The Brave Pedestrian

Like I said in an earlier post, a crucial thing that they don’t teach you at school is that being a winner in life isn’t about winning in all that you do, but about building a good relationship of give-and-take with the world around you. How do you do that? Well, mostly by trusting and being trustworthy. You set out every morning trusting that the world and its creatures will treat you right, and play fair by you. You make a habit of casting a generally benign eye at everything and everyone. Without necessarily setting out to be a do-gooder, you must generally cultivate the feeling that if the call to serve comes (whatever that may mean in that particular context), you will serve honestly without holding back for any reason. That’s the sort of vague but firm belief that we have in our key relationships — with our parents, siblings, spouses, children and close friends. In the absence of this promise to the world, your relationship with the world and all that lives in it,  including...

NEWS FLASH!!! If you’re still looking for God, it’s because you believe God is what will fill up the gaps and holes in your life. If you know God is what is making your life  whole  despite the gaps and holes, you’ve probably found God already, and have no further reason to look. Of course, even after you’ve found God, you may keep trying to fill up the holes. That’s because you’re only human. However, you may stop praying for God to do the job for you. That’s because you realize that it doesn’t really,  really  matter whether the holes are filled up or not. But you know what? I find that not caring about the holes, and taking notice of what is whole in your life, shrinks up the holes really fast. When you’re no longer praying for stuff to put into your holes, and when you’re only praying in grateful recognition of whatever is whole in your life, the parts that are whole are nourished and grow, and the needy parts — the holes — diminish by not only losing imp...

There are others in need, and they deserve you more This year, Goddess Lakshmi, please pass by my door There are others in need, and they deserve you more. Take my earnings, my wealth and my pride, I pray Let shared wealth — not my own — glow radiant today. Am I falsely proud, Mother? Is this illusion and lie? Take me down, Maha Kali. Make me stand small and shy. Come with your sword, like a sheep shear me naked And then hold my hand, help me hold my head high. My countrymen stand small, how can I stand tall? Cast their fate upon me, in their midst let me fall. And then, Mother Shakti, give me love, strength and grace To be a guide they can trust, and a true friend to all. ——————— Happy Diwali, my friends. I am praying for an end to our collective mania for endless economic growth, and our addiction to the rat race. I’m praying for peace, contentment and a healthy dose of reality. I humbly ask you all to join me in this prayer. Krish 98215 88114   – October 15, 2...

Often, walking home amidst traffic, I think about how fragile life is and how mortal we are. How easy it is for any moment to be the last. And how infinitely precious that moment will be. And so, in that context, this is my prayer: When the moment comes for my lifeblood to ebb away, I don’t want any unfinished goodbyes, regrets, unsaid apologies, anxiety, anger, clinging, weeping. I don’t want to see tears or shed them, or even to see the faces of near-and-dear ones. No final farewell, no famous last words. I hope to have lived in such a way that all my love has been given, and all love from others has been accepted, so that there is nothing more left to give or receive from anybody in this world. As the lights dim, I want my last thoughts to be of love and contentment, and serenity. I want to be literally able to kiss the earth with my lips and fingers — feel the soil, gravel, grass, pavement, whatever… and say goodbye. Maybe some wet doggy noses, or some cat...

Somewhere someone is making love – Maybe bird maybe beast or man Somewhere a child is being conceived And I am that child. So I have a date to keep For that I’ll have to die, again. Somewhere a mother is heavy with child – Maybe beast maybe ape or woman She’s my mother, I’ll suckle at her breast And if I don’t go now, if I stay on here My mother will hold a stillborn child  To her breast and grieve and wail And so I have a date to keep So I must die, again. And elsewhere a child is born – Who some years hence will seek my love I must not keep my lover waiting Or she’ll pass her days in barren need. Oh yes I have a date to keep So I must die, again. And my lover and I must then conceive Our children waiting to be born My unborn children call to me The mother of my children calls to me They all will die so that we can meet And so my loved ones, I must go. My mother, lover, children, friends  In an unborn future form...

The Embrace – Companion of the night, Solace from the day, Protect me from the light, Whisk me far away. Wrap me in your arms, Hold me for a while, Let me shut my eyes, I’ve walked a weary mile. My shoulders hurt, my muscles ache, Heal my body with your touch ’til the sun rises, don’t let me wake, In your embrace, let me sleep much. Caress my hair with a tender hand, Kiss my forehead gently; Heal my body of all its wounds; Heal me physically, mentally. Shield me from the dazzling sun, As you move farther away. Let there be night in my eyes, Though the rest of the world sees day. Kiss me awake with a parting breath, I’m strong enough to brave the light. Oh, younger brother of death! Do embrace me tonight. By Lavya Krishnaraj Rao  (My dottir) March 5, 2012