Sources of Inspiration

Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Sleep is one, mainly by the sound health it produces; incidentally also, & rarely, into whose farrago a divine lesson is sometimes slipped.
2. Solitary converse with nature is a second (or perhaps the first) and there are ejaculated sweet & dreadful words never uttered in libraries. Ah the spring days, summer dawns & October woods. 
3. New poetry; what is new to me ..
4. Conversation...   -- Emerson in His Journals  (Jan, 1862)

The same fountains still do and will continue to inspire humanity far into the infinite future. 

Confluence of Influences

At times I step back and look at the world we live in with a feeling of awe. People from different nationalities, cultures and religions are able to mix and mingle and live in harmony. With this openness comes the free sharing of knowledge, cuisines, music, beauty, art, craft and sport.

One look at all the teachers enriching my young son's life is enough to fill me with gratitude. From his Armenian violin teacher, Canadian school teacher, Italian soccer coaches to his Indian dance teacher. Each one of them will leave their imprint on the young lives they touch molding them into citizens of an open, free and inclusive world. 

"You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive." - Maya Angelou

Ah Missy, Freedom's sweet

I am reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's journal Emerson in His Journals. The sweetness of freedom is captured in this short journal entry and goes to show that a life without freedom is no life at all.

Lidian's grandmother had a slave Phillis whom she freed. Phillis went to the little colony on the outside of Plymouth which these called New Guinea. Soon after, she visited her old mistress. "Well, Phillis, what did  you have for dinner on Thanksgiving Day?" "Fried 'taturs, Missy;" replied Phillis. "And what had you to fry the potatoes in?" said Mrs Cotton. "Fried in Water, Missy;" answered the girl. "Well Phillis," said Mrs Cotton, "how can you bear to live up there, so poor, where here you used to have every thing comfortable, & such good dinner at Thanksgiving?" --"Ah Missy, Freedom's sweet." returned Phillis 

The angst from the loss of freedom is exquisitely portrayed by poets Maya Angelou in I know why the caged bird sings and Tagore in this poem from The Gardener

The tame bird was in a cage, the free bird was in the forest.
They met when the time came, it was a decree of fate.
The free bird cries, "O my love, let us fly to wood."
The cage bird whispers, "Come hither, let us both live in the cage."
Says the free bird, "Among bars, where is there room to spread one's wings?"
"Alas," cries the cage bird, "I should not know where to sit perched in the sky."

 The free bird cries, "My darling, sing the songs of the woodlands."
 The cage bird says, "Sit by my side, I'll teach you the speech of the learned."
 The forest bird cries, "No, ah no! songs can never be taught."
 The cage bird says, "Alas for me, I know not the songs of the woodlands."

 Their love is intense with longing, but they never can fly wing to wing.
 Through the bars of the cage they look, and vain is their wish to know each other.
 They flutter their wings in yearning, and sing, "Come closer, my love!"
 The free bird cries, "It cannot be, I fear the closed doors of the cage."
 The cage bird whispers, "Alas, my wings are powerless and dead." 

The Brahmin Ideals

The immense contribution of India's Brahmin community towards knowledge, culture and heritage is predominantly due to the ideals that are inherited, safeguarded and transmitted from generation to generation. Brahmins are the pursuers of knowledge.

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in his book 'The philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore' sheds light on the Brahmin ideals.

About the class of Brahmins, it is his (Tagore's) opinion that every good society should have a section corresponding to it.  ... The Brahmins are the trustees of tradition and the conservers of the religious spirit. ...a class set apart for artistic production and spiritual discovery.. 

Members of this class are to discover and bring home to the community the joy of art and spiritual beauty. .. the members of this class are the purveyors of spiritual health and joy to the community. These are the leaders of society, regulating the things in which the community ought to take pleasure, exerting great moral influence on them. Those who are in the thick of the strife of the world have not the time to think of the welfare of the whole community or to contemplate the higher thinks of life. 

The Brahmins, according to the ideal, count poverty a privilege, consider learning their calling, and pursue the ideals of spirit with self-sacrifice and in a disinterested manner. Scorn of wealth and the pursuit of spirituality, regardless of praise or blame, are their characteristic features. 

The highest place (in Indian society)  is given to the philosoper who finds his lifework in search of truth, artistic creation, and moral endeavour.

Guided by conscience alone

The light within

Having long abandoned organized religion with their stifling rules, hierarchies and complex rituals, I feel liberated with the realization that the only guide one needs is ones own conscience. "When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad, and that's my religion"! As it was for Abraham Lincoln so it is for me.

All of life's great treasures family, love, friendship, nature, health are bestowed freely and equally. So is the moral conscience. The conscience is the ever present guard and guide! Before every action, we must listen to the judgement of the conscience and then act accordingly. There is no need for external authorities, sermons, temples, churches, priests or religious texts.

Mind the light of God in your consciences,
which will show you all deceit;
dwelling in it, guides out of the many things into one spirit,
which cannot lie, nor deceive.
Those who are guided by it, are one. - George Fox

"For my mother, the highest law was man's own conscience" - Pablo Casals 

My Heart Soars ..

Every day, I have urged my children to see, feel and love the nature around them. So finding this picture of my daughter wearing a goose plume on her hair like the aboriginal people makes my heart soar and reminds me of this poem by Canadian aboriginal Chief Dan George

My heart soars ..

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dew drop on the flower,
speaks to me.

The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
And the life that never goes away,
They speak to me.
And my heart soars 

Tagore: Honor the spirit within ..

A poignant song where the poet feels deeply remorseful for not honoring the spirit that dwells within. Even in the midst of all worldly activities, we must seek times of quiet solitude to recognize and honor the living spirit which makes everything possible.

Aamar hiyar majhe lukiye chile dekhte aami paai ni
Tomay dekhte aami paai ni.
Bahir pane chokh melechi,aamar hridoy pane chaai ni.
Aamar shokol bhalobashay shokol aaghat shokol aashay
Tumi chile aamar kaache,ami tomar kaache jaai ni.
Tumi mor aanondo hoye chile aamar khelay-
Anande tai bhule chile,keteche din helay.
Gopon rohi gobhir praane aamar dukkhosukher gaane
Sur diyecho tumi, aami tomar gaan to gaai ni.

You lie hidden within me, yet I failed to see you ..
Casting my eyes outward, I didn't look within
In all my adorations, all hurts, all aspirations
You were with me; yet I didn't come to you
You were the joy in all my plays
Oblivious in joy, I let the days fritter away
Buried deep in my heart, to songs of my lifes joys and sorrows
You gave the tune, and yet I sang not thy song ...