it is their wish and  their choice!!!

Secondly, Tim, who took the courtesy to write to me encouraging me about my writings and a suggestion to start a blog. I will do well to reproduce the three emails verbatim that will do its own explaining than to explain it myself!

"Dear Venkatesh,

I'm so privilelged to have met you.  I hope you enjoyed your tour of Southeast Asia.

I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time with you but certainly did enjoy our meetings.

All the very best in all your endevours in building a better community.  Thanks for being so big!

Best regards,

Tim"

"On 25 Apr 2012, at 08:41 PM, Timothy Wong <timothy.wong@iahv.org> wrote:

Hello Venkatesh,

So good to hear from you.  I'm not sure if you got my previous emails just thanking you for sharing with me your stories.  I think you were having server problems on your phone in Bali.

I had so much fun albeit too short with you in Southeast Asia.  You're very wise and with a big golden heart.  I'm sure of this!  It dosen't take much for anyone to recognise this about you.

Yes please continue to be in touch, I will certainly let you know should I be in India and also look forward to any excuse to work with you!  I think it will be challneging, rewarding and FUN!  What more can one ask for

Anyway, I trust this email finds you and your family healthy and in good spirits. 

JGD!

Tim"

"Dear Venkatesh,

Thank-you for sharing please continue to do so!  I really enjoy your writing.  Have you considered compiling all these onto a blog? 

JGD! 

Tim"

Thus, apart from the encouragement I received from Tim, I took his suggestion and created a blog to compile my writing titled  "God  Whispers in silence" and started posting my writings on the blog.

I started a tweet and began tweeting and started following people on the tweet. One such following I requested was with Lee Patrick from Queensland Australia, who's bio read :

"Helping other women  finding their path into Healing through spiritual enlightenment and doing the journey myself. Writing my first book on Healing" 

I liked the bio and so followed her. She responded and I tweeted her back and the flood gates opened.........!!!  

Lee appreciated one my of articles 'why relationships tend to be fragile' and pointed out that, the writings can be taken to publication! 

It simply amazed me and  if I were to reproduce all the emails exchanged between Lee and Me perhaps it  may be enough manuscript for a book which can perhaps be titled "What makes relationships work"!  So, I  am keeping those emails for that topic, which will, i hope, see the light of the day soon!  

It is very important to point here that, Lee Patrick is encouraging me and is editing my articles and hopes to see the articles being used for workshops for women in Australia and also the possibility of brining them to print!

I believe it is the Grace that made this possible. It is the silent whispers of God that led me to this point in life! 

I had struggled for more than an year to find something meaningful to do and when it happened, it happened in such a lightening speed!

I remember what my father used to say that 'God sees the truth but waits', he was absolutely true. I would like to add to that -  " God is whispering to you in silence and listen to those whispers and  things will happen at lighting speed! "

I know in my heart that all this is made possible by Guruji's Grace, who is silently guiding me.

I am dedicating this article to three people - my daughter- Mansi, Tim and Lee Patrick.

                                                     .............

D.Venkatesh

Foreword - 

Why did I  choose to be an inspirational writer at the age of 53?

It has been a journey of 50 years in my life and in these years I have gone through the roller coaster of life and seen the deep valleys  and  the highest peaks. Did all the normal things a man is supposedly does.

At this stage I began to think thatsomethings I thought were important were not really so and some how felt there may be some thing more to life than these normal meanderings.

In these past several years, I  read fiction, non -fiction, the self help books and the professionally related books. Some how I felt I understood many things about the self, the love, relationships, profession and also the best things of life. I also felt that I had hit some kind a satisfactory peak which a 50 year old normal man should hit. 

Then some where from within me it began to sprout a kind of mixed feelings, thoughts, emotions, ideas, and a bit of a churning. Initially it didn't bother me nor I bothered to notice it with much interest. In short, the question that arose in me was.... 'Is this all to life?' 

However over a period of time this question appeared more often and ultimately forced me to notice it. The more this process occurred, the more intense the question became. Though I had felt learned and kind of self made man.. doubts started poking their nose in my point of view of myself and this world. I thought I was perfect in the position I was in this world and had grown respectable in the eyes of people around me. This mental state didn't last long....and what appeared about myself to be important started looking and feeling mundane! 

This was the beginning of a new churning in my life. The things that interested me didn't appeal anymore the way they use to and by and by the work, money, social respect etc..   didn't help much, instead the very same things started looking stale. I started wondering as to why those things for which I worked hard, under the impression that they were the main things, sought after by every one in life and considered so and acknowledged by my peer, my the family and people around me didn't bring a sense of joy in me?

Having reached that stage I should have felt satisfied about my life. But that was not at all the case.

So, I started wondering about the relevance of the normal things such as the amount of momey, property, social standing, etc. that are considered as bench mark for a successful person. I also started wondering about my own state of mind and my perception of myself . 

New questions kept creeping in me.... about my competence and about my judgement about myself; my so called achievements, the so called respect people showed about me and about the praise and appreciation bestowed on me by all the people connected to me.

I somehow started feeling inside me that I am not what I perceived myself to be and what others said about me. This new perspective of myself was not a pleasant one for myself and all that was being said about me started feeling shallow. The seed of doubt about 'genuineness'  sprouted into a sapling. I stared looking at myself closely. I was asking 'am I acting somebody's perception about me in addition to acting my self- imposed perception about me?'

This felt ......strange. I was not being my true self, but was acting some one else's perception of me and also my imposed image about myself. 

So I was acting my tags and labels, rather than being  myself. I realized that, in order to retain those labels I was putting my everything in a slot to conform to those labels. 

This thought started confronting me. why am I doing things I am doing? I irealized that I didn't want to disturb people's perception about me and also didn't want to shake off my own perception about myself. So I had very systematically  created a prisoner out of me in my own labels and my own perceptions and the perceptions of the people around me. The result was that, I wasn't able to say no when I really ought to have said no and express my opinion openly.   That meant that I either tolerated the agony of pleasing people to save my labels or simply gulped those opinions to keep my labels intact.

Thus the question acquired snowballing proportion and it was time I dealt with it head on and confronted and faced it boldly and courageously.

This perhaps was the beginning of my search for that 'something' which may be the churning going through me. 

Then I began writing and one such writing was "Life span perspective - it will change your life for ever".. [article is available on my blog http//vdharmraj.blogspot.in)

After this my entire perspective about life changed and then  I decided that  it was time enough that I pursue my dreams dear to me before the remaining years of my life roll by me ....And that's how I am here!.. to pursue my dreams of being an inspirational writer and speaker and would love be an inspirational and motivational trainer re human values that inspire people to share their wealth and time with others which will enable them to truly experience the joy, love and bliss of living.

My decision stands fortified by a writing titled - The five regrets people shared before they died!!! (article is available on my blog http//vdharmraj.blogspot.in)

So here I am treading my new path and expressing myself in ways that I feel right about things and concepts. I can tell you with all sincerity that though the churning is still on - yet I am enjoying this new journey - new life and the new path as freshly as a new sapling planted in an open arena of this new world seeking to grow and contribute! 

I am with all of you in this new journey..

Wish me all the luck in my new journey!

Edit -  honoring the Women:

 

God in his wisdom created men and women on this earth at the same time and gave them the gift of the same earth and all its bountiful immeasurable treasures.  

 

God didn't place any embargo or any condition on either the women. They were to equally experience life, explore it and create, contribute to the treasures of this earth and enjoy the treasures of this world.

 

To think, even remotely, that God would differentiate or discriminate between men and women in living and exploring this earth and everything in it would not only be preposterous but would be against the very essence of the concept of God!!

 

The question then is, why do we see a host of restrictions, embargos and differentiation in societies, (developed or underdeveloped), (rich or the poor) - between what women can and cannot do and what women ought and ought not to do in a host of human aspects?

 

Where, why and how did these conditions and embargoes on women, that we commonly see originate and how did they become societal ‘norms’ in various ways in different parts of the world?

 

Ask yourself... Who is the most intimately connected person to any human being?  The answer is the "mother", who through the umbilical cord gives life to the unborn child, the life sustaining milk of its infancy and throughout the early years - the teaching in the basics of life till the child grows is. It is mother – it is Woman.

 

A woman performs so many roles depending on the requirements of her life, but those closest to her will remember mostly the nurturing caring roles of mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunty, grandmother and friend.

 

But despite all the best things said about women, it is a fact that women who are past their 50th year often find themselves abandoned by those for whom she strived for years..! Who will support and empower them?

 

With everything women have lived through in a rapidly changing society, where motherhood is first revered and then relegated to a lesser role, with all the role changes women who are now over 50 have lived through, I venture to think that these women are equally capable of creating enough and more for themselves to live the rest of their life with joy, love and bliss and also show to the community that - where there is a will there is a way!

 

It is my belief that there is no magic wand, they will need to do so themselves – and that is not acceptable in most people’s eyes – however it is the way of a throwaway society, where values change like underwear. Single women over 50 are particularly vulnerable – but they are not without resources and they have the special benefit of numbers.

 

Women are well known for their ability to work together to achieve group purpose and this is the purpose of the Womens Creative Cooperatives – groups of women gathering locally across many locations who can share their resources and offer social support, where currently many women find themselves isolated.

 

All over the world, women over 50 are experiencing the same things. As they cooperative together to create a better tomorrow, they are recognising the strength they have on the inside. The inner beauty of an authentic woman working towards a more positive future - that encompasses the freedom to be who they are without restrictions, is something to behold.

 

For any change to occur, women must become empowered to make themselves  not only self-sufficient but also to inspire and empower other women, and in doing so create the political and social platform for change, that will ensure greater participation levels in women over 50.

 

 

There are examples of this choice being exercised by women all over the world at different periods of time and also in the same culture.  One such Community project is - "You and the community” in Australia.

 

There are women who stand up to support other women in their times of need and I am very sure a window will open and things will fall in place for projects like "You and the community" to be successful.

 

 

 

Different Religions is seeing One God through a prism!

There is so much debate and squabble over different religions all over the world and this has been a subject of contemplation and intellectual debates in many forums.

My mind has always thought as God being One and all the religions accepting and worshipping that there is only One God, why  should a religion become a prison to shackle people in thier one religion as the ultimate for the realization of God?

One of those evenings when I was walking contemplating about this, enjoying the sunset a light drizzle broke out through a small patch of clouds.. It felt very good to see the sunset in that drizzle and it felt Devine when I turned around to see a beautiful rainbow being formed covering the entire expanse of the sky ... My thoughts stopped and at that moment I felt I got an answer to the reason for the existence of many religions in this world and sat down to jot down  my thoughts:

God is all wisdom and all knowing and all pervading... So why did  God create many religions on this earth?  My mind was saying that there must be some purpose for this creation of God and was scratching my head to have at least a glimpse of insight about God's purpose in creating many religions!

The perfect scene of the evening Sunset, the most colorful beautiful rainbow amidst the light drizzle seemed to answer my quest.

I just imagined that if God in his wisdom had decided to create everything in one color - the trees, plants, the mountains, the birds, animals and the human beings  in one color - white, how would this world look? 

Every thing would be white... And how boring it would be to see a white tree, a white plant, a white crow and a white peacock, all things and animals, including human beings white. Life and sight around in this world would have been monotonous, dull and boring!

So God perhaps in his wisdom and creativity created a veriety of colors to make life interesting! 

Among the many celebrated scientific studies, there are two scientific studies well proven and well accepted and most revered in the history of science -  one the Raman effect and the Theory of relativity!

The Raman effect simply showed that the white light when it passed through a prism split onto seven colours and when all these colours were merged, what you got back was pure white light! 

The theory of relativity by Einstine proved that energy and mass are the same and one form of energy can be converted  to another form of energy and therefore there is only one energy!

God has been showing these two proven phenomenon for millions of years to us humans, through the creation of rain bow - that white light can be spilt into seven colours but ultimately all put together is one. - that is pure white! And when you light a fire wood you see light and also experience heat thus showing us that mass can be converted into energy  and one form of energy can be converted into another form of energy but the energy source is the One! 

If human beings had to wait for these two eminent scientists to show these natural phenomena empirically, which God has been repeatedly showing over millions of years, it's none of Gods fault but merely the ignorance of the human beings.

Thus, I believe though God in his wisdom created many religions, might have thought of giving glimpses of various philosophies through which God could be understood and realized and there was no difference between the one and the other.

It is really very amazing that every religion claims that there is only one God and only One Energy and One source but claim that there is no other religion but it's their one religion that makes it possible realize God!!!

I feel it is like seven people standing - each one in the a separate color zone created by the pure white light split in seven colors... And the one standing in the yellow zone claiming that the source is one - the pure white light and I can see it in my yellow zone and therefore the only way you can reach  the source- the white light,  is through being in the yellow zone and nowhere else and each  of the other guys making similar claims about their color zone!!

Whether one is standing in the yellow zone or red or any other color zone... When he takes that path from the color zone he is standing and follows and passes through the prism there is no alternative but to merge into one source and one energy - one pure lustrous white light!!!!    None of the guys are wrong.. But none of them are ready to see that they are different shades of the same Pure  White Light and will ultimately merge into it regardless of which path of the shade of color he takes!

In fact if all the colors are brought together ...all of them lose their identity as different shades and merge to shine in one bright white light and nothing else!!

All the religions, in my opinion, are like the different color shades of one Energy.. The One God... Therefore, respect all religions equally as paths to reach the ultimate ONE source and realize  that all paths will take you there!!  Realize, respect and regard all religions as the paths that lead to one Energy, one Source and One God! That's the truth and that's the reality whether you like it or not.

There is no other alternative!