Who Will Cry When You Die? – Book Review

This is a self-help book that shares wisdom designed to enrich the quality of a persons’ professional, personal, and spiritual life. The book contains 101 simple solutions to be integrated into ones’ life. At just 195 pages, the book is a speed read. However to get the full benefit of each suggestion, it is a good idea to read the book slowly. Start from the beginning and read one solution each day. Reading the whole book in one sitting might leave you overwhelmed with information, making it easy to miss the point or forget the tips. That’s how I felt after reading the book

The best part of this book is how easy it is to read. Each solution is a short one to two pages and very easy to incorporate into one’s life. Some solutions are common knowledge, but a great number of them are unique, useful, and insightful. The book is quite holistic and covers a wide arena of topics. Tips like “always carry a book with you” ensures lifelong learning, while “spend a day without your watch” covers slowing down.

The book starts off with a quote from Norman Cousins: “The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of ourselves when we live.” But the best quote, that stuck a chord in me was when Robin quotes his father’s words “The tree that has the most fruits is the tree that bends to touch the ground”. Meaning the people who know the most and who have lived the most are also the people closest to the ground. In a word, they are humble.

4 Gates of Speech

He also quotes an old Sufi tradition which advises us to speak only after our words have managed to pass through four gates. At the first gate, we ask ourselves, “Are these words true?” If so, we let them pass on; At the second gate we ask; “Are they necessary?” At the third gate we ask; “Are they beneficial?” and at the fourth gate, we ask, “Are they kind?” If the answer to any of these is no, then what you are about to say should be left unsaid.

I definitely recommend this book. If you want simple steps that tell you how to improve your life, this book is it.

10-day Vipassana sit at Elbert, Colorado

Pic above and below: The Jewish Children’s Camp at Elbert, CO where the course was held

 

Pic: In the background, the small log cabin where I stayed

Am just back from an intense, challenging and highly rejuvenating Vipassana retreat at the serene and idyllic Elbert, CO. Here is my experience…

Should one Meditate?

 

My whole effort here is to keep you as non-serious as possible, for the simple reason that meditation, all kinds of meditation, can make you too serious and that seriousness will create a spiritual disease and nothing else.

Unless a meditation brings you more laughter, more joy, more playfulness, avoid it. It is not for you.

                                        – Rajneesh

Mindful Eating

I attended a Mindful Eating lecture organized by my employer today. It  inspired this post.

Eating while multitasking, whether working through lunch or watching TV while eating dinner, often leads us to eat more. On the other hand, eating “mindfully,” savoring every mouthful, enhances the experience of eating and keeps us aware of how much we take in.

Our fast-food culture is one where meals have become yet another task we squeeze in during the day. It is all too common to hear of people grabbing breakfast on the run or attending a lunch meeting, where business is front and center and food is merely the bait to get people there.

The speed at which we eat isn’t the only problem. This is the age of  multitasking, where  we often pair eating with other activities, such as driving or working at our desks. It is rare that we’re simply eating when we’re eating. In fact, 66% of Americans report regularly eating dinner in front of the television.