Gerald D'Cunha

Long back, when I had first come across the phrase, ‘The larger good’, I remember I liking it immensely. I also remember deciding to make it one of the driving forces behind all my future actions. Yes, I have been consciously striving to go about my life, carrying out almost every thing I do keeping the principle of ‘the larger good’ in my heart. I said, I have been ‘consciously striving’… earnestly striving. I know how powerful this principle is… how empowering… how constructive.  However, as another human being, sometimes, I find it difficult to stick to this principle. I tend to overlook it, and, invariably the consequence is: a feeling of isolation, low confidence and regret and even anger. Yes, it does happen to me every time I tend to place ‘my good’ before the ‘larger good’.  I have realized this, very clearly, by now:  The larger good includes my good.    But, my good need not – and, mostly, doesn’t –...

I am a teacher… So, I insist on these things with my students:  I insist on attendance. I insist on being on time. I also insist on a good communication.  It takes some time for them to grasp fully the importance of these three values: Be there for every lecture. This means, once you keep your foot in, you have no option but to remain totally committed. Be there on time... before time. This means, you have no business to keep other people waiting. And, if you really cannot attend, or be on time, please inform. This means, you need to have the basic courtesy of picking up your phone to communicate your problem… I am just human; I cannot know your problem unless you communicate about it to me… If you don’t, I start waiting, guessing, assuming and fuming.  The young ones do understand the value of being regular, punctual… responsible and communicative. Yes, most of them realize the importance of these values, and, u...

I am very fond of Byron Katie's book - 'Loving What Is'. She helps us deal with any problems in our lives - however complex they may be - with the help of a simple, 4-questions inquiry. She calls her programme - 'THE WORK'. One of the things I liked in this book is this. She reminds us, that all of us mind only three kinds of businesses in our lives: Our own, Other's and God's. Stress, she tells us, is experienced when we try to handle the business of others and God. Whose business is it to stop an earthquake or tsunami from striking this planet? Can any of us stop them? It is God's business... Maybe, we can earnestly pray to Him. But, she simply argues, that when we see the truth that we can not do anything about an earthquake or a tsunami... that, it is for God, the Universe, to take a call on it, that we become stress-free, peaceful. Similarly, she prods us to think asking, Whose business is it to stop terrorism or a war, inflation or an economy-meltd...