Why have a Guru?

Some people call a living person as their Guru; some call a book as their Guru; some a dead person; and so on.

I don't have a Guru. I think that we can learn from a living person, a book, a dead person's actions, a tree, a bird, a stone, etc. So why limit ourself to one person or one book?

So, in other words, I have many Gurus. I try to learn from everyone I meet. Today, we are meeting. Have a good day, Guruji!

Why I don't read (Hindu) Scriptures anymore?

I have spent many years reading many Hindu scriptures like Bhagwad Gita, Upanishads, Vivekchoodamani, etc. Now, I don't read them anymore for the following reasons:

1. Hindu scriptures are written in Sanskrit, which is a difficult language for me. So after reading the Sanskrit verse, I have read the translation. Here lies the first problem. Different experts interpret the same Sanskrit verse in distinct ways. So which one is true?
2. Even if most experts interpret a Sanskrit verse in similar way, how do we know that the statement is true. The scriptures say, "Because it is said in scriptures"; so the proof of scriptures being true is the statement in Scriptures itself. This is like saying, "I am speaking the truth, because I say so." No intelligent person should accept this reason as valid.
3. Some statements in Scriptures are obviously false. The commentators try to hide the flaws by interpreting the words in a different way than actual e.g. Bhagwad Gita says, "Among Karma yoga and Sanyasa yoga, Karma yoga is better." Now how can one path be suitable for everyone?
4. What is the guarantee that the scriptures is true? In Bhagwad Gita, Krishna shows his Vishwaroopa to Arjuna. Why did no one else on the battlefield see the same? Was it just a hallucination for Arjuna? If yes, then what is the guarantee that remaining Bhagwad Gita is valuable.
5. Most people, who quote scriptures, are egoistic and arrogant. Their actions totally differ from words. They quote specific verses to show off or manipulate others.

Instead of reading scriptures, now I use my own intelligence to decide. It is more difficult, but the results are more satisfying.

Why are people bored?

There are 3 primary reasons that people get bored.

1. Lack of opportunity
   A person living in Libya will have lack of opportunities because Libya was bombed and it has lacks infrastructure. So even intelligent people will tend to get bored.
2. Lack of courage
   Opportunities exist but the person has a lack of courage. The person constantly postpones doing things by giving excuses e.g. today its raining, it is too difficult, etc. At the end of life, the person usually repents having achieved little in life.
3. Lack of connection
   Person lacks passion. There is a general lack of connection with people around. We are social animals. The idea of a James Bond working individually against an organization, is usually a myth in real life. The people around us determine our success. If people around us think of us a failure, then it is likely that we will fail. We cannot achieve anything significant without the people around us cheering us on.

If we are facing, "Lack of Opportunity", then we should consider changing the country/place. If we are facing "Lack of courage", then we need to convince ourselves that the activity is not that difficult; and take small steps towards our goal. If we are facing "Lack of connection", then either change the people around you or CHANGE the people around you. Then, say goodbye to boredom.

The cycle of terrorism

The following is an infinite cycle
A) Bombs are dropped on a country.
B) The economy of the country is destroyed. There is no education for children; no jobs for young and no care for old.
C) People take to terrorism.
D) Terrorist strike in countries that had supported bomb drops on their country.
E) Go to Step A.

The Crash Course of Chris Matenson

In the crash course, Chris Matenson says during the next 20 years,

• Our currency supply
• Our fuel consumption
• Our use of environmental resources

cannot keep growing exponentially.

I agree with almost everything Chris says in this course, but in his entire course Chris fails to consider "human ingenuousness". There is no limit to the imagination of human mind e.g. Maybe during the next 20 years, humans will

1. come with a Thorium generator, that can power entire cities.
2. come up with cars that run on hydrogen, which is produced from water.

etc.

Humans can and will continue to evolve e.g. most humans can easily reduce their calorie consumption by half and still survive. Most humans can work harder and increase dramatically their production. Education is spreading via the Internet. Today, in developing world, a person with Internet access can have the same knowledge as a person studying in developed world.

The next 20 years will be different from the last 20 years, as Chris says. But, the change need not be for worse. It can be change for better.

Significance of Diwali

Diwali is a festival celebrated in India. People burn crackers, wear new clothes and eat sweets. What is the significance of Diwali?

We are burdened with thoughts about the past. These thoughts can be regrets about our past actions, unfair treatment meted to us by others, etc.These thoughts act as a huge weight chained to our feet. They stop us from performing our best in the present moment.

Diwali signifies burning the past like crackers. We will no more repent our split milk, in past. Of course, we will learn from the past, but there is no point is continuous replay of past in our minds.
Diwali signifies staring fresh with new clothes. Now we are ready to face our current challenges with mental vigour.
With this attitude, sweet success will be ours.

Burn the past, start afresh and live in sweetness. Happy Diwali.

Why did BJP lose in Bihar?

Different people give different reasons for BJP's defeat e.g.

• BJP is a Hindu party and there are many Muslims in Bihar.
• Nitish is better than Modi for leadership.
• etc

In my opinion, all the above reasons may have some impact but they did not play a decisive role. The real reason that BJP lost is that BJP had promised more development as compared to Congress, etc. But they have failed to keep their promise at national level e.g. As soon as Bihar's election were over

• Petrol and Diesel prices were hiked.
• Service tax was hiked.
• Duties on Gold were not reduced during the festival season.

Development means falling prices, which leads to higher consumption. More taxes, rising prices, etc all lead to falling consumption and fall in rate of development.

Why would people vote for a party that has been the cause of rising prices for many months?