Patriotism:
To
me, Patriotism means being true to the world you live in and doing what is best
for maintaining peace and harmony around. You don’t have to salute a flag to
show your loyalty to it – you have to live for the ideals it stands for. You
can be a patriotic Indian, by being non-violent in every aspect of your life,
being broadminded about all religions, encouraging art and literature and being
a good host. You could live anywhere in the world you live, you owe your
loyalty to the law of the land and its culture. Holding a birth certificate or
a citizenship does not geographically confine your patriotism to one land. True
Patriotism is following the moral, ethical and legal norms of society and
pledging your loyalty to mankind.
Power:
What
is power? In the movie Schindler’s List,
Schindler describes it beautifully when he says that ‘power’ is when you don’t
shoot your victim, in spite of having the authority – Not when you do. The ability to act with force – is how
the word is defined; this force could be exerted on others or on oneself. I
think the most powerful are those that ‘act with force’ on themselves. Power is
also self determination; free-will-to choose the life you want. Exerting power
over someone else is exploitative. We find this happening around us-in the
family, socially and at work. Since power is in a way, energy-there is more
negative and destructive energy than the positive and constructive kind. I
would like to quote some interesting examples of power –
-
I exert my power by
trying to stay positive
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When you go on a
critical patient call, you are basically God. You have the power to save
someone.
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Women are already
powerful from the moment we’re born.
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The best use for
power is to show understanding and compassion.
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The more I resist
cynicism and meanness, the more powerful I am.
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It’s powerful to
have a small tribe of really honest friends.
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People exercising
their power collectively, that’s something powerful.
Prayer:
‘Prayer is the raising up of our minds and
hearts to God, either to praise Him, or to thank Him, or to beg His grace, and
therefore it is divided into Prayer of Praise, Prayer of Thanksgiving., and
Prayer of Petition’ – what a lovely definition! I would put prayer of
thanksgiving as the highest form. And devotion is the essence of prayer. I am
thankful to my grandmother for introducing me to the strength that lies in
praying. She taught me active praying which is doing my bit and seeking God’s
grace in making it happen. Passive praying is that which makes you sit and wait
for things to happen as a result of it. As the Pope said, ‘pray any way you
like, so long as you do pray. You can pray the way your mother taught you’. The
best prayer is one of surrender. As Krishna says in the Gita, do your duty to
the best of your ability and leave the rest to Him.
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