The Good Wife

Talking of love and God, here is a quote from Guru Gobind Singh.

`Saach ahooN, sun liyo sub, jin prem kiyo tin hi prab payoh.`

Translation: Listen ye, I tell the truth, only those who love will attain God.

re: DRUMZ

{Ultimately, one becomes ONE with God.}

...hmmm...i dunno dude...but i hate to break it to all these people that there ain`t no ram, allah, or jesus...there ain`t no god...there is no heaven waiting for ANYONE...the only judge of right and wrong are your local police and court, and that too if get caught....ultimately, we all die the same deaths and disintegrate into the same molecules...our fate is no different than that of animals...one day, the whole damn planet will disintegrate and scatter us all over as space dust...

Ref ana #: 57

[I do get (and agree with) what you`re saying about marriage. And may I just add that it is my fervent hope that when you put that money into that particular bank (if you haven`t already done that :)) ....]

Reminds me of a T-Shirt I saw in a Montreal store.

``Sperm bank. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal.``

PS. For those who are humor-impaired, this was an attempt at levity.

DRUMZ #36

I apologize for not directly responding to you.

Actually Sameer JB has valid points.

It is more than a decade I read Jibran with fervent and a lot of my thoughts have his influence.

The thing about Jibran is that he brings revolution with ``Eloquence``. Where people are moved by the truth.

On a personal level, it has a very positive impact.

In real life power politics is the name of the game.

Most people are moved by land, money and women (men) and higher principles are a matter of respect or joke.

i will be waiting for your response.

tahmed321: Ever heard the Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris? It predates the hilltop one and deals with love without Baheshti Zaiver.

Actually love predates everything. Love is the principle on which life on earth stands. Everything else good is a function of love. Therefore between Khuda mohabbat hey and mohabbat Khuda hey, my choice would be, mohabbat khuda hey. In English, Love is god, love is marriage, love is parenthood are better than god is love,....

Love, according to Gulzar:

pyar koi bol naheeN, pyar awaaz naheeN

aik khamoshi hey, sunti hey kaha kerti hey

na yeh rukti hey, na bujhti hey, na thehri hey kaheeN

noor kee boond hey, sadyuN se baha kerti hey

He goes on to say, Love is love; it does not need a name.

Ref Mullah321 #: 39

[harimau #32 So, the hindutva apologist for the hindu mobs in Gujrat that bound entire families and burnt them, the man I just finished showing to be a proven liar considers me to be an anal retentive. Big deal.]

You called me a Hindutva rat and I called you a Mullah who believes in the superiority of Islam. Didn`t you say that it is your DUTY as a Muslim to correct Mr. Sattar`s Ahmadiyya beliefs? Another small step and you will be correcting the erroneous beliefs of Hindus just like all the Sultans of Delhi used to do.

You manage to be both anal-retentive AND an a$$hole at the same time just like you have been a Mullah in terms of Islamic beliefs and ever-so-sensitive toward ``other`` religions on Chowk.

Drop your pretence. You aren`t fooling me. The Headshrinker of course is another matter.

What a lovely article by Nergis Dalal..and so true! Could say a lot more about it, but won`t--for now.

Chalkaye jaam..aaye` apne doston ke naam!

(Mittar ji, Banjaara..yes, I know what the actual filmi lyrics are but the transformation was appropriate here :-))

A wise person on Chowk wrote :

``They say that the great contribution of the Judaic religion is that it replaced the concept of the uncaring gods in Greek and Roman mythology with the concept of a God who is concerned about humanity.``

The Mesopotamians and Egyptians are completely missing in this narrative. And yes, it materially changes the conclusion.

DRUMZy :)

First of all, since you said you weren`t going to reply to everyone`s points, let me just say thank you for responding to mine!

I do get (and agree with) what you`re saying about marriage. And may I just add that it is my fervent hope that when you put that money into that particular bank (if you haven`t already done that :)) that you will find a wonderful co-depositor, and that both of you will already be at that level where selfishness is foreign to you, or be very very close to it. Peace and luv!

From today`s ToI
_________________________________________________



True in Counsel, Trusted in Peril


NERGIS DALAL

[ SATURDAY, AUGUST 03, 2002 12:00:14 AM ]

Why are friends so special? Byron, while dedicating the fourth canto of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage to his friend, John Hobhouse, wrote: ``To one whom I have known long, and accompanied far, whom I have found wakeful over my sickness and kind in my sorrow, glad in my prosperity and firm in my adversity, true in counsel and trusted in peril — to a friend often tried and never found wanting.``


I remember a particularly trying period in my life. It was late September and a thin rain was falling on the eucalyptus trees outside the hospital verandah. I was alone, shivering a little and thinking that the weather seemed to match my mood entirely. I felt lost. And then, almost magically, I saw my friend walk up the narrow path bet- ween the trees. She put her arms around me without saying a word, pulled up a chair and sat close, her hand on mine. Suddenly I was no longer alone. Her visit lifted my spirits. I began to feel better. I looked at the world with new eyes. This experience so lifted my spirits that I often talk about it.


Friends are there not only to lighten your mood on a dark day; they are there to share in fun and laughter, to acknowledge the sameness and also the unique differences between us. Friends make an extra effort to walk that extra mile. Friends listen. To really listen, we must put aside our own preoccupations and shift our consciousness to the other. When we listen, we are empowering the other. Listening in this way can even be called an act of love. Most people only think they are listening. Their own thoughts are what they are preoccupied with. They appear to be listening, but they’re not. Sometimes people listen selectively, and much of what is being said is lost. But friends are different; they give you their undivided attention. They not only listen, they also make the effort to understand what lies behind the words that are spoken. Taoists believe that a lazy and diffused consciousness cannot make a connection. There must be total attention, total stillness. The greatest of human potentials is the potential of each one of us to empower and acknow- ledge the other, especially during times of confusion, loss and disorientation. The shape and context of our lives often depends on the extent and intensity of our relationship with others. Each one of us is shaped and moulded by the psychoculture that we have helped create and that in turn shapes us. Happiness cannot be achieved in isolation. When one ceases to care about the world, family and friends, then the meaning of experience is nullified and the self, diminished.


The six perfections in Buddhism are compassion, generosity, morality, awareness, wisdom and consistency. These qualities are tested everyday in our lives as we interact with family and friends and each quality deepens and improves our relationships with others, overcoming discussion, argument and controversy.


A 1993 Swedish study showed that if people with serious and life-threatening illnesses had what they referred to as ‘a dependable web of intimacy’ to support them, they survived comfortably for several years. Those without this support system died early. Good friends are crucial for a happy, healthy, productive life, enhancing feelings of warmth and friendliness towards everyone.


In his book Gesture of Balance, the Tibetan teacher Tarthang Tulku says that when the basis of our lives is compassion, it is like a candle whose light spreads to include not only family and friends but the entire universe. Friendship is like compassion. Even one good friend can help us open up to other transforming relationships. Byron’s dedication was a perfect tribute to a friend — ``Someone tried and never found wanting.``
(Tomorrow is Friendship Day)

IM not gonna reply to everyone`s points... My sh1t is simple, either u get it or u dont. To get it, u need to have an introspective background.

Krashid: Since ur scared to even mention my name, I wont bother speakin on ur misinterpretationz.

Tahmed: The jewish god was/IZ a god of war.

Sameer: That Moses statement was off point (im not the one U should be having religious discussions with). All i said was ``marriage is love,`` I have nuthin to say about divorce being hate or indian holy men (read, dont read into this). Youre knockin on the door with the A/B=1 statement. Yin/yan=1 or 50/50=1. Monism is a way of seeing two conflicting forces as being one (re: Zarathustra/mani, do the math). That is the meaning of peace: a balance of two opposing forces.

Umer: U hit the nail with seeing God in everything. I believe the purpose of life is progression. Ultimately, one becomes ONE with God. Marriage is simply the mirror of God, allowing true unity to exist (and not in the philosophical sense, but in reality: mind, body, spirit).

Ana: ``personal growth of the union, as well as themselves as individuals?``

I usually use diagrams to illustrate this point of how the marriage=union=personal growth=god. The closest analogy i can find is puttin money (love) into a bank (union). It comes to a point when the union (bank) is irrelvant, its only use is to increase the love/wisdom/overstanding of the individuals involved (to make them full, perfect humans). Thus the couple feed of eachothers energy (their different/opposing perspectives on life) to see life in a way one cannot alone. As u mentioned, to do this, both people must be at such an advanced level that selfishness becomes foriegn.

Aamir: ``...and for them marriage is simply convenient relief from their own private demons.``

IM sure we can reduce almost every desi institution to mindless immitation. Everything from religion to poltics to morals and traditions. Peace.

Lucy #52 You will be appalled to learn that I even wear clothes that have been washed. Imagine wearing socks without that wonderful smell of stale sweat, shirts without those lovely yellow stains to remind one of yesterday`s breakfast, and I dont have the heart to tell you that some people even wear clean underwear!!

SameerJB #45 you as temporal on ``[…God is LOVE.]

Love did not exist before Mr. Moses went up the hill?``

Did not. :-) They say that the great contribution of the Judaic religion is that it replaced the concept of the uncaring gods in Greek and Roman mythology with the concept of a God who is concerned about humanity. This certainly made life and its hardships more tolerable for humanity through the ages. Christianity then further emphasized the concept of not just a caring God, but a loving God. (Islam, btw, retained the above concepts but added the idea that man was created in order to learn about God`s creation, i.e. to gain knowledge).

shankar #43 Thank you! Thank you! :-)

PM #46 Your points are well taken. Particularly the point about when in Rome (or St. Martin`s, and you certainly know where to go for a holiday) do as the Roman`s do. After all, the definition of being well dressed is to dress in a way that does not draw attention to one`s clothes (or lack thereof) - and that (as you say) depends on the place you happen to be at the time.

Ref: tahmed`s Post

You wrote:

``Lucy #28 Please show me the post where I am being ``uptight`` and the post where I am being a ``pedant`` and I will try to correct myself. Also, I do not iron my socks. Although I do iron my shirts, and hope you do too.``

I rest my case. Go iron your underwear.

Cheers,

Lucy