Are we developing or just growing ….?

Everyone who takes birth grows… its natural in a way. Growth is one aspect often looked into & struggled for. Growth can be said as a stimulus to live life lively. But while concentrating on this aspect of life, many of us tend to muddle up the word DEVELOPMENT with GROWTH.

I really feel to share; what I learnt from ‘Vivekananda Kendra – a spiritually oriented service mission’; on these two quasi similar words…… growth & development. 

By growth we should mean net increase in the size, in proportion, disappearance of old features and acquisition of new ones. Growth takes place due to the multiplication of cells. Thus, the term is used in purely physical sense & the changes produced by growth are subject to measurement. They may be quantified.

Again, growth does not continue throughout the life. It stops when maturity has been attained. Most important thing is growth may or may not bring development.

So just growing is not & should not be the aim of our life. The name of the aim is DEVELOPMENT.

Development refers to a process of change in growth and capability over time as a result of maturation, experience and surrounding environmental exposure. Thus, development is a wider and comprehensive term and refers to overall changes in an individual. It continues throughout the life and is progressive. Development implies improvement in functioning & behavior and hence brings qualitative changes. Development may happen without growth.

It is believed that there are 5 steps or folds of development which can be achieved in our life. When all these 5 folds are successfully achieved, the human being can be said to be a Complete Human. If we really want to struggle to make us complete, we have to thus understand what all are the 5 folds of development.

The first fold is Physical development.

This is the initial phase of development but will always have some or the other changes every day as we start growing. It starts with the development of muscular control. Slowly our muscle tones and accumulates strength. The quality & range of movements improve and forms the base for overall physical development. 

Proper nutrition & exercise gives us health and fitness. So we have to be very curious about these two important factors i.e. proper nutrition & exercise. To understand it, we need to study our own daily routine & energy requirements. Basis that only, a set of diet & exercise should be chosen. Lack of physical activity at early ages surely brings negative impact in long term.

The second fold is Intellectual or Mental development.

It can be analyzed as one’s ability to think about and understand his/her world. Intellectual development also adds the ability to understand other people’s point of view, and makes us more open to other perspectives and ideas. The way in which we take and process this, relates to our past experience & surrounding. So analysis without prejudice is very important here.

Understanding a particular subject is very important before giving any opinion. It is just like identifying the gray areas between the black-and-white issues by using logic and reasoning abilities. Abstract thinking abilities to define the path of traverse should so be linked with the plan of action. Thus, apart from an intelligent talk, proper planning & implementation is must here.

Reading fuels this development. Reading helps us to think and have thoughtful discussions about any subject of our interest.

The third fold is Emotional development.

Emotions play very crucial role in our life. Decision making always has the factor of emotion intervening with the practical aspect. It is thus very important to learn how to exploit the positive side of emotion and at the same time deal with stress, anger, sadness, depression, over-excitement and over-confidence as excess of anything is always bad.  

It is very essential to express our own feelings honestly as well as respect others’ feelings when we are going out in public. Lack of emotional control might tend people dabble in more serious risk behaviors such as self-harm, drinking alcohol, trying drugs or even suicide.

Yoga, meditation & prayer make a person emotionally stable.

The fourth fold is Social development.

Human being is a social animal. We just can’t skip our society no matter what happens. Society plays fundamental role in building a personality. Socially developed person can & should develop strong conviction regarding social issues. ‘I don’t care’ attitude disappears when social development roots itself in the brain. Our each & every action in our daily routine should now add to the welfare of society. One may become deeply committed to service and social change. Some may even become activists for causes they believe in.

The feeling of ‘The entire universe is my family’ slowly generates as we start taking care of the society. The same feeling takes us towards the last phase of development which is known as Spiritual development.  

The fifth fold is Spiritual development.

As we mature, we spend time thinking about the meaning of life, why we are here, how we treat others and ourselves, and what we value. Our answers to these questions are always evolving, and they help shape our personal beliefs and personalities.

Spirituality has thus nothing to do with religion. Irrespective of the religious belief one has, spirituality runs common through all like blood. It is just a matter of observing our own thoughts by being more introspective and inculcating the feeling of oneness in all species. It’s important to remember that spirituality can be expressed in a multitude of ways, regardless of the religious tradition that our family recognizes.

It is spiritual development which makes us really humble & down to earth personality. The feeling of welfare becomes universal and at that point of time, our positive vibrations chant the only prayer that is ‘May the entire universe be happy, content & healthy. May the entire universe be full of positivity. May the entire universe be devoid of pain & grief.

This is the zenith of the development and YES; this can be achieved!

Thus a PERFECT & COMPLETE HUMAN is the one who is physically fit, intellectually strong, emotionally balanced, socially acceptable & spiritually oriented.

'Swami Vivekananda - The Man on Mission – The Lessons to learn'

- It’s our DEEDS and not DAYS what matters!

The journey of the Man on Mission, which was started on 12^th January 1863 in Kolkata, came to the halt in just 39 years on 4^th July 1902 in Belur math. Though ‘Bile’ fulfilled his prophecy that he would not live forty years, he truly lived his life, as he lived just for others!

He believed that all living beings are an embodiment of the divine self; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to mankind. Throughout his life he did exactly the same what he used to preach and that’s why his thoughts are no wonder alive & still vibrating. He never believed anything blindly & always tried to see the truth from all angles before trusting it. He even tested his spiritual guru Swami Ramakrishna before prostrating in front of his divine power & wisdom who eventually taught Naren to pray for true knowledge and devotion. 

The only mission in front of him was to serve his motherland where starvation and poverty was stalking millions of people. He wanted to bring his dream of seeing Mother India regaining her old glory into reality. For that, he repeatedly addressed social issues such as uplifting the people, eliminating the caste system, promoting science and industrialization while addressing the widespread poverty. The backbone of his actions was his thought – ‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.’

Swamiji believed that a country's future depends on its people thus his teachings focused on human development. He struggled to set in motion, machinery which was supposed to bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest.

His guiding lines, “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.”, still fits perfectly for all those who want to live a real life.

He, with his quest of achieving wisdom, truly realized the hidden strength within. The strength was in his understanding, “All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics, as most of us do nowadays. You can do anything and everything, without even the guidance of any one. Stand up and express the divinity within you.” 

 He emphasized on inner strength and always used to say that you would become the greatest sinner if you think you are weak. It is not weakness but the fearlessness that can bring Heaven even in a moment. So, don’t be afraid of anything and you will do marvelous work.

While accumulating such a power, he warned all to be aware of a few things which may make them weak either physically, intellectually or spiritually. He compared such things with poison & directed all to straight away reject those.

 A clear thought process and analysis of eternal might made Swamiji a strong pillar of strength for generations to come. His guidance on life & death with the words “Strength is Life, Weakness is Death. Expansion is Life, Contraction is Death.  Love is Life, Hatred is Death” has lit a strong flame of self confidence, love & belief among everyone.

 The highlighted & so developed inner strength ought to be used for self growth & development. Swamiji always trusted that we have to grow from the inside out. None can teach us, none can make us spiritual. There is no other teacher but our own soul. To achieve this, he asked everyone to closely monitor their thoughts. It is very true that we are what our thoughts have made us.

 He narrated clearly that not getting success is just a phase of life through which everyone has to pass. Every step we take towards development has to pass through the stages — ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. He said that we have to understand it as those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood!

 While doing so there are chances of us to become a copycat of someone. To avoid this, Swamiji clearly said that we have to learn everything that is good from others, but bring it in, and in your own way absorb it; do not become others. This was his success mantra which still has its own shine & influence. 

 We have to accept it that Swamiji was undeniably a magnetic personality and a divine force which was destined to leave his mark on the history of India.

---PRAYER ---

Each and every letter we know has the power to become a prayer but the missing link is a capable mind which can convert those letters into a prayer.

Prayer is peace. Prayer is devotion. Prayer is dedication. Prayer is a journey towards completeness and fulfillment. It’s a path which takes us from abstract to concrete. It’s a home to the Divine Truth & Wisdom.

We devote our time in praying, concentrating on the origin of power. The pristine source of knowledge & happiness which we feel is within us, guides us towards the Abode.

Prayer rinses all vices and brings serenity to the soul which by its very nature stands pure but gets dirty by the coats of our actions we perform in this mortal life.

Prayer helps us to understand the unknown self, deep hidden in the fathom of the ocean of a mind. As we start to understand this never known self, the true power of mind reveals itself in front of us, ready to be used for the betterment of the entire universe.

Prayer brings concentration and sharpens our senses. It creates a whole gamut of positivity around us which can never be hidden and eventually starts spreading a ray full of hope from our mere presence.

Prayer pulls us away from the deep darkness of ignorance & negligence & lifts us towards the wisdom & the ultimate Truth. The journey from start to start (Yes, I mean it!) hence begins.

Let there be peace in the universe, no one should be without water, food, clothes, shelter & a healthy life. Let there be happiness everywhere every time … every time ………. every time ……………..  

  My point of view - 

Dear Readers,

I can very well understand that starting a new blog is just like adding a drop of water to the existing ocean of the blogs.

So, why one more blog? 

What I feel is, once a drop is added to the ocean, it becomes ocean. 

Basis this, It will be my sincere efforts to share with you, my point of view on valuable topics, may be from past, present or related to future concerns.

Your questions, suggestions, opinions will stand as my fuel to write more. So Do supply with it .... 

Thanking you in the mean time,

Sachin :)