2011 would mean that an average Man may need to be twice as strong to take on a Lady.

You would have seen that ubiquitous MMXL in google.  MMXL = 2011  in simple terms.  Lets try to understand the key factors of this year  from the numerological level and from the roman roots.

ROMAN NUMERALS

Now lets take the Roman Numerals.  I have not applied too much of mind on the Roman system except for the little doctorate I managed to get on Roman civilization way back in ( i forgot the year).  So I stand corrected if there any mistakes.

MMXL  may remind you of the size of shirts.

Look at this equation on gender.

M = Male

L = Ladies

X = confrontation

Now put it together MMXL.  It simply means that Men need to be twice as strong to take on a Lady. No it does not mean 2 men should join  (cheee!!!! thats bad and cowardly) Its one man with double his strength can only take on a Lady.

VIEW FROM NUMBERS

But the beauty of this combination adding up to 4 is simply the way it looks 2+0+1+1= 4. Take a close look at it again.. even if you dont have spatial visual skills, it really does not matter. Just enjoy the way it looks. Its got every thing.  Two ones ( 1 ) that denote leanness.  So those of whom who plan to shed weight and look thin and good, will have a great year.  Its got 2 which means the others too ( 2 ) fat ones, who give rats ass for looks, will also be forcibly given a six pack.  The ‘0’ shows that you will have zero problems with health.  Over all a fantastic combination.  SHALL WE CALL IT A YEAR OF GOOD HEALTH.  ?????

• After many years this has occurred.  You add up the last two numbers (1+1) you will get the answer two (2).  You will realize that 2 is the first number in 2011.  This is a rare. Dont know when it happened the last time.. (actually dont even bother to check)
• Now coming to ‘0’ between. We as Indians know that ‘ 0 ‘ was an Indian creation.  There are four civilizations that are jostling currently.  The western, the Indian, the Chinese and the Islam. In the coming year since 0 is next to two it clearly denotes the emergence of India as a world power.  Now how does this make it special.  Iam in India, and if you are an Indian reading this you are from India too. So simply rejoice.
• You add up all the numbers 2+0+1+1= 4.. it is FOUR.  3 +1 or 2+2 is also four. but these are merely 2 digits adding up to four. Four 4 digits to add up to four you will have the following combinations
  • • • 1+1+1+1=4
      • 2+1+0+1=4
      • 3+1+0+0=4
      • 4+0+0+0=4
      • 2+0+0+2=4
      • 2+1+0+0=4
      • This goes on

what ever happens have a fantastic years.. throw the numbers away.

Does your body 'matter'? Its your spirit that wins dammit

It’s ordained for us Indians to look within, to derive power from within ourselves

The focus was on celibacy, purity, self control, observance of vows and reverence. Its time we Indians get to understand our strengths and work through them.

 

My evenings have become very valuable to me. I sift and sieve before deciding to attend any evening program. So when my good friend Nambi asked me to attend this Landmark Forum I asked adequate questions and finally decided to postpone a meeting to attend the Forum. The office was located in one of the prime gymnasiums – Fitness one, were people sweated out to derive their energy, purpose and strength from their own body. The entry to Landmark Forum office was at the side , and the office was narrow and small, and am sure it was a dump room of the gymnasium.  I was sad the knowledge and wisdom has been tucked to a remote corner and the world and matter and body has taken over, seemed symbolic of the material age.

This actually got me to write this blog post.

Somehow I had this strange feeling that we Indian were trying to find some meaning from the west (particularly American culture).  To me its like mixing water to oil. (oil is India) Its time we look at ourselves, for in us lies the future.

Devdutt Patnaik in his TED talk on East vs West the myths that mystify talks about the Alexander’s interaction with a gymnosophist (the naked wise man)

Alexander asked, “What are you doing?” the gymnosophist answered, “I’m experiencing nothingness.” Then the gymnosophist asked, “What are you doing?” Alexander said, “I am conquering the world.” And they both laughed. Each one thought that the other was a fool. The gymnosophist said, “Why is he conquering the world? It’s pointless.” And Alexander thought, “Why is he sitting around, doing nothing? What a waste of a life.”

Even as early as 1980 the scientists believed to have established a ‘fact’ that  universe is a “matter machine” made up of physical, individual atoms that fully obey the laws of Newtonian mechanics. Ten years late scientists came to realize that the universe is not made of matter suspended in empty space by energy. Einstiein revealed that we don not live in a universe with discrete, physical objects separated by dead space.  Quantum physics talks about universe being an integration of interdependent energy fields that are entangled in an mesh-work of interactions.

The west is propelled by American and European values, China by its ethnic homogeneity, India by its ancient religions and philosophy. Even as science is moving us towards the new understanding of proving the gymnosophist right, we Indians have suddenly found a hero in Alexander.

Ramesh Mohan writing about the Indian cricket’s team victory in South Africa says thus:

Unlike Australia’s champion cricketers, who cultivated an intimidating air, doing little things that showed intent such as running onto the field after breaks, India has for the most part been calm and resilient. Where the Australians revelled in their athleticism, seeming younger than they were, the Indians have celebrated the wisdom that comes with age, appearing older than they are.

The council of elders — Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Zaheer Khan — has about it the reassuring comfort of a dark-wood study. Although they are essentially ‘skill players’, they know how to get the best out of their bodies over five days, so they can compete with faster, stronger athletes.

It’s ordained for us Indians to look within, to derive power from within ourselves. Mahabarata has numerous stories of even powerful kings who took firm vows, ate sparingly, and curbed their senses. The focus was on celibacy, purity, self control, observance of vows and reverence. Its time we Indians get to understand our strengths and work through them.

Now you need to decide if you want to build a material body and invest your time and money in a gym or understand the ways of the gymnosophist.  Strengthening the spirit seems a much wiser option.  Human WILL, will emerge not when every thing is perfect around you.

My next blog entry will be on finding strength in the weakest moments

source:

The Biology of Belief by Bruce H Lipton pg. 69
Rise of East in a new class of civilization by Minaz Merchant
The Hindu An appropriate end to a gainful year link

Teaching your children on future trends

I thought I need to do this post, ever since I read this little article in The Times of India this sunday by Shiv Vishvanathan. With friends in the same age group having children in college, I thought its important for us, as parents, to know what we need to discuss with them and equip them for the future.

India is surely changing.  Its not the same place were you and I grew up.  There has been a lot of ‘development’ all around, and our children are growing up in a far different world.  Few of us have managed to adapt to the changing times and assimilated the new, yet we will surely fall short in many areas.  What will endure is the words that we impart, and how we impart to them is very important.

I suggest that we talk to our kids openly, on the issues that Iam going to present to you in the blog.  Discuss about it, deal with these issues and prepare their minds for the future.  They will be much prepared and thats the greatest favour you will do for them.

Please read these 10 points patiently

1. 70% of Indian  population is under 25 – we are a youthful society
2. In 10 years, our population will be middleaged . Ours will be a society with a midlife crisis.Middle age in India will be like a collective menopause . It will affect the psyche of the whole society. The problem is people in the middle will be treated as old age….
3. India will become a society of boring men and purposive women ready after childbirth to resume careers and their lives.
4. Men will become iconically fatter, slower and spend more time in beauty clinics. Hair dyes would do little to hide the fading youth.
5. Indian women will be more professional , more at ease with their careers and their bodies, more sexually demanding.
6. Freedom for women by that time will have become much more real. It is a reality men will not be able to take.
7. Men caught in their professional , patriarchal grids and kept adolescent by their mothers will not have grown, except grown predictable. Their ambitions will slow down; most of their careers would be at snail’s pace. Unemployment will be higher.
8. Women will become more inventive
9. Women will begin colonizing public spaces leading to strange domestic events. There will be a feminization of men —they will sit at home with their aged mothers.
10. Unlike today, more men will turn to religion and will join in condemning the life styles of women

I have been personally watching social behavior in different settings, have discussed with a whole lot of people.  I see that the girls are far more hardworking and communicable on the contrary the boys are totally clueless and absolutely boring.  I see a trend, particularly in boys, to look good and have a six pack – metrosexual or ubersexual looks.  But unfortunately they do not invest in language skills and interpersonal relationships.  The girls seem to score very high on this.

How to Win Friends: Have a Big Amygdala? (via TIME Healthland)

Got a big social network? Then you probably have a large amygdala, according to a new study that found a connection between the size of this brain region and the number of social relationships a person has. The complexity of those relationships — as measured by the number of people who occupied multiple roles in a social network such as being simultaneously a friend and a co-worker — was also linked with amygdala size. The findings are in line wi … Read More

via TIME Healthland

New Year Resolutions – the how?

Most of us try new year resolutions, and nearly 90% fall by the way side well within a month.  Very few make it.  This surely must not discourage you from not making any resolutions.

Resolutions rely heavily on WILL POWER.  And WILL POWER demands mental muscles.  You need to strengthen the mental muscles first before trying to load the will power with a new task or challenge.

This is an imaginary correspondence ..

 

 

You can comment on this blog or mail me at benedictg+2011@gmail.com

Have a great year.

And Joy springs forth

Of boring men and inventive women

Tsunami – Japanese hosiery outlet ?

The word Tsunami has a new meaning now.  Prior to 2004, at most, I would have ignored this word as a name of a Japanese hosiery outlet selling only women’s undergarments or a pretty Geisha.   Tsunami (soo- na-me) – honestly what is so horrific about this?  The sounds in isolation and combined transmits peaceful Gandhian message.

If the people had been warned of Tsunami well in advance one may have found more people flocking to the beach to witness the entertainment, with touts selling tickets for seats with a better view. Katrina, Elnino, Nadine, Caren are names that come out of typical peace loving homes that embrace comfort and security. Whoever takes the decision to employ such names to such monstrous waves and twisters sure have a great sense of humor.  They get vicarious pleasure hanging a nice pink tag with names embedded  in silver on these monsters.  Perhaps its a way to tame them, which is just not possible, for these deadly creatures don’t seem to have eyes or heart for that matter even a head or a neck to hang tags one.

The only reason for these soft names, I can think of is, to make sure mankind does not fear and worship nature, just like the way our ancestors (with simple minds) worshipped all those elements on which they had no control.

Step back for a while if we had given names like Tyron Shulaces U.G. Rection, Utits Besaggy, Juwanna Hooker, to these disasters.  Someday these realistic hard sounding names may find place in the pantheon of gods.  The communities that are alongside the coast will be the first adapters of these new gods, from there it will spread. Frickin Pagans !!!!!!!

We may carry a mile of ancestor memories, fearing natures elements, but that little centimeter of  hope that we have over dominating the laws and forces of nature and to sit on the pinnacle of the food chain makes us want to name ice cream parlors, and coffee joints  as Tsunami.  We even a nick name a naughty little kid Elnino.

The fight is surely not against traditional foes today, they have been vanquished.  The battle today is against us – our greed, our gluttony, our fears, our sloth, credit, mindless consumption etc.  Its time we give some appropriate names to such little foes that have grown disproportionate in size.

Most foods today have colors, chemical preservatives and taste enhancers.  Should we take their contribution and name them after their chemical structure?.  If we were to rechristen Alaskan salmon Roe Caviar Malassol as antimony oxysulfide do you think it will work?  At most antimony ox sulfide may become very attractive and chemistry as a subject can sport a much needed sex appeal.

That’s a huge deviation I have taken from the Tsunami.  Thousands of people were caught unaware on that terrible boxer’s day.  Sitting in Chennai, often times I wonder why were I was not there on the sands of Marina?  I have never got an answer beyond – God’s grace.

God’s grace on that people who left the earthly shores or on those like me who still hang around here?

When disasters like  greed, evil, lust, anger, pride, corruption  swells up within us and wrecks us all around us , we seem to have given better names like ambition, focus, determination etc to nurture them.

We need not fear external dangers anymore.

Achiram the Shepard followed his heart

Achiram had a tired day, he had tended his flock of sheep he had walked from close to Rachel’s tomb over the past 3 days and now he is near Bethlehem.  On just two occasions he had met other people, who really did not have any good news to publish.

It was dark, and a lone star shone in the east, it had a persuasive long pointer directing him to a place gently whispering “you ought to be there now”. Achiram was in no mood to obey such vague visual cues. He found a comfortable crevice in a rock and set down to sleep. He shut his eyes and the star was right there this time pointing to his own heart.

Nothing is more emphatic as the one you are trying to forget, he remembered someone tell him this.  So as he was busy trying not to forget the star and it shone brighter in him.

In sleep he found strength, getting on to his feet he decided to journey and follow the star.  As he walked over the hill over the rocks  he found a comfort and joy creeping inside him.  He had left  his flock behind.

He walked on.. as the little baby in the lowly manger in his heart hummed Oh Come All Ye Faithful.

 

Fellowship of the unashamed

“An African pastor was overwhelmed by rebels who demanded that he renounce his faith. He refused. The night before they took his life, he wrote the following lines on a scrap of paper:”

 

 

I am part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” I have Holy Spirit power.

The die has been cast. I’ve stepped over the line.

The decision has been made.

I am a disciple of His.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees,

colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals!

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.

I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough,

my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.

I cannot be bought , compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity,

negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or burn up till I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops.

And when He comes to get His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear.