Fear boiled down to its barest is the absence of God
We all have our fears: loss of health, wealth or loved ones. To deal with such fears, we arrange for insurances, security systems or self-defense [...]
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 [...]
The existence of evil points to God, not away from him
A common atheist argument is: “Why does evil exist?” But the question could well be turned around, “Why should evil not exist? Why do we [...]
Our purpose is to serve the Name, not to make a name
In life, what we do is important, but why we do it is equally, if not more, important. Intention is critical in religious activities, wherein [...]
The purpose of religion is not cosmetic, but cosmic
Many people practice religion for cosmetic purposes – they want to look good in society’s eyes. They may visit temples on holy days, treating such [...]
Replacing addiction to sinfulness with addiction to self-righteousness is not progress
When we start practicing bhakti, we often experience amazing transformation – even without much effort on our part, sinful habits to which we may have [...]
Forgiveness means relinquishing our right to get even
When people hurt us, we often feel the urge to get even. And when they hurt us grievously, we feel we have a right to [...]
Majestic loneliness is still loneliness
People often want to rise to the top in their fields and to delight in being high above everyone else. Even if they attain a [...]
To mistake attention to be affection is delusion
When we enter a room, we often note how many people notice us. If no one notices us, we feel bad. If many heads turn [...]
Morality may be relativized, but the consequences of immoral indulgence can’t be relativized
Today’s culture revels in moral relativism. People reject the existence of objective moral principles; they argue that whatever makes them feel good is good, and [...]
One person’s diversion can be another person’s devastation
To relieve life’s monotony, we sometimes seek various diversions. While diverting ourselves, we may simply want some harmless entertainment. But diversions can easily degenerate from [...]
Give others as much benefit of doubt as we give to ourselves
If we oversleep, we often justify, “I was tired.” But if someone we don’t like oversleeps, we label them as “lazy.” If we overeat, we [...]
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 [...]
We need to know that which we can’t not know
We can’t afford to not have a map if we are on a road that ends in a free fall from a cliff into a [...]
We may be wired to explode, but we can change our wiring
Short-tempered people are sometimes said to be “wired to explode.” This expression draws metaphorically from technology to imply that our behavior is determined by our [...]
What is craved within gets carved within
We sometimes feel cravings for things that we would normally never indulge in real life. Yet we entertain those cravings mentally, thinking that the mental [...]
To think that we may become proud suggests that we may already be proud
Suppose we have some special talents by which we can excel in an important service. But we may hesitate to use those talents, fearing that [...]
Indiscriminate indulgence makes the impulsive compulsive
No one desires to become an addict. When people drink, they usually want to have a good time with their friends. However, each time they [...]
Those who obsess over what is wrong overlook what is right
Some people are industrious faultfinders. Whoever they are with, they zero in on the faults of that person. Such people who obsess on the wrong [...]
Go to the temple to take darshan, not to give darshan
Some celebrities such as politicians or movie stars often visit temples on special holy days such as Janmashtami. If they see such visits merely as good photo-ops [...]
Those who boast that they can do anything can do nothing as they should
Some people are versatile. With their multifarious talents, they feel they can do whatever they put their mind on. Even if they can, their actions [...]