Am indeed grateful to Almighty to assist me forever –BE in the company of ‘Highly Pure’ souls like FEW of us, almost ‘pure souls’ like SOME of us and ‘less impure’ souls like MANY of us. Even VERY FEW ‘highly impure’ souls end up helping me for no rhyme or reason, I have observed over the years! Thank you benevolent almighty. As my colleague Priya always says, ‘Life is indeed beautiful’, if ONLY one WANTS it that way!
Well, lemme start with my answer to Appu who has commented (See comments section and please share your thoughts/ experiences etc) that some of the views in OUR blog are coming like ‘bouncers’ to him. Well, my dear Appu, I’m no Douglas Jardine (Of the infamous Body-line series) to bowl a ‘bouncer or a ‘beamer’! I’m a spinner and love the googlies, doosras and even carom ball! Hah Ha! Well, as I keep repeating – That ‘Yours Truly’ is only a ‘key-stroker’ and do NOT wish to take any credit for OUR blogs. However, one may give me ‘debit’ if any. The thoughts and thereby words have emanated from Dhyan and writings of many or simply ‘man watching’ (‘Women Watching’ as well! – Those interested in human behavior may read those two books of Desmond Morris).
Folks, you would agree that while it requires compassion to ‘share and care’, it takes ‘courage’ to speak our mind and THEN ‘walk-our-talk’, isn’t it? Well THEN, what’s courage? Is it a sheer physical prowess or shouting slogans or hurting others as we have a wide mouth to speak, freedom to DO whatever we WANT at the cost of others and able hands and legs to physically hurt, not to forget the technology arsenals!
Is America so courageous that they use all the arsenals and warheads against countries that don’t tag their line?
Are some agitating students OR politicians OR even the mafia OR just anyone on ‘Mother Earth’ so courageous that they take to violence to show their physical prowess or might?
Read on…
Ravi: A happy Friday evening to you Shri. GRK. As you know, our brethren on ‘Mother Earth’ have started cherishing the ‘Hidden Treasure Series’ and some of them have requested an e-book to be made on the series…
GRK: That’s nice to hear, Ravi. We shall do that. Time would come for that. Let’s cross the bridge when we come to it.
Ravi: Thank you so much for your permission. Our friends like Suba would be happy hearing this. Well, let’s get to today’s topic. Is ‘Courage’ physical prowess alone or something else?
What is Courage?
GRK: Not at all, Ravi. Courage is not mere physical prowess. It is not the capacity to endure suffering, pain and agony patiently. Going into dark alone, playing with a snake or tiger, fighting with the robbers unexpectedly met, may be the acts of courage; but they do not reveal the full meaning of courage.
Ravi: Oh! is ‘courage’ something to do with the ‘intellect’ or ‘mind’ which science couldn’t unravel even NOW?
GRK: Ravi, ’courage’ is a psycho-physical phenomena. Its generating centre is in the mind and intellect. Hence, the greatest courage is the ‘intellectual’ courage. Realizing that each one of us IS alone in this life and world is itself a great act of rare courage. In fact, most of us are frightened to think that we are born alone into this world and THAT we have to face and confront life alone by each one of us.
Ravi: If it sounds so simple, WHY and HOW do we fear THEN?
GRK: Our fear to accept life as an alone process is due to our sense to possess gadgets, house, wealth, wife, husband, children, subordinates and friends as devices (rudders) to overcome our feeling of insecurity. All these DO fail and will not be of much help in assuring us of our security. So we resort to ideologies, religions, power, and status and then at last to the thought of God! – With all these coming handy as measures of security to our aloneness! (Am afraid to ask if this is ‘helplessness’-If NOT, what else?) None of these possessions, obsessions and attachments could give humans a sense of security or sense of fulfillment.
Ravi: What is the greatest courage THEN for ordinary mortals like me?
GRK: Well, the greatest courage it to face life as alone-process and accept it, confront it and live with it! As such it needs a great courage for a human to accept life and death with the same equanimity. Humans need the rarest courage to accept death as part and parcel of life. After all, death is not cessation of life, but fulfillment of it. It is not dissolution of life, but culmination of it. Death is not shattering of life but fruition of it.
Ravi: Onto that, is death a ‘fixed’ or a static phenomenon?
GRK: Death does not take place at a particular point of time in our life. It is a simultaneous process along with living itself. We die every day, every minute, and step by step, as we live on. Thus life and death are a continuous bi-polar process. After all death is the sumnum bonum of life. It is the termination nay a conclusion of life itself. It is an ‘octave’ of life song. Death is NOT an-end phenomena, but an everyday process of life.
In other words, life does not mean mere pre-determined “dragging of feet” mechanically and the passing of time. It is a ‘live’ process, at the same time simultaneously perishing or dying at every moment.
Ravi: How does one make an attempt to realize WHAT you said?
GRK: To realize that death is inseparable part of life and to understand that our life and our entity is not permanent on this earth, we need a great courage nay a rare courage. This courage is possible when only we realize the fundamental truth or fact of life; that death is another side of life-or other embankment to the river of life. This very realization is a greatest benediction and peace nay courage. When we attain this courage, THEN only it gives us the real and true courage AND that is an ecstasy, a liberation, a nirvana, nay a moksha by itself. Do you get the point, Ravi?
Ravi: No way, my conditioning does not allow me to say YES right away to your thoughts and views on courage. Need to munch. Kindly give me some time.
GRK: Take your time. Hope you understand this fundamental ‘juice’ of life. Thanks for your time. Allow me to leave now.
Ravi: Thanks a ton once again Shri. GRK. See you soon! I can’t wait to talk to you next Friday on ‘Religion and Culture’!
Folks, some of you realized souls would have gotten and cherished the LIFE ‘juice’ on ‘courage’, many souls like me would need time to munch. That’s better rather than ‘disagreeing-agree’, like most Indian politicians do, Isn’t it? What do you like to share, especially our brethren in Slovenia and Saudi Arabia who are silent readers of our blogs and whose numbers are increasing, not to forget readers in the US of A where the number of readers have crossed 2000!
Wishing you ALL a ‘rocking’ weekend and hope India rocks tomorrow in the Cricket world cup final. Ofcourse, the ‘Lankan Lions’ roar and are raring to go for the coveted cup! May the best team win, isn’t it? And we all would celebrate, whoever wins! Ultimately, the wonderful ‘team’ game CRICKET would be the eventual winner!
With Love,
Ravichander Venkatraman
1 comment:
It is an eye opener. Courage is not the one generally perceived by people but mostly it is on the lines livi has written in this blog. It is a beautiful piece and enough book references for those who are thirsty to read more.
When a human being is down and touches his low point how he battles his way up who supports him that time enables him to stand up. When everything is lost you still endup with courage and that alone can lift you up...courage engulfs the rest of the winners qulaities...well written ravi...
somas
Post a Comment