Think or sink!

[Visalakshi Ramani]

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Something ....Something.

Everything has a limiting value beyond which it just snaps and breaks apart. This includes everything under the sun - including human emotions.

Pent up feelings keep building up all the time. Then the last straw of any trivial matter will make everything come out like a deluge or a volcanic eruption.

So we must be aware of the many things we say and do everyday and hurt the others - knowingly and unknowingly. Those things may even be silly or just meant to be funny.

But do you know how a person is remembered by the others?
It is HOW the person made the others feel when they interacted.

In our colony the teen aged boys used to call one another as 'nAyE', 'pEyE', 'guNdA' etc. One day I asked them a simple question.

If your friend is a 'nAyE' and 'pEyE' then who are you???
The foul name calling stopped then and there.

Somethings are very wrong but we can set them right by doing something!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

557a.
Undankbar zu sein ist schändlich
Der Handelnde muss vergessen, was er Gutes getan hat.
Der Empfänger darf es nie vergessen.

557b.
Being ungrateful is being disgraceful,
The doer must forget the good he did.
The receiver must never forget it.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something... Something!

Learn something new everyday... as long as you live.

It may be a new word, or a new sentence, a new story, a new theory,

a new concept, or a new art or skill or even a new dish.

Novelty removes the boredom and monotony of our mundane existence.

The joy of learning is no less than the joy of sleeping or eating or even dating.

Why are children so happy and supercharged with energy?

They keep learning umpteen new things everyday.

If we can retain the curiosity and interest of a child we can remain childlike all our life.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

558a. Oft werden die temporären Anpassungen zu dauerhaften Lösungen

558b. Often the temporary adjustments become the permanent solutions

Necessity is the mother of invention.
Getting 'what we want' from 'what we have' is the secret behind any real invention!
I am sure we all invent many such things and solutions as and when we need them.

My father used to say,
"Nothing is more permanent than temporary solutions"
I have noticed that it is taue from my real life experiences.

A clever man would paste a small coin on the leaking hole in his aluminium water tub.
This went on for a long time and the bottom of the water tub got completely covered with those shining coins - increasing the value of the old leaking tub several times!

footnotes:
Oft = Often
die = the
temporären = temporary
Anpassungen = adjustments
werden zu = become
dauerhaften = permanent
Lösungen = solutions.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something ....Something!

We see many things every day.
We hear manythings everyday

We read, we write and we speak and so so many things everyday.
But only some of them are remembered by us later in life.

Those are the ones which have affect us more than all the others -
by making us feel happy or sad, angry or oppressed, enthusiastic or crestfallen.

The very name or the face of some people make us glow and smile.
The very name or the faces of some others make us sulk and turn purple.

That 'something special' acts like a fragrance or as a repulsive odor.
Developing pleasant qualities and pleasant speech will make life so much rosier!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

559a.
Ein Elefant kann unseren Reichtum auf seinen Beinen ausschöpfen.
Ein Haus kann unseren Reichtum auf seinem Fundament abbauen

559b.
An elephant can drain our wealth moving on its legs.
A house can drain our wealth standing on its foundation

footnotes:
Ein = An
Elefant = elephant
kann = can
ausschöpfen = drain
unseren = our
Reichtum = wealth
auf = standing on
seinen = its
Beinen = legs.
Ein = A
Haus = house
kann = can
abbauen = drain
unseren = our
Reichtum = wealth
auf = standing on
seinem = its
Fundament = foundation.

P.S
A disease can drain our wealth and health by making us take to bed!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something....Something

Some Things which cost nothing are the Same Things that are loved most by most people.

Remembering the name of a person whom we meet only now and then, here or there.
They become so happy that we remember their names correctly and call them by their name.

Asking about the well being of the person as well as his near and dear ones.
This creates a bond of friendship and helps to bind both the families together.

I feel hurt when I see that in the marriage halls the seating is really strange.
The bride's people make sure that they don't mix with the groom's people.
This can be excused since they are nearly strangers as yet.

But the father's group of people don't mix with the mother's group of people -
even if those parents had got married 30 years ago!

People never overcome the distinction....
"Ithu namma aaLu! ithu namma aaLu illE!"

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

560a. Ost oder West Zuhause ist das Beste.

560b. East or West home is the best.

Man is strange in his thinking, wishing and acting.
When in the house, he wants to go out at all costs.
But when he is outside, he wants to go back home.

footnotes:
Ost = East
oder = or
West = west
Zuhause = home
ist = is
das = the
Beste = best.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something ...Something.

All our actions are controlled by the mind either consciously or subconsciously.

When we do something with real interest, everything turn out to be perfect.
When we have any negative emotion everything will go wrong.

The impact of moods over the end products is best seen in cooking.
The food may become too spicy, too salty, get burned, boil and spill over.

Something connects our innermost thoughts and our visible actions.
Guarding the thoughts will guard the moods and also guard the actions.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

561a.
Ein Optimist sieht auch in seinen Problemen Chancen.
Ein Pessimist sieht Probleme auch in seinen Möglichkeiten.

561b.
An optimist sees opportunities even in his problems.
A pessimist sees problems even in his opportunities.

We all know about these two types of people...
those we see the jar half full and those who see it half empty.

There are two kinds of people everywhere.

Through the same window one may see
the shining stars or the muddy soil outside

footnotes:

Ein = An
Optimist = optimist
sieht = sees
Chancen = opportunities
auch = even
in = in
seinen = his
Problemen = problems.

Ein = A
Pessimist = pessimist
sieht = sees
Probleme = problems
auch = even
in = in
seinen = his
Möglichkeiten = opportunities.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something ...Something.

The watchman of that factory could not figure out why an empty wheelbarrow was being pushed off by a worker everyday.

He would search under the hay in the wheelbarrow for
anything that was hidden and being smuggled out of the factory.

But he could not find anything any day.
This went on for a very long time.

Until the last wheelbarrow disappeared no one knew that the man was smuggling the wheelbarrows themselves and something inside the wheelbarrow!

Can we label this as 'the human camouflage' - since something is done to hide something else???

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

562a.
Fürchte nichts!
Bedrohe niemanden!
Lebe und lass die anderen leben!

562b.
Fear nothing!
Threaten no one!
Live and let the others live!

footnotes:
Fürchte = Fear
nichts = nothing.
Bedrohe = Threaten
niemanden! = no one.
Lebe = Live
und = and
lass = let
die = the
anderen = others
leben! = live!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something...Something

When we lived in the company quarters allotted for us ( in 1980s) , I could see the workers entering the main gate of the factory from my terrace.

The first shift started at 6 A.M. Each of the worker used to carry a tall tiffin carrier fondly called as the 'train tiffin carrier'. I used to wonder at those women who had got up so early and prepared a sumptuous meal for those workers.

Later I came to know that they were just carrying those vessels empty. Later during the day, those would get filled up with all the goodies offered by the canteen for a paltry sum. The carrier would be full when the workers go back home in the evening - with enough food for the entire family.

They got all kinds of snacks and fried food everyday - without moving a muscle and without spending money in buying the ingredients.

Somethings run far deeper even when they appear to be something else.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

563a.
Der Schein kann täuschen.
Es ist das, was wir uns selbst projizieren wollen.
Gesprochene Worte zeigen, wer wir wirklich sind.

563b.
Appearance may deceive.
It is what we want to project ourselves to be.
Words spoken reveal who we really are.

footnotes:
Der = The
Schein = appearance
kann = can
täuschen = deceive.
Es = It
ist = is
das = that,
was = what
wir = we
wollen = wish
projizieren = to project
uns selbst = ourselves as.
Gesprochene = The spoken
Worte = word
zeigen = show
wer = who
wir = we
wirklich = really
sind = are.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something....Something

Something we do to someone, at some point of time, comes back to us - may be even decades later. The good we do comes back as a good thing for us and the bad we do comes back as a bad thing for us.

The 'doctor of the poor folks' had treated a woman who was visiting her kin and kith in another town and became sick. The doctor treated her - a perfect stranger - as one of his own patients. She got well miraculously. This had happened may be 5 decades ago.

Now the grandkids of that good doctor had caught on COVID - 19, despite all the precautions they had taken to avoid it.

Not even their own servant would enter the household and work for them - at a time when they need physical assistance most.

Lo and behold!

A young woman offers to work for them to repay the gratitude her family own to the doctor's family! The young grand daughter of that lady who had fallen sick, is now helping the grand children of that good samaritan.

Is it true that the good and the bad we do will affect the seven generations to come???
Whenever we do anything we must make sure that it is something good for someone and not something bad for anyone!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

564a. Nicht angeforderte Kredite und nicht besuchte Freunde sind für immer verloren.

564b. Loans not demanded and friends not visited are lost forever.

footnotes:
Kredite = Loan
Nicht = not
angeforderte = demanded
und = and
Freunde = friends
nicht = not
besuchte = visited
sind = are
verloren = lost
für = for
immer = ever.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something...Something

Somethings have to change with the changing times. But many of them don't!

In ancient days knowledge was passed on and preserved by listening and memorizing.
Shruti and Smriti were the words used to denote this process of listening, repeating and committing to one's memory.

Printing was unknown. Making handwritten copies on palm leaves or papers was laborious and time consuming. Those days the Students had no other distractions.
They would devote all their time, energy and abilities in learning and memorizing.

But today everything is available to everyone at the touch of a finger! Do we still have to learn everything by heart? Memorize the lessons and reproduce them in an exam set for 3 hours to prove what you have learned in 3 or 4 or even 5 years?

To make those unfortunate students who fail to get through in one exam, repeat all the papers equals to making them fail in more and more subjects and forcing them to quit?
We make the rules. We set the patterns. We must have the wisdom and courage to change the rules and patterns when they have become obsolete.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

I am happy to inform that my very first blog https://vannamaalai.wordpress.com/
- originally with 185 Tamil poems and their English translation on spiritual topics
- now has 216 Tamil poems and their English translations

I will be giving the liks to the new additions @ one per day.
Happy reading!
Civil Comments and mature discussions are also welcome!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#186. பொய் சொன்ன வாய்

பெருந்தனக்காரர் நியமித்தார் ஒருவனை பொறுப்பாகத் தன் சொத்தைப் பாதுகாக்க. பெருந்தனக்காரருக்கு பல வேலைகள் – பலப் பெரு நகரங்களுக்குச் சென்று வர வேண்டும். பொறுப்பாளனை முழுவதும் நம்ப…

vannamaalai.wordpress.com

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

565a. Stehlen folgt Spionage.

565b. Stealing follows spying.

Thieves do not break into every house.
Their loot must be worth their trouble.

They study carefully which house is worth breaking in.
First they study and spy well and then they strike!

footnotes:-
Stehlen = Stealing
folgt = follows
Spionage = spying

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something...Something.

Some things become priceless when given to the right persons.
Others become worthless when given to the wrong persons.

Once I had carried a rice plant with all the seeds in tact carefully from Kerala to A.P
It so happened that my inseparable little companion and dance student needed one for her science project. She was elated when I gave her the rice plant in tact. None of the other students in her class could get hold of one.

On other occasions I have watched costly saris being presented to women who don't wear saris - just for what we call as 'dumbam' or 'daambeegam'. These saris get recycled and end up with GOK who!

It is the thought and the need that set the value of any gift and not the actual costs or other hooks attached to it.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#187. கருணைக்குத் தாய்க்குலம்

கற்பதும், கற்பிப்பதும் கடமையாக இருந்தது முற்காலத்தில் அந்தண குலத்தினருக்கு. வாழ்ந்தனர் வறுமையிலும் செம்மையுடன்; வாழ்ந்தனர் வறுமையிலும் பெருமையுடன்; சீலகுரு ஒரு ஏழையாக இருந்தால…

vannamaalai.wordpress.com

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A proverb a day to brighten the day!

566a.
Nichts kommt aus nichts.
Nichts geht ins Nichts.
Dinge ändern nur ihre Form und ihren Namen, verschwinden aber nie.

566b.
Nothing comes out of nothing.
Nothing goes into nothing.
Things just change their shapes and names but never disappear.

footnotes:
Nichts = Nothing
kommt = comes
aus = out of
nichts = nothing.
Nichts = Nothing
geht = goes
ins = into
Nichts = nothing.
Dinge = Things
ändern = change
nur = only
ihre = their
Form = form
und = and
ihren = their
Namen = names
aber = but
nie = never
verschwinden = disappear.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

#188. அரசனின் அத்வைதம்

“சர்வம் பிரம்ம மயம்” என்றார் குருநாதர்; “சகலமும், சகலரும் சரி சமம்!” என்றானது. வெகுவாக மகிழ்ந்தான் இது கேட்ட அரசன்; வெகு நாளாக விரும்பினான் ஒரு சேடியை. மறுத்…

vannamaalai.wordpress.com

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

Something ....Something.

These questions keep bothering me!
Is mercy killing really justified?
Is aided suicide really justified?

They Maybe or May Not Be !
It depends on the person and his or her reasons to wish to die rather than live on!

Some people fear financial crisis which they are unable to solve.
Some people suffer physical ailments which is beyond their endurance.
Some people fear for their reputation and their image.

Whatever be the reasons for wishing to die before one's time is over -
whether they are physical, financial, medical or moral or even imaginary,
man has no right to take off his own life or that of anyone else!

If One who is born to suffer and bound to suffer ... he will have to suffer.
A small consolation is the belief that "Sufferings wipe out our past sins!"