27.08.2014

Burj Khalifa, Dubai-The tallest
skyscraper in the world. Height: 2,717' (828 m), 2,722'
(830 m) to tip
Think Big
Rise above little things. Be a big thinker. You are what
you think. So just think big, believe big, act big,
dream big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big,
image big, love big, live big. Carry that list and
you'll start feeling big. Be a believer and you'll be an
achiever.
The Art of Listening
When I hear something negative about someone, I usually
get influenced by it. In spite of the fact that I may
not have had any negative experience myself, I still
tend to get influenced negatively. This brings about a
change in my attitude and behaviour towards that person.
I need to learn the art of listening which enables me to
respond in the right way. When someone describes
something, which involves the negativity of another
person, instead of getting influenced by it, I need to
understand his feelings and emotions at that time. When
I do this I will be able to provide support to him
without adding my own negativity to it.
The Negative Shade Of Respect In Relationships (cont.)
In yesterday's message, we had looked at the incorrect
and negative side of respect (the energy of fear) in
relationships. Today we look at this kind of
relationship from that person's perspective from whom
respect is demanded. When the boss or the parent or the
spouse (please refer to yesterday's message) tries to
induce respect inside you for him or her, in return you
fear him or her, most of the time thinking it is
respect. But, at that point, you need to remember it
is impossible to give respect to another if we, at the
back of our own minds, fear them. If you are scared of
someone or something, it means there is an absence of
self-respect, there is a lack of a true realization of
your own value, your specialties, your skills and the
virtues and powers that you possess. And if you do not
respect yourself, you cannot truly respect another.
It is only when you are firmly established in your own
self-respect that you have no fear of others and are
then capable of giving genuine respect to others.
Sometimes we are not comfortable with being seen as
fearful, because our image will take a beating, so we
try to avoid admitting we fear someone by saying we
respect them, but internally we are in awe of that
person and being in awe is not respecting him or her.
Many a times, two prominent people e.g. two actors or
politicians or sportsmen are not on good terms. They
accuse and bring down each other publicly and are known
enemies in the press. While they do that, they also
carry a subtle fear of each other, a fear that the other
will outperform them; the other will be more popular,
the other will be more powerful etc. This normally
happens because of a lack of self-respect. They both
will probably hide that and will pretend that they are
confident and established in their self-respect. But if
their self-respect were genuine, they would not be
scared of each other, and they would have the courage
and the patience to talk and work with each other and
listen to and offer the hand of friendship to each
other, whom they perceive to be an enemy. But when they
don't have the strength of their own self-respect and
when they are unaware of their lack of self-respect,
subtle fear for the other creeps in, which they don't
realize and if they realize, they do not admit the same.
And that's why the restoration of self-respect is
only possible when the ego is recognized and no longer
nourished. Because, fear always comes from the ego and
ego is nothing but an excessive attachment to one's
false image.
Soul Sustenance
Self Responsibility (cont.)
Because we have forgotten the principle of karmic
returns (discussed yesterday), we have learned to avoid
taking responsibility for many of our actions. We fail
to see the impact of our actions upon others and we fail
to see that the real meaning of responsibility is
'responding correctly'. Life can be seen as a series of
responses which we each create in our interactions with
other people and events. As is the quality of our
ability to respond (energy given), so will be the
quality of the return (energy received). The Laws of
Karma also serve to remind us that the situations in
our life, the quality of our body, wealth, relationships
etc. and the type of person we are today are the result
of what we thought and did yesterday, last month, last
year, perhaps in our last birth. Many people do not like
this idea or find it difficult to accept because most of
us have been taught that our destiny lies in someone
else's hands or in the hands of fate or luck, about
which we can do nothing. The Law of Karma or the
Law of Reciprocity teaches us that there is no such
thing as luck and that whatever happens to us today is
the result of our positive or negative actions in the
past. If you spend a few moments reflecting on events in
your life, without being judgmental, you will begin to
see connections between actions and results, causes and
effects. When you see how all effects have their causes,
you will then be convinced that this universal law is at
work in your life at all times.
Message for the day
To be a donor means to give at each step and increase
one's own stock.
Projection:
Usually it seems very difficult to be a donor - to give
from whatever resources we have. The thought often
arises in the mind that we cannot give because we are
ourselves not complete or full. We find ourselves
constantly trying to fill ourselves and we then have no
time or thought for giving to those around us.
Solution:
We have a lot of treasures within us which we can give
to those around us, our virtues, our specialities etc.
Even if we have just a little and give to the others, we
will find ourselves benefitting. For having given from
whatever we have, we find that these treasures begin to
increase within ourselves too.