Even if we can’t change what we live with, we can change what we live for
Suppose we are stuck with a slow, noisy, messy car in a congested and polluted place. If we can’t change our place or our car, [...]
With God, everyone is accepted, but everything isn’t acceptable
Some people ask, “If God is all-loving, why does he prescribe so many do’s and don’ts? Why doesn’t he accept us as we are.” To [...]
Learn to wonder and ponder, not wander and pander
Babies tend to wander and pander. They wander wherever they can without considering where they are going and why. They typically pander to their tongue, [...]
When we limit our challenges, we can challenge our limits
Suppose an army is fighting a multifront war against a formidable enemy. For the army to succeed or even survive, it needs to limit the [...]
The mind is a perpetual procrastinator – it postpones our resolutions to someday, then some decade and then some lifetime
Suppose we wanted to go somewhere important. If someone physically tied us up, we would struggle to break free. Yet if someone deterred us by [...]
Complaining is no one’s birthright – and it has made no one’s birth right
Some people are chronic complainers. They self-righteously justify their negativity, irritability and disagreeability, “Can’t you see how many things have gone wrong in my life? [...]
God is always ready to work with us, are we ready to work with him?
Suppose a reputed coach, who has helped many athletes excel, is eager to work with a budding athlete. That athlete would be profoundly grateful. But [...]
When you feel like giving up, start looking up – not sentimentally, but spiritually
When life seems overwhelming, we may feel like giving up. As a last-ditch effort, we may look up. Whether looking up will help depends on [...]
Everything in history is not in memory; everything in memory is not in history – intelligence means to know what belongs where, and to keep it there
History and memory are both records of the past. Yet they can differ significantly. Let’s see how. Everything in history is not in memory: Because [...]
See memory not as an exhaustive guide to the past, but as a constructive guide from the past to the future
We usually think of memory as a tool to remember the past. Actually however, the past is too vast to be remembered entirely or accurately. [...]
We rarely do things without a reason, but reason is rarely behind the things we do
Suppose someone does something stupid or terrible. If they are asked why they did what they did, they usually come up with some justification for [...]
Even our best race to the end will require the Best’s grace in the end
We all work hard to achieve whatever we need to achieve. Still, sometimes, despite our best efforts, we fall short. At such times, we recognize [...]
Stronger than what faces us is what graces us
Life sometimes hurls at us overwhelming obstacles that we feel utterly unequipped to deal with. If we have a materialistic vision of life, we feel [...]
Perfectionism is a serial killer in high heels
When we try to improve ourselves, we often desire to become perfect in that area. Such perfectionism or obsession with perfection is a deceptive and [...]
Self-acceptance should open the door for self-improvement, not shut the door
Today’s ultra-competitive, globally connected world can afflict anyone of us with low self-esteem. By comparing ourselves negatively with those who are better than us, we [...]
Accepting our weaknesses takes courage – and so does accepting ourselves with our weaknesses
Life’s battles often expose our weaknesses. Accepting those weaknesses can make us feel unsafe, undermined and unworthy. Recoiling from such threatening feelings, we often try [...]
Contemplation on temptation changes our disposition from zero tolerance to zero resistance
Suppose a country that is being overrun by illegal immigrants has adopted a zero tolerance approach at immigration. But suppose some illegal immigrants approach the [...]
To best defend our consciousness from the world, first raise it above the world
Suppose a city is under attack from powerful plunderers. If that city were at ground level, pushing back the attackers would be difficult. But if [...]
The world may not value our individuality, but we can and should
Each one of us is an individual, with our own strengths and weaknesses, interests and blind spots, aspirations and anxieties. The constellation of all these [...]
Even if we can’t close the door to temptation permanently, we can close it presently
Suppose we live in a thief-infested locality. We will want a strong, permanent lock for our home door. But if somehow we can’t have such [...]
Worrying about the world’s problems is often an excuse for not working on our own problems
Many people worry constantly about world problems such as climate change or discrimination. While these are serious problems that require dedicated action, we need to [...]