*Advice from an 83 year old man............*

🙏🏽 Good Morning 🌞 *Advice from an 83 year old man............* 1. Have a firm handshake. 2. Look people in the eye. 3. Sing in the shower. 4. Own a great stereo system. 5. If in a fight, hit first and hit hard. 6. Keep secrets. 7. Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday. 8. Always accept an outstretched hand. 9. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference. 10. Whistle. 11. Avoid sarcastic remarks. 12. Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery. 13. Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out. 14. Lend only those books you never care to see again. 15. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have. 16. When playing games with children, let them win. 17. Give people a second chance, but not a third. 18. Be romantic. 19. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. 20. Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems. 21. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for our convenience, not the caller's. 22. Be a good loser. 23. Be a good winner. 24. Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret. 25. When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go. 26. Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born. 27. Keep it simple. 28. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose. 29. Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river. 30. Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets 31. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did. 32. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them. 33. Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you. 34. Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you. 35. Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes. 36. Begin each day with some of your favourite music. 37. Once in a while, take the scenic route. 38. Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're terrific.' 39. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice. 40. Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m. 41. Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job. 42. Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later. 43. Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you. 44. Become someone's hero. 45. Marry only for love. 46. Count your blessings. 47. Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home. 48. Wave at the children on a school bus. 49. Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people. 50. Don't expect life to be fair. *Happy Week Ahead.

Was Arjuna defeated by Dronacharya on the 11th day in a group attack?

Was Arjuna defeated by Dronacharya on the 11th day in a group attack? 11th day’s beginning was narrated twice, in the very beginning of Drona parva as well as few chapters later. The immediate events after commissioning of Drona as army commander is said in the first narration, ie events on 11th day..[1] which is basically him sweeping the floor with Pandavas. Yudhistira urged all his prominent maharathas to surround Drona and attack him,. This Included Arjuna, Bhima,. Ghatotkacha, Abhimanyu , Dhrishtadyumna and several others. Sanjaya said, 'Beholding Drona thus slaying steeds and drivers and car-warriors and elephants, the Pandavas, without being troubled, encompassed him on all sides. Then king Yudhishthira, addressing Dhrishtadyumna and Dhananjaya, said unto them, 'Let the pot-born (Drona) be checked, our men surrounding him on all sides with care. ' Thus addressed those mighty car-warriors, viz., Arjuna and Prishata's son, along with their followers, all received Drona as the latter came. And the Kekaya princes, and Bhimasena, and Subhadra's son and Ghatotkacha and Yudhishthira, and the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva), and the ruler of the Matsyas, and the son of Drupada, and the (five) sons of Draupadi, all filled with joy, and Dhrishtaketu, and Satyaki, and the wrathful Chitrasena, and the mighty car-warrior, Yuyutsu, and many other kings, O monarch, who followed the sons of Pandu, all achieved diverse feats in keeping with their lineage and prowess. Beholding then that host protected in that battle by those Pandava warriors, Bharadwaja's son, turning his eyes in wrath, cast his looks upon it. Inflamed with rage, that warrior, invincible in battle, consumed, as he stood upon his car, the Pandava host like the tempest destroying vast masses of clouds. Then their battle is detailed. Rushing on all sides at car-warriors and steeds and foot-soldiers and elephants, Drona furiously careered over the field like a young man, though bearing the weight of years. His red steeds, fleet as the wind, and of excellent breed, covered with blood, O king, assumed a beautiful appearance. Beholding that hero of regulated vows, felling them like Yama himself inflamed with wrath, the soldiers of Yudhishthira fled away on all sides. And as some fled away and other rallied, as some looked at him and others stayed on the field, the noise they made was fierce and terrible. And that noise causing delight to heroes and enhancing the fears of the timid, filled the whole sky and the earth. And once more Drona, uttering his own name in battle, made himself exceedingly fierce, scattering hundreds of arrows among the foes. Indeed, the mighty Drona, though old, yet acting like a young man, careered like Death himself, O sire, amid the divisions of Pandu's son. That fierce warrior cutting off heads and arms decked with ornaments, made the terraces of many cars empty and uttered leonine roars. And in consequence of those joyous shouts of his, as also of the force of his shafts, the warriors, O lord, (of the hostile army) trembled like a herd of cows afflicted by cold. And in consequence of the rattle of his car and the stretching of his bow-string and the twang of his bow, the whole welkin resounded with a loud noise. And the shaft., of that hero, coursing in thousands from his bow, and enveloping all the points of the compass, fell upon the elephants and steeds and cars and foot-soldiers (of the enemy). A Then the Panchalas and the Pandavas boldly approached Drona, who, armed with his bow of great force, resembled a fire having weapons for its flames. Then with their elephants and foot-soldiers and steeds he began to despatch them unto the abode of Yama. And Drona made the earth miry with blood. In between , the narration is abruptly interrupted by Sanjaya.. Scattering his mighty weapons and shooting his shafts thick on every side, Drona soon so covered all the points of the compass, that nothing could be seen except his showers of arrows. And among foot-soldiers and cars and steeds and elephants nothing could be seen save Drona's arrows. The standard of his car was all that could be seen, moving like flashes of lightning amid the cars. Of soul incapable of being depressed, Drona then, armed with bow and arrows, afflicted the five princes of Kekaya and the ruler of the Panchalas and then rushed against the division of Yudhishthira. Then Bhimasena and Dhananjaya and the grandson of Sini, and the sons of Drupada, and the ruler of Kasi, viz., the son of Saivya, and Sivi himself, cheerfully and with loud roars covered him with their arrows. Shafts in thousands, decked with wings of gold, shot from Drona's bow, piercing through the bodies of the elephants and the young horses of those warriors, entered the earth, their feathers dyed with blood. The field of battle, strewn with cars and the prostrate forms of large bands of warriors, and of elephants and steeds mangled with shafts, looked like the welkin covered with masses of black clouds. Then Drona, desirous of the prosperity of thy sons, having thus crushed the divisions of Satyaki, and Bhima, and Dhananjaya and Subhadra's son and Drupada, and the ruler of the Kasi, and having ground many other heroes in battle, indeed, that high-souled warrior, having achieved these and many other feats, and having, O chief of the Kurus, scorched the world like the Sun himself as he rises at the end of the Yuga, proceeded hence, O monarch, to heaven. That hero possessed of golden car, that grinder of hostile hosts, having achieved mighty feats and slain in thousands the warriors of the Pandava host in battle, hath at last been himself slain by Dhrishtadyumna. Having, in fact, slain more than two Akshauhinis of brave and unreturning warriors, that hero endued with intelligence, at last, attained to the highest state. Indeed, O king, having achieved the most difficult feats, he hath, at last, been slain by the Pandavas and the Panchalas of cruel deeds. The highlighted paragraph is a sudden Interruption to 11th day's battle. I don't know why Sanjaya makes an Immediate break while detailing events in forenoon of 11th day. Sanjaya further says, Drona achieved many feats and went to heaven after killing more than 2 akshouhinis.. Going through this narration, not only Arjuna,.but Abhimanyu, Bhima, Satyaki and several others including their divisons were obliterated by Drona. In the later narration of 11th day[2] , none of these events are recalled, which means the defeat of Arjuna cannot be conclusively established with sufficient evidence. But if you consider both narrations as valid(later narration as continuation of battle on 11th day), then surely Arjuna along with several others and their divisons were beaten in the beginning on 11th day. However it concluded with Pandavas victory as Arjuna killed a lot of soldiers in Drona's division, making their army lose morale.

TRUE TOLERANCE

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~* October 22, 2024 TRUE TOLERANCE Finally, we begin to see that all people, including ourselves, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and then we approach true tolerance and see what real love for our fellows actually means. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 92 The thought occurred to me that all people are emotionally ill to some extent. How could we not be? Who among us is spiritually perfect? Who among us is physically perfect? How could any of us be emotionally perfect? Therefore, what else are we to do but bear with one another and treat each other as we would be treated in similar circumstances? That is what love really is. **************************************************** Gratitude Should Go Forward "Gratitude should go forward, rather than backward. "In other words, if you carry the message to still others, you will be making the best possible repayment for the help given to you." << << << >> >> >> No satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done. To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, and above all to watch them awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives -- these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry A.A.'s message. 1. LETTER, 1959 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 110 As Bill Sees It, P. 29 *********************************************** “To thine own self be true…..” I was asked today, Feb 20, 2007, how did the phrase “To thine own self be true ....” come to be one of our favorite clichés in A.A.?? How is it the cornerstone of “"Rigorous Honesty"?? Where or how it started in AA as far as I know is lost to history. But, for an understanding of its implications, the following is offered .... Most of us are unknowingly familiar with the above quote taken from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the words of the character Polonius to his son Laertes, reading it on our AA anniversary medallions, but how many of us know these lines of the verse: “And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou cannot then be false to any man.” Unless we can be true to ourselves first, we cannot be true to others. To thine own self be true .... how profound. How many of us have a hard time being true to ourselves? Those of us that have given our life to another at the cost of losing who we are in the process will have a hard time being true to ourselves. Allowing someone or something else to define who we are, we lose our ability to discover and grow inwardly. We no longer are able to discern a truth from a lie. For many of us, we have accepted lies for so long, that finding out what is true takes time. Having done this very thing, I know how difficult the journey to self-discovery can be. Truth…. truth is a word that brings out such negative reactions to many of us. You see, truth is really an action word. You cannot accept truth without change. Accepting truth about ourselves is difficult, especially to those of us who have been abused, or have abused others. But truth does set one free if we will allow it to; it is a crucial part of healing. It gives us the freedom to be who we are. We are able to come to terms with our weakness (without condemnation) and appreciate our strength. Truth gives strength; it naturally builds healthy boundaries. Truth is open; it is honest even at the risk of being vulnerable again. Truth is light and brings forth life. When we walk in truth, we walk in light, and when we walk in light, we live a healthy life. Truth is also love. The greatest act of love towards another is living a life that is truthful. For those of us who find it difficult to love ourselves, we will find it will come more easily when we walk in truth about who we are. If we walk in truth, we walk in perfect love, and if we walk in perfect love, then we do not walk in fear because perfect love casts out fear. Because we have been honest with ourselves, we are able to love ourselves with all of our imperfections, knowing that we are in “process” and therefore, need not have others' approval. This is freedom indeed. The second part of this verse is a natural occurrence if we hold true to the first part of the verse. So, when in doubt as to our motives of not being truthful with someone .... look inside, are we being less than truthful to ourselves, have we slighted the steps in some manner? “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” - Shakespeare - Hamlet - Love and Peace, Barefoot Index of AA History Pages on Barefoot's Domain

CAPITALIZE YOUR DISABILITY

Good Morning!!! CAPITALIZE YOUR DISABILITY Around the Year with Emmet Fox October 22 Success consists in the overcoming of difficulties. All men and women who have made a success of any kind have done so by overcoming difficulties. There was a time when laying a telegraph Line from New York to Boston presented many difficulties. Then there was a time when doing that was easy, but laying the Atlantic cable presented difficulties. Later on, marine cable laying became a routine business, but radio across the ocean presented problems that for a time were insuperable. If you have a personal disability that seems to keep you from success, do not accept it as such, but capitalize on it and use it as the instrument for your success. H. G. Wells had to give up a dull underpaid job because of ill health, so, he stayed at home and wrote successful books and became a world-known author instead. Edison was stone deaf and decided that this would enable him to concentrate better on his inventions. Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child, very shortsighted and nervous. However, he worked hard to develop his body and became, as we know, a strong husky open-air man and big game hunter. The owner of a fashionable dress business in London was the wife of a struggling clerk, who was stricken with tuberculosis. She had never been in business, and had no training, and found herself having to support a husband and two children. She started with nothing but good taste in clothes and a belief in prayer. Problems are signposts on the road to God. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life” Revelation 2:7

Inner Quest for Inner Peace

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/columnists/the-fear-of-loss-and-the-quest-for-inner-peace.html

Is worshipping gods necessary for spiritual growth, or can we achieve spiritual growth through meditation alone?

Is worshipping gods necessary for spiritual growth, or can we achieve spiritual growth through meditation alone? As a Sanatani (Hindu), my answer is no, worshipping gods is not necessary for spiritual growth. We can achieve spiritual growth through meditation alone. However, worshipping gods can be profoundly useful on the Bhakti Marga or devotional path of spiritual growth. It depends on which path one is following

Is it true that Ashwatthama saved Karna from Arjun?

Is it true that Ashwatthama saved Karna from Arjun? Yes. Ashwatthama saved the life of Karna from Arjuna not once, but 3 separate times. First instance - Then Dhananjaya, with eyes red in wrath, aiming at Karna, quickly sped a shaft like the Destroyer urging forward Death's self. That shaft shot from Gandiva, like Garuda in the welkin in quest of a mighty snake, quickly coursed towards Karna. The son of Drona, however, that mighty car-warrior, with a winged arrow of his, cut it off in mid-air, desirous of rescuing Karna from fear of Dhananjaya. Section CXXXVIII, Jayadratha Vadha parva, Mahabharata. 2. Second Instance - Then Dhananjaya, with great speed at a time, when speed was necessary shot in that battle a shaft of solar effulgence for the destruction of Karna. Drona's son, however, with a crescent-shaped arrow, cut off that shaft as it coursed impetuously (towards Karna). Thus cut off by Aswatthaman, that shaft fell down on the earth. Section CXLIV, Jayadratha Vadha parva, Mahabharata. 3. Third Instance - And he covered Karna himself with clouds of shafts in the very sight of thy son. Thus shrouded with arrows the steedless and driverless Karna, stupefied by that arrowy shower, knew not what to do. Beholding him made carless, Aswatthaman, O king, caused him to ride on his car, and continued to fight with Arjuna