Gerald D'Cunha

  “Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness.” Rumi   I t’s tough to please everyone. In fact, when we recognize the tendency in us to please everyone around us – with the hope of making them happy – we, often, sense the stress in us. It’s an unnecessary weight – self-inflicted. In this Post, let me confine myself to that innate need in us to do good to people around us. Sounds familiar? We are humans… social beings. We have our near and dear ones. So, we tend to stretch ourselves – go beyond our bounds – to help others, do good to others… And, I do not have to say this: that’s what we are expected to do in our relationships… Here comes the hard question: Are we, also, ‘expected to expect’ appreciation and gratitude from those who we reach out? Do we expect these from them? A t this moment, if my heart is feeling sad, hurt or let down, perhaps, I have been silent...

Pic.: Azriel D'Souza Y ears ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found very effective – was telling a nice story in two tenses… the Present and the Past. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people, who were earnest about improving their English, with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and, then, tell it to someone! This little Zen story has always calmed me down whenever I have struggled to understand the good and the bad in me… and in the people around me… DOING OUR KARMA AND DOING OUR DHARMA PAST: One day, a monk was bathing in a river. He saw a scorpion drowning and instinctively placed his hand under the water and gently lifted the creature on his palm. But, the scorpion started jumping and stinging and, soon, fell into the river… The monk, once again, took his hand under the water to save the drowning scorpion. But, the creature continued to be...

God took six days to create the Universe. On the seventh day, He took rest! Every time I reflect on this Biblical story of creation of the Universe – which we Christians call it ‘the Genesis’ – I smile. Why? Because, like all of us, the mortals, even the Almighty God had to ‘work hard’ – sweat it out – back-to-back everyday of the week! Then, like we humans, He too needed rest. So, He chose the ‘seventh day’ as the day of the rest. Just to be by Himself… to rejuvenate… recharge His batteries. Just do nothing… Let go. Relax… looking at and appreciating His creation…  Ever since then, the last day of the week – the Saturday – has been considered as ‘Sabbath’… the day of the rest! So far so good! But, what God indented, Man distorted, corrupted. The hardcore Hebrews stretched it too far. They did ‘no work’ on this day. I said, ‘no work’ of whatsoever nature claiming that it was sacrilegious - an offense to God! Yes, they fana...