Couple of thoughts that came to me during the week:
1. Understanding of life and death: We live in our own world full of memories...which we term as good or bad memories. Memories can be about our parents, teachers, friends, loved ones, etc. I for example, don't remember every day I spent with my father or mother but remember those days when they have made an impact in me.. which means that our memories are those compiled scenarios which have made some impact in our lives. Any uneventful or non-impacting happening does not stay in our memories. And since these impacting scenarios live with us for most of the time, I view that as life. Everything outside this is death. I honestly don't remember every movie I went with my father or every dinner/lunch with my mother. However I remember going to the movie with my father where he stood in the queue in the hot son for more than an hour despite not having any food only to ensure that his son viewed that movie and enjoyed it. Similarly, once I fought with my mother in the morning and did not take lunch to school as a protest. But, my mother came to my school during the lunch break with lunch and fed me on her own. These were 2 loving events that will live with me until my memory works which also means I'm alive. If my memory stops working, I'm as good as dead. Right?
2. Understanding of "I": I have a close friend who is an Ayurvedic doctor. He is my mentor and guide for years.. Outside my parents, he is simply the greatest "human being" I've encountered in my life so far. Last week, I was thinking of what makes this person so great? Is it his humility? Is it his down to earth attitude? Is it his vast knowledge? Is it his devotion and belief in god? What is it??? Until I felt that it is his approach to everything that made him humble, knowledgeable, devotional and loving. I then realized that our "approach" to everything when alive that defines the "I" in us. My wife, son or daughter will remember or recall my memories only because of my approach. Unless I turn inward and keep modifying my approach to be in line with the laws of "dharma", "I" will never be remembered or recalled by anyone however close I am when I'm alive..So, which means, I do not need a catchy name to be recalled, I do not need to be a cash rich relative to some one to be remembered, I do not need a good looking face to be recalled, I simply need to follow "dharma" to be recalled or remembered. That is "I".
