Can we order our desires ? (Desire management series 13)
The word ‘order’ can have two meanings: instruction (“You have to take medicine thrice a day — those are the doctor’s orders”) or arrangement (“The [...]
The word ‘order’ can have two meanings: instruction (“You have to take medicine thrice a day — those are the doctor’s orders”) or arrangement (“The [...]
A major problem with desire is its endlessness. When indulged, desire doesn’t end — it subsides temporarily only to return soon with greater force and [...]
Desire is a formidable power that can both work for us and against us. To manage it effectively, we need to see it in relationship [...]
Desire is a power like petrol; unlike petrol however, it is not mechanical, being associated with consciousness. While tapping petrol requires appropriate instruments, tapping desire [...]
To understand how desire management can progress in our inner world, let’s compare it with how people management may progress in the outer world. Both [...]
When we use something powerful like electricity, warning systems such as fuses alert us if electric power starts rising to dangerous levels. Like electricity, desire [...]
Suppose we come to know that a pulmonologist died due to chain smoking. Such not atypical news makes us ask: “When they were better educated [...]
Desires often make us do things we regret. On understanding how desires sabotage us, we may seek to become desireless. However, desirelessness is self-contradictory in [...]
Suppose we are locked in a prison. Suppose further that the lock doubles as a key — say, it is touch locks that if operated [...]
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 [...]
Whenever a desire drives us into doing something regrettable, we may think that desire is the problem and self-discipline, the solution. However, the root problem [...]
Suppose we are driving a car through dark, difficult, dangerous terrain. To drive safely, we need the car’s engine and front lights both to function [...]
Suppose we get into a car and start it to go somewhere. Suppose further that next time when we get into that car, it starts [...]
As is often said, knowledge is power. But where exactly does the power of knowledge lie? Not just in its informational content, but in its [...]
Suppose someone shows no fear even in the presence of great danger. We may appreciate that person as incredibly courageous, but would that lack of [...]
Few technological advances have changed our daily lives as much as smartphones. Though phones have made many routine activities easier for us, we may have [...]
Counting our blessings is an oft-recommended activity for cultivating gratitude and positivity: When we count our blessings, we learn to appreciate what we have and [...]
Count your blessings – this oft-repeated exhortation can seem cliched. To appreciate its potency, let’s consider two significant benefits of counting our blessings. Feeling enriched: [...]
Suppose we are driving a car. If our car map is unclear, if a distracting partner is sitting next to us and if excess baggage [...]
The Bhagavad-gita repeatedly recommends that we remember the ultimate reality, Krishna. Let’s consider three practical benefits of such remembrance: Clarity: Our inner world is often [...]
Stress is becoming alarmingly widespread in today’s world. Naturally, people are seeking effective ways to deal with it. Sometimes, acute stress needs to be treated [...]