Stop letting greed take over your need! The world is currently battling the coronavirus pandemic and struggling to devise ways to counter the downfall of global economy. This is an unusual and challenging time for all of us. While most of us are being able to spend the days in lockdown with sufficient food and essential supplies, there are thousands of people struggling to find essential items for survival. Stores are facing a sudden supply crunch and are unable to deliver items to the population in need.

Let me ask you, did the news of lockdown push you toward a state of panic and fear? As a result, did you, like many others, end up panic-buying items in quantities way beyond necessary? Do you remember hoarding your carts and spending thousands on grocery without giving much thought about your actual “need”? If your answers have been “yes” to all the questions above, let me tell you, you’ve become a victim of greed.

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

How is Need different from Greed? Let me make the difference clear for you:

The root of Greed is “Fear” and the root of Need is “Survival”. When we act from survival instincts, our needs are legitimate and are fulfilled. But when our survival needs are fulfilled, we start having the fear of losing them. This triggers the greed in us and we end up wanting more of what we already have. The more we have, more we want. We even start comparing these things with others, we start indulging in a competition with them in our minds and this creates “Jealousy”.

Greed makes us selfish and self-centred. We no longer remain compassionate and loving. We become hard hearted and cold. In short, we no longer remain human beings, we begin developing an animal instinct. We stop helping others.

Do you remember the news about the people who bought thousands of toilet paper rolls, some to make use of them amidst the lockdown, and others to sell those for greater prices? These people acted out of fear and greed. Let me tell you a story to explain this further. A man, George and his friend Michael wished for a huge house, an expensive car and a bungalow as teenagers. Eventually, George grew to become a businessman, and his business flourished in a short period of time. Michael on the other hand joined a firm in service, however, enjoyed his job. As success came George’s way, he started spending more and more time with affluent people, and began comparing his life with theirs. Michael started noticing a difference in the behavior of his friend, who had started being rude owing to the constant stress he felt. With every little success, George wanted more, and pined until he achieved it. Michael, however, was content with what he had. Eventually, Michael realised that his friend isn’t really happy in his life, and that at every point of time, he feels someone else is better than him. He was never really content with the money he had earned, since he had become a victim of greed.

Let me ask you, what do you think leads us towards greed? Especially in difficult times such as these, what are the reasons we, as a part of our society, act through greed? These challenging times have unfortunately been able to reveal the most frightening faces of the human race. Why is everyone around the world acting in such a greedy manner? People have been hoarding toilet papers, hand sanitizer bottles etc. out of panic. Why? Let me tell you the factors which lead people to act this way:

Thanks to technology (which is a boon in our times), all sort of negative news and rumours reach in our living rooms. Instead of keeping news at a level of information and analysing them with our intellect, we start getting influenced by them. Unfortunately, negativity attracts our attention and our mind starts getting subsumed by fear. Fear in turn infects our mind  & we start believing in everything that goes around, succumbing to distrust. Panic-buying, which is the most common scenario these days, is a result of extreme fear and lack of unity in the society.

Every problem has become a business in the modern world, which has ultimately led to greed in the affluent, and scarcity in those in need. 

What happens when Greed takes over your Need?

The moment you let greed take over your need, the universe finds a way to balance the imbalance created due to your actions. Greed blinds you and keeps you from your real goals and ambitions which can take you towards success in life. As the fear of the pandemic spreads around the world, let us all learn to act a responsible citizens and act sensibly. Through unity and compassion, we can win over this pandemic together! Before buying anything in bulk, or strongly acting towards your desires, ask yourself, “Do you really need this? Can you lead a happy life without this? Will the others suffer if you do this?” If your actions might disturb the universal balance, if you’re wishing for something out of jealousy, you’re letting greed overpower you.

Stand with the fellow human beings in this time of crisis! Stay healthy and happy!

What comes to your mind, when we think of the word ‘Being’? We, as humans, recognize ourselves with reference to the three pillars of our existence, the mind, the body and the universe. A balance between the mind as well as the body has been known to be the basis of sanity, and our connection with the environment defines our social character and further decides our well-being.  In my previous blog, we discussed how the human body is formed by the five elements, i.e. earth, air, water, fire and space. Their balance, in numerous ways, decides our life condition as well as health. Let me further elaborate on the way each element affects our body, as well as mind and the outcomes of element imbalance.

The ancient traditional Indian medicine system, known as the Ayurveda, focuses on maintaining health through takingcare of your diet, enhancing the power of the mind and controlling stress through practices such as meditation. The roots of the element theory are also believed to lay in the ideas of Hippocrates, the father of medicine.  Natural therapy, or Naturopathy, introduced in its modern form in 1902 by Benjamin Lust, had faded in its charm over time, with the proliferation of modern medicine. However, in the contemporary world, it has regained its admiration, owing to the limits of modern medicine being tested repeatedly. The system of Naturopathy, as well as that of Ayurveda, comprises the sole belief in the removal of toxins from the mind as well as the body, creating a balance between the five elements for seeking a healthy life state.

How does the element imbalance affect our mind and body?

Each element affects us on two levels, physiological as well as psychological.

{The physiological stratum refers to our body, i.e. the physical self. The psychological stratum refers to the functions of our mind.}

1. The Earth Element:

The Earth element, being the element of highest density is connected directly to the entire body mass. Its excess causes obesity and lack cause emaciation. The generalization of the Earth element in itself tells you the psychological aspects of it. ‘To be down to Earth’ is often considered a virtue, unless it is in state of excess. The more the Earth element is imbalanced in your being, the more you feel ‘stuck in your own head’, stuck in emotions and lack self-confidence or on the contrary, you are in a constant state of apathy. Brain Fog is another common condition arising from Earth imbalance. The lack of the Earth element pushes you away from emotions and from the sense of life itself.

Natural Ways to Balance the Earth Element:

• Eat foods which are lighter on the digestive system
• Devise ways to manage your time and energy efficiently;
• Enjoy the smell of the earth, touch nature once in a day; a walk on the grass barefoot is the best way to stay connected with the Earth element
• The Ayurveda recommends the Balneotherapy or the Mud therapy to balance the Earth element in your body
• Sound and Vibration Therapy helps in balancing the Earth element
• Meditation on your Mooladhaar Chakra (the Base Chakra) also helps you to balance your Earth element

2. The Water Element:

With direct nexus with all the significant fluids of the body, the Water element takes cares of your blood circulation and controls the body function effectively. Our bodies are made of 60 to 65% water, and its imbalance creates issues in the proper functioning of the body and mind. The system of natural medicine believes water to possess a sense of memory. It is said to retain energy and affect its carrier accordingly. Health issues such as lethargy and kidney-related disorders are a result of Water imbalance.

Natural Ways to Balance the Water Element:

• Drink water, as pure as possible, free from toxins
• Consumption of alkaline, structured water is the best way to neutralize the acidity in the body and balance the entire system
• Hydrotherapy, i.e. external usage of water in different forms is another recommended technique to balance the Water element
• Taking dips regularly in Sea or river water (which are full of minerals) cleans the water element of the body
• Sound and Vibration Therapy helps in balancing the Water element
• Meditating on the Swadhisthaan chakra (Sex Chakra) helps in balancing the water element

We shall talk about Fire, Air, and Space elements and the impact of their imbalance on our lives in my next blog.

Till then, Enjoy your being’s balance, Stay Healthy and Stress-Free!

"He who is unable to live in a society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god" - Aristotle

To begin our discussion about our relationship with the society, I consider it mandatory to mention the great ancient Greek philosopher and polymath, Aristotle. Those who have never read about Aristotle might wonder how an ancient Greek philosopher is relevant in the modern world of today!

Aristotle is famous for his significant contributions into every aspect of life. He describes a human being as a social creature, i.e. a human being, according to Aristotle, cannot lead a good life in solitude.

Today,I would like to tell you about an incident which gave me a new perspective to my life.

I visited my childhood friend, Nikhil after almost a decade, on his father’s 87^th birthday. Nikhil works as a General Manager for a large corporation in India. For a very long time, he had been trying to tackle certain grave conflicts at his workplace, with his friends as well as within his family. For his father’s birthday, he had decided to host a grand party and was secretly hoping that his initiatives might improve his relationship with his parents.

As I spoke to him in the party, I realized that Nikhil had been struggling on every front; his days and nights were all about complaining, harboring negativity and despondency. Our conversation was filled with negativity. This was when his old-aged father joined us – he sat quietly and heard us through the remainder of our talks.

And then the wise, old man spoke to Nikhil -

“Nikhil, tell me honestly, have you ever considered recognizing yourself apart from the roles you play; of a father, a son, a General Manager, or a friend? Have you ever looked at yourself from a third person’s perspective? Each of those around you reacts to you as per what they see. Have you tried to see what they see? I have been searching for Nikhil for a very long time. I only get to meet the GM. You create your world. The reactions people give you is a reflection of who they see - if they see a humble and warm person they react accordingly and  if they see an arrogant, self-involved person then they react that way.

Look at how you interact with people and I can guarantee things will change...”

Nikhil was taken aback by his father’s words. He went quiet for the next few hours. He called me next day morning and told me his father’s words had really made an impact on him. From that day onwards, Nikhil had started to focus on his behavior, and leading his life differently, for better.

I met him a year later, he was a smiling happy and a very cool guy – someone who looked similar to the Nikhil I had known from my childhood.

What are the recurring questions on this subject in our minds? Let’s find out.

1). How Can the Society Shape My Life?

Our beliefs and opinions are all placed as per the surroundings we have lived in. An ignorant mass of human beings tend to produce an ignorant human being, and an awakened group of people nourishes and often produces an awakened intellectual. Your surroundings & environment play a major role in shaping up your life. A positive environment automatically enhances your creativity, and a negative one pulls you into a pit of inaction and complaint. However, let me call this trait of society not a characteristic but a tendency. It is in your hands whether or not can you maintain a healthy relationship with your environment, take out the good from it and leave the rest.

2) Can I Change my Conditions? How?

• Gratitude and Appreciation: Two Pillars of a Happy Life

Before you begin your day, think back to the things that have contributed to your life. Understanding other’s contribution increases gratitude for everything you have in your life. Colleagues, fellow travelers, juniors, seniors, friends, family, or house-helps, everyone around you shall cherish an appreciative remark once in a while. Make the person next to you smile;good vibes shall comeback to you.

• Align your Mission with your Vision

Your life needs to have a mission as well as a vision. Mission is your personal goal, however, vision refers to a greater good. The universe, i.e. surroundings plays the most important role in your success. All success stories of today have a vision of a greater good, of providing the society with something for its betterment, hence the universe responds in a similar way.

From the endless list of practical and running examples for the same, Tesla stations itself as a global leading automotive firm, with a vision,

Tesla, with its beautiful vision of gifting an absolute pollution-free environment to the society is the core reason for its tremendous success.

• Do Not Let Social Anxiety Get the Better of You

Through my previous blog series on the Law of attraction, I tried to make my readers realize that you control everything in your life. Begin with working on your physical as well as mental health, maintain a diary for daily productivity and gradually break out of your cocoon. The world is ready to accept you the way you are; all you need to do is make the first move!

• Know the Bigger Picture

Pick your battles. Every time you’re about to get into a conflict with anyone, pause for a second and ask yourself, “Will my reaction here help me in future?” If the answer is no, take a deep breath and move on. 

It is important to look at yourself from the perspective of the society to maintain a healthy relationship with the same. Healthy relationships lead to a healthy mind, further leading to realization of personal dreams of success and happiness and your happiness flows through the society you live in.

The More you Give, The More comes back to You – giving momentum to your Vision.

Spread Joy! Stay Healthy and Stress-free!