Power of Prayers

I have always believed in the power of prayers. Somehow, in the daily chores, it is not easy to keep reminding oneself of this and every year around this time during Paryushana, the feeling is reiterated in many ways through reflection and reading.

Religion is and has been a sensitive issue for centuries the world over and especially in the current environment we live in, it is hard to find that deep sense of devotion and divinity. However, born and raised in a devout Jain family and the influence of Initiatives of Change has played a key role in fostering spiritual, if not religious, principles and ideologies. So effortlessly, I have grown-up believing in the influence of prayers and the overall concept of God – that resides in me and the fact that one’s main goal is to merge with the force that exists inside us.

While organized form of religion is not my cup of tea, as kids our parents would advice us to form a ‘habit’ of praying – "..not as means of desire or for self-fulfilling prophecies", they would explain, "but as a form of atonement". It may have started out initially as consenting to their advice without truly understanding its essence; now I call it a weapon deeply rooted and a ‘dial-up modem’ used to ‘connect’ to the force within.

Each of us have our own unique definition of prayers. Some recite verses, some meditate, some talk, others listen. On the other hand, there are people who doubt the very existence of such phenomenon. True, there is this agnostic side to all of us, in some more reinforced than in the other. But then don't we all go through that phase at some point, and hopefully, outgrow? Or do people remain in denial of such experiences? I do not have an answer to those who simply refute such faith but I do know that doubting the beliefs has never helped me in challenging situations; on the contrary, that hope and sense of deep faith has facilitated in overcoming such difficult circumstances. Furthermore, to answer the question how prayers help in such cases, I am not sure. Maybe they do, maybe they do not. It is not quite a reflex action of ‘prayers-versus-wishes’ but a form of discipline, a practice that surely bears fruits in some form.

My mentor at Initiatives of Change used to exemplify quite simply that the power of prayers is like that of gravity. We can never truly fathom how such a force like gravity acts in our lives and yet, at a micro level, it keeps us from falling.

Think about it….

Eye Test?

I have my first 'ever' eye exam to go for and sure apprehensive of the same!
(First ever?? What were you doing all your life?; you NEVER felt the need to show to an eye doctor?; whats the problem now?) - ya ya that I am prepared for however, what I am not, is what I came across in today's Bizarro -

Happy Friday!

Think Outside the Bun

Its been a while since I blogged and did not think that after this break, an entity like Taco Bell would indeed make me pen down my thoughts! So what got me to do so was during last night’s indulgence of TB’s classic Mexican pizza when I read its catchline - Think Outside the Bun!


What a cliché, I thought at first glance – I mean, seriously, what’s the big deal about thinking outside of the bun (For one, there would be no Mexican Pizzas to relish!)? I have heard it ever so often – think outside the box; think different; think big – so this play of words seemed just another sort of well-advertised substitute. Although an age-old creativity slogan, in hindsight, I did like this caption - a clever way to inform people to go beyond the bun and try something different. But more than that, fostering the very concept to think beyond limits no matter how commercial it may sound.

It's easy to get sucked into our daily burger lifestyle and those buns that we live for. We do things in a certain manner because ‘that’s how they are done’; or ‘someone else has been doing it and hence we ought to continue that’ or ‘I was told to do it’. Often, it also feels like we are so ‘stuck inside the box’ that there is hardly any room to ‘think outside of it’. I mean, realistically speaking, even if I wanted to think outside of what I do, it requires quite a bit of effort – mentally and otherwise. Who wants to move out of that comfort zone? On the other hand, that’s where the challenge usually lies – being constantly aware of thinking and doing things beyond the norm even if it means starting with the mundane tasks. It is not about breaking away from the traditions but to question the very assumptions on which such traditional practices lie and to see if that can be altered. Of course, this requires understanding the fundamental principle behind the box i.e. what is inside the box , whether there is a need to go beyond and so on. After all, only once did Neo understand the Matrix in its totality did he gain control over it in order to come out of it/fight it.

While this is an issue left to individual decision-making and thought-process, this short video by Joseph Pelling provides a humorous illustration, that kinda goes 'outside the box' - literally!!

Enjoy -

outside the box from joseph Pelling on Vimeo.