Gerald D'Cunha

  “History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of the children.” Nelson Mandela   I was up by 4, this morning. I hadn’t blogged for a few days. The ongoing war – even though it wasn’t happening in our country – had cast a gloom over my mind, too. My last blog was about the war, which I had posted just as the war had broken out... Now, even after a week, the war is only escalating... “An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.” Well, we don’t need a Gandhi to make us see how blind the whole world has become... S ome days ago, I had visited the residence of a very elderly person (85). He and his elderly wife (80) lived all alone. When I walked into their house, what surprised me was this: the TV was on, full blast... the relentless images of war, the anchors screaming hysterically against the frightening sounds of the sirens... Yes, this elderly couple was glued to this endless poison dished out by these TV channels without realizi...

  “It’s not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor.” Seneca the Younger   I have blogged about this elderly woman many times before. I call her Maaji. She lives in her small room in a chawl, which is situated between my residence and workplace. She lives all   alone, gets up very early every morning, does her morning puja and does every household chore by herself. What’s endearing to see is, that this elderly woman has always some women to talk to her. I rarely see her ‘lonely’, and I have never seen her complaining about anything... Every morning and evening, I walk past Maaji’s humble room. And, every now and then, she asks me to wait. And, I know she has packed some fresh Maharashtrian delicacy for me. Invariably, it’s something simple, but prepared with exceptional love... and, more than anything else, keeping someone like me – who walks by her room every day – in her heart. “Wait, wait,” Maaji   literally called me back, whe...

  “People inspire you, or they drain you. Pick them wisely.” Hans F. Hasen   I have, regularly, used the phrases - ‘toxic people’ or ‘a toxic person’. But, I have not so regularly paused to seriously ask - ‘Who are these?” Yes, who are toxic people? Who is a toxic person? And, just as I find someone toxic, do some find me toxic, too? Thus, labelling someone as ‘toxic’ may portray me as judgmental... You see, people behave differently to different people. I try to surround myself with those who lift up my positive spirit, and avoid surrounding myself with those who make me feel low, depressed and drained. We can easily come to know who inspire us, make us feel good about ourselves. Likewise, we can, also, easily come to know who drain us, make us feel low. Therefore, to me, whoever lifts my spirit up and makes me feel good about myself is a positive soul, and whoever dampens my spirit, makes me feel bad about myself, is a negative soul... and, when someone re...

  “If I am sincere today, what does it matter if I regret it tomorrow?” Jose Saramago Blindness   Y es Sir... The grass will always be greener on the other side of the fence. To that, we hear a correction: “No Sir... The grass will always be greener on the side where it is watered more and tended with more care.” Amen... No matter whichever side of the fence we all stand – married, unmarried, divorced and single, widowed and single... gay or straight... Live-in or live-out .... Employed or self-employed... yes, whichever side of the fence you and I stand, there is a deep desire in us to stretch our necks and look at the other side – “Oh, that side which is so greener!” I am married for 34 years... Happily married? Or, do I envy this thirty-five-year-old man, who answered with a mischief: “No, I am happy.” I had asked him, “Are you married?” It was some twenty-five years ago. I met him a week ago and repeated the old question: “I am still happy,” he answered...

  “A clear mind heals everything  that needs to be healed.” Byron Katie   I think, Gratitude, Grace, Prayer, Blessing, Peace, Healing and many such words have entered our lexicon mechanically – yes, just like that. To be frank, you and I very, very rarely feel their profound meaning when we voice them, several times a day... The reason for that - again, I think – is, that we rarely get into a silence before we voice these words... Only in silence we can really feel the profound meaning of such words – Gratitude, Grace, Prayer, Blessing, Peace, Healing and many such... T wo days ago, I was waiting outside the Cath lab of Parel’s Gleneagles Hospital (earlier known as Global Hospital). My wife was taken inside for the angioplasty of her left coronary artery (LCA) which had ninety percent blockages. Just a month ago, she had under gone the angioplasty of her right coronary artery (RCA) which had hundred percent blockages. The long passage of that waiting area had ma...

    “When the spirit shines, even the foggy skies make pleasant light.” Abraham Isaac Kook   B oth, joy and despair, are contagious… They spread very fast. But, in my experience, the despair spreads faster than joy. That seems to be the reason why we have so much negativity – the dark sensationalism – on our television news. Even on social media, what mostly gets viral is the negative content… This human psychology is manipulated to the hilt by the brains behind the social media algorithm… Just watch one video or post, that’s enough to open the floodgates of similar posts and videos. The mind is simply manipulated by this dangerous engineering… One happy video will be followed by a hundred more, and one gloomy story will be followed by not hundred, but a thousand more! T wo nights ago, our son explained to my wife and me the meaning of these two terms (apparently popular in psychology): the ‘triggers’ and the ‘glimmers’. On finding us, that evening, repeated...

  “At the heart of all anger, all grudges, and all resentment, you’ll find a fear that hopes to stay anonymous.” Donald L. Hicks   “H ow’s is your health?”… a woman asked me, gently, a while ago. I had many options to choose my reply from: “Not so good”… “Doctors say this and that”… “Reports say this and that”… Well, these kinds of responses come quite easily… Complaints immediately draw sympathy, you see. And - we may not like to admit it – we long for sympathy from others. But, then, if I had replied to the question – “How’s your health?” – saying, “It’s Great!”… that’s not the truth either. Telling someone your health is ‘Great’, when it’s actually not, is a lie. You are deceiving not only others, but also yourself. So, this morning, I, instantly, replied to the woman, when asked gently – “How is your health?”, “It’s good, no complaints.” The woman, who asked me the question, seemed impressed by my rejoinder - “No complaints”, and said, “I like that phrase...

  “Follow your dreams; they know the way.” Kobe Yamada   V idhi, my student, messaged me, the other day: “Good evening Sir. Just wanted to share some news - I  cleared my  CA foundation-exam.” I smiled… Both her parents are CA’s… Her brother, Nishant (also my student), is about to become one… and, now, this family-of-four is all set to complete the circle of Chartered Accountancy… I was also smiling for another reason: Neither by wife nor my only son wanted to do what I have been doing all my life – teaching. REFLECTION: One’s vocation is a calling in life. It can be heard only when one is ‘ready’ to hear. That’s why, it’s said, “In life, if you do what you love, and love what you do, you do not have to ‘work’ at all." GERALD D’CUNHA Pic’s: Pixabay Video: ABBA/Young Pilgrim Music