The Paradox Of Our Times

Paradox Of Our Times“The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. Continue reading

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Dance Therapy Heals

Alokananda Roy

Alokananda Roy

Dancer Alokananda Roy visited a jail for the first time in 2007. She was invited by the Inspector General of Prisons, who was in the process of ushering in reforms in the jail. He wanted Alokananda to see if she could do something for the women inmates. However it was the men inmates that caught her eye, “They shook me.” She says. “Their body language — it was as though they had no future, nothing to look forward to.” She felt an urgent need to involve the men in whatever she did and almost on a whim she offered to teach all inmates to dance.

Since she was not sure how the men would accept dancing she offered to train them in Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial arts form of South India. Even then there was deep skepticism. “My first reaction seeing her was that I thought that maybe this woman is, you know, she’s gone off her head,” Akkara, one of the inmates, said. “Because, otherwise, why’s she coming to the prison to teach 50 prisoners who are either rapists or murderers?”

Akkara and other inmates watched from the sideline as Alokananda persisted, starting with a small group of inmates at first. Slowly the group grew and it evolved from martial art forms to performing a dance drama. They focused on the story of the sage Valmiki who was a bandit and murderer turned saint. This story resonated with the convicts and art turned into healing therapy. Continue reading

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Some Play On Words

Pencil ErasersA dentist and a manicurist married. .. . . They fought tooth and nail.

A thief who stole a calendar . . . got twelve months.

A will is a . . . dead giveaway.

Acupuncture : . . . a jab well done.

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now.

I was going to look for my missing watch, but I could never find the time.

I used to have a fear of hurdles, but I got over it.

Police were called to a daycare where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

A new type of broom came out, it is sweeping the nation. Continue reading

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Be Thankful!

Today is not just another day in our life. “Today” is THE one day that is given to us as a gift. The only appropriate response to this gift is gratefulness. Let us awaken to this incredible blessing and let our hearts overflow with gratefulness and love towards all.

Credits: This is a Louie Schwartzberg film and is part of a TED talk he gave that has been watched by Millions.

You may also like: Yoga Yoga Everywhere!

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Giving Thanks

Giving ThanksGratitude – a phrase that we should consider each and every day, but yet can be so easily forgotten in the hecticness of life. Each year as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, most of us do take some time to reflect and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives, both great and small. This year, living in Manhattan in the wake of hurricane Sandy, it is quite easy for me to be in a state of gratitude. After being sans electricity and heat for almost a week, and witnessing first hand the devastation and tremendous loss that this storm has inflicted, I am grateful to be able to power up my computer to write this blog, to feel the warmth of heat in my apartment, and to be able to turn on a light as the sun goes down here in New York City.

I am sure you have all seen the epic tragedy post Sandy – I was not privy to much of it, since I was without cable during the first week of news coverage. And I suspect that what I experienced post Sandy was much different than what was broadcast on television. Amidst the devastation, I witnessed tremendous acts of kindness, generosity and compassion – and that is the side of Sandy that I would like to share with you.

The following is my Thanksgiving gift to you – a sampling of the goodness of the human spirit that I witnessed in the wake of catastrophe:

Men and women of the National Guard who made me feel safe and protected standing ground 24/7 just outside my door at the 69th Regiment Armory, offering me friendly conversation (even sharing family photos), glow sticks to light my apartment, and apologies for the ‘chaos and noise’ outside my door…(Little did they know that my NYC street was actually MUCH quieter than usual that week)!

A young employee at a hardware store in the upper west side who was genuinely apologetic when he delivered me the sad news that they were all sold out of flashlights and battery powered lanterns. He said he was without power in his home too, but he had one extra flashlight of his own…and he offered it to me. Continue reading

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