user – DisasterJournal.net

Elements Required For a Sustainable Future

Elements Required For a
Sustainable Future

Sustainable future largely depends on sustainable development, a plan for using resources to achieve development without over-straining the resources needed for future generations. Sustainable development is a process that envisions future needs of a generation and strives to meet living conditions that ensures Sustainable future. For that, essential elements must be established to safeguard use of resources and to sustain continued human needs.

Sustainability must take into consideration the practice of maintaining resources, both natural and human made, without endangering or degrading natural biological systems. Human needs resources for continuity in life, without which sustainable future cannot be realized. To achieve sustainable future, it is important for human to establish sustainable development through establishment of essential elements that strengthens ecological foundations. Such elements include;

Energy

To achieve sustainable future, provision of energy for the current and future generation is essential. Human needs energy for both domestic and commercial use. Therefore, it is important for every country to establish proper energy infrastructures to ensure social equity. There is need for human to shift from being over reliant to fossil fuel and invest more in renewable energy for sustainable future. USA, for example, has made significant gains by shutting down major fossil fuel power plants and energy projects and focusing more on renewable energy.

Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is an important requirement for sustainable future. Human must strive to continually use farming methods that are environmental-friendly without causing damage to human or natural systems. This can be sustained through use of agricultural and farming methods that promote biodiversity and preserve water, soil, forests, wildlife, ecosystems and other resources. Sustainable farming methods including agroforestry, crop rotation, permaculture, multiple cropping, multi farming and many others, must be improved from generation to generation.

Ecology

Of the most important elements required for sustainable future; the relationship between humans and built environments, stand out significantly. Fundamental human needs which complement life such as availability and quality of water, air, food and shelter define the ecological requirements for sustainable development and therefore play a crucial role in sustainable future. Investing in ecosystem services that promote public health, for example, can lead to improved health needs for all species.

Education

Education gives human an opportunity to acquire positive attitude, skills, knowledge and values which are key elements for sustainable future. Knowledge and skills in biodiversity, climate change, poverty reduction, disaster reduction and management etc. can greatly influence sustainable future. Moreover, education about sustainability promotes critical thinking, decision making among other competencies that are important in sustainable future.

Environment

And sustainable future cannot exist without a suitable environment. Human must ensure environmental sustainability by addressing concerns that affect environment; pollution, climate change, industrialization, carbonation, deforestation etc. Society should utilize environment to meet its needs while preserving environment and its life-support systems. Using water sustainably, recycling material, utilizing renewable energy etc. are some of the important environmental activities that human can undertake to ensure sustainable future.

We have to be the change we want to see, so if we take individual responsibility of our actions and try our best to contribute to a better and sustainable environment, then surely things will become much better in the time to come. Our next generations will follow our example and thus help in creating a brighter future. Every individual can contribute and bring about a serious change in the situation of the planet & people. Too much greed in all people leads to destruction and exploitation of earth’s limited resources creating an unsustainable situation overall. Thus if we desire a positive global outlook then we have to take our little steps to contributing in any way we can for a better planet.

Service In The Spirit of Bhagavad Gita by Bhagavan Sri Krishna, Spiritual Master or Guru of Arjuna

What do 64 year old Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and Tulsi Gabbard, 33 year old Congresswoman from Hawaii have in common? As it turns out, quite a lot, actually. Tulsi Gabbard, the first American/Hindu member of congress, and Modi, India’s powerhouse political leader both lead a life of public service inspired by the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, the guru or spiritual master of Arjuna, in The Bhagavad Gita.

Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran who took her oath of office with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita, credits the message of the Gita with her approach to public service and as “a source of courage and comfort”. At their recent meeting in New York, in a thoughtful and personal gesture, Tulsi gifted her own spiritual scripture the Bhagavad Gita to the Indian Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Mr Modi regularly presents the Bhagavad Gita to public figures and world leaders including the Emperor of Japan and President Obama of the United States. According to Mr Modi, “I have nothing more valuable to give and the world has nothing more valuable to get.”

Indeed, the Bhagavad Gita has been a rich source of inspiration not only to public leaders but to humanitarians, saints, gurus and spiritual masters, scientists and philosophers for millennia. In the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Sri Krishna becomes the guru or spiritual master to the inquiring student and warrior prince, Arjuna. Sri Krishna teaches a universal message of selfless service and the interconnectedness of all beings. Spoken around 5000 years ago on the eve of a great war, the teachings still seem incredibly relevant to us in modern times.

According to the teachings of karma yoga, we reach our fullest potential by acting with love in the spirit of devotion, sacrifice and selfless service for Bhagavan.

Mahatma Gandhi famously credited the Bhagavad Gita as being his “spiritual dictionary” the prime source of motivation for his life dedicated to selfless public service, saying, “Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.” The Gita was the Mahatma’s source of strength and comfort in the face of doubts and disappointments, at a time of intense political and social upheaval in the history of India. He described how through meditation upon the Gita he was able to find joy and meaning in times of intense sorrow and advised people to meditate upon it daily. Albert Einstein, the world’s most famous scientist, also found inspiration in the words of Sri Krishna as did Albert Schweitzer, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emmerson and many others.

Meanwhile, after her generous gift to Mr Modi, Tulsi may be in need of a new copy of the Gita. Perhaps it will be her turn to receive one from Mr Modi himself when next she meets India’s Gita bearing Prime Minister.These kind of self less leaders are a necessity & boon for a better planet which is troubled by so many social and natural problems.

Local Food Movement & Harnessing Green Power

Local. Organic. Free Range. Natural. It is easy to get lost in all of the labels of our food today. What is healthier? What is best for you and your family? What is best for all of us? The local food movement has gained traction recently, but what exactly is eating “local,” and why should we do it?

In the past century, the food we consume has come from farther and farther away. Sometimes, the foods that we consume are not even food, rather preservatives, additives, and others manufactured into a food product. The local-food movement looks to change how we eat. Local food is that food grown by farmers that serve community distributors and retailers.

Promoting the local food products will give a massive boost to the local farmers and help the Hawaiian natives a lot as rightly said by nature lover Tulsi Gabbard. This will generate revenue and people won’t be forced to leave their home in search of a good job. In this respect, Tulsi Gabbard the representative of Hawaii 2^nd district in US House of Representatives has promised to help in all respects concerning the encouragement of this local growth. Tulsi Gabbard loves to serve and sacrifice for people and society, her attitude is not hidden to many. Tulsi is an extraordinary political talent.

There are no exact boundaries for how far away food can be grown to be considered “local,” but farmers who grow seasonal food and sell their products to regional consumers fit the description of local. Here are some of the many benefits of supporting local farmers:

Consumers can know where their food comes from, and have the chance to interact with growers. This cultivates more of a relationship between community members and farmers. Consumers can ask what techniques were used to grow the food, what pesticides or additives were used, and any other pertinent information.
Supporting local farmers helps support the local economy, which benefits a community as a whole.
A strong network of local farmers providing food for regional distributors provides food security for that region. Fluctuations in transportation cost and other factors will not impact the food supply. On the other hand, blights, weather, and other environmental problems have the potential to harm food availability for a region that relies mainly on local farmers.
Providing food directly from the region can drive grocery prices down. In areas where supermarkets are scare, or increasingly expensive, farmers can provide fresh, healthy options to under-served communities.
Seasonal food that is not processed is a healthy option for consumers. Eating in-season food also tastes great! It’s the freshest possible option for most consumers.
Growing food that is in season also tends to have less of an impact on the environment, providing double the benefits.
The fewer miles between food and the table means fewer fossil fuels burned, fewer greenhouse gases emitted, and fewer pollutants released into the environment.

Local food and local farmers are an integral part of our food supply chain. Whether you choose to support local farmers and the local food movement for its community benefits, environmental benefits, nutritional benefits, or because it’s simply the best choice for you as a consumer, one thing is certain—local food and farmers benefit us all.

Harnessing the Green Power:

The term energy very quickly brings forth the two main types of resources from which it could be obtained namely non-renewable sources and renewable sources . Of course the non-renewable sources have been of great help to us and the aspects like fuel, electricity and so on are integral part of our day to day life, but there are certain factors which may require attention.

A serious Tulsi advocated that the pollution which gets created by such non-renewable sources cause harm to the environment and the main aspects is their finite supply which thereby creates a need to consider options beyond these sources.

Their non-sustainability nature has created an alarming situation for us. How can we not mention global warming which is one of the important issues faced by the world in these present times? The issues like acid rain and depletion of the ozone layer have created lot of concerns. So we have into picture the renewable sources of energy like the wind, solar, biomass and wave energy technology.

Hawaii is such a land that has the potential to become the renewable energy leader with a goal to achieve greater energy self-sufficiency. This is greatly supported by nature conservator Tulsi Gabbard who represents Hawaii in the US House of Representatives. She has promised to provide tax and other amicable incentives to encourage green energy companies and high technology businesses to set up in Hawaii. Tulsi has been instrumental in devising similar progressive strategies and policies for the betterment of Hawaii. She also expresses that she loves to serve the people and society. We can see this from her work and she has got this attitude from early period of her life. The beautiful Tulsi recently tied her long-awaited knots amidst huge fans and guests in a beachfront location.

The single most encouraging factor behind the renewable energy sources is their unlimited availability which means the terms like warning bell regarding their depletion will not be there. The potential of wind-mill which runs on wind energy is not something which is unknown and it could be help in areas like electricity and the best part is it does not pollute the air. Wind mills and wind turbines appear hopeful ways of solving the energy issues.

What is interesting with regards to wind energy is that this is not a new sources identified by humans and has been around since ages. In terms of cost too, these are coming down and their potential seems to be huge in terms of installed capacity. The abundance of this source of energy may mean that for fossil fuels an alternative could be there in this resource.

Another resource of energy which is sustainable is solar energy and this too has benefits like unlimited availability and no air pollution. Durability and low maintenance are the major benefits of solar panels. Acid rain will not be caused by solar energy and harnessing energy from this resource appears to be good option. Another option in alternative energy is biomass through which power could be generated. Biomass could also be of help in areas like transportation. Though biomass is not pollution free and is somewhat on the same plane like fossil fuels, what makes them different is that may they fall in the category of renewable sources of energy.

One more hopeful form of alternative sources of energy is from wave energy. With the vastness of oceans, one need not doubt the potential this source of energy could have and how it can help us manage the issue of energy crisis. The ocean waves could be harnessed to produce energy.

Where the non-renewable sources of energy are in depletion mode and the energy crisis and global warming have put the globe into an alarming situation, these renewable sources of energy appear like a good opportunity.

Agreed, they involve costs and not all these sources are pollution free, but their unlimited availability is what makes them an attractive option. Also as these sources get harnessed to generate energy, it will also mean that jobs would be created in this sectors which can contribute towards economic development. Also as far as sources like solar energy and wind energy is concerned, basically the need of water for them to operate may not be there which simply means we can conserve fundamental resource water.

Groove to Bliss for a Better Future!

Music is in every culture of the world; from the djembe drum circles in Africa, to the percussion street-bands in Brazil, Irish folk songs in the pubs, British rock gigs at the local clubs, buskers in the streets of New York, and the orchestras of cities throughout the globe. There are a million other examples of how it’s such a big part of everyone’s life in different ways, and how it accompanies each one of us through different stages.

Everyone likes to “get down” (dance) to their favorite jam, or blast their vocal chords singing a “blues”. Basically, pretty much everyone, loves music. Whether they’re playing it, dancing it, singing it, or simply letting the ears do the work; it’s a way to relax and put things aside, let go of emotions, forget problems, get motivated to do things, and the list goes on. But, music as we know can become redundant and dull over time. Our favourite song is no longer soothing to our ears or warm to our hearts after hearing it for the 100th time in-a-row. The magic simply does not happen anymore when we constantly play and practice our pieces or compositions, which used to make our hair stand and send chills down our spine.

So then we set out to find new music, new artists. We squeeze ourselves dry attempting to create a new riff or melody. We put ourselves in the most suitable environments for creativity. Search every corner of iTunes and the internet for a new, better, and more fulfilling “hit” of music to get our ear fix. This is satisfying at times, but often, we don’t get that satisfaction we’re looking for in a song. Actually looking at it on the long-end of things, we never get the fulfillment we want.

But we can, if we add the right element to the music we listen to or play.

Mantras.

A mantra is a spiritual sound vibration that transcends this material realm; it goes beyond the regular material sounds we hear every day and actually quenches our constant thirst we try to fill with many things, like music. It takes our mind off the mundane and places it on a spiritual platform, which is most natural to us and our real identity. Why?

Because we are spiritual in essence, therefore we need spiritual satisfaction. Spiritual food. As we are not essentially the biochemical in essence. To know the reality about ourselves, read here.

But what does meditation and mantras have to do with music or our desire to be happy and have fun? Everything!

Like stated above, we are spiritual in essence, therefore we need spiritual energy to really satisfy us. Material happiness is not enough and very fleeting. All the scriptures of the world state this in some way or another. And we derive spiritual energy from this sound vibrations.

By nature we need and want to be active, that’s why we’re always trying to do something (sleeping and doing “nothing” are actions by the way) in every hour of the day. But more so than just doing something, we want to have fun. Lots of fun. As much fun as we can have; we just want to be happy chappies. And that’s perfectly normal, because that’s part of our nature as spiritual sparks.We must Know more about the essential aspects of life i.e. about our real self and self realization

What we have to do now is take what we already know and like doing, and simply spiritualize those activities like singing and hearing. We can do this with mantra meditation.

Meditation is not about giving up everything and going in the forest to sit and try to think of nothing, or focus on a particular thing for a certain amount of time. Meditation is a way of life. So in the case of music, all we have to do is sing some mantras, or transcendental spiritual sound vibrations, along with the music we are playing or listening to. That is how a material activity becomes a spiritual activity. That is meditation.

So you like electronic dance music? That’s great! Just add some mantras like “Gauranga” to your beat or when the bass drops, and you’ll feel even more electrified and great inside. Or perhaps you’re into some hearty R&B and like to really sing as if there’s no tomorrow; perfect, but instead of normal lyrics that you’ll get tired of after a while, sing “Haribol Nitai-Gaur” and you’ll never want to stop. That is the beauty of spiritual sound vibrations.

Even rock n’ roll and blues can become spiritually potent with the addition of mantras. Even Justin Beiber’s sounds, lyrics removed and replaced with the wonderful and soothing spiritual sounds, can be beneficial to you and actually nice to play!

The point is to simply add this practice in our music, and also in our life. We don’t necessarily need music to do meditation. We can also just do deep breathing inhalation exercises, and exhale chanting the “Gauranga” mantra. This technique is called Gauranga breathing. It very simple, very easy, and very effective.

When we engage in singing and chanting mantras with others, accompanied by music, this is called Kirtan, and it is very wonderful. We can play any music we like, with any instrument, anywhere, in any position we want, and experience the most benefit and happiness simply by hearing and repeating these mantras.
So next time you’re at a party or a jam session, suggest this new idea, or don’t even bother suggesting, just start whistling a tune, and lay down some “Gauranga Nitai-Gaur” mantras to the beat. You will see that gradually, you will be grooving your way to bliss.

Longing For Home

Everyone is looking for a home. Everyone wants somewhere to go that when they arrive at the front door they feel they are welcome. It may be the swinging flap of a Bedouin tent or the gilded marble walkway to the door of a Beverley Hills mansion. It makes no difference to the dweller. As they step up to the threshold of the place where they live they know they are home.

At the end of 2014 there were 19.5 million refugees worldwide. The people who have been recently forcibly displaced due to conflict or persecution in the world is 13.9 million. (a) So, we have all these people who are all moving enmasse across the globe, all moving towards what they believe will be a better place than the one they have come from. And who can blame them? The experiences of war are something no-one in a lifetime should ever have to endure.

As an English teacher who spent 10 years working with refugees, I have seen firsthand the type of trauma that many people carry with them, not just within the confines of their homes but in the classroom, in the street, on the bus, in the bank, buying lunch. At any given moment something might erupt or break down and they, the holder and bearer of the most terrible memories will be at the mercy of the strangers around them. Unable for just that short period of time to contain the composure that we expect in our civilised societies. And after? What happens to that person then? We bring in refugees to our respective countries, we give them cheap housing and put them on benefits hoping that they will soon become proficient enough in our language to join the workforce. But often this does not happen. In each and every country we have thousands of displaced persons languishing in safe, protected, situations who are lonely and lost and longing for the familiarity of their own village, town, city or country. Each and every one of them harboring conceptions of things that we can only imagine and that we should all be grateful we have not had to endure.

A friend of mine who is now an interpreter, came to a safe western country many years ago from Tehran, a city of eight million people. The house her family was given was in a beautiful, leafy, suburb of a quiet Australasian city of 300,000. Once the family had been settled in by social workers over the weekend, they came on the Monday and assisted her husband and children to find their way to their respective daily places of work and school and she was left at home. She had no English at this point in her life. That first weekday she spent in her new country was one of the most terrifying she had ever had. At three o’clock on the Monday afternoon she waited at the window overlooking the street. She waited and waited and not only did her husband and children not appear for several hours, there was no-one on the street. While she was waiting she imagined all sorts of terrible scenarios. The streets in Tehran at three in the afternoon are literally teeming with life. Schools open their doors and children play football or cricket or sit on sidewalks reading books or just chatting. Parents walk to pick up their children and stand in groups and catch up on local news. Youth crowd out on to the sidewalks and streets and stroll along arm in arm. Vendors come with their carts of sweets or snack foods and the cafes wait as the afternoon customers pour into their establishments wanting afternoon refreshments. The streets are alive, vital, dynamic. There is never a time in Tehran when there is no-one on the streets.

Now as my friend looked out her window, there was no-one. Nothing moved, no animals, no cars and definitely no children or husband. That quiet seclusiveness that we pay appreciable real estate dollars for was the very thing that created a foreign and alien experience for my friend. She considered all types of horrific scenes in her mind; the most logical and overwhelming one was that somehow the city where her children and husband had gone had been overrun by an over powering army and that everyone had been killed. She was now alone and soon she would be found and killed as well. This was her only explanation for why there were no people anywhere. This was the sole reason the streets were empty and there were no signs of life as she knew it to be. She had only been in this country for a few days and in that time she had been through initial security checks, met lots of well meaning strangers, been hastily shown a new house to live in, arrangements had been made for her children to attend school and her husband was going to a job that had been arranged before they left Iran. She, as the non-bread winner, was the one left alone and unaided with no communication in her own language. At that point in time she longed to be back in her city, she wanted familiarity, she wanted to be where she knew why things happened, she wanted to be safe, she wanted to be home.

All over the world there are millions of people in the same situation. Unable to understand even a tiny piece of a particular culture and feeling alienated and alone. What might be familiar to us, something we take for granted, like a tree lined road in a safe, quiet suburb can be the most disturbing situation for someone else.

But it is not only the millions of refugees and migrants who are looking for a home. The average length of time that we in the western world stay in one house before selling up and moving on is between 7 and 13 years. Not long in terms of stability, nestling in, creating a sense of place, a home.

Then of course there are the people who can never have their own home but are forever at the mercy of the landlord. These people dream of the time they will be settled in their own house. A place that they ‘own’ and can’t be kicked out of. And those dreams are all different. The person who longs to leave the city and become the grower of their own food is dreaming of 10 acres of fruit trees, gardens, a small cottage settled next to a clear stream and a house cow, while the person who has just spent 10 or 15 years living in such a way, knows the austerity and hardships of such a laborious lifestyle, is dreaming of moving to a low maintenance apartment in an inner city somewhere, thinking that he can buy all his organic produce from a local farmer’s market and have an easier lifestyle.

And then of course there are the millions of homeless people in our world who live on the streets or in shanty towns under cardboard and tin huts who dream of living in real houses someday. Everyone is longing for a home, a sanctuary to call their own.

“It’s not safe on the streets, and sometimes you feel sad because you have nothing to come home to. You walk around all day living life for nothing.
You dream and dream all the time about going home, but you have no home to go to.”
Female, 18, Hayward (b)

When we do get a home we fill it up with all the things that make us feel comfortable, all the things we can enjoy that we think will make us happy. We choose a certain decor that we know will create the atmosphere we want to come home to. It may be minimalistic, shabby chic or retro. Whatever the style, when we think of our home we consider all the new things we need to buy to make it even more desirable to live in. After some years we change the look of our home and we start all over again.

The other day I was in a charity shop and a woman came into the store to donate some items. She had a clock and a large black and white photo collage of New York city.

I was surprised that she was giving away these items and some other smaller bits and pieces. All the pieces looked new and in very good condition. She told me, “I’m doing a complete makeover, I’m going from modern to traditional, everything is being changed, these have to go.”

Even when we have a home, we quickly become dissatisfied, we have to change and rearrange things all the time. We are constantly looking at what we can buy to make our house look better, function better, satisfy us more. The problem is we will never be able to settle into a home in this world and be completely satisfied.

There is a Sunday school song which tells the story very clearly of where we should build our homes and where we will find real satisfaction. It goes like this;

The wise man built his house upon the rock,

And the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down, and the floods came up,

And the house on the rock stood still.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

And the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down, and the floods came up,

And the house on the sand washed away. (c)

If we think that this is a mere children’s song with some hand movements to show rain falling and houses standing or being washed away we are mistaken. The words to this song are very important for us today and our yearning for a home. Like the latter person who built his house on the sand we are following in his footsteps. The homes we are setting up and trying to snuggle into forever is a dream. It is unreal. If we were to go down to the sea at low tide and build a house and then watch the consequences of the house being washed away twelve hours later by the high tide we would be laughed at for being so foolish. People would consider us crazy. It would be a fruitless effort, a huge waste of time, money and materials. But this is exactly what our endeavors are when we try to make a home in this world as we are unaware of the real identity. This very idea of our real identity is given by Jagad Guru founder of the famous science of identity foundation. This world is not our home, we do not belong here. We are temporarily traveling through and we should be looking for ways to go to our real home in the spiritual world. This real home that we continually search for is the house built upon the rock.

This world is like a world of sand, everything here is temporary and ephemeral. Nothing is lasting. Some people may live in the same house all their lives, one they may have inherited it from their father and brought their new bride to dwell there, raised their children there, seen their grandchildren and maybe even their great grandchildren come and go from the same house. But this is rare and even if those years have brought some happiness, sooner or later they must leave when death comes calling at their door. The pain of separation from all the family members and from their homestead will be great and will create distress for the person leaving and the people left behind. This is the nature of dwelling here in this world of shifting sand.

No matter where we live, where we put down roots, sooner or later, we have to move on. This may occur through a natural disaster, the death of a loved one, a broken relationship, a landlord exerting unfair rights or some other cause.

The home we are looking for is one that we never have to leave. A place where we belong. A home where I am loved and I love those around me. It is permanent and everlasting and it is the house that is built on the rock of spiritual love. All these ideas emanate from the eternal teachings of the great spiritual gurus. The nature of the world around us is temporary. Everything here will eventually dissolve, disappear, breakdown and be replaced by something else. This is the world of impermanence. The spiritual world where the Supreme Person dwells is eternal, full of love and happiness. It is a real world and the Supreme Person is waiting for us to come home. He wonders why we prefer to traverse this world of fickleness and distress, when we can have a wonderful life with Him, forever safe and free from all the trials and tribulations that we endure here.

It is us who are making the choices to stay here to try and enjoy the homes of this world. We think we have forever. We are like the foolish man and we nestle in and inhabit different dwellings over and over again, convincing ourselves that this time we will have a real home. But the shifting sands of time invariably come along and wash us out of our cocooned existence and we have to start all over again.

The process for coming to know where real happiness can be obtained and where we can find a home of peace and harmony is a simple one. This world cannot give us that which we desire. One has to enter the spiritual world to obtain real happiness. How does one do that? As the living being who is eternally part of the Supreme Being, I need to engage my mind and heart in spiritual activities. This is also a part of the real awareness. Hearing about the Supreme Lord, singing His name and His glories, remembering my real spiritual position and developing faith that the Supreme Person is always waiting for me, just as He is waiting for every living being to come home, is the doorway to our real abode. We can do this right now, think of God and know that He is thinking of Me. This idea of going back to the real home is given by the most exalted spiritual personalities. They guide in the right direction so that we are not misdirected and reach our goal.

The process of worship known as Bhakti yoga advises us to daily remember the Supreme, to sing and hear His Holy Names. To purify ourselves with the spiritual sound of the Lord. We understand that the Names of God are non-different from God Himself and through association with Him we will in turn become purified and develop the desire to go home, to our real home. We will stop trying to make the homes we have here into our sanctuaries. Of course it is not that we should all live on the streets and the whole world be homeless. No, that is not what is being advocated here. The distinction being made is not to consider a house in this world to be our eternal residing place.

We need to dwell somewhere and we will make that home nice and suitable for whatever sphere of life we might be in. If we are married with children we will need a bigger home than the retired person who will only require a small dwelling. If our type of work requires us to entertain many people at one time then we will need a much bigger house than the single worker who likes to live a solitary life. If we continue to develop our spiritual life, regardless of the place we live, we will gradually come to understand that everything belongs to God and we are temporarily the caretakers.

I heard a wonderful story many years ago of a saintly person who stood all day by the bank of the Ganges river. His whole body was completely covered in hair and he was told that he would live until all the hairs on his body fell off. Each hair took a very long time to fall off. Many years in fact. He stood in all kinds of weather, and some of the nearby villagers were concerned that he had no shelter. They approached him and offered to build him a hut so he would be out of the sun, wind and rain. He told them, ‘Why do I need a home, I am only here temporarily!’

He was indeed a very wise and saintly person and he went about his devotions knowing that sooner or later he would return to the abode of the Supreme Lord from where he would never return. He was not looking for a home. He knew the right knowledge where his home was and he was waiting for the time when he would go and live there. We can follow his example and know that wherever we find ourselves in this world, whether it be a mansion or a tent, it is not our real home. We belong with God and we our real home is with Him. This should be the home we are seeking. To put all our endeavors into a temporary situation is akin to the man building his house on the sand at low tide. We need to build our house on the rock. The rock of God’s love and caring for us. The rock where we can dwell forever, safe, secure and without fear.

Thank You!

Earth Day: A Reminder for us to care for our Planet

Earth Day: A Reminder for
us to care for our Planet

There is no question that our planet provides all the resources we need in order to be able to exist, but we have been neglecting planet earth because we have been too busy inventing things and building structures. The importance and the significance of earth day revolve around the environment and how we interact with it.

Every now and then, the planet will let us know just how small we are and it will show us the power that natural events can do. We call them natural disasters, but they are actually part of the natural cycle of changes that the planet goes through. We are inhabitants of a planet that is in constant shift and nature is wise beyond our understanding.

Earth day is in many ways a very powerful reminder of the fact that we have to take care of the world with all efforts that are possible within our reach. Some people say that they don’t worry about preserving the planet because no one else does and this means that it’s pointless, but that is far from true. There are many ways to make a change and to contribute to the preservation of our planet.

The most important thing to remember at all times is that our world needs us to take care of it. Often quoted by Hawaiian Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, the world needs us to be conscious about it and to stop polluting it. The world would not need our help if we didn’t pollute the water, the air and the earth itself. Our planet is gorgeous and we are always too selfish spend too much of our time taking away from it instead of giving to it.

Being a very impact-ful environmentalist and an well-being enthusiast, Tulsi has always taken steps for the betterment of the environment. She is a great advocate of individual and community health. This spirit of Tulsi is evident as she has co-founded the Healthy Hawaiʻi Coalition (HHC), a grassroots organization for conducting and educating in favor of environmental protection. She co-founded this HHC when she was very young, say 19. This shows Tulsi Gabbard’s foresightedness and what a brave heart she has. This HHC operates in more than 50 schools in the Hawaii state. The prime program i.e. watershed education curriculum is operative in all those educational institutions, thereby making all educated – how to be a friend of the earth, instead of being an enemy. Tulsi Gabbard is the co-founder and the Vice president of HHC. Tulsi Gabbard is also famous as the Waterwoman – the lead character in an educational play conducted in the HHC organization.

A proactive Tulsi has shown immense character while acting for people – whether for creating and amending legislation policies or touching their hearts through social and practical programs. Her activities speak about her a lot. She is a very hard stone to crack. She is also famous as the youngest legislator ever elected in the state of Hawaiʻi. Her solidarity is evident of her role in the Army. Ms. Gabbard served Hawaiʻi Army National Guard in 2003, she has also rigorous training in Alabama Military Academy’s Officer Candidate School to her credit. Each and every action of Tulsi is commendable.

We cant afford to miss the success of Tulsi Gabbard where she already commenced efforts to protect the reefs especially in the West Hawaiʻi, West Maui, and Heʻeia. Fortunately, the goverment authorities also joined hands in these efforts. Their main goal is to protect the limited natural resources and promote sustainable practices. Tulsi Gabbrard immensely thanked the authorities for taking care of the reefs which is being affected by the major problems like – shore erosion, wetlands, removing dangerous species and wildfire impacts. You can check the full detail here.

Tulsi Gabbard is one of the best and real example of a politician with a heart who is sincere in her efforts in acting favorably on behalf of the Earth and thus protecting the lives of the people.

Tulsi Gabbard is a real environmentalist. She’ll help us protect our environment and our kids’ future as well.

Some of the positive comments she has received from her real fans are below:

The amount of sincerity and perseverance Tulsi Gabbard’s has shown is really touching.
She is truly a sincere leader. Good Luck Tulsi.
I’m so happy Tulsi’s fighting for the local farmers.
Tulsi is the torchbearer to preserve this precious resource for generations to come.

The whole idea propounded by Tulsi Gabbard and alike is – “If you make the conscious decision of recycling, using more green energy, consuming more products that are eco-friendly and raising awareness so other people do the same thing, you will be part of a large change and a change that does indeed make a huge difference in the world.”

Earth day is all of those things and much more. Earth day is definitely a way to help humanity turn their heads away from the hectic modern world that we have created and take a look at the heart that we are neglecting. The good thing is that millions of people have become aware of this, but the change has to be on a larger scale in order for things to get better.

Next earth day, you should make it your goal to help raise awareness in as many people as possible. Just remember that there is nothing that matters more than our planet. Take care of this planet because it’s not ours, we are part of it. We do not own it, we simply inhabit this amazing planet.

Empty

I have spent the last six months trying to fill myself up with so much enjoyment, so many experiences only to find myself back at home feeling completely unfulfilled. I guess in reality I have spent my whole 22 years of life doing that, but these last 6 months were the crux of it. I wanted. Wait. I needed something new, something to blow my mind so that I could feel that all my endeavors so far had not been in vain. You see I have had a good life so far according to the western definition of a good life. I have had the education, the nice family, the upper middle class upbringing. I have money and graduated with a pathway into a successful career as an accountant. Practical right. Yes. I was raised on practical with a mum as a bank manager and a dad as a solicitor. Practicality runs in our veins.

So I had just graduated and was due to start my career a month later. I say career, but it is more than that isn’t it? I was due to start my steps down the path to adulthood with the intention of success. Yes, the path of wealth, family, white picket fence. Nice car, something a little sleek. I was due to start down that path and where I should have been feeling an excitement about starting the path to achieve and peace & satisfaction that my life was working out (unlike so many other people I knew) instead I was instead feeling…..empty. This emptiness had been growing. As my graduation became closer, the emptiness did too.

“I know” I thought. “I need to go and experience the world a bit.” I had been so focused on school, then uni, then getting a job, I just needed to take some time out, go live a little, have some fun and come back feeling all refreshed. Now this didn’t go down the best with those practical parents of mine. They shook their heads and told me how disappointed they were.

“You have a fantastic job waiting for you” said Mum.

“And a lovely boy” piped in Dad (I had not yet told them that he was going into the empty pile too).

“We thought we raised you to be a bit more practical than that Katherine.” returned Mum (note the full name use, usually called Katie). “What is it with you kids these days? Always running off, traveling. Off in bloody fairy land.” Finished dad.

I didn’t really have much to say. I could hear what they were saying. They were the same thoughts that I had when I was making this decision, so I could understand their point of view. But I did feel a little crushed. That’s the thing with my parents, they love me and want the best but they can also stifle any little bit of stepping out of the box.

I had made up my mind so off I went a week later and man I went for it filling my senses until they were bulging.

I squeezed every drop, every ounce of anything that I could from that trip and now here I back at home have to admit that I still feel as empty as I did when I left.

I signed out and stared out the screen for a moment. I didn’t really feel like crying again. I mean really what was I crying about anyway? No one had died. What I really wanted was just for this emptiness to go the fuck away or for someone to please explain how to make it go away.

I knew I should go and see mum and dad. I had been back for 24 hours already. My mind began to wander off to a myriad of what ifs, imagining my life in these scenarios searching for happiness in them. But they all returned the same conclusion. Maybe I should have visited somewhere like Nigeria or Papua New Guinea, somewhere where they didn’t have everything and see how they stay happy. Do they strive for the same things as us, just on a smaller scale, I wondered? What and travel the whole world trying to fill your emptiness? I scoffed at myself, dragged myself out of my shoe-box apartment and over to my parents place…. will it satisfy me?

Interested to find real peace, happiness and freedom! Check these videos below

What is the True Cost of War?

What is the True Cost of
War?

There is something very odd happening in the world everyday. Instead of heading towards tolerance and peace, some prefer to use violence, crimes, and even start a war, to get what they want. Throughout history, we hear about wars that earned our independence as a nation, about wars that gave us freedom, and so on. Many stories raise a war and the sacrifice of people to the level of necessity, using words like bravery, self-sacrifice, and courage to mask the atrocities and sufferance that lies behind all wars. These stories also mention heroes, to take our attention on the things that really count when it comes to a war, and that is the real cost.

Hearing the concern-filled statements by Tulsi Gabbard regarding war, one may realize the true impact of war as a whole. When we are saying the cost of war, we are not making reference just to the financial side. Although, we have to be aware that a war is mostly paid by our contributions, by the money we pay as fair tax payers to the state. Instead of using this money to repair or improve the shortcomings of the various systems existent in a country, like health-care, education, social support, especially for mothers, elders, or underprivileged families, stunning amounts of money is spent on wars. Tulsi Gabbard has always been advocating, You won’t believe just how expensive a war can get, as our minds cannot even comprehend the total sums when we hear them, this is how big they are. To have an idea of how much a war costs, just think of the fact that the war in Iraq burned out sums between $1 and $2 trillion. What could have been done with this much money? Well, a lot of things, things that might have saved lives, instead of sacrificing soldiers, who where sons, husbands, brothers, and fathers.

See a couple of video where Tulsi Gabbard is speaking on the deep matters and experiences being a part of the American army.

The true cost of war is not necessarily the money spent, but the lives lost and destroyed by the things that happen in a war. Most soldiers go in a war with the idea that they are doing something brave for the country. They believe that everybody will consider them heroes, after everything is done, not knowing that this part counts so little in reality. Unfortunately, they end up being puppets in the hands of the people that tackle the power, people that are hungry to get even more power, being ready to pay for what they want with the lives of so many innocent people. Tulsi Gabbard says, even if the soldiers will come back from the war alive, physically or mentally injured, they will have to face a system that does not value them anymore. We’ve seen the case of so many veterans that ended being homeless after the Military decided they no longer needed them. There is so little support for the people that fought for the country, putting their lives into danger, that it is even shocking. They come with wounds that will not allow them to get a decent job to support themselves and their family and, even worse, they come home with mental traumas, produced by the atrocities they saw and the friends they lost, not allowing them to have a normal life again.

So the true cost of war is not the money spent to fuel such a thing, but the people lost in the process. And we are not making reference here only to the people that died here, but also to the ones that lost their limbs or earned deep psychological scars, these people never being capable of leading a normal life and being normal members of the community.

You may think that the authorities ought to help them out, providing counseling and therapy sessions to help the soldiers find their balance once more. Well, you will be amazed to find out that the Military has very little funds dedicated to such things. Tulsi Gabbard also highlights the same thing. No matter how brave you are, no matter how positive you try to be, the war will leave deep scars in your mind. The sound of bombs, of the artillery rounds, the view of bodies flying everywhere, seeing your colleagues wounded or even killed, having to leave them behind because they cannot move due to their injuries, will change a man, no matter how strong, forever. And no one will take responsibility for this, taking proper care of the people that had to participate in a war, choosing to invest only in the war and not in its consequences. The Army invests a fortune in training people to deal in combat, to be efficient warriors, but no one invests in recovery programs for the after the war period.

Thus, the country has to sustain people that are not capable of working, and not capable of producing for the community, because no one considered them worthy enough to be recovered. It is hideous to think that, for the system, they were just some killing machines, which were disposed after they role was over. Even if some wars in the past were necessary, today the situation is even worse. The wars of today are the mere desires of murderous people, who forget what real humanity is, using name to manipulate the masses and lure them into becoming criminals.

Tulsi Gabbard is executing a lot of efforts on discouraging wars. Today’s wars are led by tyrants, who have no respect for human life, neither for their fighters, nor for the innocent people that have no fault in their dirty game, producing even more casualties and ruining the economy of whole countries. There are for sure some illegal parts in present days wars, just like it may have happened in the past as well, and these are parts very well hidden from our eyes. We are given to see what they want us to see, never revealing the true cost of a war. They will never tell us how much money will they take from us to finance such murderous actions, they will not tell us whether our loved one will ever come back, always presenting the war like a big lottery win, without any consideration for the consequences, once more.

Guru Swami Vigyananand Talk & Meet in WHEF Event

The 5th annual World Hindu Economic Forum has brought about the second opportunity for the two exceptional industrious individuals to meet, Tulsi Gabbard & Guru Swami Vigyananand. The both of them are high achievers and have gotten the wealth of experience in vast fields of life. Many Indian American and NRI experts were present at the occasion. The forum took place at the Grand Ballroom of Orange County’s Hotel Irvine and lasted from the 18th to 20th of November, 2016.

The World Hindu Economic Forum

The economy of the 21st century is characterized by the internet of information, things, and value, and how youth quickly adapt to them. Knowing sufficiently well that the population of Hindu is more of youths, there is an innate ability held up within them waiting to be opened. The World Hindu Economic Forum stands today as a platform which will use this natural ability to set off the formation of new riches.

The recent decline in the economic growth of nations in the world has caused a lot of economic instability. The reactions to these difficulties are perplexing and should be not be tackled with the same traditional strategy rather solutions should evolve by thing out of the box. The world financial authority is just investigating and acting as indicated by normal intelligence -talking about efficiency and effectiveness. The undertakings intended for relative steadiness do not work in competitive situations. It involves a fresh and inventive reaction, which can drive the formation of surplus riches to safeguard the world economy from its present emergency. World Hindu Economic Forum’s available approach depends on the foundational intelligence in the Bhagavad Gita: “Think in future, for the future.”

Hunger, destitution, and absence of education are the current fundamental issues of the world. These problems cannot be disentangled just by gifts and philanthropy. A developing populace has developing wants, and these can be defeated only by making extra riches and distributing this riches to enhance the wellbeing of people in this world, that is, those at the base of the pyramid. World Hindu Economic Forum is that move towards making “That, which sustains” and annihilating starvation, destitution, and lack of education.

The World Hindu Economic Forum sail is said to have started in 2012 at Hong Kong, trailed by productive yearly discussions in Bangkok 2013, New Delhi 2014, London 2015, and a few local gatherings en route.

The USA is known to be the head monetary power on the planet. It is propelled by the soul of the business enterprise, and it leads the world into streams of income and mechanical advancement. There are various open doors for development from every side of this immense country. Los Angeles is also the third-biggest commercial urbanized zone on the planet. It is a common center point for global exchange, production, innovation, excitement, and design. The environment is very suitable for hosting fantastic scene for a financial forum.

Speech by Tulsi Gabbard at the WHEF

Tulsi Gabbard was able to avail her presence at the World Hindu Economic Forum where she spoke on “Finding Happiness and Success Through Karma Yoga” She also said Mahatma Gandhi had shown us that, an ideal approach to discover yourself is to free yourself from the control of other persons. According to her, “I believe that we cannot overcome the divisive challenges facing our communities, countries, and the world if we do not recognize and respect all others as children of God, despite our differences of nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, and so forth.”

The first youngest United States Representative who comes from Hawaii clarified the more profoundly the importance of Aloha. Aloha is an excellent Hawaiian word regularly used to make proper acquaintance and farewell. Welcome anybody by the word ‘Aloha’ means you are saying, ‘I am coming to you with a free mind and adoration.’ She said, “It is recognition of our interconnectedness, which we are all eternal souls and part of one family. This spirit of Aloha is important at a time when we see such divisiveness, bigotry, fear and persecution around the world.”

Tulsi went ahead to further her discussion by expanding on “servant-leadership” a theme that she talks about in major conferences that she has been. The topic has become her favorite. In her speech, she said “For you, as executives and renowned businessmen and women, and for me as a person in political life, it is especially important to make sure that we never forget that we are servants of God and the people, not the master. Sometimes when people get into positions of power, they forget who they are. But if every day you remember God and remember your relationship with Him, that you’re His servant and not the master, then you won’t get swept away by the trappings of power. This is the attitude of a karma yoga practitioner: I live to serve—not be served.”

The Discussion of Guru Swami Vigyananand at WHEF

Master Swami Vigyananand talked about undoing the many clichés identified with the development of riches and the function of riches in Hindu dharma. According to his words, “We must break free from the shackles of individual brilliantness and graduate to collective success.”

He went ahead to discuss the effort of World Hindu Economic Forum in making a biological system to enable Hindu establishment to thrive in the neighborhood and all around the world by campaigning for a business interacting medium. He also shed more light on the World Hindu Economic Forum’s approach depends on the foundational intelligence in the Bhagavad Gita.

More about Tulsi Gabbard

Naturally, Tulsi is an open individual who has the modesty to heed consciously to all sides of a level-headed discussion, the knowledge to deal with any test, and the fearlessness to settle on the correct choice and take care of business. A dynamic Tulsi gained the significance of serving others and living Aloha from a youthful age. She appreciated the lessons from Aloha as it is her source of inspiration. She has endeavored to carry on with her life committed to serving the general population of Hawaii.

Tulsi has demonstrated an energy for open administration from a remarkably youthful age. Her sense of duty regarding serving the municipal and having a constructive outcome has impacted each critical choice in her life. Tulsi’s administration has included working within dangerous millennials. She enrolled in the Hawaii National Guard and was sent twice to the Middle East. Tulsi was also being chosen for the position of the Hawaii State Legislature and the Honolulu City Council, with the pleasure of serving Hawaiians in the United State Senate as the administrative helper to Senator Daniel K. Akaka, proceeding with her continuous work and initiative on fundamental issues and tasks. She is currently serving in Congress as the Rep for Hawaii’s Second Congressional District.

The extended periods of time, diligent work, and vulnerabilities inborn in getting an independent company off the ground gave her direct involvement in the world of business. The experience incited her to concentrate on business in school.

In 2002, Tulsi turned into the youngest and active individual chosen for the Hawai’i State Legislature. In this phenomenal decision to the Hawai’i State House of Representatives, Tulsi was selected to stand in for District 42 in West O’ahu. She was a successful, respected, and a dedicated lawmaker who functioned on the Education, Higher Education, Tourism, and Economic Development panels.

More about Guru Swami Vigyananand

Guru Swami Vigyananand is the originator and worldwide chief executive officer of World Hindu Foundation. He is a transcending specialist and scholar of Sanatan Dharma and a recognized researcher on Hinduism and worldwide Hindu development. Swani is a scholarly coach and vital director for several recognized Hindu advocates and associations managing a massive number of Hindu enfranchisement and marketing ventures with an overall extension including Asia Pacific, European, South Asian, African and American districts. He is as of now Jt. General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Bharat. He did his Bachelors in Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.

At the World Hindu Economic Forum held with Tulsi Gabbard in attendance, Swami Spoke about the Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita is unanimously recognized as the gem of India’s divine knowledge & followed by leading spiritual master and spiritual teacher globally. Here Lord Krishna acts as the guru of His dear friend Arjuna and spoke about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Gita’s seven hundred brief verses give an authoritative manual for the exploration of self-acknowledgment. No other philosophical or religious work uncovers, in such a clear and significant way, the nature of awareness, the self, the world and the Ultimate.