Life is Relationship

Is there anything other than moment to moment awareness? We think that there is a future, that our problems could be solved through time, but is that true? Isn’t time an escape from our problems? We are afraid, angry, anxious and we feel through analysis, effort, thinking we could solve these problems. But is there any understanding through effort? Thought begets more thought. Understanding comes only when there is a direct perception of the cause of our problems. Direct perception is not a matter of thinking but of being choicelessly aware of our disturbances as they arise. When we are choicelessly aware of our disturbance (emotional disturbance or thought), then in that very awareness there is a negation of that disturbance. Disturbance arises when we compare the immediate, the ‘what is’, with our pre-conceived ideals of how things ‘should’ or ‘should not be’. These pre-conceived ideals are our attachment to those ideas. Say we want, or are attached to particular object, person, title, belief or an idea, and something happens that threatens to take away that thing from us. This very conflict (between our attachment and the reality of it being lost) causes the disturbance or fear in us. Now if we are simply aware of this disturbance as it arises in us, then in the very perception of its cause there is an immediate cessation of that disturbance. There is nothing else to be done. In the very perception of that disturbance there is an understanding and negation of it. This is something to be tried out, experimented. In other words, there is no thinker, there is only thought. Thinker i.e. ‘I’ come into being when there is a want to do something about that feeling or emotion. We don’t want that disturbance so ‘I’ come into being to resist that. Thought comes first, then the thinker as ‘me’. ‘I don’t want that feeling’, ‘It is too painful’, all these are subsequent thoughts which is identified as me. In reality if we observe closely we would see that there are only successive thoughts, one after the other, there is no ‘I’ in it at all. What we call ‘I’ is just another thought. Now I cannot understand this through thinking about it; only when I am choicelessly aware, without any attempt to get anywhere, there is a perception or negation of that thought as ‘me’, as it arises.

All our problems stem from a deep unconscious belief that life is a means to an end to something else. There is something to be achieved, a goal to be reached. But there is only moment to moment awareness; nothing else to be done, not even the cessation of thought. Thought exists, you cannot stop thought. Your wish to stop thought is yet another thought. You can only be aware of thought as it arises, and in that awareness thought stops, for that moment. Then next moment it arises again, then it stops again upon awareness. Awareness is the beginning and the end – there is only awareness and nothing else to be done. And when the mind deeply, actually, perceives the phenomena that time as a movement away from ‘what is’ doesn’t exist (i.e. there is only ‘what is’, nothing else) then an extraordinary quietness comes into being. But this stillness cannot be forced upon; it happens, uninvited.

This is a very serious inquiry. It requires a great amount of inward looking, persistency, to challenge oneself to the utmost.

If we are aware of ourselves we will notice that we are living with tremendous psychological conflicts. Our minds is in the state of constant insecurity. Someone says something disrespectful, we feel hurt; our friends or loved ones seek other people, we feel jealous; our boss gets angry at us, we feel scared of losing our job. There is all the time some psychological conflict – anger, resentment, fear, insecurity, anxiety of losing money, property, reputation, people, etc. operating in us. We are constantly comparing, judging, thinking, analyzing etc. If we are aware we will see that this is the reality of our minds – our minds is in constant movement. We may have found temporary securities in life through job, social respect, religious beliefs, relationships, and so on, but there is always a deeper level which realizes that there is tomorrow and all these things may be taken away from us. In the background there is always fear of death, which is actually the fear of future, that the death will take away everything away from us. So we are all the time accumulating or protecting things – property, relationship, beliefs, etc. – the very fact we are trying to protect, means there is fear of losing them. So our very attachment to all these things in itself implies fear. Now is it possible for us not to be attached to anything? This does not mean that we have to give up all the things we have and become a monk, but is it possible to remain in the midst of all these things and not be attached? It is the attachment that is causing the fear. Now attachment cannot come to an end simply by concluding ‘we should not be attached, the attachment is bad’. That is just an intellectual conclusion which doesn’t lead us anywhere. The fact remains that we are attached and that there is fear due to these attachments. Now can we remain with the fact of fear as it arises in us in our mind, without seeking any consolation away from it. Can we be simply aware of fear, without calling it good or bad, without seeking consolation or resisting it? This is much easier said than done. As, if you will experiment with this, you would see that this needs enormous attention. To be simply be aware of fear without seeking any consolation or hope away from it requires tremendous attention. It is something enormous because it challenges the whole movement of time, of seeking. However if we could be simply aware of fear without seeking anything away from it we would realize that thought itself is the movement of hope. Thought is this movement of seeking comfort or security. So can one be so extraordinarily alert to the fact of fear without any movement of thought? If one does that one would see that fear ceases, even if momentarily. But this is not easy. We are challenging the whole momentum of time – which is tremendous. To live without hope is very difficult. It needs enormous attention to live without thought, which is the desire for security.

 Ashutosh Kalsi

In our day to day living we experience joy and happiness and also feelings of frustration, sadness, fear and anxiety. Generally thinking takes full credit when happiness is produced in the mind, but when mind produces unhappiness we blame others or we blame circumstances. Why it is that thinking does not take any responsibility for all the negative feelings and emotions that are produced in the mind? For example when somebody praises me I feel that this praise is the result of my achievement in a certain area or I feel that I deserve this praise because I am a very good person. But when somebody says something or does something that hurts me then the entire blame is laid on the other person. The fact is that both happiness and unhappiness are produced as a result of my own thinking. The question is why does thinking disassociate itself from the feeling of hurt and why does it not treat hurt to be its own baby?

If we do not carefully inquire into this question and change the status quo we are bound to get hurt for one reason or the other because neither the circumstances nor other person’s behavior and attitude are under our control.

Clarity of Perception
In response to the article entitled Past, Present and Future Mr. Satish has stated:

“Nice thoughts on how the mind thinks and how to live a happy life. However, it is difficult to stop comparing with others and depending on others. What steps can we take to focus inward and feel self-sufficient?”

Before we make an attempt to find an answer to the question we need to first examine the question itself. What is the entity that is asking the question and what is the motive behind the question? Why there is this feeling of insufficiency and incompleteness? The entity that is asking the question is not different from the entity that is conditioned to the idea of comparison and to the idea of psychological dependence on others for happiness? Dependence on others provides us a sense of psychological security and certainty. But it also produces fear, anxiety and frustration. When the mind realizes this then it seeks other ways that can meet its demand for security. There is, however, no attempt to find out why does the mind feel insecure?

Suppose someone suggests a method to focus inward in order to feel self-sufficient then the focus will be on the method and not on root cause of the problem. Following a method only complicates matters. It creates contradiction in the mind. There is a contradiction between what the mind actually is and the idea of what it wants to become, between the actual day to day living based on habits and social compulsions and the goal to be achieved. The cause of the problem cannot go away by imposing on the mind a new set of rules and regulations and making the mind dependent on some practice. Right action is possible only when there is rational thinking based on clarity of perception. Clarity facilitates the operation of intelligence, which is the basic instrument to wipe out the mess that our own thinking has created.

To understand the cause and implications of dependence we need to understand the nature of the “self”, the “me”. Thinking has created in each one of us the idea and the notion of the “I”, the “me”. The “self” treats itself separate from all other human beings. Most of our actions spring from this center. Being the creation of thought the “self” by its very nature is not secure. It is always in need of security, safety and stability. Not being permanent, it tries to become permanent through the process of attachment and identification. It identifies itself with something or the other which it feels is secure and permanent. Attachment to people, property and ideas provides it a sense of security, stability and certainty. “Self” exists through the process of attachment and identification.

If you take away the process of attachment and identification there is no such thing as the “self”. To verify this statement one can observe the activity of thought when the mind is confronted with a very serious psychological problem. For instance when a person looses someone or something to which he/she is very much attached or when the husband leaves wife or wife leaves husband or when the person becomes totally confused and helpless due to some reason then he/she becomes very sad and anxious. He/she encounters a feeling called loneliness. We need to observe very carefully the way this feeling arises.

In the mind there is always the feeling that “I” am “something”. Most of our activities are geared toward being “something” or becoming “something”. Sometime this “something” called the ego gets elated and sometime it gets deflated. One idea can put the “self” at a very high pedestal and the other idea can cause depression. The ego is always at the mercy of other people’s ideas and opinions. Its stability is dependent on circumstances beyond its control. Sometime it becomes the victim of its own mistakes and blunders. At the time of crises it faces a real challenge. It becomes powerless and it faces the possibility of being nothing. This situation becomes intolerable. The fear of being nothing creates the feeling of emptiness. When the object of attachment is taken away the “self” feels lost.

It is obvious that the process of attachment that sustains the “self” is responsible for this situation. Although this sense of loneliness is born out of its own pre-existing condition, yet the “self” treats it to be something totally separate from it and tries to deal with it in so many different ways. It tries to avoid or run away from it or tries to find some other sources of attachment and identification on which it can depend for its continuance. Unfortunately the person is unaware of the fact that as long as thinking tries to maintain and perpetuate the “self” through so many different ways there will always be fear.

Any action taken by the “self” to get rid of loneliness will be futile because “self” itself is the problem. If the “self” itself is an illusion created by thought and therefore false then any action emanating from it will be false. The primary need is to objectively observe the nature of the psychological structure that creates the problem. When there is realization of the fact that the mind itself is the problem then it becomes quiet. In that silence transformation of the mind takes place unknowingly and that is real meditation.

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Life span gets divided into three parts, the PAST, PRESENT and the FUTURE. PAST means having existed or taken place in the period before the PRESENT and FUTURE means time that is to come. FUTURE is projected by thought on the basis of PAST experience and knowledge. No one knows what actually is going to take place in the FUTURE. PAST is over and the FUTURE is unknown. Actual living is, therefore, taking place in the PRESENT.

Living in the PRESENT means living in relationship with nature and with fellow human beings. Life is relationship. I am related one way or the other, intimately or remotely to nature and to all human beings. The quality of my life depends upon the quality of my relationship with nature and fellow human beings. Right relationship means to respond accurately which means to respond with love, care and affection. When there is mutual love and care there is joy in life.

The fact is that human beings do not live in healthy and harmonious relationship with each other. Conflicts in relationships spoil the beauty of living in the PRESENT. Any type of conflict brings about pain, misery and suffering. It is a fact that the way we think and the way we act has a direct bearing on our relationships. Thinking is conditioned by the culture in which we live. It is shaped by numerous influences. Religious dogmas, economic situation, education and social pressures condition our thinking. We are shaped quite firmly by the cultural mould.

There is hardly a moment when we see something with a fresh mind. Perception takes place through the screen of past knowledge and experience. Each person forms an outlook and a view of life and that view is not just a theoretical view but an operational one that affects, to a great extent the person’s perceptions and responses. Quality of living NOW depends upon the pre-existing condition of the mind. A person who really wants to live fully and completely, without any conflict in the PRESENT must pay close attention to the way in which PAST knowledge and experience interferes with the free flow of love and affection.

Suppose someone says something or does something that hurts my feelings or it triggers in the mind feelings of anger, resentment, hate, anxiety, fear or jealousy. Obviously these feelings disturb the equanimity of the mind. I take it for granted that the other person is responsible for creating these feelings. The fact is that such feelings arise as a result of interaction between two minds. Before I blame the other person it would be wise on my part to see how my own mind is contributing to the problem.

When a person does something that goes against my interest and against my expectations I get angry and I immediately declare the other person to be selfish not realizing that to expect the other person to behave in a certain way is also a selfish act. Differences in self-interests, values, beliefs, ideas, opinions, prejudices, likes and dislikes create conflict but the fact is that the process of thinking that creates differences and conflict is the same in all human beings. A person who is serious must pay attention to the root cause of the problem. There is no way that a problem can be solved unless there is clarity of perception.

One of the main characteristics of our thinking is the act of comparison. Worth and value of each person is determined on the basis of comparison. Each person forms in his mind an image about himself and images about other people and each person makes an evaluation and judgment of other people on the basis of views that he has already formed. Since childhood the mind has been trained to compare. Parents, culture, education system encourage comparison. Mind is conditioned to think that comparison is necessary for growth. But the fact is that the so called “progress” that human beings claim to have made is the cause of inequality and injustice in the world.

Comparison leads to competition. Comparison creates the desire to succeed and the desire to become “more” than what one is. It makes the mind aggressive and ambitious. Society encourages competition through the system of reward and punishment. Achievement of power, position, prestige and status and the pursuit of personal pleasure becomes the aim of life. Process of comparison creates differences and division. It encourages self-centered approach to life. Self-centered approach to life denies love.

The idea of what I think “I am” is not based on any solid ground. The image that thought has created is always in need of outside support. In order to exist it needs recognition, approval and appreciation. When a person does not get what he wants he gets hurt and he feels frustrated and dissatisfied. Desire to be valued by others and the craving to be loved, liked and admired by others indicates inward insufficiency and incompleteness. Obviously when expectations are not met there is a feeling of sadness, loneliness and isolation. Psychological dependence on others in order to feel good creates in the mind fertile ground that can produce fear, jealousy, anger, anxiety and hate at the slightest hint of not being loved.

Psychological dependence on others can never bring about happiness. Happiness is the product of sane and intelligent living without feeling any need to compare oneself with others in order to fit into the pattern created by the society. There should be no need to feel “more” than the other. Such a feeling makes the mind arrogant. Arrogance breeds division and conflict. There should also be no need to feel “less” as compared to another. What is the point of downgrading oneself and cursing oneself?

No one knows what exactly is going to happen in the FUTURE. But one thing is certain that if no realization and change takes place NOW in the way in which a person thinks thinking will continue to operate automatically, mechanically, out of sheer habit on the basis of ideas that have already been formed

Happiness and Peace

In his response to the article ‘Nature of Time’ Saumen Sengupta says, “time to us is really an interval, a duration with a beginning and an end, a span needed to measure, compare, contrast, compute, store in memory, retrieve from memory, to act, project, plan and of course , to dream and to shape”. In one sentence he has very beautifully described the main functions of our thought process. I feel that a clear distinction needs to be made between rational thinking and irrational thinking. To make such a distinction is an act of intelligence. Intelligence requires that the mind stays only with facts. Thinking helps us to learn a language, learn different subjects and acquire skills. Thinking is a very important tool in the area of our physical security. In order to keep the body protected physically thinking performs all the functions automatically because it is conditioned to operate that way.

The problem arises when thinking enters into an area where it is not needed. Thinking becomes irrational when it creates images about things that do not even exist and treats these images as real. By creating illusion in the mind thinking brings about confusion and disorder. A confused mind becomes very dangerous and destructive. We can see that irrational thinking is causing havoc in the society. When we are looking at the disorder and chaos that exists in the world we need to very carefully observe the source of all human problems. Irrational and false thinking is the root cause of most of our problems.

Human mind has been conditioned by the idea of the “me”, the “self”. Each person thinks he is separate from other human beings. This creates a selfish and self-centered approach to life. Self-centered thinking denies love. Life is relationship. There can be no relationship without love. This predicament has been created by our own thinking. The fact is that human beings all over the world are basically, fundamentally the same. We all have the same framework of thought and the same process of thinking. Contradiction is caused by false influence and conditioning.

Saumen says, “Happiness and Peace” belong to the domain of measure, and thus it is in time in which we can compare, contrast them with “unhappiness” and “violence”. He has asked very pertinent questions. “What happens when there is no attempt to compare, to measure, to project? What happens to a mind when it is not engaged in any activity in which time as interval is needed?”

In a sane and healthy state of mind thinking operates rationally when needed. Intelligence and love determine the quality of relationship with nature and fellow human beings. All the senses are alive and active. Peace exists naturally in a healthy mind. The flower has perfume. Perfume is not separate from the flower. Such a state is not the result of any activity of thinking. There is no need to recognize, label, compare and contrast this state with any other state. There is joy of life. This means joy is part and parcel of life. It is not separate from day to day living.

Unfortunately we do not live that way. Self-centered approach to life creates innumerable problems. Anything that disturbs the “self” becomes a problem. The moment a problem like fear, jealousy, anger, and anxiety arises in the mind hectic activity of thought comes into operation because thinking now needs to solve the problem that has been created. Thinking needs to ensure the security and stability of the “self”

There is a feeling in the mind that says, “I have lost “happiness and Peace”. Thinking has to find “happiness and peace” in order to pacify the “self’. In its pursuit of “happiness and peace” thinking creates a fictitious interval of time by saying, “I am unhappy, discontented now but I must do something to find “happiness and peace”. This way it creates a gap between what the person is “now” and what he wants to be. Instead of looking at what is actually taking place in the mind and instead of looking at how the problem is being created, the entire focus is on finding “happiness and peace” from some outside source.

All the functions of thought process mentioned by Saumen come into operation in the process in which the problems gets created, in the way thinking tries to find solution to the problems and in the way thinking tries to find “happiness and peace”. For example attachment to property and possessions, to people on whom one depends for “happiness and peace”, to ideas and beliefs and to one’s own knowledge and experience provides a sense of psychological security, stability, certainty and permanency. Without attachment there is no such thing as the “self”.

There is constant struggle and effort to fulfill one’s endless desires in order to be happy and peaceful. But the fact is that fear, pain; suffering and sorrow also arise because of attachment. There is no certainty, stability and permanency in the things to which one is attached. Any threat to anything to which one is attached brings about unhappiness, anger, anxiety and resentment. Instead of understanding the cause of the problem thinking tries other methods and tries to find other sources that may create “happiness and peace”. So the endless struggle continues.

If any person wants to see the serious implications of this illusory pursuit of “happiness and peace” then he must see with an objective mind what people, individually and collectively, are doing all over the world. There is blind and mechanical pursuit of “progress” and “success”. Achievement of power, position, prestige and status is considered as the aim of life. Struggle for personal pleasure, competition in all spheres of life and the system of reward and punishment are part and parcel of present day existence.

Collectively as a nation people go to war with other countries in order to ensure their own peace, security and happiness. Vast majority of people believe that God or some super power provides “happiness and peace”. There have been numerous wars in the name of God. There is always conflict between different organized religions. Politicians and religious leaders fully exploit the people’s psychological need for “happiness and peace”.

It is imperative that we must pay close attention to this grim reality. When a person actually sees that he is cutting the branch on which he is sitting then out of that observation intelligence is born. Only intelligence can stop the stupid action.

Recently I read an interesting article about the quantity and quality of time written by Marguerite Theophil. He says ancient Greeks used two distinct words for the concept of time: ‘chronos’ and ‘kairos’. ‘Chronos’ refers to chronological or sequential time. Time in this sense is dimensional, measurable. ‘Kairos’ refers to a moment of undermined period of time. It is significant rather than dimensional and so it is qualitative. While measurement is one of the distinguishing characteristics of ‘chronos’ the key reason that ‘kairos’ time cannot be measured is because it is always in the ‘now’.

Concept of chronological time is, of course, very useful in the field of science and technology and in our day to day life. No advancement in science and technology would have been possible without this concept. Chronological time helps us to organize our day to day activities. But is there any other time at all? When the author is trying to explain and define ‘kairos time’ he is actually describing the state of mind in which “old rules, methods, traditions, habits, ways of thinking and doing business do not seem to work any more”. This state of mind has nothing to do with time. So what is the point of associating time with the state of mind?

The author says, ‘kairos’ time is as a gift, time we do not recognize while we are experiencing it, but only afterwards.” The word “afterwards” is very crucial because it tells us how our thinking creates concepts about things that do not even exist. When one is looking at the beautiful mountain there is only the experiencing of beauty. So what happens “afterwards”? Afterwards the person becomes conscious of the experience. Thought recognizes the experience. Thought says how marvelous the experience was and stores it in the brain as memory. That memory is the past. In this state of mind thinking forms a concept of the past experience. In the mind there is an image of time that has already gone. Thought wants to repeat the experience so it creates the image of the future. The fact is that the past is gone and future is unknown. This means that time as the past and the future exists in thinking only.

Mind forms ideas and concepts about things it has not even experienced. Any idea that offers some hope, some reward appeals to the mind. Pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain are the main drives that dominate our thinking. When “purely chronos-time activities leave us exhausted” we start thinking of pursuing an imagined ‘kairos-time’ that may bring in “happiness and peace”. In the concluding paragraph the author says, “while chronos admittedly offers the promise of satisfaction after accomplishment, and we need that in our lives, ‘kairos’ fulfils us when we do what we love, what is meaningful- and we need that even more”.

The fact is that time as such does not offer any promise of satisfaction. Time only helps us to organize our activities. Satisfaction or dissatisfaction depends on the results of our activities. Time exists independent of an individuals needs. When we do not achieve the desired result we feel dissatisfied and that also happens in chronological time. Can we say that we do not need that time and can we eliminate the time that we do not need?

Same way ‘kairos-time is not a commodity that if you get more, you will be happier, more satisfied. The word ‘more’ indicates measurement and is again relative. By the definition given by the author kairos time cannot be measured because it is always in the “now”. How can you get more nows and get more satisfied. Can the quality of mind be measured in terms of more or less? Can day to day living be divided between two periods of time by saying “I will get satisfaction by accomplishing tasks in one period of time and then I will start doing what I love to do and what is meaningful?” Why can’t I do this all the time? What is the point of creating in the mind a hope for some kind of satisfaction and happiness in the future? What are the impediments that come in the way of living a normal and healthy life “now”.

A person who is serious must find out for himself if there is this quality of mind that can live in the “now” using knowledge when necessary and using chronological time when necessary but being totally free from concepts, ideas, opinions and prejudices. Living in the now implies that there is no comparison between the past and the future. Is there a state of mind that can see things as they are without any interpretation? That means all measurement, evaluation and judgment comes to an end. There is no division between the observer and the observed, There is only the state of experiencing without the experiencer who is always pursuing personal pleasure, personal satisfaction and personal gratification. Instead of forming ideas and concepts we need to pay attention to the necessary conditions that can bring about quality of mind that is innocent, free from fear, anger, violence, anxiety and jealousy.

In his article entitled “the Essentials of Hinduism” (India Abroad 10/8) Roshan Dalal has explained the concepts, beliefs and ideas that have been passed on by one generation to another since times immemorial. Speaking about karma he says, “Karma is a complex term also indicating destiny and law of cause and effect, but as a path to reach the divine, it is interpreted as selfless action. The person on this path performs all actions in the world with great sincerity and puts in immense efforts. But such a person remains detached from the results of these efforts.” He says “karma also implies that one controls one’s destiny.” It is therefore linked to the concept of reincarnation.

A person who is sincere and honest must make an accurate assessment of the role played by these ideas in his life. A cursory glance reveals that there is wide gap between what a person believes and his actions. The fact is that no transformation has taken place in the human psyche. Greed, jealousy, anger, violence, fear and anxiety were part and parcel of the human psyche when these ideas were formulated. Human beings are afflicted with the same maladies even now. The fact is that the nature of the “self” has become much more cunning and clever and is capable of doing much more damage in the world.

It is pertinent to ask why these beliefs have not produced the desired results. Obviously there is a definite reason why the beliefs create contradiction in the mind. Our self-centered and selfish approach to life makes it impossible even to grasp the intent of the beliefs. How can a person control his destiny when his brain is controlled by his selfish and self-centered pursuits, by the numerous desires, by his ambition and by the urge to become successful and gain more and more power, position and prestige When a particular belief serves the selfish purpose and when it helps to strengthen and perpetuate the self it automatically gets incorporated into the network of thought. But when you cannot put a particular idea into action it remains in the psyche as an ideal. How can there be selfless action when the person is seeking self-fulfillment and self-gratification all the time.

How can a person remain detached from the results of his efforts when life is governed by self-interest? Who cares as to what happens after death when one is fully engaged in the pursuit of pleasure in this life. The whole concept of reincarnation is, therefore just sitting in the brain cells merely as a belief. If there was real understanding of the implications of the principle of cause and effect, if the interconnectedness and interdependence of life had been clearly seen then the person could never act in a way that can cause harm to nature and to the society. Because of lack of clarity human beings have postponed the right action throughout the past centuries.

Love cannot exist as long as there is this sense of “me”, the “self”. A mind that is self-concerned with its own ambition, greed and fear has no capacity to love. Only profound understanding into the nature of the “self” can bring about inward revolution. Self-knowledge is an absolute necessity.
Sardar Singh

Our dependence on Technology is increasing to stay in touch with each other through internet and mobile phones. We have made tremendous technological progress in medicine, agriculture, telecommunications, and so on.

Is technological progress taking us in the right direction especially when we examine the food that we eat. The food that we eat is increasingly grown with pesticides and fertilizers, it is processed, and cooked by using improper methods. Recently, when we were discussing such issues some people in the group raised the question – “How can we go backwards in time and live without technology and modern agricultural methods.”

One also hears that one can have pleasure now and worry about pain later. Children say that we are having pleasure of eating junk food and we will worry about pain later when it happens. When one is with friends and cautious about ones eating habits, one is often advised “nothing will happen” or “eat whatever is given choicelessly.” Even friends who are doctors by profession are strangely fatalistic when it comes to making choices of food and are generally clueless when it comes to knowledge and care for nutrition.

The human mind has the tendency to go backward and forward in time. There is no such thing as forward and backwards in time. We have to look at time as cyclical or “wheel of time.” What is backwards become forward and so on. We see that many events of life have a way of repeating. What was true in the past is still true today and will continue to remain true now and in the future. In other words food that was grown organically in the past and the food that is grown organically today are more nutritious and are sustainable.

Can one look at something for what it is rather that what has been or what should be. Can one look at the relationship to food for its own sake. To love and enjoy food as it brings happiness. Celebrate life without worrying about going forward or backward.

Neetu