Corruption and Indian philosophy

Corruption is everywhere in today’s competitive market. There are various causes of corruption.

People become corrupt, because of the greed (lobha) and self-centeredness. Now people’s demands are more, desires are more. They are no more happy and contended with simple living and high thinking. They become quite unhappy and dissatisfied with their present condition. They want more and more and it is a continuous process. It results in jealousy, hatred causing inner turmoil within them. They become confused. They follow the adharmic path, as that is the easiest path through which they can attain what they desire- they become corrupt, poor ones in the society suffer. They cannot get their job done by paying bribes. Economy itself suffer as government’s money, people‘s money goes into some self-centered individual’s pockets who will be utilizing that money for the benefit of themselves only.

Here comes the importance of Indian ethos. Indian tradition emphasises that we should not think in term of ‘preyas’ or temporary pleasure which we can get being corrupt. We can get our job done immediately by paying bribe, but ultimately it might not be beneficial. Inner conflict may arise with us, we may not have peace, this can cause disturbance in our personal life as well as professional life.
Everyone, even a corrupt person wants name and frame in the society. He wants good public image. If any one is really interested to keep good public image, he should not follow unethical path. People in the society may show respect towards him because of his money and power, but that is not real respect. Real respect comes from within and that comes only for those who are honest in their dealings. Therefore, all of us should follow ethics in every aspects of our life.

Rising sea level could sink Mumbai

More than two-thirds of the world’s large cities, including Mumbai, are in areas that are vulnerable to rising sea level because of global warming. And this puts millions of people at risk of being swamped by flooding and intense storms, according to new study released on 28th march—2007.
In all, 634 million people live in the threatened coastal areas world wide – defined as those lying at less than 33 feet above sea level – and the number is growing, said the study published in the journal Environment and Urbanization.
More than 180 countries have populations in low-elevation coastal zones, and about 70 percent of those have urban areas of more than 5 million people that are under threat, the report said.
Besides Mumbai, the other major cities at risk include Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Jakarta, Indonesia and Dhaka.
The study gives no time frame for rising sea levels or the potential flooding in individual countries. It warns, however, the solution to the problem will not be cheap and may involve relocating many people and building protective engineering structures. And, it adds, nations should consider halting or reducing population growth in coastal areas.
Asia is particularly vulnerable, the study said. The five nations with the largest total population living in endangered coastal areas are all in Asia: India, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Between 1994 add 2004, about one-third of the world’s 1,562 flood disasters occurred in Asia. Still, Asia accounts nearly half of the total 1,20,000 people killed by the natural calamity, the study said.“Migration away from lower coastal zones will be important, but can be difficult to implement without causing severe disruptions,” the study said. But, it added that “small settlements shifts out of lower coastal plains and onto more elevated ground can make a

How Much Salt is Too Much?

In this day and age, you’re probably well aware that you’re supposed to be mindful of how much salt you’re eating. But as it turns out, being truly aware of your salt intake takes much more effort than simply removing the saltshaker from your dinner table. The average American consumes two to three times as much salt as she or he should on a daily basis, and only 15% of that comes from the saltshaker. About 10% occurs naturally in foods, and a whopping 75% is put there by the food industry.
That’s why it’s important for consumers to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into each time they pop open a can of soup or sit down at a restaurant. Excessive salt intake leads to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure, which leads to cardiovascular disease, is both silent and deadly.

In all fairness, we do need some salt, usually referred to as sodium on food labels, to survive. Sodium performs several important functions in the body. First, it helps maintain body fluid concentration levels, since water is drawn to sodium. Second, it is essential for normal electrical conduction along our nerve pathways. And third, it assists in the bodies’ uptake of nutrients. All of this can be done with about half a gram of sodium a day.

The food industry adds salt to everything from breakfast cereals to cheeses. Why? Because we consumers have developed a taste for it. We tend to buy foods that are high in sodium and shun those that are not. Other reasons on top of this include the fact that salt is a relatively inexpensive additive, it has some preservative qualities, it adds texture to the food, and it covers up a few bad tastes that are byproducts of food processing itself.

Understanding the connection between sodium, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease is key. To put it simply, high blood pressure causes cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease leads to heart attack or stroke.
But considering how common salt is in our food supply, that’s a tall order. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration’s “Generally Recognized as Safe” status on salt allows it to be added without controls and oversight to our food. That’s why in June 2006, the American Medical Association urged the FDA to revoke the status and begin regulating salt as a food additive. Of course, that would not be an inconsequential battle for the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, whose budget has been cut nearly in half over the past four years from $47 million to $25 million. If the recommendation were adopted, packaged-food companies would not only be required to stick to certain sodium levels for various categories of food, but also speed up the search for an alternative to salt as a preservative and flavor enhancer.
To give credit where credit is due, some food manufacturers are trying, and we, the consumers, are not exactly co-operating. For example, ConAgra’s versions of low sodium Healthy Choice chicken noodle soup and low sodium Hamburger Helper went down in defeat.
So what can we do to take more control of our own sodium intake? First, read the labels. Total intake per day of sodium should not exceed 2.3 grams, except for African Americans and the elderly, who should only consume 1.5 grams a day. Any food with a half a gram or more in a portion is probably worth avoiding. Second, watch the restaurants. A single meal often contains 4 grams of sodium. And think twice about that free bread on the table – it’s one of the worst offenders.2 Third, remove the salt shaker from your table at home. Why add insult to injury? Fourth, accept a little pain. Studies show we like the taste of salt and weaning ourselves off it will be noticeable at first. But studies also show that adjusting to the change happens quickly and cravings disappear rapidly. Making the small sacrifice is well worth it. Cutting your sodium intake in half can drop your blood pressure 5 points, and that decreases your risk of death from heart disease by 9% and from stroke by 14%.

Good health in your mind

Can our thought forms produce diseases? If yes, can they also cure diseases? Let us look at the following examples.

There was a lady in England who was allergic to roses. The moment she went anywhere near a rose, all symptoms of allergy would be visible in her. Her eyes would start watering, nose would run, face would turn red and she would start sneezing. So, she made sure that she never went anywhere near a rose.
One day she had to attend a seminar. When she entered the hall, she was shocked to see a huge table decorated with hundreds of roses. She cursed her ill luck which forced her to sit with roses. As she sat down, she slowly felt all the symptoms of allergy appearing on her face. A series of sneezes followed. Then, she looked up and glared at the roses. Suddenly, she realized they were not real roses! The moment she realized that, all the symptoms of allergy caused her discomfort.

During the period of Second World War, it was decided to conduct an experiment to find out to what extent a man’s thought brings on speedily his death. Two prisoners who were sentenced to death were chosen for this purpose. They were informed that the blood from their body would be drained out drop by drop to see how long it took them to die. The prisoners had no choice. Each one was made to lie on a bed in a separate room. The apparatus to drain blood was fixed to each one’s body in such a manner that as each drop of blood that falls into a container made an audible sound.
The experiment started and each prisoner could hear his blood falling into the container drop by drop. After some time, they stopped the blood flow of one prisoner but continued the sound of blood falling with some other apparatus. It was found that both the prisoners died at almost the same time – the one whose blood was totally drained out and the one who thought his blood was totally drained out fully. Thus they concluded that just a thought form can make the difference between life and death. If you think you are living, you live and if you think you are dying, you simply die.

Conclusion: From the above incidents, it is quite clear that our thought forms play a major role in either keeping us healthy or making us fall sick.
How can we make sure that we keep up good health? ---- can we create an effective change in our thoughts forms to cure all there illnesses and create good health? Yes, practice of Alpha Level meditation is known to have cured many such illnesses. The alpha level of brainwave frequency has a therapeutic value and so is capable of increasing the immunity levels of a person. By relaxing the body and the mind with helpful inputs a person can easily reach the Alpha level. At this level, one can give oneself affirmations of good health like: ‘I am healthy’, ‘I am fit’, ‘My body is shining with good health’, ‘I am strong’ etc.
Such affirmations, given at the Alpha level go straight to the subconscious mind of a person and create excellent health.
Along with the affirmations one should also form a clear picture of good health in the mind. If any disease or discomfort is present in the body, at the Alpha level, one should start thinking that this is getting healed totally. Alpha level positive thought formation in the mind cause miraculous healing.

Why worry?

There are only two reasons for worry, you are either successful or you are not successful. If you are successful there is nothing to worry about. If you are not successful there are only two things to worry about. Your health is either good or you are sick. If your health is good, there is nothing to worry about; if you are sick there are again only two things to worry about. You are either going to get well soon or you are going to die. If you are going to get well there is nothing to worry about; if you are going to die there are again only two things to worry about. You are either going to Heaven or you are going to Hell. If you are going to Heaven there is nothing to worry about; if you are going to Hell, you will be so busy shaking hands with your old friends that you won’t have time to worry at all. SO WHY WORRY?

Personality

As we are all aware ‘personality is referred to one’s traits, both negative and positive. You are made of liabilities and assets; you have within you the desire to succeed, the desire for self-fulfillment and the desire to be happy.
When you look into the mirror sometimes you could see a smiling face and yet sometimes a frowning one. You find within yourself quite opposing traits. Your negative side is liability, which is needed to be corrected; your positive traits are constructive and they are your assets. No one else can change your personality, unless you desire it. So try to cultivate good personality.
Have some following points to cultivate better personality.

1. Do one thing at a time; aim at one goal at a time.
2. Live in present but think of your future.
3. Don't forget to learn valuable lessons from yesterday's mistake.
4. Stop criticizing yours and others.
5. Aim at self-improvement.
6. Don't give up any task until you finish it. If you make mistake, try again.
7. Exercise your imagination and creative power to achieve success.
8. Don't forget the saying 'Personality' is to a man what perfume is to a flower.