Being offended?

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I am sure many of us have been offended and have intentionally or unintentionally offended someone. But have you ever wonder why we get offended and what makes a statement or action offensive? 

Yes, some people are hypersensitive but that is not my point. I do not get offended easily however one of the things that offends me is an insult to my intelligence, be it direct or implicit. 

The usual careless statements about religion, race/ethnicity, culture and heritage can offend a lot of people. Studies have unveiled that the evolutionary forces that have made us cooperative and empathetic, have also made us prickly and explosive (www.slate.com). This paradox ensures that as we develop the necessary gratitude to live as social being and yet still have a side of vengeance which ensures that we don't get taken advantaged of. According to author Emily Yoffe, as social creatures our lives should be ruled by the three Rs - respect, reputation and reciprocity. Respect refers to the treatment we receive and give others. Reputation refers to the perception of the qualities we posses,  and reciprocity refers to the fair response to our actions. 

However, we do not live in a highly politically correct society and hence we cannot expect the people around us to treat us the way we would like. As such my advise to everyone and to myself is to continue to treat others with empathy and the 3Rs, but also to develop the ability to not let the action of others spoil your day. 

Identity-indentified?

What does it mean to be you? What is "you"? Who am I?

Are we truly who we think we are? Does our heritage, culture, "race", ethnicity, religious faith, political views, language, gender, sexual orientation, artistic sense, qualifications, fittness, size, fashion sense, diet, and family status make us into the person we think we are?

Does above stated factors empower us, or does it cage us and restrict us in your comfort zones?

Does being leukaemic, tamil, hindu, singaporean, world-citizen, leftist-socialist, vegetarian, male, indian, chetti-malaka + thevar, SMU student, scholar, TP valedictorian, a son, a brother, a friend, and a citizen of this planet we call home, make me ME?

Is identity, a pseudo reality, a mirage of the truth or the reflection of the real?

A wise master, Jaggi, has said that, identities are limitations. When one has identified his name as him and instead of seeing the reality that his name is not him but merely a noun that belongs to him. Jaggi went on with his philosophy, but coming from me...that will just bore you. So let me end my post here!

Shiva

I am feeling intoxicated, not by alcohol but by bliss of being in existence. I want to make my body, a perfect human perfection of strength and agility, my mind, as calm as space, and my soul as pure as shiva.

Shiva, some call him god, but in yogic tradition, he is Athiyogi. The first yogi, who created Yoga, a system of science, and gave humanity the key to greatness beyond the kingdom of flesh.

Hinduism is not a religion of many gods. There is not 3 million gods nor is there only 1 god. In hinduism, nothing but only God exists. (Evertything that exist is God)

There is a teaching in the Rig Veda that to create something, one must have the material(s) needed and posses the knowledge of creating that thing. To make a clay pot, one must have clay and posses the knowledge of molding a clay pot. Likewise, a spider webs its web using its saliva and with the knowledge of webbing a web. In the same way, God made the entire existence with God as material and with the knowledge from God. Hence, everything in existence posses the material which is God and that is how everything is God.

All is God!

Cheers!

Global Citizens - Tamil

யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர்
It is pronounced as "Yaadhum Ooore Yavarum Kelir", which means, 'Every country is my own and all the people are my kinsmen'. This 100BC old phrase, advocates for world peace; a world where men are not divided by sect or creed but are united as global citizens.

Measure of a man

What measures a man? His wealth, character, status, physical abilities, attitude, mental endurance, social etiquette, family name, intelligence, reaction time, charm, patience, leadership, commitment, loyalty, passion.... The list may never end, it it simply limited by our ability to think and our vocabulary.

Some positive attributes are inherit while most of the rest are earned. We cannot create a standard unit or a standard check list to measure a man. We can only choose to live the way that we want to see ourselves as.

Let us sit, think and ponder upon the idea of living with a set of ideals. Be the shining star of your dreams.

Merry Xmas! Cheers!