LP June magazine 2020

Guruspeak by Sister Shivani
PAGE 37
PAGE 48
PAGE 24
PAGE 41
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` 100
YOUR PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH COMPANION
June 2020
“WHAT STOPS US FROM EMBRACING
EMPATHY?”
(An in-depth analysis)
The power of Self-work
Be mentally healthy




Flowing with empathy
Dear Reader,
After spending close to two months in a lockdown, curbs are being released and people are trying to get back to the old routine of office and family life. Yet, we all know that nothing is back to business as usual and the threat of the contagion still exists. All that we can do is, take precautions, eat immunity boosting foods, and trust in God while doing what we must do to earn our livelihoods.
However what I do realise is that, this situation will make us tread lightly on Mother Earth, and stop taking things for granted, like we used to in the past.
The cover story for June is on empathy. To be honest it is difficult to describe this emotion in words, but anyone who has had tears well up in their eyes on seeing or hearing about someone’s misfortunes or sufferings, understands what empathy means. When we give into this emotion, and act upon it, we become deserving of being called human beings.
Unfortunately, this divine sentiment often gets suppressed under layers of judgment, fears and prejudices. In this article, we take a close look at how empathy directs human beings to their true dharma and why it is necessary to nurture this emotion. Enjoy it.
Another wonderful article worth reading and pondering over is, The vital power of Self-work, by former editor Suma Varughese. If anyone of you has lost sight of the ultimate goal of spiritual seeking and the tools to employ to reach it, this article will put you back on
track. Have a safe and healthy June.
LP mascot: Laughing Buddha
- Editor
Edit 3
June 2020 Vol. 24  Issue 03  Price ` 100
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losZ HkoUrq lqf[ku~%] losZlUrq fujke;k%
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May all beings be happy, May all be healthy, May people have the well-being of all in mind, May nobody suffer in any way. — Vedic prayer
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24
LEAD STORY
Empathy—I Feel You
Having empathy is one of the highest hallmarks of attaining humanhood say Shivi Verma and
Shilpa Shah
17
CLOSE ENCOUNTER
Surya sheds light on spirituality
Surya Prakash Mohapatra explains to Annesha Banerjee the key role that spirituality plays in all aspects of life
12
HEARTSPEAK
The price of exaggeration
Avoid hyperbole to keep negativity in check says Aditya Rattan
38
FOOD
Lockdown with lentils!
Beat the COVID-19 blues with basic food that is highly nutritious and easily available
04 LifePositive | JUNE 2020
COVER STORY


41
WELLBEING
Staying positive through the pandemic
The lockdown can be either a source of stress and anxiety or our spiritual and mental growth
48
TRANSFORMATION
The vital power of self-work
The author asserts that there are no shortcuts to enlightenment.
55
BRAVEHEARTS
A tsunami in my heart
A story of two unique men who epitomised the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
REGULAR COLUMNS
Response Mandala Guruspeak Aha-moments
07 Journey
09 Mudra Column 37 Sharing
46 Spirit
54 Banyan tree 66 60
62
64
Total pages 70, including the cover page and the back cover
Cover photo: Adobe Stock, Photo credit: Adobe Stock, Cover design: Sandeep Kumar
Contents 05


Life Posi ve covers the expanse of spirituality, personal growth, posi ve thinking, holis c health and alterna ve systems of healing. Life Posi ve is packaged in such a way that keeps in mind the reader’s bene t in day-to-day life
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OUR ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
Alterna ve therapies refer to a list of holis c (mind-body-spirit) healing therapies such as energy healing, meta-physical prac ces (Tarot, Astrology, etc.), spiritual growth prac ces, and alterna ve medicine prac ces (Ayurveda, Naturopathy, etc.). The word “alterna ve therapies” implies that these prac ces are a natural alterna ve to tradi onal allopathic prac ces.
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RESPONSE
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YOUR PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH COMPANION May 2020
Guruspeak:
Sister BK Shivani
PAGE 36
COVID-19:
Mother Nature’s
message to
mankind
PAGE 23
Contemplative
devotion:
A path which merges bhakti with jnana PAGE 12
Heart-touching article
The article The Maitreya arrives! in the May issue of Life Positive was heart-touching. It is amazing to know that such great masters, who can give the taste of spiritual experience to the seeker and transform him from within, exist in today’s world.
I could relate to the author’s pain when he asked Shyam Sunder (Lord Krishna) to come and rescue the world from evil. I too have prayed intensely at times to God to come to earth and end wrong doings. Humans can only do positive things to bring about change. Whereas, fighting evil and resurrecting dharma can only be accomplished by the avatars of God.
I was deeply impressed and moved by Mitra Sut’s account of meeting an enlightened master.
I am deeply thankful to Life Positive for bringing to our knowledge, the existence of such divine beings amongst us.
Rajinder Sodhi, Chandigarh
Mail from our readers, online fans and subscribers
Learning our lessons
The cover story, Mother Nature’s Messenger, in the May issue was very apt. The writer, Rishi Rathod, takes a very holistic view of the pandemic affecting the whole world. Indeed our greed, selfishness, and cruelty have led us to the brink. But on the positive side, it is heartening to see how clean our air, water, and spaces have become because humans have been forced to stop their polluting activities.
As Rishi suggests, if most of us start choosing to work from home, so much of the vehicular emissions can be controlled and the environment can become cleaner. We must be careful not to go back to our callous ways once the lockdown is lifted and the contagion’s intensity has lessened. This is also a good time to help others selflessly. Humanity must learn its lessons.
Srikant Limaye, Pune
Response 07


Informative and Enlightening
I particularly liked the article, Contemplative devotion by Badal Suchak in the May issue. I guess, in spiritual seeking, both the mind and the heart’s needs need to be taken into consideration. As for me, I don’t know what my first trigger was on this path. I used to be thirsty for knowledge and would read everything that came my way. But then, I was emotionally dissatisfied. When I learnt meditation, I experienced emotional fulfilment and stability, and my thirst for spiritual knowledge increased; I would read texts and scriptures voraciously. Though it is true that I was never too drawn to deity worship, I did feel incomplete without a home altar. This article helped me to see that I was not wrong in doing what I was doing. Raman Rajput, via email
Great experience
The Close Encounter story of Dr Chandrashekhar Udupa, Doctor divine, in the May 2020 issue of Life Positive was awe-inspiring. I have been a great fan of Swami Vivekananda and consider him my idol, but Dr Chandrashekhar is unparalleled in his devotion to Swamiji. When I read the description of Swamiji giving darshan to Doctorji after his deep implorations, I got goosebumps. Only the most sincere, pure, and earnest people get this kind of a blessing from God.
What’s more, Doctorji has been in constant communion with him eversince. This is a very rare phenomenon. I am sure he was connected to him in his previous birth too.
It was a delight to read this interview. Many thanks to Life Positive and Pradeep Krishnan for introducing such noble souls to the readers of Life Positive.
Sudhakar Rao, via email
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LifePositive | JUNE 2020


MANDALA
Homoeopathy to the rescue
Homoeopathy is the oldest established complementary and alternative system
of medicine which has survived centuries. Not
only has it effectively
helped people combat
and cure acute and
chronic conditions,
but it has also shown
favourable trends with
epidemics and infectious
diseases like cholera, the
Spanish Flu, diphtheria,
dengue, and swine flu. So, can homoeopathy be used against the pandemic faced by the world right now?
The AYUSH ministry has recognised homoeopathic medicine as an effective integrated approach to boost immunity and thereby work as a preventive against COVID-19. Dr AK Arun, a public health scientist and national award-winning homoeopathic healer, and Rajiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto, have talked positively about Dr Rajan Sankaran, a world- famous homoeopath from Mumbai, who, in the past few weeks, has successfully treated many COVID-19 patients in countries like Iran, Nepal, Romania, Bolivia, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
Turning to homoeopathy, the Rajasthan government also roped in more than 6,000 AYUSH doctors and compounders to assist the medical staff engaged in combating the pandemic. In Delhi’s AYUSH department, ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines are
The AYUSH ministry has recognised homoeopathy as an effective integrated approach to boost immunity
being given to those who are coming to AYUSH medical centres with mild symptoms and also to some patients in containment zones who don’t have severe symptoms. The focus is on an integrated approach and also to see how our ancient wisdom can be validated in the context of
contemporary realities.
Having been approved by the Drug Controller General of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research, AYUSH trials have begun to include studying and testing the efficacy of various homoeopathic medicines on COVID-19 patients in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Saurabh Kumar, a homoeopath from Agra, is set to experiment with a combination of homoeopathic pills on 100 COVID-19 patients, at Naiminath Homoeopathic Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre. “My team is looking to assess whether these medicines can prevent asymptomatic patients from turning symptomatic or help to stabilise those who are already struggling,” he said.
Since allopathy offers no cure so far, it is only reasonable to try other alternative therapies such as homoeopathy, which have no side- effects, to explore treatment for this pandemic.
Mandala 09


For teachers, online is where the goldmine is!
Online training and learning has been growing for many years now. Top universities such as Stanford and Harvard have been offering online courses for some time. However, Covid-19 has injected new vigour into the demand as well as the supply of online workshops of all kinds. Spiritual workshops are no exception. Consequently, the training fraternity, teachers, gurus, and facilitators have responded to the situation positively. A number of workshops from self-help to personal growth, yoga, and holistic healing, and spiritual retreats are now being designed and delivered through online platforms. In fact, according to Learnworlds. com, the online learning trend is exploding and expected to reach $300 billion by 2025.
Today, when all of us are housebound, online workshops are trending high and the reasons are obvious. To attend them, one doesn’t have to travel anywhere. An individual can attend the workshop live or use the recording to attend as per their convenience. All they need is a quiet room and a good Internet connection. Technology has afforded us real
freedom of choice, which saves not only time and energy but also money. Most online workshops
are substantially cheaper than the ones organised in banquet halls and hotel facilities.
Zubin Mistry, a sound healer, says, “Online workshops are not as close
to live workshops in delivery,
but participation in them is increasing exponentially due to the facility of joining from home. I manage to give them 70 per cent of what they can get in a live workshop session. While I can accommodate only 25 to 28 people in live sessions, I have close to 600 people in my network across the globe. Through online workshops, I can manage 50 to 80 people and more, and this is just the beginning. As technology will improve, so will the number of people attending online sessions.”
Brig Bhasin, an author and leadership coach, says, “The same people I have been pursuing for months and years are now attending my online workshops happily. Infact, these people are joining the complete series of the online coaching sessions. It is a most welcome shift for us.”
Amrut Jadhav, India’s leading memory athlete, who conducts memory development workshops, completed his first 15 hours of online paid workshop spread over three days in May. He spent nothing and used only his credibility and reference to get 15 people. The people paid Rs. 3800 each for this workshop. Amrut left his telecom job last year and now only does workshops. This is the power of the online world; with some amount of marketing, credibility, and talent, you can create a
career out of it.
Global lockdown has shifted the offline learning platforms online
10 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


In search of the silver lining
While the Covid-19 pandemic is sinking global economies and affecting all the sectors worldwide, Bhutan has found a good reason to rejoice and hope for a better future.
Bhutan is using the Covid-19 crisis to boost its agriculture. With the borders closing down to stop the spread of the virus, Bhutan’s food import industry has plummeted. However, the leaders of the country see the pandemic as an opportunity to boost Bhutan’s rich agriculture and wean the country off the expensive imports from neighbouring countries, after decades of unsuccessful attempts to promote self-sufficiency.
“The lockdown has given our farmers the opportunity to substitute a large portion of the country’s vegetable and grain requirements that are imported from outside. We take the Covid-19 pandemic as a blessing in disguise, and the pandemic has called for a test of sustainability,” highlighted Yeshey Penjor, Bhutan’s minister for
agriculture.
In a press briefing at the end of March, Bhutan’s prime minister, Lotay Tshering, reiterated this point. “If we can give agriculture one earnest push today,
we will see that many of our biggest problems have gone away. We will wake up to see that unemployment is
no longer a national issue and we have enough to feed ourselves.”
Penjor urged the farmers to produce self- sufficient food as much as possible, without worrying about the market condition. To motivate the farmers, the Bhutanese government has planned to start a cottage and small industry (CSI) bank, which would provide loans at minimum or zero interest rates for land resurfacing and development support, and direct inputs such as seeds, electric fences, and technical support.
“Given the geopolitical situation in our region, investment in agriculture must be seen as an opportunity. Agriculture is an integral part of our culture, the foundation that supported the claims that Bhutan has always been an independent nation,” remarked Dorji Wangdi, the opposition spokesperson.
Radical steps are being taken to make Bhutan self-sufficient again. From promoting local products to encouraging organic farming, the small country is indeed leaving no stone unturned to re- establish itself as a self- sufficient, independent
nation.
Amid the pandemic, Bhutan takes steps to become a self-sufficient and
independent nation
Mandala 11


HEARTSPEAK
The price of Exaggeration
Dr Aditya Rattan mulls over the negativity created by the habitual use of hyperbole and suggests curbing this tendency to keep away undesirable energies
12 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


I t was an extremely busy day in the OPD, frequency. Not only this, as we go on dissecting
and I was getting edgy. I enquired from
the reception and got to know that only two more patients were left to be examined. A lady in her mid-fifties entered the cabin; it was her first visit. She started narrating her symptoms, explaining every aspect of the pain a doctor needed to know, like the location of the pain, its triggers, the duration of the episode, and the frequency of such episodes. It amused me that she could go on and on without me having to work hard at extracting all the clinical information. She explained the exact location and could trace the pain to the back of her head very specifically and added that this was disturbing her sleep of late and interfering with her schedule. I consoled her and prescribed her some medicines asking her to revisit me after a week.
Her exit paved the way for the last man waiting to enter my chamber. This young guy had come for a follow-up for his stomachache. It didn’t take me much time to modify his prescription and wrap up the morning session after he replied he was feeling better.
Spreading negativity
On my way back home, I got lost in a volley of thoughts. Though nothing unusual had happened, it led me into contemplation: How common it is to keep on reinforcing our bad thoughts. How often we keep on spreading our negative energy through discussions with our friends, family, colleagues, and everyone around. How unaware we are when we keep on spreading this negative aura. Here, I don’t deny the relief the sufferer gets from sharing their pains, but the fact is that we keep on explaining each aspect of our unpleasant emotion to the listener. As we keep discussing the specifics of our suffering, each cell, each atom of our body begins to vibrate in that
the particulars of the botheration, we also impose such vibrations on our fellow beings. A sharing of our emotions is appropriate, but we try to magnify it by exaggerating what could have been a simple narration of our wretched emotions. Psychologically, it provides us mental peace to get the attention and sympathy of the listener.
Have you observed how the psychology of exaggeration rules our mind to impress others? Just ponder over the times when we overstate to prove our point. Not only in times of agony but also in our ordinary day-to-day conversations, to justify our being. Consider these statements:
“I have noted this a million times before.”
“I have been waiting for you for 10 hours.”
“I am seeing you after ages.”
“I have told you 30 times not to play video games.”
Magnifying the mundane
What I am trying to emphasise is that we go overboard to communicate the intensity of our emotions and to strengthen the validity of our statements. While it’s passable to use this kind of language in our daily parlance, it does seep into our habit of explaining things and impressing others. The habit goes awry when we try to communicate our raw and tender emotions. If we go on reinforcing our negative thoughts, we are creating a negative aura around us. We are allowing these unfavourable energies around us to gain more strength. The wave of healthy emotions, positive energy , and peace won’t be able to enter our field easily. We are indeed causing the healing of our bodies more complex.
Heartspeak 13


By reaching a state
of equilibrium and keeping our responses or descriptions short, but enough to communicate our condition, we allow the positive energies and vibrations a space to enter.
Though we convey our agony, pain, and emotions to others to get their help and support, we should desist from giving agonising details to everyone around, like the intensity of pain, its frequency or all other associated symptoms like lack of sleep, disinterest, or lack of appetite. Consider conveying your feelings in a crisp manner such as ‘not feeling well’ or ‘a headache’ or ‘lack of sleep.’ One need not know the whole sequence of the events such as, “I could not get a wink of sleep the whole night. I went to bed after dinner. But the thoughts kept bothering me. Then I got up and watched a movie. I still could not feel tranquil. So I took some pills, but that didn’t help. The bed was not comfortable. Sounds were coming from outside. I kept on glancing at the clock and failed to get sleep.”
You are reliving your traumatic episode in horrifying details. You are reinforcing to your mind that it is difficult to get peaceful sleep. You are causing a set of undesirable energies to envelop all those around you. A direct
communication of being unable to sleep would have conveyed the same message to your companion and would not have reinforced your sleeplessness to your mind.
You need not become a storehouse of your disturbing emotions either. Your consultant physician is the best person to whom you can purge all these miserable thoughts. Spare all the facts for him. All these specifics would aid him to establish a diagnosis faster and make your treatment easier.
By reaching a state of equilibrium and keeping our responses or descriptions short, but enough to communicate our condition, we allow the positive energies and vibrations a space to enter. Since we don’t build a fuzzy cloud of undesirable energies and don’t spread the aura of gloominess around, it is expected that our bodies, emotions, and energies achieve a neutral state faster.
Positive affirmations
Also, consider that whenever we are in a reasonable state of health, we don’t go on detailing our feelings to everyone. In fact, this is exactly what needs to be done at such times. Don’t just give a concise, crisp response of being fine if someone enquires after you. On the contrary, convey your state of health in a charming, radiant and dramatic way, making the most of the situation. Create a positive energy zone all around by replying:
“I am on top of the world!”
“I feel loaded with energy, full of vigour and vitality.”
“I feel like a powerhouse of energy.”
“I feel extremely blessed and full of gratitude.”
14 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


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Hyperbole leads to a pattern of negativity which envelops everyone around you in a set of undesirable energies
Why do we fall short of describing our balanced state of health? Why do we feel shy to create a constructive and optimistic zone around us? Our happiness aura should be enviably infectious. We should carry a force of positive energy and passion. That can be achieved if we go on reaffirming our blissful and healthy state of body, mind, and soul. Let’s decide to be aware of our negative thoughts and be reminded of our exaggerated or unmindful explanations of our pains. Let’s build an aura
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
of positivity around us. Let’s live in gratitude. Filled with these thoughts, I reached my house and parked my car. My wife was strolling in the garden. As soon as I entered the gate, she hugged me tightly and asked me, “How was your day?”
“Great and wonderful, full of energy,” I replied, and we laughed together as we entered the house.
16 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


CLOSE ENCOUNTER
17 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


Surya sheds light on Spirituality
Surya Prakash Mohapatra explains to Annesha Banerjee, the pivotal role that spirituality plays in all aspects of life—personal, conjugal, familial, social, and professional. It encompasses everything.
I t has been more than a year now since I started working with Life Positive, and the changes I have experienced in
my personal and professional life are evident to anyone who knows me well. I started with being an atheist, then changed to being an agnostic, until, finally, spirituality opened up a new world for me. There are many questions about life and the mysteries surrounding it that still crowd my mind, but plenty have been answered too. The people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve gained, and the things I’ve observed have strengthened the belief in me that indeed somewhere, a force stronger than all of us is working, and we are under its love and mercy.
More so, as I am at home, spending my days in quarantine due to the countrywide lockdown, I think about the ideas people have about life. Is there any perfect way to live? Or even a way? Or should we just live life as it comes to us? This quest brought me to Mr Surya Prakash Mohapatra, a thought leader of international repute in the HR and L&D space, who was a speaker at the Becoming Youth Conference 2020, which I attended a few months ago. His ideas about relationships, career, and
failure management among the youth caught my attention. Belonging to this group, I was aware of the dilemma faced by the young population of the country and even around the world—struggling to strike a balance between handling the increasing expectation of society and finding their own paths—and wondered if spirituality is really the answer. Swinging like a pendulum, many youngsters succumb to depression and anxiety, and suffer from various physical and mental health issues. So, when I got the opportunity, my editor encouraged me to follow up with Mr Mohapatra, Global Head of Talent Transformation at Wipro Digital Operations, and interview him. And one fine day, obeying the government rules, taking my place in my now home-office, I contacted him, and the conversation flowed.
. What urged you into the spiritual path. Tell us something about your journey?
I took the spiritual path without even knowing it. My parents are highly spiritual and are disciples of Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra. From my childhood, I grew up sitting in meditation with my parents, without even knowing what meditation was all about. Every day, my mother used to read to me and
Close Encounter 18


my brothers, stories and anecdotes from the scriptures, which made a profound impression on our formative minds. This brush with spirituality in my early childhood turned into an inquisitive pursuit later as I stepped into my youth. I have never looked back thereafter.
. You come from a business background where things are generally perceived from a logical viewpoint and in terms of investment. How does being spiritual help you in your professional life?
It is true; in business, everything is looked at from a logical viewpoint. So is the case with spirituality as well. My Spiritual Guide, Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra says, “The ideas and activities that lead man towards the Cause are spirituality.” Spirituality is about understanding the cause and effect of everything. Understanding of ‘cause and effect’ gives us clarity of vision, and we become wiser. As a result, we become more disciplined about our thoughts and actions.
How does spirituality help me in my professional life? Well, spirituality has made me more focussed, balanced, calm, composed, disciplined, and unwavering. Aren’t these essential ingredients required to become a successful professional?
. Stress and anxiety are part of one’s career and personal life. How do you think one can manage both?
To manage stress and anxiety, we need to understand the cause of stress and anxiety. If we can address the cause, we should be able to control its effect. The primary cause of stress is fear. This may be fear of failure, fear of uncertainty, fear of insecurity, fear of loss, or fear of negative consequences. If we can manage this fear, we can manage or even prevent stress and anxiety. Once again, spirituality
Like the driving coach teaches us how to navigate through the curves, slopes, slides, turns, and frenzy of traffic on the road, a life teacher teaches us how to navigate through the curves, turns, ups, and downs in our lives.
can come in handy here. Spirituality helps us deal with fear more effectively and teaches us equanimity, i.e., the ability to remain calm under any circumstances.
Stress has several signs like irritation, nervous breakdown, headache, tantrums, breathlessness, etc. These are symptoms of stress but not the cause of stress. Unfortunately, most of the so-called stress management experts focus on the symptoms and not on the cause of stress. Like sedatives can provide only temporary relief from pain but not a permanent cure, similarly, techniques to deal with irritation, nervous breakdown, breathlessness, etc. only provide temporary relief from stress but not a permanent solution. Only spirituality is the permanent answer.
. In your speech at the Becoming Youth Conference 2020, you talked about the youth and their inability to deal with friction and conflict owing to their lack of wisdom.
19 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


But wisdom, as they say, is gained with experience. How, do you think, the youth today can gain the wisdom to deal with the uncertainties and disturbances of life?
Yes, wisdom is gained through experience. However, this experience needs to be a guided experience. When you want to learn how to swim, you go to a swimming coach, don’t you? When you want to learn how to drive, you go to a driving coach. Did you jump into your car and start driving, the first time you had the urge to learn driving? I am sure you didn’t do that. Had you done that, most likely, it would have been a disaster. Similarly, if you want to learn how to navigate through the complexities of life, deal with ambiguity and conflict, you need to go to a life teacher or a guide. Like the driving coach teaches us how to navigate through the curves, slopes, slides, turns, and frenzy of traffic on the road, a life teacher teaches us how to navigate through the curves, turns, ups, and downs in our lives. Such a life teacher is called a ‘guru’ or ‘Living Ideal.’ All of us need such a ‘Living Ideal’ in life.
. You also talked about love as being one- sided. Can you please elaborate?
True love is always one-sided, and it is unconditional. In other words, in love, there is ‘no give and take.’ The moment there is ‘give and take,’ it is no longer love; it is a commercial transaction. Love is only about giving and not about taking. When you give something to someone, your love for them increases manifold. On the other hand, when you receive something from someone, your love for the object you receive increases. You feel sad when the other person stops giving you. Haven’t you experienced it?
Let’s think about our parents’ love for us. Their love for us is unconditional and without any expectations. That is why it is so pure.
They love us so much because they give us everything unconditionally.
. There is a communication gap between the millennial generation and the previous generation—in thoughts, ideas, concepts, and in ways of dealing with problems and things. What, in your opinion, could be done to lessen that gap? Can spirituality play a role in helping the youth bring a change and influence the current scenario?
There may be differences between millennials and the previous generations. However, everyone (irrespective of the generation) wants to be happy and successful. To make a meaningful co-existence of different generations possible, we need to find a common ground between them.
Why look at the differences between generations as a problem? Why can’t we look at these differences as a strength for organisations, families, and societies? If we combine the energy and passion of the youth with the wisdom and experience of the earlier generations, we can create a beautiful world.
Can spirituality bring a change here? Yes, it can. Spirituality will inculcate values like respect for elders, tolerance, humility, and patience in the youth, and it will help the elders give up their ego and seamlessly work with the youth.
. Is spiritual development in alignment with professional excellence? If yes, how? Because it is thought that one cannot excel in one’s competitive profession if one becomes too spiritual or that spirituality can be a hindrance to someone who is focussed on professional success.
Spirituality is for all-round development of one’s life—personal, conjugal, familial, social,
Close Encounter 20


Surya believes that spirituality is the pursuit of the ultimate truth which encompasses everything
and professional. Spirituality is the path to self-awareness. Modern management and leadership experts say great business leaders have a high degree of self-awareness. They are aware of their strengths, weaknesses, emotions, feelings, and vulnerabilities. This self- awareness helps them respond to situations more effectively. Spirituality gives us clarity of vision, and that, in turn, helps us make more informed and accurate decisions. Spirituality helps us recognise our larger purpose in life. And modern experts say that organisations, businesses, and individuals need to have a purpose which is bigger than just increasing revenues and amassing profits. Spirituality doesn’t make one less competitive. It makes one go to any extent to achieve one’s larger purpose. Well-known German business leader Anselm Grün says, “Only one who is able to find his peace inside himself, and in God, may
create an atmosphere of peace around himself, making employees feel well and enabling them to enjoy their work.” Spirituality, the pursuit of the ultimate truth, encompasses everything. It does not negate or contradict anything.
. What are your views and observations on relationships, expectations, and failure management among the youth?
If we place brick over brick, we cannot build a wall. To keep the bricks joined together, we need cement. Similarly, if husband and wife stay together in a conjugal relationship, they may still not be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually together. For them to live in unison, they need to have that cementing factor in their life. The cementing factor is the Living Ideal. How many of the relationships in our society today have a common Living Ideal?
21 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


Every relationship is noble. Like human beings, the relationships between people also have a life cycle. Like we need to nourish life, we need to nourish our relationships as well. Like a human being needs utmost care and nourishment in their infancy, similarly, at its formative stage, a relationship also requires utmost attention and care. My two cents to the youth today: “Please nurture and nourish your relationships with your spouses, siblings, friends, and others with love and care. Give everything you can to your relationships.”
Now coming to failure management, I would like to quote my Spiritual Guide, Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra: “Failure need not be weakness; to fail to try is weakness. If, despite your all-out effort in anything, you fail to succeed, no harm; carry on; don’t stop! That unblemished effort must carry you towards the goal.” Spirituality helps us build resilience and fearlessness. It enables us to accept both success and failure with equanimity.
. In times like these, when everyone is locked inside their houses, the economy is not looking too bright, and the situation is taking a toll on the mental health of people. What would you suggest to our readers? Yes, COVID-19 has brought entire mankind to a standstill. Billions of people have been locked inside their homes for several months now. Billions of lives have been severely impacted by this crisis. In the present circumstances, there are two things we should keep in mind:
Failure need not be weakness; to fail to try is weakness. If, despite your all-out effort in anything, you fail to succeed, no harm; carry on; don’t stop! That unblemished effort must carry you towards the goal.
1. Our response: We have no control over the situation that we are in. But we have control over how we respond to the situation. It is our choices in the present circumstances that will determine whether we shall remain happy or unhappy.
2. Our learnings: COVID-19 has taught us many things already. We have an opportunity to carry with us, our learnings about hygienic practices, co-existence with other creatures in nature, resilience in the face of hardships, and the need for frugality, as we move beyond COVID-19. These learnings, if applied with the right intent, could help us prevent another crisis like COVID-19 in future.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
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Enlightening Souls across the globe


LEAD STORY
EMPATHY I FEEL YOU
Having empathy
is one of the
highest hallmarks
of attaining humanhood. The world is desperately in need of more compassion and greater empathy,
yet we often find ourselves struggling with this emotion. Shivi Verma and Shilpa Shah explore the contours of this sacred virtue and how best to remove the obstructions that come in the way of its natural expression.
24 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


Lead Story 25


One doesn’t have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient. —Charles M. Blow
T he Hindi word ‘karuna’ has no equivalent in English, and yet it means a kind of empathy which is full of emotion;
making one feel, understand, and identify with someone else’s pain. Without empathy, the world would become an inhabitable place. Moved by empathy, people often make the highest of sacrifices, if such an act could remove the other’s pain. Many spiritual anecdotes exemplify how seekers were tested on this crucial parameter, before being granted their wish by the Divine.
In the sacred Kanwar Hindu tradition of India, devotees collect Gangajal (water from the holy Ganges) and offer it as Abhishekam on the Shivling, in Rameshwaram (a holy place in South India), during the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan. During one such pilgrimage, Sant (saint) Eknath of Maharashtra filled two pots filled with Gangajal in Varanasi and carried them slung across his shoulders to offer them to Lord Shiva at Rameshwaram. On the way, Sant Eknath, along with his fellow pilgrims who were also carrying pots filled with holy water, had to cross huge mountains, rivers, jungles, and several obstacles to reach their final destination. Being peak summertime, the scorching heat from the sun was unbearable.
Yet, without uttering a word of complaint, he continued on the journey with complete faith and love for the Divine in his heart.
Just when their destination was barely a few steps away, the group noticed an emaciated donkey withering away on the parched earth. It was obvious that the poor creature was dying of thirst. On watching this sight, Sant Eknath’s heart melted. He knew that if he didn’t do something to help, the donkey would die. Such was his empathy for the suffering animal that he quickly offered it the entire holy water that he had been painstakingly carrying for miles without much ado. The donkey lapped up every drop of it and soon, feeling restored and recharged, stood up braying happily.
Other members of the group who were watching this scene were shocked to see Sant Eknath give away all the holy water to the animal. They exclaimed, “Oh, what have you done? Now that all your holy water is gone, you have nothing left to offer at the Lord’s feet, and so your pilgrimage shall remain incomplete!” The saint, however, replied calmly, “What you say is correct, but how could I just be a mere bystander and leave the poor donkey to die, without giving it some water to quench its
26 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


thirst? However, I am quite sure that not only will Lord Rameshwar forgive me for this but shall also be delighted.”
According to folklore, only Sant Eknath was given darshan (blessed by His presence) by Lord Shiva amongst all other pilgrims as only he had understood the real meaning of service and devotion to God.
What is empathy
Empathy is about being aware of and sensitive to other people’s feelings. In its essence, it is the ability to put yourself in the other’s shoes, not as you, but as ‘them’ and feel their pain without holding any kind of judgment. For someone who is truly empathetic, every creature throbs with life and energy and nothing can ever be lifeless or inanimate. Empathetic people are highly aware of the sentience of others—whether humans, animals, or plants—and their ability to feel pain and hurt, and are therefore careful about how they treat others. Alfred Adler, an Austrian doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of Individual Psychology, says, “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”
One of the greatest signs of being human is the ability to feel empathy, a sense of oneness with others. Empathy has the unique power to unite people across borders, nationalities, creed, class, and gender divides because it makes one identify with the core of our existence— our humanness. If you ever have wondered what prompts people to help strangers trapped because of the lockdown, reach out to those caught in the massive Australian bushfire, or pray to God to help others overcome these calamities, the answer is just one—empathy.
Too often, we underestimate
the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
—Leo Buscaglia
It is empathy, love in action, that makes us pool money and resources to help people during natural disasters, come together to clean up beaches, distribute blankets in chilly winters to the needy, talk kindly to strangers, and nurse and feed wounded animals found lying on the roadside. Many kind souls even endanger their own lives to help others. And what is most noticeable is that they don’t do this to ‘show off’ or gain any mileage out of these noble acts. They simply do it because they deeply feel the suffering of others and respond to them whichever way they can.
Why do people lack empathy?
“The highest form of knowledge is empathy.”— Bill Bullard.
Everything is pulsating and vibrating in this vast Universe. In fact, the one who is alive from within can feel and perceive the aliveness which is throbbing in every single thing of this world. Such a person is automatically aware
Lead Story 27


Empathy makes you understand the sentience present in all living beings.
of the pain sensors which are present in all living beings. To be empathetic, one needs to be emotionally intelligent, which also serves as a measure of an individual’s maturity level, for only an emotionally intelligent person can practice empathy.
Yet, there are examples galore in human society which indicate that the human race suffers from a shocking lack of empathy. Instances of rapes, murders, exploitation, xenophobia, and pogroms do tell us that, often, there are other things which determine the choice of our actions and which often overrule empathy.
What could be the reasons for this incongruence in human reality and behaviour? The answer lies in the pliability of the human mind. The human mind can be conditioned to act either for the sake of the larger good or its opposite.
If the mind gets indoctrinated with the idea that others have fewer rights or lower social status, it becomes much easier for people to not empathise or identify with their suffering. Dhruvika Kapur, a dermatologist based in Chandigarh, says, “While studying in college, I got embroiled in a discussion over the ethicality of eating meat as it involved taking the life of an animal. However, a friend of mine justified eating non-vegetarian food on the basis that according to her religion, animals did not possess a soul, and therefore it was not sinful to kill and eat them. She was completely convinced that it was her right to do so and that nothing could change her mind. I was surprised to see how religious indoctrination could easily convince a person to shut the voice of her own soul.”
Despite the fact that empathy benefits everyone,
28 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


and is natural to humans, it is unfortunate that the fabric of our society has been tattered several times because of the selfish, cruel, and inhuman acts of a group, individual, or a section of society. Let’s explore the possible reasons for our unempathetic behaviour.
Selfishness or greed
The presence of abattoirs, female infanticide, the terrible abuse of natural resources like deforestation, relentless mining, poaching of waterbodies, and the extinction of many animal and bird species are just a few examples of extreme human selfishness which gives rise to a lack of empathy. Pick up any book on world history or glance at any newspaper, news channel, or crime-based serial and you will find umpteen instances of cruel and barbaric acts committed by humans on innocent people because they were blinded by their greed for power, money, and control. This greed has led to the subjugation of races, species, genders, and regions across the world.
Dehumanisation of victims
Dehumanisation can be described as the denial of humanness to others and the cruelty and suffering that accompany it. In the book Less Than Human, author David Livingstone Smith says that dehumanisation opens the door for cruelty and genocide. During the Holocaust, the Nazis referred to Jews as rats. Slave owners throughout history considered slaves as subhuman animals. By dehumanising people and considering them low, inferior, or evil, one does not feel any remorse for hurting them. For centuries, women have suffered untold atrocities because they are often considered inferior to men. Most sufferers of domestic or narcissistic abuse complain of one thing in common: that their oppressors lacked empathy. They did not have the ability to feel
Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘You’re not alone.’
—Brene Brown
the pain they subjected their victims to. Sadly, this apathy is at times so deeply rooted that the ‘other’ just does not exist for them.
Mute and innocent animals too have been at the receiving end of human brutality because they are considered lesser beings. The meat and dairy industry is the perfect example of human beings becoming insular to the suffering caused to millions of helpless animals because it helps fulfil their momentary craving for flesh and milk. The filthy, unhygienic conditions in which these animals are caged and bred speaks volumes about our disconnect with empathy. Even today, numerous drug and cosmetic companies subject animals to extreme torture and cruelty, just to test if their products are safe for human consumption.
Empathy is for the weak
Another reason for the lack of empathy in
Lead Story 29


We think we listen, but
very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know. —Carl Rogers
society is the equation of machismo with being insensitive or unfeeling as a person. Emotions such as empathy, tenderness, caring, and thoughtfulness are associated with women and hence dismissed as the attributes of the weak, making them undesirable for men to nurture in themselves. An idea propagated and imposed by the patriarchal society. The Good Men Project, an initiative that aims to challenge public perception of what it means to be a man in the 21st century, describes toxic masculinity as a form of manhood that’s “defined by violence, sex, status, and aggression. ”The organisation explains that men who exhibit behaviour affiliated with toxic masculinity often view stereotypically feminine traits, such as being emotionally vulnerable, in a negative light.
Toxic masculinity doesn’t solely affect the boys and men who exhibit ‘toxic’ behaviour but also those around them who may not identify with or relate to conventionally masculine
traits. Usually, men who display kindness, emotion, and empathy get termed as ‘sissy.’ This is the reason why bullies often come to be regarded as leaders by society and are usually at the forefront of enterprises that run on the exploitation of the marginalised, weak, and oppressed.
However, aggression is counterintuitive. The more fearful you are, the more afraid you will be to show empathy and vulnerability. In contrast, to show empathy, you need to be strong from within and not be afraid of being considered weak and vulnerable by others. The New Age men, for example, who have discovered their interconnection with the Universe and all of life on Planet Earth, often leave conventional careers to work in harmony with the earth, the environment, and the underprivileged section of society.
Empathy can be troublesome
It is an interesting point and perhaps the reason why people often display a lack of empathy. We often ignore beggars, the sick, the dying, and the abandoned because our minds tell us that we cannot afford to solve each and every problem on earth. We are already so fatigued with what is going on around us that we get unbearably overwhelmed by the depressing state of our surroundings. As the world outside is getting uglier, more and more empathetic people are turning away from TV, newspapers, or anything that might disturb or pain them. Empathetic people also run the risk of being manipulated by fraudsters, who might fake a problem to get their help, thereby draining and exploiting them. To a certain extent, it is okay to shield ourselves, but as we grow spiritually, we just cannot remain indifferent to the suffering around us, for real empathy makes us act, move, and take serious measures
30 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


to mitigate it. Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Swami Vivekananda, Baba Amte, and Mahatma Gandhi are the best examples of empathetic people who could not stay unmoved by human suffering and decided to do something about it in a constructive manner.
Can empathy be cultivated?
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, the founder of The Art of Living Foundation, which has more than 450 million followers across the globe, provides some interesting insights on empathy:
“As humans, we are all born with a certain amount of empathy. So it is both natural and can also be nurtured. But, to be able to express empathy, one needs to be stress-free, because if you are stressed, you will not be able to express empathy even if you have it. Secondly, one does not have to put efforts to cultivate empathy. Even if you are simply aware of the situation, you will find that empathy is already rising in you. Feelings cannot be enforced either on you or on others; you cannot force yourself to like something; either you like it or don’t like it. The latter could be because you have limited understanding, or your mind is clogged with prejudices, or you are stressed. So, the solution is to make your mind free from stress, free from prejudice, and to broaden your awareness, and then, with that, your perception changes. The moment your perception changes, your connection with everything around improves. And when you feel connected to everybody and everything, you can’t but love or like them.”
So, in such a scenario, is it not counterproductive for business leaders to be empathetic at the workplace? Sri Sri answers with a firm “No, it is not.” He clarifies, “Your heart and brain can be developed simultaneously, and they have defined roles, which can be played perfectly
in a balanced way. Every business person has both feelings as well as an intellect which is capable of sharp observations, so you need not sacrifice one to practise the other and it can be easily done. The secret is a bit of wisdom and meditation.”
Many successful business leaders now emphasise on a work culture that promotes humility, empathy, and trust amongst their employees. Recently, at an event, Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani applauded the Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, for his leadership style, which is largely based on empathy, trust, and the philosophy that it isn’t just about product or profit but about people and their continuous reinvention of capability, which is the strength of an organisation.
Pain can make you empathetic
If one has never experienced suffering, troubles, fears, challenges, or loss, one will not understand what others feel when they go through hardships. Therefore, pain not only makes you humble but also empathetic. You avoid judging others or feeling superior to them because you know first-hand how it felt when you were hurt. You are mature enough to realise what the other person needs and offer exactly that instead of giving sermons. Nivedita Kamra, 34, a Delhi-based corporate lawyer, struggled with depression, but nobody could understand her state, empathise with her or help her in anyway as they had no idea of what a depressed person experiences. She battled with the disease all alone. However, with time, she slowly overcame her problem. She says, “A few years later, my brother too came down with depression. But since I had gone through it and knew what kind of help a patient of depression is looking for, I could immediately come to his rescue.” She took complete care of him and
Lead Story 31


held him in a way that she was herself denied. With her genuine efforts, he started healing gradually. No wonder he remains immensely grateful to her for her empathetic behaviour.
Empathy is also an extension of great kindness and sensitivity. Empathetic people do not overreact when someone complains to them about any of their mistakes. They patiently listen and try to understand where the person is coming from and apologise if their actions have caused any hurt. But sometimes, pain can also make people insensitive. It is a conscious choice, whether to transmute your pain to kindness and empathy or use it to build anger and vengeance in yourself. Many criminals, for example, have a long history of abuse and violence, which makes them angry and vengeful, making them take it out on other more vulnerable souls. Even in your personal relationships, anger can block you from feeling empathy for your friends, family members, or spouse. Hence, for empathy to take root, you need to keep working on your ego, entitlement, and anger issues.
The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism. —Hannah Arendt
Empathy for your own self
However, no amount of empathetic behaviour is complete if it excludes empathy for your ownself. We often overgive, just to get in the good graces of people we want to please or prove our worth or merit. Empathy for ourselves helps us set boundaries and ensure our overall welfare. It offers a great lesson in humility too, as it makes you aware of your own limitations: how much you can do and when you need to stop putting in the effort. It helps you acknowledge the fact that just like all other human beings, even you are capable of making mistakes and learning from them and, therefore, deserve all the compassion, kindness, and understanding you so easily extend to others. Being empathetic towards yourself allows you to speak your truth, give your body and mind the much-needed rest and nourishment, find solutions to your problems, ask for help, and do what makes you truly happy.
Tessa Menatian, a writer and editor at Key Step Media, says, “When we take responsibility for forgiving and caring for ourselves, the compassion we extend to others also becomes more genuine. Self-empathy enhances our confidence and inner strength and opens us up to connection and shared purpose. This enables us to inspire others with our vision and articulate common goals. Self-empathy can also make it easier to forgive people in our lives. When we replace self-criticism with self- understanding and accept that, as humans, we will inevitably make mistakes, it becomes easier to extend this understanding to others.”
On the other hand, judging ourselves too harshly makes us strict perfectionists who are, consequently stressed. People who commit suicide due to a failure in life are victims of lack of empathy for themselves. Hence, it
32 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


Empathy makes us understand and identify with some one else’s pain and do something to mitigate it
is important to always have a kind word for yourself and allow yourself to benefit from the kindness and compassion that you think others are worthy of.
Difference between empathy, sympathy, and apathy
Though commonly used, there is an important distinction between the three. Sympathy involves understanding someone’s pain. Compassion includes taking some action which was amiss in sympathy. While in empathy, you actually experience those feelings, as if you were the same person who is in distress. As humans, when someone loses a dear one, we can relate to the situation, share their sadness, feel sympathy, and even compassion but not necessarily experience what the sufferer is actually going through. But in empathy, you feel things from the other person’s perspective, as if you are that person who is going through that situation.
Osho says, “The experience of empathy is very rare. You know what sympathy means; you also know what apathy means; but empathy you do not know. Sympathy and apathy are opposed to each other. Empathy is beyond both. To help you understand it, let me tell you an incident in Ramakrishna’s life.
He was in a boat surrounded by his disciples, going to the other shore of the Ganges near Calcutta. And suddenly, without any apparent reason, he started screaming, “Don’t beat me!” Tears started flowing from his eyes, and one could see that his body was getting distorted as if somebody were beating him. The disciples could see nobody there, but he was immensely tortured.
“When they reached the other shore, they found a fisherman with a big crowd surrounding him. He had been beaten by a few people. And the strangest thing was that the same bruises and
Lead Story 33


xxxxxxx
Being empathetic towards yourself allows you to speak your truth and makes way for body and mind nourishment
scratches that had come up on his back had come up on Ramakrishna’s back too.
“This is empathy. You feel so one with the other that your separate identities lose their boundaries. The other’s thirst becomes your thirst, the other’s hunger becomes your hunger, the other’s joy becomes your joy. The other is no longer other; some secret passage has opened between two beings, a deep connectedness. “Apathy is inhuman. When you are apathetic towards anybody, your heart becomes harder. The more apathetic you are, the more your heart will lose its great qualities. It will become just a pumping mechanism for breathing, but not a bridge for feeling. Empathy is the only
quality that joins you with the life current within other human beings, animals, trees— with the whole existence.”
The science of empathy
Empathy being a precious moral and social resource, many scientific researches have been carried out to understand its origin and functioning: what exactly goes on in our brains when we empathise? Can neuroscience help us understand as to why we care? Well, cognitive neuroscience research shows that experiencing empathy involves specific parts of our brains, which include learned behaviours and unconscious responses. The activation of ‘mirror neurons’ in the brain leads to the ability
34 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


to mirror and mimic the emotional responses that people would feel if they were in similar situations.
Benefits of empathy
There are several benefits of being able to experience empathy:
• Empathy helps you build trust. Rather than wearing a mask or being on the defensive, empathy gives you the space to allow your authentic self to come forward, thereby promoting transparency and also providing a real understanding in your interactions with others.
• It allows you to build better relationships and strong social connections with others. By understanding what people are feeling and thinking, empathetic people are able to respond better and appropriately.
• Empathy enables actions of caring and concern. Not only are you more likely to express caring ways when you feel empathy for othersbut even they are prompted to help you when they experience empathy.
• Empathy also enables healthy, win-win interactions, where every person involved in the situations feels heard, understood, and is respected and helps in focussing on what truly matters between human beings and also ensures safety and dignity for everyone.
Have compassion and empathy in your heart. Many people are suffering deep emotional anguish beneath the surface of their lives, and smile even as they hurt inside.
—Jim Palmer
Let us begin to listen to the voice of empathy in our hearts. Let us not exempt anyone from our empathy, whether its men, women, children, the elderly, animals, birds, or the plant kingdom. Surely, we all can benefit from a little more empathy. And we all can do with a little less judgment.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
Lead Story 35


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Angels Speak is the irst Indian Oracle book of divine messages, A afirmations and ifteen Archangels channeled illustrations, all infused
with potent divine energy to bring extraordinary transformations. Before the change is an a rmation. Before the a rmation
Wisdom, knowledge and above all - love, pour out of this book and is ready to low into the lives of all who read and experience it. This book is a powerful source of daily divine guidance, as well as an oracle book of guidance for speciic situations of life that may need to be transcended. Angels Speak will help you heal and ind joy, peace and love within and with everyone and everything around you. It awakens you to not just stay positive, but attract positive energies into your life, just as Roshani's channelled prayers, messages and afirmations have done to all who bear testimony in the book.
"Being a great follower of Roshani's accurate Angel Messages, when I heard she was writing a book I could not wait to pick it up as I knew it would be a treasure trove. If you are reading these words, then you must pick up this book too as I truly believe the Universe brings treasures into your hands. Simply recognise them."
- Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop Singer, Actor & Motivational Speaker, London - UK/India
"This is the irst book on Oracles that I have seen from India and each word resonates with a sense of strength and divinity. Treat it as good as divine guidance on a daily basis. A must read for every person who is desirous of positive transformations in their life and making it your permanent partner."
- Abha Maryada Banerjee India's 1st internationally acclaimed Woman Motivational Speaker and Leadership Author
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This book is a dialogue every man’s soul wants to have with him
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is an insight. Before the insight is a seeking. Beyond the seeking is a struggle. But in the deep dark origins of human pain, perhaps an illness, a helplessness, a self-destructive
despondency, is the singularly unique path forg
own original compassionate energies to help us transcend our most debilitating weaknesses. Further down this path of letting go of our fundamental darkness, we become the lighter beings of light we were always meant to be.
Suma Varughese’s long awaited second volume of life’s insights chronicles a universally human journey into the light. In a world of spiritual hares and tortoises, no one is left behind and the nishing line is an ever-shifting beckoning to rise
to our own incredible potential.
Each of us embodies an emotional baggage of sanskars (personality traits) and karmic accounts not only of this lifetime, but of many births. These are deep rooted rejections, doubts, low self-esteem, insecurities, which we will carry forward with us into our next birth, unless we let go now. Suma’s wisdom and personal experiences touch the soul and help us to start unpacking. She inspires us to start loving ourselves and then letting go becomes easy. Travelling Lighter, in our hands as a book today, will very soon become our natural way of being and living.
sister bk shivani RajyogaMeditationteacherandpresenter of the television programme, Awakening with Brahmakumaris
Suma’s columns are a seeker’s personal diary. The lofty becomes routine. The universal becomes particular. The in nite comes home. Jargon dissolves and a very lived wisdom emerges.
devdutt pattanaik ChiefBeliefO cerofFutureGroupand bestselling author of several books
Your Daily Dose of Divine Love
Roshani
(Shenazz Nadirshah)
The irst Indian Book of Divine Oracle Messages and Afirmations
Foreword by Ruzbeh Bharucha, Author of ‘The Fakir’ Trilogy and many other bestsellers
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Have you ever wondered why your life has turned out the way it has? Is there a reason you keep attracting the same patterns repeatedly? Are you struggling with challenges at work and in your relationships? Do negative emotions, stress, exhaustion and loneliness plague you?
Angels Speak
Heal the Storm Within
SUMA VARUGHESE TRAVELLING LIGHTER
Roshani (Shenazz Nadirshah)
Deepak Rai
personal transformations, impr
For the Body, Mind & Spirit www.lifepositive.com
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GURUSPEAK
Be stress-free
Sister B K Shivani advises us to take charge of eliminating stress from our lives
No matter how well we plan and distribute our workload, our buttons
get frequently pressed in our personal as well as professional life. We have come to believe that stress is a normal part of our lives. However, unless we manage our stressors, we can neither remain calm nor give our best.
Consider these situations :
• Suppose, we are sitting on a chair and feeling uncomfortable. Do we scold the chair for it? We take responsibility and change our
position or the chair.
• Suppose our hand gets near
a burning candle flame. We don’t blame the flame. We withdraw our hand.
However, when we are stressed, we often do nothing because we believe that this pain is natural. Our deepest belief is, “I am not responsible for my state of mind. People or situations stress me out.” The truth is, our response is 100 per cent our responsibility.
comes to tell us there is something we need to change internally. It is the result of thinking wrong thoughts, which lead to wrong words and behaviours, thereby increasing our pain.
Scientifically, stress is expressed by the formula:
Stress = Pressure divided by
Resilience.
The same formula is applicable
in our life too.
• Pressure (numerator) = Exams, targets, health, money, time, traffic, weather, boss, spouse, children, etc.
• Resilience (denominator) = Our inner strength to face the pressure, i.e., our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.
Therefore, STRESS is equal to OUR SITUATIONS divided by OUR INNER STRENGTH.
The numerator is not in our control; however, the denominator is entirely so. Instead of trying to control the stressors, let’s focus on increasing our resilience. Like this, the stress will start reducing naturally.
Following are simple steps to
for your thoughts, words, and actions. Never blame situations, people, or God.
• Meditate and study spiritual knowledge to fill your mind with positive thoughts.
• Read, listen, and watch only pure and powerful content throughout the day. Withdraw from arguments, conflicts, gossip, and judgments.
• Release expectations, and accept people as they are. Advise or discipline them with respect and dignity.
• Accept challenging situations, and focus on what you should do next.
• Forgive people, and release past hurts. Don’t wait for them to apologise or change.
• Don’t compare or compete. Remain happy and be ready to perform more than your capacity.
• Practise right eating, drinking, and sleeping.
• Use your values in every situation, even if no one else is using them.
Sister Shivani is a teacher at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University and a senior Rajyoga teacher living in Gurugram. She is known for the popular programme ‘Awakening with Brahma Kumaris’ which started in 2007.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
increase your resilience:
Stress is an emotional pain, which • Take personal responsibility
37


FOOD
Lockdown with lentils!
Naini Setalvad urges us to beat the COVID-19 blues with basic food that is highly nutritious and easily available
38 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


L ife has taken an unprecedented turn (tuvar), black gram (urad), chickpeas (kabuli
for all of us. While some of us were
out preparing for a job promotion or a family addition or even a mini-vacation, each and every plan has come to a standstill due to COVID-19. Now, here we are, a few weeks into the lockdown. I am thankful to be home and safe, focussing on the one thing I can control in these times—the food I am using to nourish and nurture my body and my mind.
The food that we eat is not just for sustenance and energy; eating food that is good for the soul also helps in creating a positive mindset and gives an overall sense of peace.
I have figured out the easiest meal to eat, to feel good and healthy—the simple dal chawal (dal and rice) or dal roti (dal and Indian bread) or khichdi (a mix of dal and rice) along with the humble but mighty onion. When suggesting these meals to clients over the past few weeks, they have come to me with feedback saying they do feel better after eating these combinations at mealtimes. I too can attest for it, as my body and soul sing with joy when I eat one of these nutritionally complete, stand-alone meals.
It is a sincere request to all to fear not the holy grain. India has a vast variety of whole grains; even just rice or wheat is good fuel for your body, which will keep you going. These complex carbohydrates are known to satiate you as they are high in fibre and contain powerful antioxidants and Vitamin B which are excellent in boosting your immunity and improving your mood and digestion.
I believe pulses to be the little superfoods of the plant kingdom. I say this because they contain fibre, protein, and magnesium, are high in folate, iron, potassium, and antioxidants, and can reduce inflammation. Be it pigeon pea
chana), red lentil (masoor), yellow, green, and split moong, kidney beans (rajma), chickpea powder (besan), or moth beans (mutkhi), the list is endless.
One of the main reasons I am focussing on combining grains with any plant-based protein is because this superior combination provides one with all the essential amino acids required by the body, thus making it a balanced meal. We are blessed to have ease of access to these foods. To make it nutritious, healing, and tasty, cook it in cow’s ghee along with onions and Indian spices from the masala box in your kitchen, which I say is the true treasure chest of good health.
Just as the onion has many layers, it reaps many health benefits too. Most importantly, at this time when we have to keep our respiratory tract and mucous linings clean and phlegm-free, the onion helps as it has medicinal properties that prevent colds and coughs, bronchitis and influenza. Belonging to the Allium group of vegetables, it is rich in antioxidants which assist in protecting healthy cells in your body from unstable free radicals that are a by- product of breathing.
So throw out the myth that vegetarians lack protein; it is, actually, quite the opposite! Let me re-emphasise that we are truly blessed to have access to the Indian diet which is filled with complete carbohydrates and protein power when cooked in various forms and combinations. So whether you have roti with dal, rice with dal, bread with dal, or khichdi, they all are excellent combinations. Remember to add the onion.
Believe in the healing and nurturing power of these simple yet delicious meals that you can
Food 39


provide for you and your family. Thank Mother Nature every day for the plant kingdom that has provided us with all the foods necessary to survive.
Join me in thanking God daily that the supply chain is giving us enough vegetarian carbohydrates and proteins that are boosting our immunity to fight this disease. So, feed your family with full confidence that this simple meal meets all your nutritional needs.
SOUL-FOOD KHICHDI
Ingredients:
1 cup any dal (moong, tuvar, masoor) 1 cup any rice
3 onions, chopped
1 tbsp cow’s ghee or vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1⁄4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1⁄4 tsp red chilli powder
1⁄4 tsp of asafoetida (hing)
3-4 curry leaves
2 cloves of garlic, made into paste 1⁄4 inch ginger, crushed into paste 1 green chilli, chopped
3 cups water
Any salt as per taste
Any vegetables, optional
Method:
• Take the dal and rice in a bowl, rinse a couple of times, and soak for half an hour. Remove excess water by draining and keep it aside.
• Chop the onion and other optional vegetables like (tomato, carrots, capsicum, French beans) and keep aside.
• On a low flame in a pressure cooker, add the cow’s ghee or vegetable oil. To this add the spices: cumin seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida.
• Add the onions in this and sauté till they are transparent.
• Add ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder, and red chilli powder and stir for a few more minutes.
• Add the optional vegetables and green chillies and sauté for a few more minutes.
• Add the dal and rice mixture to this and mix.
• Add 3 cups of water to this, or more, as per the desired consistency.
• Add any salt to taste.
• Pressure cook for about 8 to 9 whistles.
• Open pressure cooker once pressure falls. • Serve hot and enjoy!
40 LifePositive | JUNE 2020
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]


WELLBEING
Staying positive
through the
pandemic
The lockdown can be either a source of stress and anxiety or our spiritual and mental growth, depending on how we approach it, says Nikita Mukherjee
41 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. —Martin Luther King, Jr.
O ur mental makeup is how we think, feel, and act. Mental health, thus, is decided by how you cope with stress. It is of utmost importance to take care of mental health because we perceive this world through our mind. In case of poor mental health, we will go astray and will not be able to experience life in its real sense,” says Mr Santosh Joshi, Life Transformation Coach, author, speaker,
mentor, and founder of SKY Healing.
Mental illness is like a monster embedded deep inside us, which suddenly comes out and takes over our existence. It’s like an invisible wound which no one can see but the pain of which can only be felt by the sufferer.
Unfortunately, with the recent Covid-19 pandemic gripping the entire globe, mental problems are witnessing a surge across the world. Due to lockdowns and suspension ofeconomic activities, people have been forced to live in their homes for extended periods with little to no scope for outside movement. The fear of contracting COVID-19, combined with financial worries, fear of job loss, savings depletion, and an uncertain future are making people fearful, upset, and anxious. Monotony and boredom as well as unaddressed relationship issues are raising their ugly head, only to make people feel suffocated and emotionally unstable.
This bleak situation is adversely affecting the mental health of people. “I think the two biggest reasons for our mental health to deteriorate during the pandemic is the fear of death which comes along with various uncertainties related to our dreams, ambitions, health, finance, career, and jobs; in short, our future,” says Dr Pulkit Sharma, a clinical psychologist and author from Pondicherry.
Moreover, in a generation where people are habituated to going out and spending maximum time outside their homes, a lockdown has made everyone restive. Nobody has any idea of how to pass their time and are complaining mostly of getting bored, which is gradually causing a mental breakdown.
“A pandemic first enters our mind before it enters our body. As soon as it enters our mind, it causes fear, insecurity, loneliness, anxiety, depression,and stress. These problems, if not addressed, may cause serious mental health issues,” says Santosh Joshi.
So what can be done to eradicate mental health problems, if not the virus, in such critical times?
Learn a new skill
Many people complain about getting bored of sitting idle, which makes them anxious,
Wellbeing 42


lethargic, and, at times, depressive. Keeping yourself busy by learning a new skill will eliminate boredom as well as keep you relaxed, calm, and composed, eliminating the possibility of a mental breakdown. Skills like cooking, painting, or learning an instrument (subjective to one’s liking) will not only keep you engaged but will also develop your personality during this quarantine. Reading books on a variety of genres and researching will subsequently enhance your knowledge and make you wiser and smarter, which can pay off later in life. “I acquired a new skill—video editing. I thought that it was the best time to bring out my hidden talent and polish it. And guess what! Not only is it keeping me busy but is also paying off in terms of my mental health as I am hardly stressed,” says Shivam Choudhary, a former hotelier.
Work out to beat stress
Taking care of your body by working out, doing
yoga, and consuming healthy food during the lockdown will not only make you fit but will also keep you mentally stable.
Physical exercises release a lot of happy hormones like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood. Regular exercise can positively impact serotonin levels in your brain. Not only does exercise fill you with positive energy, but it also helps you shed extra weight, making you feel confident and look fitter.
Yoga and pranayama too are excellent tools to stay in shape and feel positive and happy. Pranayama increases the absorption of oxygen in the body, releases toxins, improves blood circulation, and activates the chakras (energy centres). With no urgency to go out, one can invest time in practising these important lifeskills and benefit from them.
43 LifePositive | JUNE 2020
The lockdown can be used to learn a new skill


Meditate and keep yourself busy
Meditation is a great way to calm your anxieties and access the state of peacefulness which exists within each one of us. If you do not know how to do it, you can enrol for online spiritual classes, webinars and events which can give you insight into knowing your inner-self , and how to keep your mind calm and relaxed. “Meditate every day, develop a healthy routine for yourself, have a good sleep, exercise, drink enough water and don’t fall into the trap of junk food, though it is a comfort food, as it will aggravate the situation,” says Santosh Joshi. Also, indulging in creative activities like DIY, painting, re-decorating and re-organising your house will not only revamp your place but will also rejuvenate you from inside.
The quarantine period can also be used to finish all our pending works which were left unfinished due to our otherwise busy schedule. From completing an unfinished project to binge watching all those pending TV Series and movies, there’s nothing you’re really short of doing. With so much negativity around during a pandemic, the least an individual can do is to invest their time in doing entertaining and productive activities which will keep them upbeat and positive.
Stay away from negativity
A pandemic is a time where everyone is stressed due to factors like the economic crisis, government restrictions, large scale casualties, and fake news which create needless confusion, fear and anxiety. All this negativity can affect your mental health and activate your panic mode. Komal Bagri, who is currently pursuing a PhD, says, “I try to stay away from social media and news channels as much as possible as they largely circulate news reports which are very disturbing to read and see. I take things at my own pace and meditate as much as possible
to deflect negative thoughts and stay peaceful during such harsh times.”
Dr Pulkit wants everyone to understand that social media is a part of our lives but not our life itself. “Nowadays, the majority of the population are addicted to social media and spend all their time on their phones, whether they are bored or busy. It is harmful not just for our physical health but also our mental health because of the kind of information which is circulated through such mediums. That is why I have restricted my social media usage to a maximum of just 1-2 hours everyday. I also sign in and sign out every day from all my social media accounts in order to avoid the constant, unnecessary notifications.” He further explains that just like we schedule our other activities like working out and reading, the use of social media too should be scheduled similarly. Continues Dr Pulkit, “This way, we will be able to focus on other important priorities, which will automatically keep our mental health in check.”
Connecting lives and spreading love
Earlier, we hardly had time to catch up with our family and friends because of our busy and hectic schedules. But now, the pandemic lockdown gives us a lot of time to connect with others. We are isolated with our families, and this allows us to spend quality time with them. Connecting and communicating with family and friends can keep us calm and relaxed, which is a much-needed requirement of the present times. Moreover, addressing our mental condition and openly seeking help and support can go a long way in overcoming stress and soldering bonds with our loved ones. Counselling our friends and family members can brighten up their day and even make us happy. “It is important to listen to others, reassure them, and give them hope during
Wellbeing 44


such hard times. Let others speak their heart out and give them a sense of being. Keep your own perspectives of the situation aside, listen carefully, and try to understand others and look at the world through their eyes,” explains Dr Pulkit.
A new world, a new us
While we all agree that Covid-19 has shaken our lives and changed our routine completely, we cannot waste our time complaining about everything and getting anxious and depressed. According to me, this is the best time for self- evaluation and self-introspection. If we all look at the pandemic from a positive point of view, the lockdown is more like a much-needed break we always wished for. Taking some time off the radar and concentrating on ourselves will not only keep our mental health in place but will also make us wiser and stronger individuals in times to come. “Stay calm, have faith, patience, and self-belief, believe in the larger plan, believe that everything has a deeper meaning, hone your skills, upgrade yourselves, and plan for the future. Meditate every day. Practice SKY healing, a breathing technique. It will not only help you keep fit physically but also mentally,” emphasises Santosh Joshi.
Dr Pulkit Sharma believes that it is a golden opportunity to re-evaluate our lifestyle and think about what really matters. “Don’t lose the wisdom gained. The pandemic has served as a basis for all of us to realise that nature is the ultimate force and something we shouldn’t meddle with. Once the pandemic gets over, I hope everyone becomes smart enough to not rush into the old materialistic lifestyle and, instead, concentrate on the simple things in life.”
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
Stay calm, have faith, patience, and self-belief, believe in the larger plan, believe that everything has a deeper meaning, hone your skills, upgrade yourselves, and plan for the future. Meditate every day.
On another note, the outbreak of coronavirus has been really beneficial for nature. From improvement in the air-quality index to clear blue skies, animals roaming freely on the roads and rare birds in sight, the contagion has managed to save Mother Nature, which was destroyed by humanity for its materialistic gains.
Global crises are a wake-up call for everyone living on this planet. They give us the space to think about where we have gone wrong as a global community, re-evaluate our choices, and understand the true meaning of our existence. Hopefully, if we take proper care of ourselves and our mental well-being during these times, we will step out as wiser, stronger, and better individuals who will stop taking advantage of our privileges and become more compassionate beings.
45 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


AHA-MOMENTS
Faith over fear
Looking fear straight in the eye will eventually fructify as faith, finds Megha Bajaj
I had a strange dream a few from dealing with complexities Same was the case with speaking
days ago. I was at a beautiful
resort with my best friend and my Shih Tzu puppy, Zen Bajaj, the cute teddy bear lookalike. I was having the time of my life—when suddenly, something changed. Apparently, the resort people were kidnapping dogs and keeping them in cages. I was beside the pool when I got to know this, and Zen was in our room. Strangely, even in my dream, I felt this sense of security that Zen will be fine. Nothing can happen to him. I experienced this sheer faith that all will be well. Especially because of the surrender I feel towards my Beloved Guru.
I woke up with a smile. Possibly the dream was my subconscious way of dealing with the pandemic that we are going through. However, what amazed me was the deep sense of safety and security I felt, even in my dreams. Faith won over fear, even in a state of consciousness in which I have no control. Somehow, the morning gave me a perspective about myself.
I realised that we spend our lives shuttling between these two states: fear and faith. I am not sure if anyone can claim they have completely overcome fear. It’s more about which one is more predominant. A few years ago, fear would have been my dominant emotion in most situations. From taking a flight to speaking in public;
in a relationship to health issues. And yet, today, I know for a fact that faith overrules my heart and mind most of the time.
What happened?
I realise faith is a state which one ‘grows into.’ For me, it didn’t happen overnight. It was not like lightning or just one instance but, rather, many experiences strung together. I am sure that for most of us, when we look back, we can see enough instances where things looked really dark, and we had to take the next step without really knowing where we were going. For those of us who had faith and took that next step and then the next one, and so on, without us realising it, we did find the purple patches. Sometimes even beyond our belief!
For me, what worked was understanding what I fear and constantly looking it in the eye and facing it. I don’t mind flights in general, but I don’t enjoy the bumpy ones with a lot of pressure changes. In the last six months, I took over thirty flights as I was working on a few books that needed me to constantly fly in and out. For someone who would avoid eating and sleep poorly on flights, after (maybe) my sixteenth one, I felt so at ease that through storms and rickety rides, I could hold the food and sleep too! I realised that when we face a fear long enough, it no longer exists.
before crowds. As a writer, speaking didn’t come effortlessly to me. However, as people started calling me as a chief guest or to do workshops, I realised I simply couldn’t hide behind my laptop anymore. The more I spoke, the more the faith grew and more opportunities to be a speaker came. To the extent that now I have conducted workshops for most premium corporates and educational institutes, not just in India but also in other countries.
I have realised that the first time you have to break a fear, it’s tough. But when you keep at it, at some point, it just goes away, and you build this faith: “I am stronger.”
It took just one dream to make me realise how deeply faith is now engrained in me. I trust myself in most situations. And situations in which I have no role to play, I trust a Higher hand to carry me. It’s beautiful to grow in faith, and I wish it for all of us.
An award-winning author, film- script writer and poet, Megha is an eternal seeker at heart. She also empowers people to write and get published through her online writing workshop. You can read more on www. WonderofWords.org.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
46 LifePositive | JUNE 2020


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YOUR PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH COMPANION
COVID-19:
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A path which merges bhakti with jnana PAGE 12
Guruspeak:
Sister BK Shivani
PAGE 36
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TRANSFORMATION
The vital
48 LifePositive | JUNE 2020
power of self-work
Suma Varughese asserts that there are no shortcuts to enlightenment. Working diligently on yourself is the only way.


W hile we all have varying ideas about of Existence, which is liberation through self-
spirituality, at its core, it is only this
one thing: self-transformation; or the end of suffering, as the Buddha called it. That’s it.
It is not about having visions, astral travel, clairvoyance, opening your third eye, or raising your kundalini (latent energy, in yoga). It is much more than that. It is to heal ourselves fully. To realise our full potential. To transcend the ego. To come to terms with our past. To be immune to the pulls and pressures of the body and mind. And above all, to feel no pain. No hurt. No matter what anyone does or says, we will be unfaltering in our composure. Krishnamurti once told his audience. Do you want to know my secret? The audience was agog. And this is what he said, “I don’t mind what happens.” So simple, and yet so tremendous.
Spend a minute thinking about how your life would be if you did not mind what happens. Coronavirus. Broken relationships. Environment crisis. Financial difficulties. Health problems. Conflict within. Still not minding what happens. Can you be in allowance of all that happens? Resting peaceful and easy like a dewdrop on a lotus leaf?
You might ask, is it even possible to live like this? Indeed yes. Others have done it. Why can’t we? All the great prophets and sages are testimony to this possibility.
So how do we get there? Through self-work. It is very tempting to imagine, while on the path, that we only have to look deep into a guru’s eyes and we will be healed of all our mind stuff. Or that we will simply and automatically get to that stage without much effort on our part. It is true that Life will heal us of some wounds, but if we want to wrest the most precious gift
transformation, we will have to put our all into it. Nothing less will do.
Take responsibility
It all begins with the realisation that we alone are responsible for our lives; that we create our own reality. The thoughts we think, the feelings we feel, the physical sensations that assail us— in other words, the components of our inner world—determine our outer world. This truth is also called the Law of Attraction. We attract whatever we vibrate with. If our vibrations are on the level of anger, hurt, fear, and shame, we will attract events, circumstances, and people that give us more of that. The more elevated our vibrations, the better will our circumstances become. So, it is our inner world that we need to set in order.
There are, thankfully, innumerable paths we can choose as our vehicle of self-transformation. The path you choose must resonate with your disposition and inclination. A doer would be most comfortable on the path of Karma, where one serves humanity unselfishly. A feeler would be irresistibly drawn to the path of Bhakti, where love for God is the magnet that pulls one ever closer to transformation. A thinker would be most at home with the Jnana Path, for it enables one to think and ponder over the insights and truths of life until they become a part of their experiential knowledge. Then there are other more nuanced paths that club together many elements that enable the seeker to fine-tune and change every facet of their being. The best of these are the eight steps of yoga (ashtanga yoga)and the Buddha’s eight-fold path. Whatever the path, self-work is an essential auxiliary tool.
Focus on your inner world
Self-work essentially means to train our
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Self-awareness opens up our inner world which holds the entire universe within it
awareness on our inner world. To become increasingly aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. And to work on them. Learn to progressively feel what you are feeling even as you are feeling it. Or to think what you are thinking. Experience the anger, the shame, the fear, the hurt, the insecurity, and the toxic memories. Simply be with them. And become aware also of the resistance that makes it difficult to be with them or the justifications with which you seek to explain away or come to terms with them. Stay aware of the attempts to fix your feelings either by suppressing them, disowning them, or papering them over with positive thinking. Stay aware of your self- judgements also and your tendency to lacerate yourself, or the inner dialogue that says “I must not feel angry. I’m never going to be angry anymore.” Stay aware of your tendency to run away from your inner landscape towards
some handy distractions such as food, friends, TV, or books.
Make no mistake. This is excruciating work. To look at our dark side is one of the hardest tasks on earth. It means putting aside our good opinion of ourselves and excavating all the parts of ourselves we have so far disowned. We need to recognise our envy and jealousy. And the insecurity that makes it necessary for us to dominate a space. Or to put down others. Or withhold appreciation. We need to see how little we trust ourselves. Or like ourselves. Every bit of the seeing is close to being unbearable. But only this will erase our conditioning and dismantle the false personality we think of as ourselves—the ego composite of experiences, likes and dislikes, desires, and psychological and emotional needs that push and pull us. Only this will unveil our true Self, that
50 LifePositive | JUNE 2020