MLK and the Power of Patanjali

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who will never be forgotten and on this day, we are indebted to remember such a great man who changed the world and contributed to the progress of humanity. Certainly each of us can grow ourselves by knowing just a bit more about his life, his principles and his message. 

I thought that today I would remember MLK by remembering the great Sage Patanjali in whom MLK's philosophy is ultimately rooted. MLK's inspiration came from the Father of India Mahatma Gandhi who contributed greatly in the independence of India. The Civil Rights Movement once again proved to the world the power of two simple qualities: Non-violence and Truth.

But where did these qualities come from? While there is no doubt that such values are eternal and have existed forever, they were probably first emphasized by the great Sage Patanjali who wrote the Yog-Sutras. The Yog-Sutras are a series of aphorisms that contain immense philosophy about life and knowledge of the mind, consciousness,and body. The tradition of Yoga arises from the Yog-Sutras and there is a ton that could be said about the Yog-Sutras and all that is in them. But in rememberance of MLK, I would like to bring attention to Sutra 2.30: "Ahimsa satya asteya brahmacharya aparigraha yama"

The five Yamas describe the ways in which we should relate to the external world. Of these five, the first two are AHIMSA (non-violence) and SATYA (truth). These qualities are the only way to develop a relationship with the world such that your mind and soul can remain undisturbed. A life without non-violence and truth would not allow for meditation and self-realization. These are the prerequisites to a developed life and they ought to persist not only on the level of action but also on the level of thought and speech!

With that we remember a man who lived by these principles and came closer to God through his practices, while changing the course of history along the way… At a time of increased violence, the world needs more of MLK and his thoughts… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/17/martin-luther-king-jr-day_2011_n_809820.html

Here is another awesome article that captures MLK's foresight. He called for a lot of change and most of it never took place but in hindsight, perhaps we should have listened. But it is NEVER too late…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/todays-visionary-not-yest_b_809621.html#s224791&title=In_the_midst

(This is a good introduction to countless social issues relevant to today's society.)

And if you want to know more about MLK, here are three books to consider reading (I'd love to hear about them if you read any):

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/01/17/martin-luther-king-jr-day-three-books-to-consider/

And for sports fans, incredible article on one of the greatest baseball players ever and his relationship to MLK. Henry Aaron was a sports icon but he represents more. He broke racial barriers and was a symbol of African-American awakening. Sports were certainly a part of the civil rights movement and Henry Aaron played a significant role…

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=6015125

Thinking about the Tragedy in Arizona

For the past 10 days now, the media has been all over the shooting that took place in Tucson, Arizona. In case you missed it and just want some of the basic facts, here's a good place to start with a regional Arizona-area newspapers recap of the events… http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_88b4b436-1b53-11e0-8354-001cc4c002e0.html

The shooting was significant though because it brought to the nation's attention two major issues: gun control and political rhetoric. It created all sorts of stories in the news and Obama also delivered a very uniting speech which was worth noting. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2042201,00.html

And of course, in every tragedy there is also heroism and this story that contrasts the killer with the man who saved Rep. Giffords is one that truly reminds us that not all is bad in this world! Amidst the darkness, there is light and amidst the bad, there is good!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8262073/Gabrielle-Giffords-shooting-A-tale-of-two-Americas.html

There have been countless shootings over the last decade and almost each one of them features a mentally disturbed individual armed with a gun who then goes on to do something crazy. The question remains how do these people get guns? How are guns sold and why are they so readily available? I know that the Constitution gives the right to bear arms but perhaps that right was relevant at a different time, in a different society. Today when we have such an extensive police department and so many other peaceful ways to serve justice, do common citizens really need to own guns?  The victim at the center of the shooting was a Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.  I really like this opinion taken from the National Geographic that raises similar questions that are really worth thinking about…

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=how-many-massacres-will-it-take-for-2011-01-12

The other major issue that came to the foreground as a result of the tragedy was a closer look at the political dialogue that we have today. A democracy sustains itself because of open, civil dialogue. Such things are possible only when people are assured that they can freely hold certain views and not endanger their lives because of it. Representative Giffords was a woman who had certain views and defended them. She was criticized by her opponents for these views but were these criticisms inciting people to violence? http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/01/10/was-violent-political-rhetoric-responsible-for-tucson-shooting

 More generally, has the polarization of politics gone too far? Nowadays it seems like you're either on one side or the other, Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative, left or right… there is no middle ground! There is no civil place where all people can come together and form a consensus. Worse yet, it often seems that people aren't even interested in TRYING to find a center ground. Such radicalization is dangerous to our democracy and we have already seen its destructive forces with religion. Has America become an uncivil society? These 10 opinions compiled by Time are worth reading to get different perspectives… http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2042134,00.html -

The AWESOME Story!

The story of a man who changed his attitude and changed his outlook and found happiness in the small things of life! This is a must-watch and you will walk away with a smile on your face!
If we can learn to enjoy life this way, there is no doubt we will be happy on every day in 2011!
I promise you will find this 17-minute investment well worth it!

How to Make Your New Year's Fitness Resolution Work...

If one of your New Year's Resolutions was to lose weight and get in shape, it might be helpful for you to keep in mind that exercise doesn't necessarily translate to a slimmer waistline. The reason? After working out, your mind feels less guilty in indulging in those fatty deserts that you may have refrained from otherwise! Point is, working out won't cut it alone! Gotta watch the diet….

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

The Homeless Man with a Golden Voice

Need a feel good story? Not sure if you'll find a better one of the new year than this homeless man from Ohio who a news reporter stumbled upon. He has one incredible voice and thanks to the internet, he now has dozens of big job offers waiting for him… Hope he's able to handle his success well!

Be sure to watch the video and hear him once... he's also going to be on TV during the upcoming Super Bowl! http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/07/ted.williams.new.reality/index.html?hpt=C1

Finding Meaning in Life's Mistakes

If you think you've ever made a mistake, imagine making a mistake so big that your whole life's legacy will forever be tied to that mistake. How do you live with yourself? How do you stay positive? How do you find meaning in such moments? Meet Jim Joyce… 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5993137

We all make mistakes in our lives but the point is to accept them with grace, learn from them and turn the page to something better! God gives us those moments to learn something but whether we choose to learn or not is in our hands!

(In case you want some more back story, here is an article on what had actually happened in the baseball game. And for those of you who know very little about baseball, a perfect game is the highest performance a pitcher could ever have. It's hard to describe how difficult it is to achieve...)

It is also worth tipping our hat to one amazing sportsman Armando Galarraga. He was the one who was denied such a big achievement. But in his attitude and forgiveness, I think he achieved something no other sportsman has achieved. http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/31/armando-galarraga-jim-joyce-achieve-much-more-after-near-perfec/

BELIEVE!

BELIEVE! The story of recovery for a college football player who was paralyzed from the neck down after a terrible accident during a game. If you think your life is tough, it's time to start BELIEVING!

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/ncf/news/story?id=5995681

http://www.scarletknights.com/believe/

The Infinte Human Potential... CES 2011

Tech Savvy? Interested in the latest actualizations of the human mind's imaginative power? CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2011 is underway in Las Vegas and it is the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow. Basically, all the big companies come out and show off their latest gadgets and gizmos. None of the things are necessary but still it might boggle your mind that such things are possible… Here's a glimpse of 10 noteworthy gadgets

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/01/07/ces.gadgets.gallery/index.html?hpt=C2

Weekly Surfings... The Rising Clash of Religions...

We live in a world where information is power and what better source for information than the Internet? You would think that when we're spending 4-5 hours a day online, we would all be much better connected with the world around us but I think most of us can agree that we often struggle to participate in civic dialogue or even in day-to-day conversations. We want to make a point but sometimes we lack the support for it. We want to share something good with someone but we can't find the right words for it.

It all comes back to a lack of reading. So along with the new year, I thought it was time to once again get back to some blogging and share some notable things I come across in my random web surfings. I'll try to mix it up and keep some variety but I can only hope that when you walk away from your computer, you feel like you know at least one thing more about the world. Most of the articles will either be basic information about global events or something that I found touching, inspiring or motivating. 

As always, please don't hesitate to share links, videos, etc . that you come across also! I've also tried to add tags onto each post so that you can find things that pertain to your interest...

Feedback is always welcome!

Anand

Samuel Huntington wrote about the Clash of Civilizations in the early 1990s. His thoughts were influential and triggered great discussion throughout the intellectual world. In brief, he suggested that in the post-Cold War world, people's cultural and religious identities will be the source of conflict, potentially culminating in a Third World War. The rise of religious fundamentalism in EVERY religion was noted greatly in the last decade and the start of the new decade with open conflict between Christianity and Islam only makes one worry… Here's the latest on what's going on in Pakistan… "In Pakistan, Christianity earns a Death Sentence"

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2035196,00.html

If you have a bit more curiosity, there is a law in Pakistan called the "Blasphemy Law". In vague terms, it says that anything that is expressed against Islam is illegal. It is a vague law in general (and I have probably made it vaguer) but the point is that it is interpreted broadly and in recent times has been used openly to imprison non-Muslims. Recently, a political leader who was against the law was also murdered just further deepening the religious divide…

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2040735,00.html

And there have been a series of events against Christians in recent times simply because of their religion… Here is a glimpse in case you missed the news..

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2040755,00.html