JUST BE GLAD

Christian D. Larson (1874 – 1962) was a New Thought leader and teacher, as well as a prolific author of metaphysical and New Thought books. I like his writings very much. They are really a source of inspiration, strength and peace.  The following passage is taken from his small book “Just be glad”. I think we all should start this New Year in the right spirit explained in the following passage.

May our life be a beautiful song finely tuned with harmony!

-       N.GANESHAN

  

JUST BE GLAD

ALL things respond to the call of rejoicing; all things gather where life is a song. This is the message of the new order, the new life and the new time. It is the golden text of the great gospel of human sunshine. It is the central truth of that sublime philosophy of existence, which declares that the greatest good is happiness, and that heaven is here and now.

To live in the spirit of this wonderful message; to be a living example of this great gospel, to work out in everyday life the principle of this inspiring philosophy, the first and most important thing to do, is to lay aside our sorrows and glooms, and just be glad.

Whatever you are, or whatever has happened, just be glad. Be glad because you are here. You are here in a beautiful world; and all that is beautiful may be found in this world. It is a world wherein all that is rich in life may be enjoyed beyond measure; a world wherein happiness may overflow eternally in every human heart; a world wherein all the dreams of life may be realized, and all the visions of the soul made true. Then why should we not be glad; first of all that we are here; that we are in this world; that we may stay here for a long time if we so desire, and enjoy every minute to the full?

The real truth is that this world is nothing less than a limitless sea of happiness, the vastness and glory of which we are just beginning to know. And life itself is a song, while time is one eternal symphony. To be in tune with life, therefore, and to be in harmony with the endless music of time, we must of necessity be glad. But after we have learned, to be glad, under every circumstance, it is no longer a necessity; it is a privilege, and has become a part of our active, living, thinking self.

Just be glad, and you always will be glad. You will always have better reason to be glad. You will have more and more things to make you glad. For great is the power of sunshine, especially human sunshine. It can change anything, transform anything, remake anything, and cause anything to become as and beautiful as itself.

Just be glad and your fate will change; a new life will begin and a new future will dawn for you. All things that are good and desirable will begin to come into your world in greater measure, and you will be enriched far beyond your expectations, both from the without and from the within. And the cause of the change is this, that all things respond to the call of rejoicing; all things gather where life is a song.

When you are tempted to feel discouraged or disappointed, be glad instead. Know that you can, say that you will, and stand uncompromisingly upon your resolve. Be strong and be glad. For when strength and rejoicing combine in your soul, every trace of gloom or despair must disappear; because such conditions can exist only where weakness is the rule and mastery the exception.

Combine strength with rejoicing and you will exercise a magic power—you will possess a secret that will serve you royally no matter what your difficulties or obstacles may be. All joy is light; and it is the light that dispels the darkness.

When things are not to your liking, be glad nevertheless, for the glad heart can cause all things to be as we wish them to be. When things do not give you pleasure, proceed instead to create pleasure in your own heart and soul. And you can if you will always be glad. Besides, things will soon change for the better if you continue in the spirit of rejoicing.  It is the law that all good things will sooner or later  come and be, where the greatest happiness is to be found. Therefore, be happiness in yourself, regardless of times, seasons or circumstances.

When things do not please you, resolve to please yourself  by being glad, and you can add immeasurably to your happiness in this simple manner. Then you must remember that the fountain of joy within your own soul is infinitely greater than all external sources of joy combined. But as far as we can, we should add the joys from without to the joys from within, and in all things be glad.

Rejoice in your strength, rejoice in your talents and powers, rejoice in the wonders of your own nature. For there is far more in you than you ever dreamed. So whatever may come, you are greater than it all, richer than it all. And knowing this, why should you not be glad?

When evil befalls you, consider the fact that the good that is yet in your possession is many times as great as all the evil you could ever know. Consider this stupendous fact and be glad. Then remember, with rejoicing, that neither evil nor wrong can exist very long in the radiant sunshine of a glad triumphant soul.

If you have lost anything, have no regrets. Be glad and begin again. Be glad that you can begin again. Be glad to know that the future is always richer and better than the past if we only try to make it so. Then forget the loss, and rejoice in the fact that you have the power to secure something far better in return. You know that you have this power; then you can never be otherwise than glad.

Whatever comes or not, sing again and again the song of "the soul victorious"; and mean it with your whole heart. Enter into this song with all the power of mind and spirit, for it is always that which we know and sincerely believe that contains the greater worth and power.

When you resolve to be glad at all times and under every circumstance, resolve also to give your whole heart and soul to the spirit of your rejoicing. Give power to gladness, and give life to your song. Open the way for all the sunshine of your soul; and see that every sunbeam from within be one of power as well as one of joy.

It is the full joy of the soul that makes the heart young and the mind great. For as it is in nature, so it is also in man. It is the full glory of the noonday sun that quickens the earth, that makes the fields green, that causes the flowers to bloom. Where the sun is strong all growth is luxurious and all nature bountiful. It is the same when the sunshine of the soul is full, strong and constant in the daily life of man. So therefore rejoice with great joy. Rejoice always and give life and power to your joy.

There is magic in the sunshine of the soul; there if a charmed power in the radiant splendor of a beaming countenance. Such a countenance can dispel anything that may threaten to give disappointment or dismay. So remember to be glad and mean it. It is the greatest remedy in the world, and the greatest protector in the world. It can harm nothing for it turns all wrong into right. It is the sunshine from within that causes all darkness to cease to be. It therefore brings good to everybody, and he who is always glad is always adding to the welfare of every member of the race.

When fate seems unkind, do not be unkind to yourself  by becoming disheartened or dismayed. Instead, rejoice in the great fact that you are greater and stronger than any fate; that you have the power to master your whole life, and determine your destiny according to your own invincible will. Then resolve that you will begin at once to prove that strength, and cause all the elements of fate to come with you, and work with you in building for that greater future which you have so often longed for in your visions and dreams.

Therefore, whatever your fate may be, just be glad. You can change it all. And as you proceed to exercise this divine right, the darkness of today will become the sunshine of tomorrow, and the disappointments of the present will become the pastures green of the future.

-   -    Christian D. Larson 

Quotes on Criticism

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”

 - Winston Churchill

“A critic is a legless man who teaches other people to run”
― Channing Pollock

“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
Elbert Hubbard

“I am sorry to think that you do not get a man's most effective criticism until you provoke him. Severe truth is expressed with some bitterness.”
Henry David Thoreau 

“Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.”
Frank A. Clark 

Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld 

“The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”
Wole Soyinka 

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”
Norman Vincent Peale 

“The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.”
Elbert Hubbard 

“Don't criticize what you can't understand.”
― Bob Dylan

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
― Winston S. Churchill

“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.”
― Abraham Lincoln

People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise.”
― W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage

“How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.”
― Benjamin Disraeli

“It is much more valuable to look for the strength in others. You can gain nothing by criticizing their imperfections.”
― Daisaku Ikeda

“As a matter of fact, we are none of us above criticism; so let us bear with each other's faults.”
― L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz

“Criticism is just someone else’s opinion. Even people who are experts in their fields are sometimes wrong. It is up to you to choose whether to believe some of it, none of it, or all of it. What you think is what counts.”
― Rodolfo Costa

 “Keep yourself so busy with your own refinement that you have little time, energy, or need to criticize others.”
― Anonymous      

LITTLE THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS LITTLE THINGS

 

For many people small bits of work are a source of boredom. They consider small things to be negligible and not worthy of attention. Paying attention to small things hurts their idea of dignity.  They want to do great things or exciting things. But small things appear insignificant only to the people who cannot see the real potential in the small things. 

Not all little things are little. Many little things can have big results – a small idea can produce a profitable business, a small seed holds potential of a big tree, a small kindness can begin a long friendship and a wise word can change a life’s direction. Nothing good that is said or done is inconsequential. Small things should not be disparaged; they may hold vast potential.  Let us remember that even a thousand mile journey starts with a single step.  All big triumphs are a culmination of many small efforts.

At the same time little things can have big, unintended and unwanted repercussions as well. Most of us are not undone by big things. Those are more easily recognized and readily avoided. Small things are often your undoing – the road not taken, the overlooked opportunity, the unnoticeable omission or the little temptation. There are many tender moments that are spoiled by intention or lack of attention – an achievement not celebrated, an anniversary forgotten, a thank you unspoken, a kindness unappreciated, a person not valued, and many similar opportunities for good that are overlooked. Such things happen every day in businesses, families, marriages, and personal relationships when the smallest things – someone’s countenance, tone of voice, body language, attitude, words, or even their silence – can assist or resist progress, build or dampen enthusiasm, and develop or disparage an idea.

Amiel Henri Frederic said, “What we call little things are merely the causes of great things; they are the beginning, the embryo, and it is the point of departure which, generally speaking, decides the whole future of an existence. One single black speck may be the beginning of gangrene, of a storm, of a revolution.”

Swami Vivekananda said, “If you really want to judge the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Every fool may become a hero at one time or another. Watch a man do his most common actions; those are indeed the things which will tell you the real character of a great man. Great occasions rouse even the lowest of human beings to some kind of greatness, but he alone is the really great man whose character is great always, the same wherever he is.”

 Benjamin Franklin said, "For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost; being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail." There is an old saying, "Men trip not on mountains, they stumble on stones." 

 Every enterprise begins small, appearing insignificant at its early stage except to those who see potential others do not. The Bible advises, “Do not despise these small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”(Zechariah 4:10).

We have found in our times that the most powerful force is the splitting of the smallest thing. In the splitting of the atom a succession of explosions can be set off to cause the biggest explosion the world has ever known. This has taught us that the power is not in the big but in the little.  If a task is worth doing, it is worth doing right. If it is not worth doing well, it is not worth doing. If something needs to be done, it is important. If it is worthy of our attention, it is worthy of our best efforts.

So do not measure a task by its size. Just do what there is to do. Greatness is often wrapped in simplicity. A person who is unwilling to do the little will not have the opportunity to do the big. A person who has not done well the little is not prepared or qualified to do the big. Do not weigh a task. If it is before you, do it and do it well.  The only way to excel is to do the little things with great enthusiasm. Everyone does the big things. They are the things that challenge each of us. Consequently, the difference between success and failure must be in our attention towards little things. Real achievers have found that "little drops of water make the mighty ocean and little grains of sand make the pleasant land."

-        -  N.GANESHAN

MIND’S ROLE IN HEALTH

A growing number of researches demonstrate that the mind and body are closely intertwined. Our attitudes, thoughts, beliefs and emotions play a significant role in our health and well-being.  Let us see three interesting researches done on the subject.

Dr Bruno Klopfer of the University of California was treating a man named Wright who had advanced cancer of the lymph nodes in 1957. All standard treatments had been exhausted, and Wright appeared to have little time left. His neck, armpits, chest, abdomen, and groin were filled with tumors in the size of oranges, and his spleen and liver were so enlarged that two quarts of milky fluid had to be drained out of his chest every day.

But Wright did not want to die. He had heard about an exciting new drug called Krebiozen and he was confident that a new anticancer drug called Krebiozen would cure him. He begged his doctor to let him try it. At first his doctor refused because the drug was only being tried on people with a life expectancy of at least three months. But Wright was adamant.  His doctor finally gave in. He gave Wright an injection of Krebiozen on a Friday, but in his heart of hearts he did not expect Wright to last the weekend. Then the doctor went home.

To his surprise, on the following Monday, he found Wright out of bed and walking around. Klopfer reported that his tumors had "melted like snowballs on a hot stove" and were half their original size. This was a far more rapid decrease in size than even the strongest X-ray treatments could have accomplished.

Ten days after Wright's first Krebiozen treatment, he left the hospital and was, as far as his doctors could tell, cancer free. When he had entered the hospital, he had needed an oxygen mask to breathe, but when he left he was well enough to fly his own plane at 12,000 feet with no discomfort.

Wright remained well for about two months, but then articles began to appear asserting that Krebiozen actually had no effect on cancer of the lymph nodes.  Wright, who has rigidly logical and scientific in his thinking, became very depressed. He suffered a relapse, and was readmitted to the hospital. This time his physician decided to try an experiment.

He told Wright that Krebiozen was every bit as effective as it had seemed, but that some of the initial supplies of the drug had deteriorated during shipping. He explained, however, that he had a new highly concentrated version of the drug and could treat Wright with this. Of course, the physician did not have a new version of the drug and intended to inject Wright with plain water. To create the proper atmosphere he even went through an elaborate procedure before injecting Wright with the placebo.

Again the results were dramatic. Tumor masses melted, chest fluid vanished, and Wright was quickly back on his feet and feeling great. He remained symptom-free for another two months, but then the American Medical Association announced that a nationwide study of Krebiozen had found the drug worthless in the treatment of cancer.  This time Wright's faith was completely altered. His cancer blossomed anew and he died two days later.

Studies in psycho-neuro-immunology (the mind-body connection) actually show that our beliefs even have the capacity to override the biochemical function of a drug.  Dr. Henry Beecher of Harvard University has done extensive research on this.  One such experiment involved 100 medical students. The students were given one of two pills.  Some received a red pill – which they were told was a super stimulant, while others received a blue pill – which they were told was a super tranquilizer.  What they didn’t know is that the contents of the pills were reversed.  The blue pill was the stimulant, and the red pill was a downer. Half the students developed physical reactions that were in line with what the students  expected to happen.  Meaning, if they took the red pill, and was told it was a super stimulant, it did exactly that – stimulate.  BUT what the pill actually contained was chemicals to SUPPRESS and TRANQUILIZE!!!  Their physical and physiological reaction to the drug was exactly OPPOSITE of what the drug should have done.

It must be noted  that these students were NOT given PLACEBOS.  They were given an actual DRUG!  A placebo is a harmless pill, usually a sugar pill that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.  Its effectiveness is 30% or greater – that is higher than some drugs that are put on the market!

Dr. Henry Beecher stated that a drug’s effectiveness “is a direct result of NOT ONLY the chemical properties of the drug, but also the patients’ belief in the usefulness and effectiveness of the drug.”

Renowned physician Deepak Chopra reported the case of a 63 year old woman who was hospitalized with jaundice, thought to be the result of gallstones. During surgery, it was discovered that the patient did not have gallstones but a severe gallbladder cancer which was considered inoperable. While the patient was recovering from surgery, her daughter asked that her mother not be informed of the true diagnosis. Dr. Chopra obliged and instead told the patient that they had removed the gallstones, believing that she would only live a few more months. Eight months later when the patient returned for a checkup, she appeared healthy and there was no clinical evidence of cancer. On one of her later visits she said, “Doctor, when you admitted me to the hospital three years ago with jaundice, I was sure I had cancer. I was so relieved when you operated and found gallstones that I made up my mind never to be sick again” (Chopra, D. (1991). Creating  health p. 71). 

In our haste to find a miracle cure for diseases, we often overlook one of the most powerful treatments for any disease – the human mind.  All three cases cited above illustrate the critical role of psychological factors in physiological health.  The mechanisms underlying the results are still shrouded in mystery but there is no denying the fact that these effects are real. 

Deepak Chopra says in his “Ageless Body and Timeless Mind”, “Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them. Because the mind influences every cell in the body, human ageing is fluid and changeable; it can speed up, slow down, stop for a time and even reverse itself”. Studies have found that people who suffer from depression are at higher risk for heart disease and other illnesses. And people under stress have been found to be more susceptible to colds and flu, and to have more severe symptoms after they fall ill.

Research in young adults has shown that the happier a subject is, the less likely they are to become ill, and the quicker they recover from illnesses. Positive mood states, emotion and satisfaction appear to be strongly linked with good physical health. On the corollary, those who feel guilty, anxious, lonely and depressed are more likely to exhibit undesirable health choices and present themselves as less physically healthy overall. The longer one lingers in a depressive, despondent state, the more likely it is for one to get sick. Without fail, those who maintain positive mind and disposition are more likely to live longer and far better than their more negative counterparts. 

If by thinking positively, we can improve our health, we must work to eliminate negativity from our thought patterns. If one can recognize and understand negative thoughts and influences in one’s life, one can take steps to eradicate them. Regardless of whether one is trying to combat an illness, recover from a trauma, or simply become a healthier person, all evidence suggests maintaining a positive mind is the essential component. 

-         N.GANESHAN

Quotes of Gandhiji

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

You must be the change you want to see in the world. 


There is more to life than increasing its speed. 


When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. 

You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. 

The destructive Seven Blunders of the World that cause violence:
Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Religion without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.


Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.


I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

Imitation is the sincerest flattery. 


You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.


- Mahathma Gandhi

Some Wise Quotes on “MAN”

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. 
John Barrymore 

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. 
John Burroughs 

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. 
Albert Einstein 

Every man dies. Not every man really lives. 
William Wallace 

A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason. 
J. P. Morgan 

A fool flatters himself, a wise man flatters the fool. 
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton 

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. 
Oscar Wilde 

I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. 
George S. Patton 

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. 
John C. Maxwell

A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. 
Bruce Lee 

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me. 
Steve Jobs 

A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life. 
Muhammad Ali 

Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it. 
Malcolm X 

A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether. 
Roy H. Williams 

Secret of Self-esteem

Many of us have an inner critic within us who is constantly belittle ourselves with harsh judgments. It makes us to doubt ourselves and feel inadequate to the circumstances of life. It is the enemy within. It is good to know our mistakes. But it is a grave mistake to exaggerate our mistakes and bury our self confidence. 

Recently I read the following passage of Dr.Maxwell Maltz, the famous author of Psycho-Cybernetics. It gives us a very good prescription to achieve self-esteem. Please read the beautiful message and follow the advice.

- N.Ganeshan


Secret of Self-esteem

Stop carrying around a mental picture of yourself as a person less capable than others, by making unfair apples-to-oranges comparisons. Celebrate your victories small or large, recognize and build on your strengths, and continually remind yourself that you are not your mistakes.

The word "esteem" literally means to appreciate the worth of. Why do men stand in awe of the stars, the moon, the immensity of the sea, the beauty of a flower or a sunset, and at the same time downgrade themselves? Did not the same Creator make us? Is not the human being the most marvelous creation of all? This appreciation of your own worth is not egotism unless you assume that you made yourself and should take some of the credit. Do not downgrade the product merely because you haven't used it correctly. Don't childishly blame the product for your own errors like the schoolboy who said, "This typewriter can't spell."

But the biggest secret of self-esteem is this: Begin to appreciate other people more; show respect for any human being merely because he or she is a child of God and therefore a thing of value. Stop and think when you're dealing with people. You're dealing with unique, individual creations of the Creator of all. Practice treating other, people as if they had value, and, surprisingly, your own self-esteem will go up. For real self-esteem is not derived from the great things you've done, the things you own, the mark you've made, but from an appreciation of yourself for what you are-a child of God. When you Come to this realization, however, you must necessarily conclude that all other people are to be appreciated for the same reason.

- Maxwell Maltz