How often have we heard someone ask: Why is God playing cruel games with us It is perhaps a question that comes to mind when one fails to find a satisfactory explanation of the inexplicable.But the question itself is not a satisfactory approach to understanding.

We can give explanations,but explanations need not be answers.You are looking at death as the opposite of life.So,our encounter with death is conditioned by our definition of death as being opposed to life.Look at it another way: Death is one more expression of life.Life scientists declare that death is the most critical defining feature of life.All and only living things die.When you die,you are making the ultimate undeniable assertion that you have been alive.The most comfortable place for you is to be in your mothers womb.After birth,many times you search for that same comfort.That is why in Hindu temples,the sanctum sanctorum is called garbhagudi representing a mothers womb.At the time of delivery,the body of the mother pushes the child out.When it is pushed out,every child goes through what is called birth trauma,experiencing a form of death.
Tagore asks,Is it death or is it life What do we experience Birth,exit from the womb where life originated and was sustained for about nine months and into the world outside is a form of death that leads to life although in different environments.Similarly,death exit from the world could be a door to some other form of life or life at yet another plane.

Dont we cast off worn-out clothes in order to wear new ones Why get so attached to physical phenomena During the great dotcom bust of the post-millennium years,a lot of people went through depression all over the world.What really happened.Nothing more than the fact that what had been hyped skyhigh was brought down to earth.

The same thing had happened in Bangalore real estate.It happens cyclically in stock markets across the globe.You build the bubble and,when the bubble breaks,you feel depressed.Those who know that the rise is artificial make all the profit while gullible believers in the longevity of the bubble lose everything.
The value we attach to objects of speculation like stocks,shares,land and commodities is purely psychological;they are illusory or insubstantial.Likewise,all sorrows are chiefly created by the mind.You invest 10 million rupees on a piece of land expecting to make a profit of 10 million,but the profit is only notional in the sense that it is based on your expectation that the value of your purchase will double within the time frame of your expectation.If your expectations are defeated,you start suffering.Its all in your mind,isnt it Therefore,the trauma that you feel at events like accident or death is also mainly psychological,and so death is something you can overcome through spiritual discipline.

Excerpt from: Enhancing Life: The Art of Inner Awakening.

Best time to understand love and its power, says Marty Varnadoe Dow

We might have missed the deeper meaning of Valentines Day by singling out romantic love as the focus of this days ultimate meaning. Love is multifaceted. It is more than emotion. Love is a force that can motivate, create, heal and transform the lives of anyone it touches . Many of us have forgotten that this day was created to recognize a saint.

Over time, Valentines Day has become blended with two other ancient Roman holidays Lupercalis and Juno both associated with romance. However, Saint Valentines life exemplifies a broader definition of love. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes eight different saints named Valentine but the most famous one lived in Rome during the reign of Claudius II, around the year 270 AD.

Legend has it that Claudius II outlawed marriage as a way to encourage men to join his army. Valentine refused to obey this law and was arrested for secretly performing weddings for young couples . While in prison, Valentines kindness and positive attitude helped convert the jailer and his wife to Christianity.
According to the legend, Valentine also befriended the jailers blind daughter, often writing her notes of encouragement and praying for her. Word of Valentines kindness and compassion reached Claudius II. He offered to release Valentine if the priest would renounce his religion and worship the Roman gods. Valentine not only refused, but he tried to convert Claudius II to Christianity . Claudius II rejected this attempt and condemned Valentine to death.

As the legend goes, Valentines prayers were answered, and the jailers daughter was healed. On the eve of his execution, Valentine wrote a note assuring this young girl that she was not responsible for his death. He signed the note from your Valentine .

As we can see, Valentines story represents many aspects of love. It was his love for God and his commitment to his values that caused him to disobey the law. His respect for romantic love is also included in his disobedience. His positive and loving attitude, even in the midst of crisis, affected the views of others including the jailer and Claudius himself. He demonstrated love for humanity through his kindness to the jailers blind daughter.

The following are ways to broaden our celebration of Saint Valentines Day: being your own valentine; sharing meaningful and heartfelt appreciation to all the important people in your life, not just your lover; practicing random acts of kindness to strangers; and recommitting to your own spiritual values.
However, the most important way to put the power back into this day of love is to learn to use the force of love to transform your life. Love can be consciously directed to bring peace and harmony into your world.
In our minds eye, envision a world filled with love and light, see people responding to you with kindness and respect as you do the same with them.

Join this image with the feelings of joy as you release the force of love into your life.
This process may seem simplistic , but love works. I have taught this technique to people for over twenty years. The reports have been fantastic. People have healed relationships that have been damaged for years. Parents have seen dramatic improvements in the behaviour of their children. Workers have witnessed profound changes in conflicts on the job. The only way you will know if it works is to try it. Do the exercise for two weeks and see if your life is not improved.

You might want to pick a particular person or situation with which to experiment. You will not be disappointed.
Make a commitment to forget the fluff and get down to the real stuff. Celebrate the power of love on Saint Valentines Day. You will be glad you did.