On Sunday morning I woke up feeling groggy and lethargic, not all of it 
physical. I was really feeling a bit low, weighed down by disappointments 
and the widening distance between aspirations and reality, desires and 
possibility. Later in the morning I was attending service at the 
Universalist church and the pastor spoke about the things we need to be 
grateful for. I realized how trivial my own problems were and what a 
terrible waste it was to spend even a moment in despair. Life is too short 
to not spend every moment experiencing and sharing the beauty, joy and 
love that is within us and all around us.

I am truly grateful to all the people in my life. My parents for taking 
care of me even when I resist it; my sisters and their families for 
putting up with me at all times; all my friends for accepting me as I am ; 
my students for giving me the opportunity to serve them and learn from 
them. Circumstances may be keeping us away from each other but I am very 
grateful to be able to share my thoughts and feelings with you. No matter 
where you are my thoughts are with you, and I love each and every one of 
you. Hope you all have a very happy thanksgiving or whatever it is that 
you are celebrating at this time.

Yours,
Sankar

Random Thoughts (69)
11/24/08

1. (Friday,11/21) One after-effect of the Obama campaign is that when I 
look at African-Americans now I also see their white ancestors in them.

2. They say good always triumphs after evil and that the truth always 
prevails. Is that just a statement of faith? Could there be something 
behind it? Well, if you believe like I do that there is something unifying 
about this universe, something that underlies all creation, then people 
who are more in tune with that unifying force or truth might be 
understanding something than others don't. Hence people who care about all 
beings certainly have a deeper intelligence than those who care only about 
their own survival. After all, animals have an intelligence that is very 
well-tuned to survival and adaptation. And if higher intelligence puts a 
person at an advantage, then perhaps people who are kind and truthful are 
at an advantage. Of course if you are really kind and truthful, you don't 
really care about having an advantage or being more intelligent than 
others -- but you know what I mean. There are stories in Hindu mythology 
where the demons gain the knowledge of the Brahman, and Vishnu or Shiva 
has to somehow trick them into losing that knowledge or otherwise destroy 
them. But this raises a question. If the demons did gain that knowledge, 
how could they continue to be demons? Perhaps there are different levels 
of knowledge? Could a person be enlightened in some way yet still be evil? 
Maybe I am just not remembering the story properly :-)

3. Of course one could argue, on purely philosophical grounds, that good 
and evil are all relative. One could even question why even care to live 
as anything but animals. Why are we above nature's laws? But even if you 
look at it from a purely biological perspective, there is in the history 
of life on earth a fundamental evolutionary impulse towards more 
complexity, towards more advanced modes of functioning.

4. Good thing about life is that everything comes to an end at some point, 
including life itself. You cannot put anything off forever. You have to 
seize the moment before it vanishes.

5. Much as these are hard times for everyone, this is a good time if you 
are a bargain shopper. Everything is on sale - homes, cars, appliances...I 
just went shopping for hiking boots (have been wearing same pair for 15 
years!) and the salespeople treated me like King. When I said I also 
wanted to buy a GPS device (to keep track of distance and altitude) they 
almost tripped over themselves. Unfortunately they didn't have exactly 
what I wanted. But it felt great to walk in those new hiking boots with 
good woolen socks in that biting cold so abnormal even for DC in November. 
Now I am really ready for what promises to be one of the coldest winters 
in DC.

6. There are many reasons for this economic catastrophe but one 
fundamental reason is the general desire of people to get rich fast, 
cutting corners, anything to reach those dreams of extravagant luxury. 
That cannot be changed by politicians alone, but I think there are signs 
that it is changing. Hard work and social responsibility seem to be making 
a comeback.

7. One does not need to search long and hard to find what the Bible says 
about protecting the environment and endangered species. The story of 
Noah's ark tells you all. If Noah were living today, knowing the coming 
dangers would he not take steps to protect the environment and the habitat 
of all species? We don't need to wait for the flood or Armageddon to save 
endangered species.



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