Month: January 2020

You must be cogitating what I mean by the word ‘arete’ when you read the title. How can you relate it with life? The answers to this question do not converge on a single point. Quite literally, it means a sharp mountain ridge. Well, taking it the other way, it means excellence or moral virtue. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a mere act, but a habit. Let’s make it easy, pick a side – happiness or service?

‘At first, I thought that life was joy. Then I learned that life was duty. Finally, I acted and behold, duty was joy!’ says the bard of Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore. Arete covers an idea that there is excellence in every step. Pursuing that transcendence, whether it creates ecstasy for yourself or service for others, should be your ultimate goal. I see both as being subsets of the larger domain of arete. The viewpoint here is that the ultimate meaning of life is the long-term pursuit of your dreams – bliss.

How can you coalesce the philosophy of arete with your daily life? Deep conversations, loyalty to friends, leaping forward in human thought, constituting hard-core relationships! Arete is a paradisaical algorithm for life and yet not perfect. After all, who would want a life where you are handed all the correct answers in advance? Wherevore, relish challenges!

Recent advances in science and medicine have resulted in humans living longer than at any other time in history. According to the latest government data, India has reduced its infant mortality by 42% over the last eleven years. But those extra years do not necessarily add up to quality ones. So, the key desideratum in today’s society is to cognize that quality of life is to be prioritized over quantity of life because in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years that matters.

Living longer does not mean living jocular. The occurence of disease is on the rise. Living a life that consists of visiting doctors frequently certainly doesn’t sound an exciting idea, does it? Living with a dozen diseases robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society and the world. It transforms how people experience us, relate to us and most importantly, remember us. You will apprehend the eminence of quality of life when you marshal a blitheness instead of whimpering about impediments in the way of viability.

So, how can you ameliorate the quality of your life? Did you know that even austere habits can help in changing your life? Developing optimistic and positive thinking is the first habit you need to inculcate as negative thoughts only end your plans in a debacle. The habit of performing simple exercise along with some meditation can help taper stress. Distinguishing your priorities is another bonzer habit that can help you set aside non-essential things and pay more attention to the things that matter to you. Try to read motivational quotes as they help in uplifting one’s mind. Remember, the quality of your life is determined through your habits and thoughts and is measured by your breaths – so make each breath count!

We humans have arrived on this planet with a a sole purpose – it is our duty to serve mankind relentlessly and perform social and selfless action. We all are gifted beings and we can surely utilise our brain to make the right decision for ourselves. As members of the human race, our existence is vital for the smooth working of the globe. Besides working for the planet, it is also indispensable for us to look after our own entity.

We often get attracted to the materialistic aspect of the world. We humans tend to be jealous. We always wish for more and we are not grateful to have what already has been provided to us by the Almighty. In this materialistic world, we have forgotten our true selves and we are completely lost in the worldly items that his world offers. We compare our status in the society with others. we are constantly diverted by the consumeristic world and tend to forget the purpose of our arrival on this planet.

We need to revive our memory and think about the pleasant and tension-free moments that we spent in our childhood as an innocent child. But, as we grew, we lost our innocence and gained arrogance. A true human in one who can maintain modesty and purity in life. There is an immense need for every human to look forward to living a life of decency and morality. We need to perform good deeds for others and make their life blissful. We need to be sensitive to others’ feelings and must respect their thoughts.

It is obligatory to maintain a balance between materialism and our real aim of existence. We must not mix the two ideologies and should keep a gap between them. The human who applies this in life has lived a divine life in true terms. We must always keep the following motto in mind:

Be Remembered For Good!