Pleasures conceived in the world of the senses have a beginning and an end and give birth to misery...The wise do not look for happiness in them. But those who overcome the impulses of lust and anger that arise in the body are made whole and live in joy. They find their joy, their rest, and their light completely within themselves. United with the Lord, they attain nirvana in Brahman.
-Bhagavad Gita 5:22-24
I've been studying the Gita lately, and I've come across passages that I agree with and some that I either don't understand or disagree with. This one though, summarizes everything I know and feel and want others to know about Hinduism until now. It's so hard to overcome physical pleasure, but when I see how it is even harder for other people, I thank God that I have the strength to overcome at least some of life's many obstacles. I am one lucky girl.
God wants us to work ceaselessly for the benefit of the world without expectation of reward. How to deal with the derivatives associated with this...
What with the expectations of my family and the materialism that surrounds me. I could do it easily, if only no one were watching. That's where the obstacle is overcome. If you can work for the benefit of others ceaselessly in front of everyone, you have strength--immeasurable strength.
Someday...
11.09.2006
11.05.2006
Mad ramblings?
When did things start to get so bad in this world? The rampant, ceaseless, abhorrent exclusion that is everywhere (i.e. homosexuals, different races, certain castes, etc.") is making me weary and pessimistic of the life my kids will have. We're so caught up in what others will think that we stop ourselves from being human. We stop ourselves from doing things we naturally enjoy doing, simply because we're worried about our reputation. And our reputations turn into our legacies, what we leave behind; how people, fleeting in existence themselves, will remember our short time here. It's so sick. I feel so sick. Things like this have always existed. Social status, class, background, lifestyle; it's all so important to everybody and simultaneously so irrelevant. So why does it matter SO much to me??????
As children, we were told that if all the people in the world looked exactly the same, life would be boring.
I disagree.
I think that if all the people in the world looked exactly the same, we would all have a chance at being treated with respect and equality. We'd all belong. We'd all have the chance to be human. The point people miss is that, just because we'd all look exactly the same doesn't mean we'd all have the same personalities. We'd have different goals, different views. But that brings me back to the beginning. Different goals, different views would require exclusion. As Zygmunt Bauman said, "The emancipation of some calls for the suppression of others." I feel so sick.
No, that can't be right. I believe that human beings have the potential to be peaceful. People can and will someday learn to coexist peacefully, cooperatively.
It is in the genetic makeup of some to be competitive. Competition makes us lie, cheat, steal, and harm others to get what we want--to achieve our own goals without regard for the goals or wellbeing of others. Competition must be eliminated. Is that heaven? The absence of competition? Hunger? Jealousy? That's what Matisyahu says. What does Hinduism say? The real Hinduism? Not the Gita, not the Mahabharata. The Vedas. I need the Vedas.I need the truth.
Every night I hear people going through the garbage under my window.
Enough of my ramblings
As children, we were told that if all the people in the world looked exactly the same, life would be boring.
I disagree.
I think that if all the people in the world looked exactly the same, we would all have a chance at being treated with respect and equality. We'd all belong. We'd all have the chance to be human. The point people miss is that, just because we'd all look exactly the same doesn't mean we'd all have the same personalities. We'd have different goals, different views. But that brings me back to the beginning. Different goals, different views would require exclusion. As Zygmunt Bauman said, "The emancipation of some calls for the suppression of others." I feel so sick.
No, that can't be right. I believe that human beings have the potential to be peaceful. People can and will someday learn to coexist peacefully, cooperatively.
It is in the genetic makeup of some to be competitive. Competition makes us lie, cheat, steal, and harm others to get what we want--to achieve our own goals without regard for the goals or wellbeing of others. Competition must be eliminated. Is that heaven? The absence of competition? Hunger? Jealousy? That's what Matisyahu says. What does Hinduism say? The real Hinduism? Not the Gita, not the Mahabharata. The Vedas. I need the Vedas.I need the truth.
Every night I hear people going through the garbage under my window.
Enough of my ramblings
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