Smile

True happiness lies in serving others and putting a smile on their faces. People smile when they are happy: full of life and well being: physically, mentally and emotionally. How lovely it would be to visit Planet Earth, if it was the land of a 7 billion smiles. But with the population of our beautiful planet increasing geometrically, so many of the denizens of earth has so little to smile about………

Let us put smiles on the faces of the people at the bottom of the pyramid. Please come up with ideas that could help prevent, 55 million unintended pregnancies. An idea that could help prevent the birth of children whose parents cannot look after them. If we succeed over 22 million abortions wouldn’t take place, 140000 mothers could stay alive and 1.4 million babies wouldn’t die shortly after birth. Let us save lives and make other people

smile with happiness.

Creating a Peaceful Neighbourhood

Consider that the apostle of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi died a violent death on January 30^th, at the hands of a deranged fanatic. Sadly, today violence has become a way of solving problems. Gandhiji promoted a peaceful personal and communal life, where needs were minimal and easily met. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient peaceful ashram and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha and ate simple vegetarian food to avoid harm to all living creatures.

Today, it is difficult to enjoy a peaceful environment. The growing modern malaise that effects everyone, is anger and even rage. From school children who commit suicide because they did not get good grades, to housewives who are bored out of their wits after having brought up their children and are now at a loose end, because neither the kids or husband have time for them. These feelings are a threat to peace. Today, 400 million people worldwide are afflicted by mental illness. There is a recent Chinese study that shows that among the extremely wealthy, suicide was the cause of 23.6 percent of deaths between 2008-2010. Needing the help of alcohol or sleeping tablets tells the inside story of material success. The true definition of happiness could be, ‘a good nights’ sleep, every night.’ The single minded pursuit of money, can cut out all other sources of wealth – restful sleep, good digestion, health, family, sports, music, books and friends.

What worries me is the way more and more people are choosing inappropriately aggressive ways of dealing with conflict. A 21 year old Oscar Ramino Osteya shot at the White House, hoping to kill President Barrack Obama. He said he was “agitated about the Federal government!” A Korean teenager killed his mother for expecting higher grades and hid her body in the bedroom for eight months.  The anger we see on the roads is disquieting.

We need to reduce conflict and develop positive emotions like love, compassion, courage, laughter and wonder in out lives. And work at uprooting negative emotions like anger, lust, greed and jealousy. What the sad world needs it an attitude of giving. The fastest way to be happy is to help others.

How to develop a peaceful neighbourhood?

• Make friends with your neighbours
• Help families to get together to plant trees or improve garbage collection
• Arrange for kids to play together.
• Start a walking club
• Arrange to support people during tough times.

‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ says an old proverb. Create that village on your street or building.

Everyday Love

Today our grandson Akira is 3 days old. His little nostrils flare at the fragrance of a flower. He is an efficient drinker of milk and his perfect limbs stretch in strange flexible asanas. He squints up at the light and smiles to strange dreams. We are his puppets on a string.

I think of the babies after World War II who died mysteriously in orphanages. They were well fed and sheltered. They had everything a baby needs, except mothers to love and cuddle them and sing songs to them. Adults too crave for touch and recognition from significant others. Those who are old and disabled miss love and hugs in the same way. Today, with life speeding away like a runaway train, the human need for touch and smiles and affirmation are often not meet. Sometimes hi-tech may mean that the need for hi-touch is often ignored.

Some days ago, we read about two Indian children in Norwary, being taken away from their parents for flimsy reasons: no proper toys, wrong position while feeding and a not high enough changing table. No material objects can really substitute the intangible benefits of parental love. Parents, except in a few extremely exceptional cases, can provide the best hi-touch care in the world.

Valentine’s day will soon be here. Maybe you can send off cheques for hugs, back rubs and compliments to your loved ones. Because love is not about things. It is about hi-touch: verbal, tonal and non-verbal actions. You can touch with a loving look and hug with a gentle, affirming word. Today when so much interaction is digital, let us not forget our powerful human need to be moved and touched by the ones we love.

Let us send out valentines to those we care for, entitled “What I really love about you is……..” everyday!

Be aware of yourself

In the silence, become aware of yourself. Be aware of your body as full of health and energy. Visualise peace, tranquility, prosperity and fulfillment. Be silent. Be aware of your breathing, the beating of your heart. Once you are aware of your body in silence, in peace and tranquility, then you begin to notice immediately, the destructive effects of stress. You become aware of the first, imperceptible symptoms: the tightening of the jaw, the clenching of muscles in your throat and abdomen, the speeding of the heartbeat. Once you become aware, you can consciously decelerate. Be completely aware of the shift of feelings from moment to moment. Knowing exactly how you feel can help you make better emotional decisions.

Sacred Place

Feeling of wellbeing is created in a space or a field by treating it as sacred. When you consider yourself as sacred, you will treat yourself well. You will smile at yourself, encourage yourself. Just as you put on clean fresh clothes, you will also clean up the mental space or field around you. Sweep out all ill will, anger, fear and anxiety. Let there be the fragrance of incense, divinity of prayer and mantra, the smiles of loved ones, laughter and joy, the smell and taste of good plain, food. Take into that field only what is bright and elevating, fine and happy. When a space is sacred, it magnetizes wonderful people and attracts beautiful events into it. All the words spoken in that space should be sweet and loving. When harsh words or events happen, do not allow them to take root like evil weeds. Sweep them away and find gentleness and kindness that grows beneath.

Depending on which button you press, you get a different image. So too depending on the place, a different person emerges. Some places access the Highest and Noblest Self while others access the Beast, the Meanest. Some people create a field, which accesses the best in us, while others access the worst. If you learn the secret of positive fields, you can improve your Happiness Quotient. You can also get the best out of others.

Creating a Positive Field

Learning to create a positive field is an important part of the climate of wellbeing. The positive field is created by tools and behaviours that may be verbal, tonal and non-verbal.

Ø A common prayer or mantra.

Ø A mental process which draws a magic circle around all those who are participating.

Ø A common exercise, a common company song, common goals.

Ø A handshake, a friendly look, an encouraging word.

Ø Thinking, believing and acting in a positive manner.

Ø Laughter, commonly shared jokes.

Ø Meditation, practiced regularly, helps develop the capacity to be analytical, positive and disciplined, and eliminate negative fields.

Ø Affirmations, the most important constituent of the positive field. It is a verbal, tonal or non-verbal act of appreciation.

The energy field around a person is most affected by positive, soul-level motives or ‘sankalpa’. If the gut-level motives are positive, the mere lack of skill in verbal, tonal and non–verbal transmissions can be overcome.

Wellness for Happiness

Health is the foundation for a feeling of wellbeing and joy. It is very difficult to be full of enthusiasm if you are not in a state of positive health. The absence of disease is no indication of this state of perfect health.  There are many steps that will take you to a state of optimum health. A complete medical check up once a year can provide accurate information about the state of your body to your physician. Make sure this becomes an annual habit.

Just as you would not tolerate a minor malfunctioning in your car, so too, you and your doctor should be vigilant for the slightest disturbance in your state of health. Minor problems, aches and pains should be dealt with immediately, rather than be endured with gritted teeth.

All the ancients believed that no attempt should be made to cure the body without treating the mind and soul. To be healthy is to have the ability, despite an occasional bout of illness, to live with full use of your faculties and to be vigorous, alert and having a joie de vivre, even in old age. This concept of operational health has been termed ‘wellness’. It is a sense of all-round wellbeing.