Connectivity

 

I think we blame the artificial means of connectivity too much. I think human connectivity has failed to a great extent even before technology took over.

Remember how friendships used to be? Frankness and loyalty and trust were the three vital pillars of a relationship. What happened?

If you feel close to someone and say something you see in them that needs improvement, you will lose the relationship. The ego is intolerant. So much for frankness!

Loyalty? Trust? What’s that? Talking to others about your friends / family is a “normal” thing. Of course, we tell ourselves that we are not being disloyal. We are just sharing our lives to feel good. But does gossip make us “feel good “? If so, we need to examine our mental / emotional state.

We are gradually bringing society to a high superficial level, bringing “friendship” also to a level accumulating around us people who contribute to our egos and who make us feel relevant because somewhere within us, we have a big void.

In a world of social media, when “friends” can shun us because we have not studiously put a “like” to their posts or have not commented on certain posts, are we even qualified to seek friendships? What kind of priorities have we developed and how much “on the surface” are we! Sometimes, when I experience shallowness, I think we are lost in this jungle.

A definition of a relationship has changed many a time but it was never as multi-pronged like a hydra as it is today. The earlier 3 pillared edifices is rare and extremely valuable even if there is one human being in your life
who answers to this 3 pillared definition. You should not let people like that out of sight or your heart. Hold on to them. They are priceless.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Determination

 Inner transformation is the need of the hour. Despite millions of podcasts, self-help books and posts circulated every hour on the hour, this grooming eludes us.

It’s scary to embark on this path though. Takes courage and determination. You have to be prepared for your life of comfort being shaken up, your relationships being churned big time, confusion within the self before clarity, preparation for facing unknown tests that may result in many people falling off your radar and new ones entering. And the courage to face it all with a knowing that there are obstacles to overcome and inner toxins to be removed for ascension.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Generosity

 Everyone is gifted by the Divine. If we can just understand our gifts, we do not need to compare ourselves with anyone. It is when we cannot see ourselves that we feel an imaginary void within us that makes us want to be like someone else, even have what others have. Actually, we have “enough” if only we can KNOW we have enough. And we build on that. This is our responsibility.

I wish I could make each one experience this fact. Generosity and praise for each other just opens up our heart channels and life seems to flow happily if we work on ourselves consistently and simultaneously learn to create happiness in others.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Experience

Life is a cycle. You live, you experience, you learn, you trust the process. Again, you experience, learn not to trust too much. Then you experience and experience, some good, some bad, some ugly.

Now, you unlearn some of what you have learnt, go into new learnings discarding the older ones.

And then again you learn that maybe the older ones were, in fact, better learnings. And you start trusting all over again.

Does it sound familiar? Like a yoyo or a roller coaster. Up and down, side to side. And we suffer from a dizziness that lasts until our breath leaves us. And we never experience a balanced state!

Life is great fun!

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Evolution

 Sometimes, I wonder why we just block our own evolution with wrong thinking patterns. Most of us do know when we are wrong. And despite the knowing, we act contrary to our knowledge that we are wrong.

It is better to stand weather conditions and stand tall and upright, like a tree. But we choose to be limp bushes that can be destroyed with a mild gust of wind. A weakness of spine ought not to be developed.

We cloak our minds with a lot of lies because it becomes a survival technique. We get away with it so, guilt becomes a very small price to pay. We acquire a license, so to say, to walk around with this cloak. And soon, it becomes a somewhat permanent skin.

It is important to be very vigilant to retain our original self at all times. A second and third skin of this kind can be extremely uncomfortable in the long run. And even if you get used to it, there will be self-doubt, restlessness and anxiety. Not worth it.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Natural Life

 I have been listening to people speak about loneliness. This status, one would think, does not apply to “successful” people. But wonder of wonders! These people are also not devoid of loneliness. Which means loneliness is a state much deeper than worldly success can remove.

We presume fame, wealth and power can prevent loneliness. We also think people who always prefer to be among crowds are not lonely. Or people who are always on social media are connected and happy. Not true either.

Then what is it? If we take the Advaita Vedanta perspective, I need to believe that “I AM THAT”. But in our mechanical lives and away from nature, we don’t realize that modern amenities and modern life has cut us away from natural life. There was a time when we were connected to creation.

I remember that growing up, we were nature’s children. Walking barefoot on grass, and on pebbles, gardening, making garland and jewelry from flowers, running out to play in the rain, climbing trees to eat the fruit straight from there … connected with everything including people. Life had a tremendous value! And we were connected.

Today, we are separatist as people. We are also untrustworthy because we wear masks. We say one thing but mean another. We are not empaths. We know everyone has challenges and ups and downs but we don’t want to listen. We don’t want to sympathize. We don’t know how to come out of ourselves to help another. Everything has to be a quid pro quo.

Maybe , this very attitude tends to isolate each one of us. The ones who ARE empaths perhaps should not expect that quality from others. We are basically selfish creatures, ironically, left to work towards our evolution when we struggle with our regressive separatist tendencies.

They say Kaliyug is a good ground for quick evolution, that chanting also has multiple benefits. There was a joke on this, that if, in your ignorance, you said “Mara” instead of “Ram” you would still get the benefits.

Who knows! Only God knows. One thing is certain. Loneliness if used correctly, can definitely be beneficial to our evolution. If we can change our tracks. And last but not the least, abject loneliness has been known to be the cause of ailments like dementia.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Counselling

 

Vision

 Who am I? A spark in the universe that can become the bright light, a part of the sun and its reflected moonlight, lighting up the lives of all creatures on earth and lighting up the path of creatures that walk this earth. I AM THAT.

BUT…

Let me examine myself and first, feel this to be an important part of my existence and the reason why I tread this earth.

Next, let me stop pandering to my little self and expand my vision and my consciousness.

Finally, let me seek and elevate myself to connect with my higher self where the view is beautiful, sacred and nearest to the Divine energy.

And then watch your growth!

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Divine energy

A man travelling in a confused state of mind does not know which path will lead to his destination. There is no light along these roads, nor signboards. What does he do?

He started out without a clue.

We are somewhat like that. But in our case, we are ignorant in a different way. We actually know the answers but we don’t trust ourselves and don’t listen to our inner voice. We are also not focused inwards, but more concerned about our external image. We seem to exist on the image people have of us.

Why do we spoil our worlds? It is such a self-defeating exercise.

Praise often may not be genuine and can mislead us. But we can get addicted to feeling good through praise. And we get stuck.

Growth through honing our inner self is a painful, uncomfortable process. It can tear your guts out (metaphorically) to elevate out of the current mindsets into the world of the Divine energy which is like blinding sunlight to our darkness. To reach out and up into it, we have to leave behind the darkness of many lives.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Determination

 May god give us the strength and the awareness to streamline our lives. And have the courage to lose superficiality within ourselves and the people around us.

It is impossible to sustain relationships between apples and oranges. Why try? 

We must accept that everyone is on different levels, different aspirations and goals. During each life we get opportunities to strive for spiritual goals. Money and power, definitely coming as a reward for good karma, unfortunately become the goal, and gradually the greed for supremacy takes away our awareness towards the means we are employing.

We begin to pile on adverse karma and all the earlier “punya” slowly ends and the new phase of karma begins, depending on future actions.

To build is easier than to sustain. To sustain there is more effort and that effort can become an unethical one.

First, perhaps we need sustained ethical awareness and a determination to, at all costs, tread the righteous path while aspiring to achieve.

Everyone preaches but following the same is a big challenge. Only the human being is suspicious even of God’s plan. Irony at its best.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/author_surekhakothari/

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Experience

 There is a balanced way to look at everything in life. There are always people who love you and those who care with a motive. As we grow older, we get to experience genuineness or the act. But sometimes your trusting nature blinds you to reality.  And sometimes people change also. And sometimes, we change as well.

We need to accept it all. All the characters have been around you and there is also a reason why they fall away. Whatever the reasons, keep calm and balanced, right your wrongs and accept as inevitable what cannot be changed.

Surekha Kothari

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

Truth and Lies

Truth and Lies stood face to face. Truth said there is nothing beyond me. Lies said, I am more liked and more in demand than you.

And so the debate continued. One day, lies asked Truth to join it for a swim. The gullible Truth agreed and jumped into the water. Lies hastily took all its clothes, cloaked itself with those clothes and started going around , pretending to be the truth.

When Truth realized the trick lies had played, it started hiding because it was naked now, without clothes.

And thus it happened that no one wanted the naked Truth anymore and preferred Lies disguised as Truth.

This is exactly the plight of Truth even today. Tell me, who wants to hear it or see it? Wherever it goes, it becomes unpopular.

And, we are living a life inspired by Lies which tells us only what makes us feel good but not what is actually good for us.

But energies are shifting and Lies is gradually losing ground. There is a chapter of Lies that is ending and new light energies are emerging.

In this world, although light and dark are both existent, ultimately, light pervades darkness. Light is eternal and darkness is only a temporary absence of light.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari