Two ways attachment torments us
Attachment sentences us to be taunted by our desires and haunted by our fears. During the routine course of our lives, we often get attached [...]
How our worldview shapes our capacity to be grateful
Many people recognize that gratitude is a quality worth cherishing, for it promotes emotional health and overall well-being. But not many people recognize that our [...]
Three ways sensual desires imprison us in misery — Desire management series 4
A prison is essentially a place of restriction — a prisoner’s movements are restricted by the prison walls. But if the restrictions are not as [...]
Free entertainment, expensive entanglement
We sometimes get allured by the promise of free entertainment on the Internet. Because it seems free, we may spend far more time than what [...]
Why material progress is deceptive and dissatisfying
Materialism is the belief system that holds matter is all that exists, or at least matter is all that matters. With this belief system, we [...]
As long as we are bound by desire, we will be bound to fear
Suppose an alcoholic is in a de-addiction center. Driven by desire for alcohol, they are sneakily seeking it somewhere. They will be fearful: will anyone [...]
Free will is the distance between impulse and response
On seeing addicted people relapsing despite their best intentions, we may wonder, “Do they still have free will? Can we lose our free will?” No. [...]
What we fear reflects what we hold dear
When we feel fearful, our fear points to something we hold immensely dear, something whose possible loss terrifies us. The Bhagavad-gita (16.11) indicates that as [...]
Circumstantial anxiety can be addressed materially, but existential anxiety needs to be addressed only spiritually
Anxiety is a defining characteristic of our present existence. Specific anxieties have specific causes that can and should be addressed. However, such measures can address [...]
Anxiety is not incidental to materialism – it is intrinsic
Anxiety epidemic. That’s how psychologists describe the spiraling anxiety levels among people today. Anxieties are frequently attributed to uncertainties that arise from financial, political and [...]
Those who don’t think philosophy don’t live without philosophy – they live with an unthought philosophy
Some people say, “I am interested only in the here-and-now, in the visible and the tangible. I am not interested in philosophy.” However, we all [...]
Attachment actuates and aggravates anxiety
The world is characterized by change and uncertainty. And uncertainty about necessary things naturally causes anxiety. However, different from unavoidable anxiety is unnecessary anxiety. Such [...]
Improving the hardware can’t remove software problems
Suppose we have a problem in the software of our computer because of which we are getting a blurred or blank screen. If we purchase a new monitor, that won’t solve our problem. We need to tackle the software problem at the level of the software.
To those living sensually, living simply seems simply boring
Simple living is a virtue lauded by thinkers since time immemorial. This virtue was mocked as primitive with the spread of the modern culture of lifestyle products, wherein people equated possession of state-of-the-art luxuries with success. While wealth has always been flaunted as a marker of success, most modern luxuries were unprecedented in the ecological destruction that went into making them.
Others don’t endanger our liberty as much as do we ourselves
The news often reports people protesting vehemently against any law that seems draconian, that threatens their liberty. Dictatorial regimes that curtail individual rights often earn [...]
The starting point of happiness is selflessness
We all seek happiness – and we all do various things to become happy. Today’s materialist culture, especially with its stress on advertisements, makes us [...]
Our ability to tap our ability is enhanced by our spirituality
People sometimes ask, “How can spirituality benefit me practically? Can it help me improve my performance?” Yes, spirituality enhances our ability to tap our ability. [...]
Anxiety is caused not as much by outer uncertainty as by inner instability
Sociological researchers have consistently found that people in the developed world tend to be more anxious than people in the developing world. This finding is [...]
The more we crave, the more make ourselves a slave
We live in an age that cherishes freedom and abhors slavery. If anywhere we hear of anyone being enslaved, we often feel dismayed, if not [...]
To evaluate advancement, examine anxieties
Devotee-seekers often get the question: “How do I know whether I am making spiritual advancement?” One reliable way is: by examining our anxieties. The Bhagavad-gita [...]
Filling our mind, emptying our pocket, starving our heart – is this progress?
Today’s materialistic culture charms us by portraying itself as progressive. But is it really? Beyond its impressive technological wizardry, what does it actually do for [...]