Message 10062020 : 21st Century aging
Message 10062020 : 21st century aging
How to Pray for Others by Paramahansa Yogananda
Prayer
Watch "Nasadiya Sukta - The Big Bang - The Creation Hymn - The RigVeda"
This Sukta is referred to in the opening article "God : The beginning of existence"
that follows (A).
The two issues covered today together make today's message somewhat long and heavy. I'm referring to aging and "God : The beginning of existence". To add to that, the opening link on "Praying for others". I suggest let's first read Smt Vathsala Jayaraman's message covering the expectations from a writer as a communicator. The comprehensive write up by Madam made me think about the characteristics of "Mahakavya". See excerpts from a website posting :
"Characteristics of a Mahakavya
In the mahākāvya genre, more emphasis was laid on description than on narration. Indeed, the traditional characteristics of a mahākāvya are listed as:
- It must take its subject matter from the epics (Ramayana or Mahabharata), or from history,
- It must help further the four goals of man (Purusharthas),
- It must contain descriptions of cities, seas, mountains, moonrise and sunrise, and "accounts of merrymaking in gardens, of bathing parties, drinking bouts, and love-making. It should tell the sorrow of separated lovers and should describe a wedding and the birth of a son. It should describe a king's council, an embassy, the marching forth of an army, a battle, and the victory of a hero".
It (Mahakavya) is composed of a varying number of short poems or cantos, that tells the story of a classical epic. Each poem is composed in a metre that is fitting to the subject matter, such as a description of the seasons, a geographical form of nature such as a mountain, and cities."
Put together, though in prose, a month's mails from all the members in our group during the Lockdown may almost have majority of the above attributes!
M G Warrier
Message 10062020 : 21st century aging
A. God : The beginning of existence
Posted online comments:
THE TIMES OF INDIA | |
Dear Reader, | |
Your comment on the article ' God : The beginning of Existence' is now live on timesofindia.indiatimes. | |
' an excellent article bringing out several doubts many of us hesitate to discuss in the open for different reasons. one reason is the stubborn mindsets evolved due to social or societal background. the mindsets get moulded by groups created by different vested interests and some, refuse the possibility of another perspective. hope this will open a healthy debate on all issues raised here.' | |
To reply to this comment , or see the whole conversation, click here. | |
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. | |
Regards, | |
Team TOI | |
B. Population Ageing is One of the Greatest Challenges Facing the 21st Century
This report was published by Wire in August 2017. Accessed the link to introduce the subject : Population aging. While end of last century worried about the rise in world population from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion in 100 years, 21st century is burdened with the management of an aging population. Many of our approaches to health care, retirement, care homes etc need rethinking for policy overhaul.
C. Upping retirement age in India debate | ORF
D. 21st Century Aging Tools
This article is not based on Indian experience. Still I found it interesting to go through.
E. Writer's notes:
Thoughts into words*
When we are busy with an activity, we come up with a bright thought that we feel like sharing with others but soon after, this thought disappears into thin air as we get engaged in mundane day to day activities.
Normally we are advised to make a note of our thoughts.
It is not like assembling a product we buy from Amazon by following the instruction manual. Developing a thought into a detailed write up needs structural thinking, focus not to drift away from the main topic, commitment to find time to write, strategy to develop thoughts into sub-thoughts, language skill, writing and communication skills.
Series of instructions are loaded to us.
Series of instructions are loaded to us.
First, assess the audience and the relevant forum to write on the subject of our choice.
Second, if we have the habit of writing in multiple forums and handles, it is better to make sure the subject was relevant for the forum or handle and not already written by us earlier.
Third, if possible, create a brand of what topic we are comfortable writing about to be well received by the audience.
Fourth, review the nature of write up whether it contains practical real life experiences or some life lessons learnt or something researched specifically for the write up.
To the extent possible, the humorous write ups get the best attention.
One needs to have a flare to write to find time to put thoughts into words. For an abstraction to become a fully-developed write up, a commitment is essential.
One needs to have a flare to write to find time to put thoughts into words. For an abstraction to become a fully-developed write up, a commitment is essential.
Developing a thought into sub-thoughts that are related requires a skill of a knitter. It should be elaborate enough to cover the depth but also simple enough to assimilate and digest.
The above is a very valuable information regarding clustering ideas, sorting, editing and noting down. But difficult to implement,though not impossible.
It is an open secret that many writings are just for the pleasure of writers and very rarely , the substance reaches the intended audience, even if we choose the correct forum.The readers will be hardly 1-2% of the members.
Pressing 'likes' is more or less a formality and depends on the popularity of the writer.Most of the likes are known to be an action of 'press button' and has nothing to do with reading,understanding and not to talk of assimilation.
The writer can do so many things to assemble his thoughts, arrange, rearrange,edit and present to the relevant forum.But this never guarantees the fulfillment of purpose of reaching the readers.
Had it been so, with all the quotes,sayings etc spread daily through whatsapp daily, the world would have changed towards betterment. The contrary seems to be the actual happening.
*Received from Smt Vathsala Jayaraman, Chennai
F. Responses
1) Shri K Ramasubramanian, Mumbai with reference to Message 09062020 :
"Good morning. Thank you for the suktham. The book review link could not be opened.
Happiness differs from one individual to the other and on different things andevels. Contentment many a time relates to various activities. For example the fullness of stomach signifies and suggests stopping further eating. A kind of contentment is accomplished.i In acquiring knowledge fora pursuing person contentment evades him to dead end of his life. Contentment therefore can be attained or to be understood to have been achieved continuously as and when each act is completed with positive results. It should become a part of daily life and over time should become a nature of the man.
Thank you very much for triggering a new thought."
2) Appreciation from V Babusenan, Thiruvananthapuram (Ref : Shri C V Subbaraman's response to Message 08062020)
What Shri Subbaraman said is very thought provoking.There is no going back,Sir,there is absolutely no going back.The world must reset its values and concepts if it has to continue.
I am an 85 year old man forced to spend the waking hours in one corner of the front veranda of my house and in my bed room.I often feel as if I were lying on the operation table surrounded by busy people all wearing masks.I feel deprived of the most beautiful thing in human life,the most enchanting orchestra of the facial muscles,the smile. When the great poet said ' Face is the index of the mind' we fondly hoped that he was telling a perennial truth.Alas! It is no more true.Most of the face has gone having lost its communicative function.So far unity in physical terms has been the corner stone of human existence.Our festivals,conventions,musical gatherings,processions, protests,sathyagrahas were manifestations of this unity. Suddenly we are forced to abandon all these and forge entirely new values and new behaviour without eschewing the so-called social distancing.We have no choice.
Regards
V Babusenan
Comments