Cultural Explosion (TM First speech)

I'm going to take this opportunity today to tell you a little about my family life. So how did I become Mrs. Mago. How did the story begin?

Let us do a flashback to 1993. Imagine a 17 year old girl and a 21 year old boy, both studying in Ness Wadia college, Pune. They both like each other. The boy invites the girl for his brother's marriage. The girl says she would need her mother's permission to attend.

Now imagine the scene at home, between the girl and her mother.

Girl: Mom, please can I go for Sameer's brother's marriage, please please!
Mom: Sameer?
Girl: Oh, he's my friend Preety Bhalla's classmate. He's a Punjabi. Actually his dad is a Punjabi, and his mom is a Maharashtrian Brahmin.
Mom: Hmmm, love marriage?
Girl: Ya, even his brother is going in for a love marriage, he is getting married to a Gujarati lady.
Mom: Hmm, naturally, if parents have done a love marriage, then the children also want to follow.
Girl: Actually, that's not all...his second brother is engaged to a Jewish lady. She is half Jewish and half Sardar (Sikh)
Mom: Oh I see. Now, looks like the third brother Sameer likes the Sindhi girl? Huh?
And the girl blushed and smiled!

So few years later this Sindhi girl, Manisha Nachnani, with her ancestral roots in Pakistan, got married to the Punjabi boy Sameer Mago and became part of this multi-cultural joint family.

Now this practice of love marriages outside the community is very common these days, and everyone is doing it, but during my father-in-law's generation, it was not so easily accepted. Through love marriages their generation set a precedent for the subsequent generations to follow. Practically everyone in my husband's family has glorious love stories to narrate to their children and grandchildren.

My father-in-law's eldest brother was married to a Tamil lady. He was born and brought up in the Lahore area of Pakistan, in a devout north-Indian family, and when  he said he wanted to marry a Tamil lady, I'm sure they must  have had a lot of family opposition. Later, my father-in-law's second brother married a Christian lady, and adopted Christianity. My father-in-law's sister got married to a Parsi gentleman. Unfortunately she passed away in her youth, and the Parsi uncle remarried a Bengali lady, who was affectionately adopted as aunt into the family. Their son is now married to a lady who is half Parsi, and half Marwari.

Not to forget, my father-in-law's cousin married a lady from the north-east. Her name was Bluebell.

We all know that India is a land of great diversity. We have many different states, different cultures, languages, traditions, festivals, and so on. What happens when people from all these different cultures come together to form a family? There is a total cultural explosion. My family has now become a melting pot of all these cultures. And our family tree probably looks like the political map of India and Pakistan.

Life has been very interesting in such a family. We celebrate a whole lot of festivals. My children have picked up a few phrases of several languages. We've even attended many of the family weddings in church, because my mother-in-law's brother is also converted to Christianity. And cuisine is literally the spice of our life in this family.

Few years after I got married, it was my sister's turn to get married. We lined up a whole lot of boys for her to see, and she rejected all of them. No, No No!!!! Why??? My husband asked her. Is there someone you have in mind? Don't be afraid to tell us. And guess what she said? "Mallu chalega ?"
So few months later my sister was married to a Keralite boy, in the traditional Malayali style ceremony.

My cousin just got engaged to a Bihari girl, AND over all these years I have come to believe that all these cultural differences are superficial. Human beings in any part of the world are essentially the same. And if all human begins would realize this fact, then perhaps we would never have any racism, any communal riots, or religious wars.

thank you.

First prepared speech: @ Speakers Club @ SAS

Latest trend in Bollywood: The 100-crore club
Don't you think that Bollywood is the most exceptional phenomenon of our country.  Sometimes I wonder if there were no Bollywood, how would we be able to have any interesting conversation, Imagine? And how would Indian media survive?
Let me tell you about this latest bollywood trend. Recently I had invited my daughter's friends home. The topic of dicsussion moved over to guess what?  Bollywood of course! Anyways, I asked these girls who was their favorite hero? While many voted Aamir, Salman, Shahrukh and Ranbir, but one girl was a fan of Imran Khan, and others just condemned her preference.What's wrong with Imran Khan. Imran Khan is soooo Cuuuute. But Aunty Imran is not a 100-crore star, said our business-savvy generation kids!!!
On googling I realized that the 100-crore club is all about Box office performance or revenue  of a film! Only male actors whose films net Rs. 100 crore (not gross)  or more in India are recognized as part of this elite club. Since when did female fans of an actor start worrying their pretty heads about box office numbers, I was wondering!!! But nowadays, I guess, like everything else in this world, any art is not about winning hearts, it's just about revenues!!
So as Ghajini (2008) was the first film to net more than Rs. 100 crore in India, Aamir Khan became the first member of the club. Some of the other films that have reached this banchmark are 3 Idiots, Dabangg, RaOne, Agneepath, Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore and Bol Bachchan and Ek Tha Tiger.
Now we know veneration is such an inherrent part of our culture. First we venerate thousands of mythological gods! Is that not enough? Then we venerate the hundreds of bollywood and Tollywood stars, especially male ones!!!
So if a Dabanng or a Three Idiots crosses the 100-crore mark, then it is Aamir Khan or Salman Khan who become members of this 100-crore club. Such is the gender bias in our society. What about the heroines? Don't you think a Dabangg or a Raone would have attracted many crowds without thefemale item numbers?
Unfortunately Vidya Balan's The Dirty Picture did not touch 100 crore. Otherwise , it would’ve been interesting to see who would have become a member of the 100-crore club – Vidya Balan,or the male actors?
Strangely this club ignores all others who also contribute to the film's success--the producers and directors, distributors and the whole unit.  I think the 100 crores ceoncept is  nothing but the latest media hype. It is ridiculous the way the industry and the media are obsesssing with it. If a film has crossed the magic number, does no one care about anything else? Is this the only benchmark for good cinema? Are we teaching our kids that money is the only yardstick to evaluate a piece of art? I can imagine that very soon when kids play games like bollywood dumb charades, they will be doing this, and someone will invent sign language for 50, 100 and 200 crore!

Chose to be Happy - TM prepared speech (second speech project)

Chose to be Happy (based on my poem)
If I tell you that today is my birthday, what will you tell me? If I tell you today is my anniversary...??? If its Holi, Diwali, New Year...what it is that we all do?
We wish each other, we celebrate-Why?
Because we want to be HAPPY
We want to receive happiness, we want to give happiness.
Have you ever heard anyone ever say " I only want to be sad forever" NO! We all want to be happy.
So What is this HAPPY-NESS???? 
I think it is a state of mind that WE ALL "constantly" want to be in. To proove let me ask you to look at yourself objectively as an individual.How would you describe yourself? "
You would say is that you are either a professional, or an entrepreneur,  or a student..wotever.
You 'd describe some special set of skills, talent, characteristics. You might say that you are an ordinary/mediocre person.
No matter who you are, At this point each of you would have some status in life..a good job, flourishing business, some position, title, big or small house, car, some assets..etc.
And no matter what your status at present, each one of you would certainly have some goals, or something you want: "if you single, you want to get married, or if married, you want to start a family, or want a better job, want a better car.
Because whatever your current status in life  there will always be something  more .....something else or something better that you want...
Let me tell you that even if you are a Bill Gates, a Barack Obama, or a Warren Buffet, and have the whole world eating out of your hands, do you think you would stop saying "I WANT....." NO!!! Never. From the moment a child learns to speak till the person dies, does anyone ever stop saying I want..."
WHY do we always want something more than what we already have???? Because we think when we get that something more it will make us HAPPY. But after we get what we want, are we happy forever? Maybe temporarily, untill the we figure out the next thing we want!

If you question all your goals, you realize that your ultimate goal is to be happy, in whatever you do while you live.
 Therefore I am saying that no matter who we are, at whatever age, or stage in life, we are always constantly looking for HAPPY-NESS
So  how do we find this Happiness???? Life is so full of problems.
My theory is that we all need to consciously  "Chose to be Happy" in every situation. Let me explain how.
There might be a time in life when luck is just not on your side, you can chose to be happy about family or friends who are by your side.
At some time you might go through a difficult phase, some crisis situation,  you have lost a loved one, or have health problems. Typically it happens that when things go wrong, 3-4 problems come up at once and hit you from all sides. But if you take a paper and write your 3-4 problems on one side, and list of good things in your life on the other side, you'll probably find that the "good things" list exceeds the "problems list"
Sometimes when you are feeling low, or you are very hurt, frustrated, or angry, and feel that life is unfair, or very wrong! Why me you ask? Just go to an orphanage and hug an orphan child or visit the cancer ward in a hospital, or talk to someone who is battling between life and death. If you see the pain and struggle there your own problems will seem so inconsequential  in comparision. Be happy.
At times you might feel so dissapointed, with people around you, you can frown by thinking of the people who add to your problems OR instead you can just list of those people who have helped and supported you at some time. You can chose to be happy even if there is one dear one who makes you smile. It might be a child, a dog :)
So happyness not something that we can achieve through some external event or thing. We have to find in within us.
You know human minds are created in such a way, that the power is all hidden within us, within our own mind, our thoughts and our approach to every situation. By your own response to situations you can consciously choose to be happy and win through every situation. Then nothing can keep you down or make you feel unhappy.
Your happiness is really your choice, you can make this choice each and everyday.

Watch your thoughts, they become your words
Watch your words, they become your actions
Watch your actions, they become your character

This is well said and for those who are on a spiritual journey to find deeper meaning to life and lasting inner peace and happiness, this is a theory very much implementable on the ground level. It is widely believed that much of our problems actually stem from our own mind and thoughts. Mind Control is an age-old concept in Hinduism and also explains the immense powers of the heroic characters in Hindu mythology. I like to believe that there is a foundation of truth in the fictitious powers demonstrated by most of the kings, ascetics and preachers of that era. By disciplining the mind through regular meditation, fasting, penance and other religious practices, I am sure they were able to acquire divine powers which enabled them to become invincible personalities displaying miraculous capabilities, as allegorically described in the mythological tales.

Mind Control is being practiced since ages and even today, I think it is a hard but not an impossible task. It is strongly believed by most saints and philosophers that every human mind is connected to the universal mind and to every other mind. Our minds are believed to be small scattered fragments of a bigger universal force like droplets of water in the ocean when sprinkeld in different directions. In fact, such is the power of our human mind, that if you have a strong mental wish or desire, and you literally sort of “will” something to happen, simply by focusing your mind, your thoughts and your energy on that desire, without any negative thoughts of fear or worry, then your desire actually becomes a reality. This works provided you strongly wish for an outcome that is pure, sincere and heartfelt. Then as they say "if you truly wish it to happen, then the whole universe conspires to make your wish come true". This is the whole reality about mind power and it works if you believe in it and practice it enough. But, mind you it needs to be “practiced enough” for it to work.

From my association with various spiritual works, I understand that the keys to this are through detachment to worldly pleasures, self-discipline and meditation or the practice of controlling the focus of the mind. One can begin by purifying the mind and body. A satvik (vegan) diet and regular fasting helps in purifying the body and attaining some control over our temptations and cravings. This part is not so difficult as fasting is a concept inherent in many religious practices and we Indians grow up with the idea of temporary control over our urge for food and water. The next step of purifying the mind is all about controlling the flow of thoughts and ideas into your mind. Broadly that means all that your brains and senses are exposed to. Then once you have control over your body and subsequently over your mind, by practicing meditation you can focus your mind and energies on those outcomes you want in your life.

If you read a lot of spiritual literature, you realize mind control is based on the fundamental philosophy described by most of the saints, seer s and thought leaders, which is “you attract into your life whatever you think about most” Most of the positive and negative outcomes in your life are actually a result of what your mind dwells on. So if there is that outcome that you fear the most, and if you frequently visualize negative consequences, if you constantly think about negative outcomes, then the situation you fear the most is actually what you draw into your life by constantly focusing your thoughts and energy on it. It becomes your reality. If you consciously put out all negative thoughts from your head and dwell on positive mental images and visualization, then it is believed that you can subconsciously attract positive events into your life.

These thoughts are also pretty much connected to the philosophy of the three monkeys, who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil, advocated by ancient Oriental philosophers and later in India, by Gandhi. The underlying philosophy behind the three monkeys really tells you is not to expose yourself, your senses and your thoughts to anything negative or in other words do not absorb negative energy and thus you will also not generate any negative ideas, thoughts, energy or vibes.

I have often tried to put these ideas into practice and although it is harder than we think, I know for a fact that when we intensely focus our mind and energy a particular outcome, practice mental imagery and affirmations, miraculously our sincere desires do come true.

Therefore all these ideas often raise several questions in my mind. By limiting or eliminating all exposure to local or world news through any media can we keep out the negativities? Take for example the newspaper. What makes news? The unsual happennings or more likely the negative issues and events in the world around us. Of course I understand that not reading the newspaper does not change anything in the world around me. BUT when think about it, I realize by not reading the newspaper for half an hour every day, I do prevent my mind from from focusing on many negative feelings of anger, fear, worry, religious, racial or cultural resentment, that are reported in the newspaper from places all over the world. etc. Mostly because the truth is that negative events and happennings make more news than the postive stuff. I sincerely belive that to some extent ignorance about bad and ugly events can be bliss. In fact that the very concept of news is warped these days. In reality a scoop or story actually sells and becomes more thrilling if it has negative elements in it. So the good deeds hardly receive much limelight as do the gruesome murders, scams, scandals, terrorism acts, rapes, suicides, gossip, fraud, robberies, broken promises, breaches of trust, etc. So it is with the action blockbuster films and many thrillers and bestselling books.

But I also wonder, how far is it possible for us to consistenly consciously block out all negative input to our brain, wherever we do have a choice to do so. I seriously ponder about what kind of a place the world would be if each one of us consciously and selectively exposes our self to positive content through all media, be it books, television, internet or even our conversations. I also wonder that if each one of us shuts out such negative inputs, and makes a sustained effort to focus only on good events happening in the world around us, would we, as a human race, be able to attract more peace and positive events into our lives and into the world?

The languages of my day

"Hey!!! How are you?" A friend at office greets me. That's the coolest, Americanized way to
greet the cool and not so cool people in the yuppie metro culture in India. "Great", I say these days, instead of plain old "fine". I've imbibed this one. But somehow, a "hey" just does not come out as spontaneously as the good old last century "hi". I think a lot about these and other
words that I use in my daily vocabulary. Which makes me ponder over not just the range
of words, but also the range of languages I use in a day.

As I write, I think. Mostly I try to think in English. Obviously as a writer I would have a good command over English. But wait a minute, which English? You think, this would be a no-brainer, because there is only one language called English, plain and simple! Unfortunately no! At the Indian writer level, working in an American company, who has studied and imbibed the English language and grammar in a British convent school for over a decade, is daily and hourly exposed to Bollywoood media, and is living in the Shiv Sena-dominated, politically driven, communist Maharashtrian culture, would you believe, there are a few "Englishes" to chose from?

Thanks to 10 or more years of convent education, some formidable nuns, and tons of Enid Blytons, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Arthur Conan Doyle, British English has seeped into 78.593% pores of my skin. It has just been flowing out from my tongue in auto-mode, on the default setting for many years. But after entering the professional world, inevitably the American dollars beckoned. Soon came the realization that at American-affiliated Indian IT companies, any female Indian writer is more than willing to embrace the American stars, stripes, slang, terminology, even the handsome Obama, et al. In fact, in the race of life, an Indian writer can shift into fourth gear by learning American English, and get on to fast track career growth. It's not so challenging. Even though one is tuned to thinking in British English, one can manage to keep up with the professional writing in American English.


Switching on and off between these two language modes is one problem that can be easily resolved. One just has to try not to confuse oneself and tangle one's thought process within these two "Englishes". At the same time, what I always believe is that one must try not to forget how to converse in the common language of the people, that is "Hinglish". Sooner or later you realize that it's hard to converse with colleagues, buddies, and pals, if you cannot converse in the common dialect, by somehow attaining a balance of Hindi and English in your daily conversation. So if you started that sentence in English, the trick is to finish it off in Hindi. Everyone does it! See how TRP advertisers sell their FMCG wares? You got it! They speak "Hinglish", the dialect of the people. So of course, "Hinglish" just creeps into the remaining pores of your skin. But one has to try to squeeze the regional language Marathi into the pores, too. After all, in Pune, local colleagues at work might just lapse into a little Marathi without warning. So if you add in a few words of Marathi into the Maharashtra-based Indian writer's articulation technique, then you get the fourth type of English, which is "Indian Regional English".

I do like to think of "Indian Regional English" as different from the "spoken vernacular" and the "written vernacular", Marathi. And mind you, both "Indian Regional English" and the "spoken vernacular " are such important languages in your daily life, you just cannot afford to chill, and freeze on a limited selection of words for emergency use. You need to strive to expand your vocabulary in these areas as well. For instance on any day in office, you might not be pre-warned when a colleague answers several critical technical queries in "Indian Regional English", at home your domestic help mutters that she's not available for the next four days, or on the road the noveau-riche owner of a flashy car curses you and your slow but steady driving, all in the "vernacular".


Switching to and from different English modes can be done with ease, and can become as simple as switching automotive gears, if one practices hard enough. Although these seem like several languages to master, it's sad that one can't really claim to be a multi linguist at this. You see, the four versions of English are just sub-languages, and the "umbrella" or "blanket" language is actually only English. So I was about to conclude this blog with the sum total of the languages I speak, that is only 3. But a couple of phone calls that jolted me out of my linguistic reverie! One call was from my mother, to whom I responded in my mother-tongue, that is Sindhi. Oooh, I completely forgot to add this language to my list. The language of my childhood and my impressionable years. The other call was from my father-in-law who let out a few phrases in the Punjabi language, that is my husband's "father-tongue". I attempted to answer in the same "tongue" as a few thoughts occured to me. You see hubby's mother is a Maharashtrian, so the "mother-tongue" ought to be Marathi. Now I know that there is a confusion here because the language his mother speaks would not be his mother-tongue, but the language his father speaks would be his mother-tongue. And you might be wondering which of these is my daughter's mother-tongue? Worry not! I shall not let the strangeness of the English language dilute my focus on this blog post about "my" language medley and the pontifications that make me wonder which languages I speak in, write in and think in.


Back on track, I chewed my pen and decided that sleeping over the confusion would restore my clarity of thought and language for this blog post, so I left it at that. But the evening conversation with my daughter churned up some more thought-provoking words or rather words-provoked thoughts. As I entered the house, my daughter chirped, "Hey dude!". Then later she went on to ask me what "modhu" meant, as her cousin brother (whose mother is from Gujarat and speaks Gujarati) had told her "shut your modhu", just for fun, and a fight had ensued because of the language barrier and incomprehension. "Modhu" means mouth in the Gujarati language. Simple and harmless, not at all profane, I explained to her! Fortunately, since I knew the meaning, I had prevented a little Gujarati spark from fanning into a linguistic fire right there. As her cousin interjected a few more words in Gujarati, my daughter quipped, " Mama, if you know Gujarati, then you have to teach me also". Thankfully, my son has just learnt to speak only a few words of a single language, and still has a long way to go before he reports any such perils.

And last but not the least, I must mention that my day finally ended after a late-evening call from hubby dear with some friends, seated at a wine-tasting lounge in Nasik, which is like the Napa valley of India. Completely oblivious of my linguistic dilemma, he read aloud from a wine menu and asked if I knew what "aperitif" meant? I racked my brains to dig up French vocabulary learnt at school. Yes, I said, making the final language switch for the day. "Aperitif" means an appetising drink, served before meals.

Linguistically tired, I tried to sleep, thoughts still lingering on my lexical predicament, pondering and wondering which of the above languages I would use in my dreams.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama
Much is being written about Barrack Obama today, the new President-elect of one of the world's biggest democracies and one of the the largest and most powerful nations in world, the USA. The Americans today are literally chanting the Obama mantra with a fervent hope to banish the evil spell of recession.
Gripped by an unprecedented economic downturn, one of the worst in the last several decades, the USA stands in the quagmire of a national crisis that threatens to get worse. The numbers of Americans impacted by the subprime mortgage crisis are appalling and growing by the day. This is unbelieveable but true, that in the wake of this crisis today, a large section of people of one of the wealthiest nations of the world are literally homeless and on the streets. One wonders what went wrong? What are the factors responsible for triggering this financial crisis that is now assuming worldwide proportions? Is it thanks to the imperialistic foreign policies of the previous regime? The economic benefits of outsourcing and the globalization impact? Or can we attribute this pandemonium to the sub-prime crisis that has taken a heavy toll, despite the heavily regulated US mortgage industry? Is it all of these factors? And how can economic order be restored? Who can and will do the needful?
Admidst this economic chaos, Obama's victory in the presidential elections and his imperative campaign slogan" Yes we can" obviously marks a turning point in the history of USA. As the first American-African president, with exemplary leadership qualities he represents the "change" that the Americans need. He certainly comes in as a breadth of fresh air, with a goal to reconnect the Americans and and reassert their belief in the great American dream.
No wonder that when the dark clouds are looming so large, and when the general economic climate is so pessemistic, Obama has apeared literally like a shining hero to protect the people from the economic wreckage done by the Bush administration. Metaphorically one can call him a tall, dark and handsome knight in shining armour, and imagine him sitting proudly on a beautiful horse, so confident of being able to rescue America from her woes.
Can I actually see a halo behind his head? I think the Americans can!
As the media highlights his wholesome persona, here is a complete family man with a clean reputation and no scandalous chinks in his armour, or so it seems.
He truly represents the masses, and is symbolic of the common man in America. Maybe that is the real reason that they can relate to him so easily and pin their soaring hopes on a"saviour" image that he has managed to create through his brilliant campaigning strategies or his strategic use of personal electronic and internet media, apart from the conventional forums, that he uses to reach out to the people.
With his mixed ancestry, he is also like a living confluence of race and religion. For the rest of the world mired in petty racial and religious conflicts, unlike his predecessor, he is one who has the power to transcend these divides, call for more unity, inspire hopes of not just the Americans but also all other people around the world, and become an icon of peace and prosperity.
So what are the odds against this man? An overwhelming challenge to restore economic stability and public expectations so high that he might want to fervently pray for a magic wand or a fairy godmother that could grant his 3 wishes for the future of America. And of course a whole brigade of conventional or so-called verterans of the republican party that are watching his every little step and move, like a pack of predatory wolves waiting to pounce on their prey at the first hint of a sound or slip.

Our New Home

Finallly, it is almost done up. Our new home sweet home-Sapnon ka Ghar (house of dreams). A big nice flat that is not easy to afford in today's inflation-driven times. Finally, we will move just before Diwali. This is the topic that has drawn up our energies and focus right since the begining of this year. It is all that a
family like ours could ever want for. An idyllic dwelling. Yet it has brought about more pain than happiness...almost to the point of regret for buying it. It has taken away our
spending power, our peace of mind and our time, energy and effort. Yet somehow I now feel it fails to provide the happiness, contentment and harmony that we thought it would bring us?

There is almost every kind of material comfort. The family is a wholesome family, with a pet dog to complete the picture! It sounds like a happy family, but still there is always some tension in the air! What then is lacking? We do not have the answers to such questions -Whose house is this one and whose house is that one? "My" house or"your" house?

What is it that a house means to us? A place where we live? A house that you can come home to ? A house is built by builders, masons and all those who set up the physical structure. A home is built by all the people who live in it, all who contribute towards in any way to make it a conmfortable place to dwell. Does this mean that the home belongs to only the people who run and maintain it? Does it belong only to those who pool in hard cash, or those whose name is written on the agreement and those
who pay the EMI? What about those who contribute indirectly, or behind the scenes, who stand by and support all decisions for the good of the family, and put in their positive energies to to make things work smoothly without mishaps?

And moreover, if you say this is "my" house and that is "your" house, would we be able to carry away our houses with us when are burried or burnt after we pass away? Or for that matter, can we take any of our beloved, coveted possessions with us into the other world? There is actually nothing we would carry away with us, when this jouney ends, except for our souls. And how do we know if your end will come before me or vice versa ? In essence, should we not think of our homes like rest-houses in our journey of life and our friends and family like fellow travellers in a bus or train?
In this journey we have no clue as to who will get off first, and at which station!
And there is really no one who will accompany us right from the begining to the end of this journey. We begin alone and end the journey alone.

So then what or who can we really call ours? No one and Nothing! And what "on earth" (i mean this literally) really matters then, while we are here? After we die, what is left behind is just good or bad
memories in the minds of the people we interacted with in our life on earth? If our memories and facts of our existence were wiped out from the minds of those living, after we pass away, what then what would remain of "ours"? So we can only live on in the minds of people, as memories after we die. Can you then control who lands up with your house and possessions after that? Can you then choose to control who will remember you and who will not?

So then what is the fight and resisitance about anything or anyone that can never be yours throughout this lifetime? Is there even one thing that stays with us without change, forever, throughout our lifetime? And who can accurately predict when each change is about to occur, and what each change will bring about? If anyone or anything can be taken away from you at any time, what then is in your
hands? What then, can you do while you are living this life?

Continue to flow with the flow of life, and life takes you along. There are many flows going in different directions. You may choose your flow direction. But do you think you have a choice to stop or to flow? No! You don't have any choice but to go with the flow of what life brings you. In that sense, you are like the river that must keep flowing. Along the path, if you like a particular riverbank that is beautiful and green, you can only stop by for a while, but you can't call it yours or expect to stick out there forever, because like a river, you must leave this beautiful riverbank and continue to flow on ahead, until you meet the sea. And you cannot take the riverbanks to the sea--there are no river banks in the sea!