the rain forest

Excerpt from the book Peter Matthiessen's Reader:

The rain forest communities are the oldest on earth, with hundreds of insect species specific to each of the many species of its trees. Almost half of the earth's living things, many as yet undiscovered, live in this green world that is shrinking fast to a small patch on the earth's surface. Man has already destroyed half of the rain forests, which disappear at an ever increasing speed, and a mostly unknown flora and fauna disappear with them. Therefore, at every opportunity, we explore the forest, and often I go out alone, for walking in solitude through the dim glades, immersed in silence, one learns a lot that cannot be learned in any other way.

~~
Very true. Wonder how many have gone into depression?!

Srik

accomplishment?

Excerpt from the book Peter Matthiessen's Reader

The finality of extinction is awesome, and not unrelated to the finality of eternity. Man, striving to imagine what might lie beyond the long light years of stars, beyond the universe, beyond the void, feels lost in space; confronted with the death of species, enacted on earth so many times before he came, and certain to continue when his own breed is gone, he is forced to face another void, and feels alone in time. Species appear and, left behind by a changing earth, they disappear forever, and there is a certain solace in the inexorable. But until man, the highest predator, evolved, the process of extinction was a slow one. No species but man, so far as is known, unaided by circumstance or climatic change, has ever extinguished another, and certainly no species has ever devoured itself, an accomplishment of which man appears quite capable!

~~

Sigh! what a beautiful way of expressing the sadness!

Srik

surrender

Excerpt from the book Infinite Vision by Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy

Dr. V's observations:

It is difficult to understand surrender. Constantly your mind has got its own fixed ideas or opinions. You get strongly attached to what you think is right and come into conflict with people who differ from you. You are not able to step back and watch your ideas. Lots of times, these ideas are based on the impressions of the mind, and not the higher spiritual consciousness. 

--
Sigh. This loss of perspective is very evident at all the times.

Srik

living deep within

Excerpt from the book Infinite Vision by Pavithra K. Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy

Dr. V's observations: 

You want to live deep within, but you get upset by so many superficial things, or you get elated because of some superficial achievement. How will you guide Aravind, Seva or other service organizations. First thing to do is for you to live in your soul. Do not allow mental prejudices to cloud your thinking. To surrender yourself to the higher qualities in you is your constant effort. Do not limit yourself to small things. 

--
So well said. Self-examination is the only key to achieve transparent consciousness.

Srik

Americans on the planet

Excerpt from the book Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

Yes, as economic development spreads it is possible that overall global population growth will slow and the world total will not reach the nine billion plateau by 2050; as more women get better educated and join the work force, they generally have fewer children. But the metric to watch is not the total number of people on the planet - it's the total number of Americans on the planet. That is the key number and it has been steadily rising. 

~~

Are you aspiring to live an American lifestyle?  Ask yourself. 

Srik

Doha and Dalian

Excerpt from the book Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

I'm glad that many people in the United States and Europe have switched from incandescent lightbulbs to long-lasting compact fluorescent lightbulbs in their homes. That has saved a lot of kilowatts of energy. But the recent growth in Doha and Dalian just ate all those energy savings for breakfast. I'm glad that many people are buying hybrid cars. But Doha and Dalian devoured all those gasoline savings before noon. I'm glad that the U.S. Congress decided to boost U.S. mileage-per-gallon requirements up to European levels by 2020. But Doha and Dalian will have those energy savings for lunch - may be just as the first course. I'm glad that solar and wind power are "soaring" toward 2 percent of U.S. energy generation, but Doha and Dalian will guzzle all those clean electrons for dinner. I'm thrilled that people are now doing the "twenty green things" to save energy suggested by their favorite American magazine. But Doha and Dalian will snack on all those good intentions like popcorn before bedtime. 

~~ 
Darn! you, Doha and Dalian! While Americans are busy learning lessons from their mistakes, you both are silently becoming the clans of America!? 


Darn you! 


Srik

frog in the pail

Excerpt from the book Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

The Energy-Climate Era crept up on us slowly. In some ways, when it comes to climate change, human society has been like the proverbial frog in the pail on the stove, where the heat gets turned up very slightly every hour, so the frog never thinks to jump out. It just keeps adjusting until it boils to death. I hope we will write a different ending, but let's not fool ourselves: We are the frog, the pail is getting hot, flat and crowded, and we need a long-term survival plan - a ladder out of the pail. 

~~
Well, Can you feel the heat? and where is the ladder yet?


Srik