Life is hardly more than a fraction of a second. Such a little time to prepare oneself for eternity ! – Paul Gauguin The human quest for immortality dates back to ancient Mesopotamia (2100 BC), to the Epic of Gilgamesh. In his grief following the death of his companion, Gilgamesh undertakes a long and perilous journey to discover the secret of eternal life. At the end of his journey, the secret is unveiled to him : Eternal life which you look for you will not find here. For when God created man, He let death be his share. He …
Category: Books
“ Do good, say good and think good. ” – Ahura Mazda The Persian poet and author Ferdowsi (940 – 1020) renown with his masterpiece Shahnameh – The Book of Kings, illuminates the ancient history of Persia dating back to 1500 BC. He recites the myth of creation, the personas of ancient kings and heroes, and the combat of the good against the evil through the march of history. The stories take stage in the backdrop of Zoroaster, who is said to be the Persian prophet known with his sacred book, Avesta and having founded the monotheist religion in ancient …
Pepita was a young girl who lived in a small Mexican village. Her parents were poor farmers barely able to feed their family. When Christmas was near, they both fell ill, and it was up to Pepita, the eldest, almost 9 years old, to take care of her little brother and sister, and to maintain the household. In the village church, the nativity scene of the newborn Jesus was set up for Christmas. It was the traditional Christmas Eve procession, where the whole village went to church, candles in hand, singing hymns. The villagers were bringing gifts to place before …
“Those who compared our lives with a dream were right. We were sleeping awake and waking up asleep. ” –Montaigne It was many years ago that an elderly local recounted this tale in Ephesus, Turkey on a beautiful spring day. There were seven young people who lived at the time of the Roman emperor Decius ( 250 AD) and who were of the same conviction. Although the majority believed in idols at that time, these seven companions had chosen to believe in Jesus. Having heard about their faith, the emperor ordered all seven of them at his court …
“ The words you speak become the house you live in ” said Hafez, and life in this fleeting house is sublimely described by Rumi : This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door …
“Between the stimulus and response, there is a space and in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth .” – Viktor Frankl Having survived the concentration camps during World War II, Viktor Frankl wrote his renowned book Man’s Search for Meaning in 1946. He asks the fundamental question “What is the meaning of life ?” The answer, he says, does not lie in theories on life or in meditative thoughts. The meaning is crafted by our conduct. When we ask what life expects from us rather than what we expect …
Ten generations after Adam, the Earth was corrupt, filled with violence. Evil spread more than ever. Humankind believed in idols who were busy building their fortune; religion was deviated and truth was twisted. Wanting to stop this dark course, God chose a righteous man, Noah, to guide people to the right path. Noah called people to partake in true knowledge, and warned them against the coming evil. A few among them heeded, while others did not want to believe that Noah was the messenger of God who spoke the truth. They mocked him and even tried to persecute him. God …
“Possession is nine tenths of the law” used to say my honorable teacher at university. The lore is when the natural instinct to possess is in excess, it incites jealousy and impairs the psyche. Years later, I came across this exceptional book, Overcoming Jealousy, the best one I have read on this intricate emotion. It unfolds the various manifestations of jealousy, and renders it tangibly clear with examples drawn from real life. The sources of jealousy, whom we envy, why it is often hidden, its destructive effects and remedies to fight it off are genuinely portrayed. Jealousy Defined A universal …
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” says author Annie Dillard. Goethe, meticulous about the passage of time reflects: “Every second is of infinite value” for one who captures it. Seneca states that what we do each day figures the meaning of our life and calibrates the “relative” passage of time. He says, “ Life, if lived well, is long enough, ” and one can depart with a sense of contentment. In his renown ouevre, the Divine Comedy, Dante vividly depicts the states of souls and their dwellings in the other world. He …
In the pious wheel of time, Persephonē Περσεφόνη, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter represents the gush of spring when seeds sprout from the ground and the earth blooms in abundance. Holding a sheaf of wheat in her hand, she is identified as the spring goddess in Greek mythology. Plato calls her Pherepapha (Φερέπαφα) in his work Cratylus because “she is wise and touches that which is in motion”. Persephone was the only daughter of Demeter – the goddess of the harvest and all the vegetation on earth. At a young age, she was abducted by Hades, who desired her …
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