My interview with Anthony Olszewski, Founder of Jersey City Free books

Real Life Heroes Changing the world

I have always been fascinated by the real life heroes vs reel life heroes. It feels quite awkward (rather sickening!) when I see people and media talking and hyping the tv and big screen so called celebrities more than required when they are just doing their job for a living like billions of other human beings. Their common acts like the food they eat, the clothes they wear, or even their personal lives occupy sections of magazines and newspapers and sometimes become a topic of debate among the young generation. Isn't that the waste of human energy and time? Isn't that in-appropriate and ir-responsible usage of technology? I strongly opine that people who are doing the real stuff for betterment of society, who are contributing day-by-day, silently, and most humbly to make this human experience of fellow human beings heavenly should be celebrated more often. 

My dear friends, today I present to you insights from one of the most generous, kind, compassionate, ever giving, pure-hearted soul Anthony Olszewski, founder of Jersey City Free books.  Jersey City Free books located at 297 Griffith Street, Jersey City is a community book exchange that provides books to read absolutely free of cost, without any obligation, registration or any sort of indoctrination. And please don’t get caught by the word ‘exchange’, you don’t have to give some to get some, you simply have to go, select the book of your choice from available books and take it with you, there is absolutely no obligation of returning or penalty as you have in libraries. You may keep it for your future reference or share it with friends and family for their benefit.

Anthony Olszewski, Founder of Jersey City Free Books

Since times immemorial, books have changed the world. Be it the likes of Bhagvad Geeta, the holy Bible, the holy Quran, or the Republic by Plato (written in the 4^th century BCE) or even the Meditations by Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (written in 161-180 CE) had a lasting impact on the people across several centuries. Books undeniably play a critical role in the upliftment of society. Through this easy availability of books to one and all without any prejudice, Jersey City free books is doing an awesome service to the society. Be it the Mothers who come seeking children’s books (and even the cookbook), elderly citizens looking out for their favorite mysteries, philosophical genre books, or the teenagers and students who flock searching for romance, fiction, and fantasies books, thousands of people have benefited from this charitable, big-hearted initiative from Anthony. 

Recently I got the opportunity to spend some time with Anthony at Jersey City Free Books. Here is the excerpts from the interview:

Narendra Gupta (NG):  I would like to say a big and a heartfelt thank you for what you are doing to this community and for your act of selfless living and giving.  Sir, please tell me something about your life?

Anthony Olszewski (AO):  I was born in Margaret Hague Maternity hospital, Jersey City in the year 1956. I have lived almost my entire life in Jersey City, in fact a few blocks away from the shop. Jersey City in the world has changed a lot since then, in many ways for the better and in some ways for not. People are a lot more educated but they do not seem to think as deeply and empathetically as people used to, even those with very little education.

NG: What is your vision for life? How would you describe your mission for life?

AO:  For my life, I like to think at the end of every day that something is being accomplished. Every day is being productive and worthwhile. That's as far as I see.

I had set plenty of goals for myself and I accomplished most of them. I graduated, bought a house on the block, I put myself in school raising cage birds believe it or not, and years ago I published many articles on that subject (canaries in particular) including a chapter on genetics in veterinary textbooks, I have been involved with many projects – like I was a website editor, even worked on political campaigns – some of them were successful and some not.

NG: What are your top values for life?

AO: I try to have a set of rules that I go by. Just a small thing, a few years ago, I was opening up the shop here and there was a wallet out front. Somebody had dropped his wallet.  It had $300 some dollars. I had to go through the wallet to find the identity. There was a set of phone numbers and I called them all, Somehow I found that the guy was getting a haircut in a saloon nearby. The guy was offering me $20 but I refused that. I was mentioning this to people and most people said why didn't I keep the wallet, and a few people said why didn't I take those $20 dollars. I knew that wasn't my money and this is what I should do. I don't see why I should be paid for something that I was supposed to do, or even get a tip for something that I was supposed to do as a human being.

I try to think what I am responsible for. Small thing, when there is snowfall, I just make sure that I get out and wipe the snow outside the shop, on the road and nearby area. These are some of the common things that nobody thinks of but just strikes to me. So many people are having inconvenience but no one thinks about it.

NG: Sir, What is it that concerns you?

AO: One thing that is striking me more and more is that people in general are prone to distractions and confusion. Going back to when I was growing up, it was a common thing that many of the adults especially during times of depression had dropped off from the grammar school. They didn't have enough money to feed their family so they opted to go out to work. But the same people at the time of election, they thought about the candidates on the right parameters, I remember them talking what did that particular candidate do when he was in senate, what was his position on labor and so on, I mean these are the people who had very little education but they thought, but today even the people with all kinds of education and advanced degrees, when elections are around keep complaining for example they say things like - they don't like the candidate because they don't like the way his wife dresses. They will talk about the movie stars. People are increasingly becoming distracted and confused; I think they are not reading is also one of the big causes.

NG: Sir, do you feel inappropriate usage of technology has played a role in those distractions?

AO: Yes, I do. There is obviously tremendous advantage (due) to technology.  It is very much like the difference between walking, riding a bicycle and driving a car. These things have an effect on the person himself.  If somebody walks or even rides a bicycle 5 miles a day, he is going to be a very different person than someone who drives a car 5 miles a day.

Of course the experience is going to be different if somebody is walking 5 miles a day, they are thinking, they are seeing what's going on around them, experiencing the nature and people where as the person driving the car, all they see is the car in front of them if not texting and driving at the same time.

NG: How did the idea of free books store came to your mind?

AO: There was a bagel store at Central Avenue and in 2007 unrelated to the books there was a fire. Late in 2007 the store was closed for a long time. Late in 2007 new owners took over. They decided not to continue with the free rack of books they had in the store there. Early in 2008 I started it. For many years 5 years or so there was just a single shelf here. I don't know exactly why but 3 years ago, a lot of people started bringing in a lot of books and this way the store expanded.

NG: Did it ever occur to you that you should charge some bare minimum amount for a book? (Because you are spending so much time and energy doing and maintaining all stuff)?

AO:  No. The whole point of this is to reach to as many people as I could.  There are plenty of generous people out there who have really donated. These are the people who have actually made the place possible and whom we should thank. They bring books for whatever reason like they are moving or have limited space at home and so on. There are a number of people who regularly bring books, they are regular readers but live in small apartments with limited book shelves. They bring the books here so that other people can use them.

Many reasons books become available for other people to use. You know there are all sorts of book in the garage, underneath the bed, some people have book in their trunks, they are not doing anybody good but when they come here they do good to a lot of people. There is no way I should think about charging. Some people get perks that they may not be able to afford these books at all. The mystery thrillers, romance, these books are not cheap anymore, these books cost 5,6,7,8 dollars, I don’t know how many senior citizens come here and pick up one or two or more of the books that these people could not afford every week. Well some people say they could go to the library, certainly they could go to library; library is very good, but it's not the same thing. I have hundreds of different titles, yes they read but they don't have to worry about bringing it back. They can even give it to their friends or to other residents.

As soon as you start charging, there are places where people raise money. Yes, they raise money to do something good however in terms of reading; but in terms of the reader, the person who doesn't have that money has no access to reading that book.  Even if you are selling the book for a quarter, somebody who has to pay his electric and gas bill at the end of the month has no money they can't get that book where as someone who has money has a bargain now. There are a plenty of people who don't have even a quarter, like people with small kids, they may not want to spend on even a quarter because they have to spend on clothes, shoes and many other essentials. They may not want to spend on books.

NG:  Sir, Do you have any plans to extend free books store to other parts of city or country

AO: Well it’s something that I might do but don’t have any immediate plans.

NG: How do you feel when you see people benefiting from your services?

AO: I am very glad, there was a gentleman stopping by here and getting books for his little daughter every week. One day he came along with his daughter and happily informed she had gotten an award for the best reader in class. He stopped by to say a Thank you. He thanked me saying that a source of free books made the little student’s achievement possible.

There are many people who just would not have books at all. When I was growing up in Jersey City, believe it or not there was a tropical fish magazine and published here in New Jersey just by chance. In almost every issue there were articles about people traveling to different parts of the world, collecting tropical fish out in the jungle. I just hope to some degree that it gives chance to everybody to think, to imagine that things can be different.

NG: Sir, please share one of the most enduring moments of your life?

AO: There are a number of different things. I was bitten by a bat with rabies when I was only in the 3rd grade. Doctors had told my Parents that I was going to die. Well no one told me anything, so I fooled them all.

Onetime I almost drowned. Irresponsibly I went out to a beach early in the morning before the life guards were on duty and got pulled out by a current. Luckily somebody who is a good swimmer heard me yelling and came to rescue me but I came very close to drowning.  Anyhow I hesitate, I don't like taking chances, I try to think what is the risk involved, For example  I see people putting something that may slip, they say I am putting only for a second, and I say don’t put even for a second, put it over here.

NG:  Sir, What is the happiest moment you recall in your life?

AO: O'boy there are plenty. That would be hard to say. You know many times things, the projects I worked on, at one time they were very successful and at another point they failed. I have to look everything. There are highs and there are lows, you can't take either of them seriously.

NG:  Sir, what makes you angry and sad?

AO: Couple of years ago I was regularly riding bicycle on the Washington bridge. It's one of the most amazing views in the world, when you look down you see the whole New York City and on the right, you see the Jersey City palisades. It’s somewhat dangerous especially when you are riding on a bicycle; on the right hand side you have got the draft of the river and on the left hand side there is a plenty of traffic, and also it is not very wide. So somebody who is coming on a bicycle from two different directions actually has to be very careful. 

Anyhow one day I was riding, a guy was coming from another direction on the George Washington Bridge, walking and texting. It is just thoughtlessness.  Now this is one of the most amazing places in the world and this guy is looking at this small screen. Also he is putting his own life at risk, my life at risk. That thoughtlessness is something that makes me angry.

Another common thing I just see, people crossing the street, either would be not looking at all, how no body is killed on this corner alone, I have seen cars riding into the people, luckily no person is being hit. Another time, when people are crossing street, someone driving the car would intentionally keep coming towards them to get them move, to scare them. Pure irresponsibility and thoughtlessness! When I was growing up there were people who were not nice at all but they used to think, they wouldn’t do something like this.

Climate change is another big thing that I am concerned about. 

NG: What makes you hopeful and happy?

AO:  There many big advances in healthcare. The level of healthcare that anybody has access to as compared to when I was growing up has developed a lot. In those times even the wealthy people who would have heart attacks, would just die or would cripple for the whole of their lives. But now there are all sorts of treatments and transplants.  The germs have been basically conquered. We have antibiotics; we have vaccines getting to the rest of the world.

The economic conditions have also improved, in earlier times people used to have at most a TV and a refrigerator in house but now there are many gadgets now. Technological advances and economic progress is something I cheer about. 

NG:  Sir, You are already changing the world in one way, but if you could get some additional power to change the world what would you do?

AO: I look at the things with a very limited perspective; I wish I would have a wider perspective.  Two things that I complain to the city about is: I have been bicycling since I was in 2^nd grade, in the street I complained about people riding bicycle on the side of the walking trail, right after pedestrians. The other thing is the litter. Why we have litter here? These are two minor, actually silly things. Because they are minor things that could be easily done. 

NG:  What actions do you think would best cause the change you envision?

AO: The old IBM says 'Think'. The point of that isn’t just sit at someplace and do not do anything, the point isn’t just sit and imagine the chess moves;  the point of that is consider the consequences of your actions, of your moves. Think because of your move what is going to happen next.

We have got many problems with people eating very poorly, if they consider the consequences of their actions, tomorrow, next week, forty years from now, not just immediately.  If I am drinking a big bottle of soda, what’s going to happen tomorrow, the day after, in a month’s time. People should also think on these lines and for themselves.

NG: What changes do you believe would make the world a beautiful place?

AO:  Right here in Jersey City people don't think the consequences of their action, people here in the boulevard drive playing the radio loud, I don't care what kind of music you like; most people may have a different taste, why can't people use their headphones.

Litter is another thing here. May be, it all comes down to people don't think much of themselves, they are not going to think about anybody that much, they are holding at a very low standard.

NG: What is SUCCESS for you?  

AO:  O’ boy again, I wish I actually had a wider perspective. I see at the end of everyday what went good and what not so good, what could be improved.

Every single person falls asleep at night and wakes up in the morning. I don't think somebody owning 5 Rolls-Royces, I don’ think their experience is different; everybody has to die one day. Steve Jobs left the world defining success in a different way.  There is some degree of physical and mental inter-dependence.

Bernard Madoff (former stockbroker, investment advisor and financier), the person who conned people around the world and he is in jail for life.  He took the definitions of success that’s most common. He owned homes all around the world. It nice to travel around the world. It’s okay having home in a couple of locations, but why in the world someone wants to have a dozen (of) mansions across the world? You have to worry about getting it painted or you have to pay somebody to take care of the house.

NG: What is your perspective on birth and death? Are you afraid of death?

AO:  You have to be. I mean you don't want to be foolhardy. Many people I grow up with actually they were not afraid of death and they are gone. The point is, I hope at that moment I could think I did accomplish something before i die.

Any number of their ancestors who did carry water during the drought, who did go out there and plough that field, who did get up in the morning early and feed the animals, in the human history people couldn't waste their lives, Life is so precious and should be used for a worthwhile purpose. 

NG: What legacy you want to leave to this world?

AO: You look history how many people from thousand, two-thousand, three-thousand years are remembered.  Every single person on the planet has to have ancestors who experienced something remarkable. You think that the families couldn't forget these things. One of our ancestors who was actually a laborer worked for building up this city. Not many are remembered. I am not really worried about being remembered.

NG: Amazing perspective. Thank you so much for your precious time and sharing your pearls of wisdom.

AO: You are most welcome and thank you for coming. 

**********

A selfie with Anthony Sir

Giving is like a flowing river, you can only gain from its clean water.  Anthony Olszewski is an epitome of giving. I salute Anthony and all such human beings for their selfless acts of Living and Giving. If you are living in near by New York and Jersey City area please do benefit from the store located at 297 Griffith Street, Jersey City. 

For more information please visit http://www.jerseycityfreebooks.com/

For personal responses, you can write to Anthony at:

JerseyCityFreeBooks@gmail.com or 

anthony.olszewski@gmail.com

And yes, please don't forget like the facebook community page at: https://www.facebook.com/JerseyCityFreeBooks

How did you like today's post? Did it inspire you to do something good in society? Whatever and how small it may be like planting a tree, driving with caution, thinking about other's safety and well-being, donating blood, helping an elderly citizen in crossing street, passing a warm smile to a stranger, I don't know whatever it may be, just keep doing things that you can in your capacity because good things come in small packages. My Best Wishes, God Bless Humanity. 

One Life!

Narendra Gupta 

7 Superb Apps for a Healthy Living

This year my focus has been on developing a super-strong inner life. In my previous blogs on self-awareness  and meditation, I discussed how self-awareness remains at the core of evolving a powerful inner life. Along with Self-awareness, self-belief, self-respect, self-care and self-development form the 5 basic elements of a firm inner life. While I will be writing more on each of these elements in my forthcoming blog posts, today I want to zero-in on ‘technology’ which plays a prominent role in our daily affairs. 

Our Responsibility in usage of technology

Technology as Servant

In this age of unending sources of distraction, you would agree that things like introspection, self-awareness, self-realization have become a rare commodity. Today one cannot think of an hour away from technology, forget imagining life a day without it. While our generation grew-up with advancing technology when Cable TV, mobile phone, facebook, twitter, mobile apps birthed and gradually shaped up to prominence, our next gen is born in the lap of technology. Electronic gadgets like TV, tablets and specially mobile phones (which almost every individual carries by default) serve as baby sitter for them. My daughter Sanskriti, who is not even 3, knows opening whatsapp, games, and even browses picture gallery in her mother’s smart phone, and I know this is the story of every single family with small kids. And when you try keeping the phone away from them, they use their weapon (of crying) to which there is no option but to surrender.

Well I am not writing to criticize technology by any means; it has done a lot of good to humanity making our life much easier. However only thing I urge each one of us today is to use it with responsibility. Friends, I do not have much love for electronic gadgets (or to say precisely any material possessions). Only material thing I have lust for is my books. Until late this year, I was using the most basic smart phone (for internet features, checking emails, etc) that would just serve my need being in the kind of industry I work with. However recently I invested in an iPhone 6 plus for 3 simple reasons. First and most importantly, to leverage technology for delivering on my future goals; secondly, I had never used an apple product and wanted to experience the vision of Steve Jobs first hand; and thirdly, to get over the limited features of a windows and android phone – just one device that could do all I need.

In past 3 months I have explored hundreds of apps in the app store with my infinitely curious, ever inquisitive mind looking for something that would help me grow as an individual. As a trial and usage, I downloaded hundreds of app providing the key words like ‘health’, ‘breathing’, ‘walking’, ‘running’ and so on.  Out of my 90 days of research I have come out with a list of 7 apps which are extremely helpful to boost up our lifestyle and foster healthy living. 

7 Superb Apps for a Healthy Living

1. Sattva:  

Sattva

How about if I say this app has been a life-changer for me and thousand others who knew the importance of meditation but were reluctant doing it amidst the busyness of daily life affairs. I am extremely thankful to my good-hearted friend Venkat Malapati who referred this app to me.  

Sattva is an elegantly crafted app solely designed to inspire people to meditate.  For my non-Indian friends and readers, Sattva is a sanskrit word meaning purity, harmony and balance. The best thing I like about this app is it introduces and encourages you to do meditation in a fun way.  It surprises you with small perks in the form of trophies and badges. For instance you get a ‘Punya’  which stands for ‘the acquirer of merits of positive actions’ when you share your thoughts on social media 3 times , you are awarded with ‘Dhyana’ depicting ‘the one who is in deep meditation towards deeper awareness of oneness’ when you meditate twice in a day and so on. Yesterday evening I unlocked the ‘75 sessions’ badge along with ’40 days in a row’ trophy, its pure fun and you will for sure enjoy the experience of using this app.

It also acknowledges your milestones when you complete your first session, 10^th session and so on maintaining a record and statistics of your sessions on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, even keeps track of the duration and days of meditation. It provides platform to socialize with like-minded people with whom you can seek spiritual guidance and suggestions.

The app motivates to meditate by challenging you with the 7 days, 21 days or even 40 days in a row challenge. The rule of thumb is you miss one day of meditation and the day count begins from 1. So even if you have finished 20 of the 21 days challenge and you miss to meditate on the 21^st day, day count starts from 1 once again. All in all, I would recommend you this app from the bottom of my heart and every encouraging fiber of my body cells seeing the importance and role of meditation for a richer, happier and peaceful life.

2. Sworkit

Sworkit

What meditation is to mind, exercise is to the body and both are equally important to live a happy, healthy and fulfilling life. Now most people often feel reluctant to go to gym 5 days a week. In my case there is no gym in the 3 Kms vicinity. I was in search of something which inspires me to workout at home, something that instigates me to make exercising an integral part of my daily routine. My long haul search got over when I found Sworkit (lite) in my appstore.

Sworkit is a terrific personal trainer app which provides dynamically created fitness videos for 5 to 60 minutes. Tagline of the app reads ‘Fit in 5 minutes’. You set the time and you can exercise along with your digital trainer which also creates fitness program to fit your schedule. Sworkit (lite) is free and consists of a whole bunch of quality exercises under 4 categories namely – strength, cardio, yoga and stretching.  You have choices under each category depending on the part of your body you want to focus upon on a particular day. For instance, under stretching you can select from the four workout types: ‘head to toe warm up stretch’, or ‘a full body stretch’, ‘standing only stretch’ or ‘back strengthening’. Wanna do cardios and you have options of doing a ‘Light warm up cardio’, or ‘full intensity cardio’, ‘plyometric jumps cardio’ or even a ‘boot camp’ program is set up. You have options of strengthening your ‘full body’, ‘upper body’, ‘lower body’ or just stick to ‘core strength’ and so on. Sworkit routines guide you through videos demonstrated by professional personal trainers.  Friends, when you explore more, I bet you will simply fall in love with this app.

In my case, I usually start with 5 minutes of head to toe warm up stretching followed by 10 minutes of light cardio (or intense cardio on some days) eventually to end with 10 minutes of core strength exercises. Of-course I keep changing workout types on a need basis. In mere 10 to 15 minutes of intense workout at home, I sweat profusely which definitely makes you feel good (with the release of those ever wanted endorphins). What more you could ask from an app which helps you get fit in the comfort of your home, isn’t it?

This is simply one of the best apps I have ever come across. Exercising had never been easier and fun. This is the app which makes exercising an integral part of your daily routine like tooth-brushing or (even :P) bathing. I would term it as an intense trainer in your pocket. Please… please do not delay and install this app in your mobile phones right now and this very moment if not already done so. All the best in your fitness journey. 

3. Walk Diary

If you run on a consistent basis, well and good. However, sadly most people do not.  Okay, how about walking? Do you walk consistently?   People often ignore the power of walking as an exercise. There are those few days when you don’t feel like exercising, you simply want to walk. No guilty feeling, just walk.

Walk Diary

I would say that I am almost addicted to walking. Thanks to the Walk Diary app, my new discovery from the apple appstore. My inner love for walking mingled with the external motivation from this app has helped me to walk long distances. Walk Diary is an app that keeps you motivated for your walking process. It uses GPS to locate and calculates total time used, calories burned and average speed for all logs. You can create walking goals with days and distance.

About 3 months ago, I was depressed with the weight I had gained in my days of ignorance. Even didn’t feel motivated to run or go to gym (which was over 3 Kms away from my residence).  I had to do something; it was a ‘do’ or ‘do’ situation. I came to know that local walmart store is 3.5 miles away. Just out of fun, I decided to walk all the way to the store and one fine Satuday in the month of May’ 15, I did it, walking a total of 7 miles (a little over 11 Kms). I repeated the same for the next 2 Saturdays in a row. In this way my long distance walking-haul continued. In that month alone, I walked over 105 Kms in 21 days surpassing my set goal of 100 kms.

The best feature of this app is it helps you set goals and keep track of your progress. Walking becomes fun and in the process you foster growth of your physical health. Pure sense! Isn’t it?

4. Snore lab

Snore Lab

      First of all let me make a confession on this platform, I snore. Yes I do. Well, didn’t realize it for a long time until my family members told me so. One of the health goals I have set for this year is to reduce if not get (completely) rid of my snoring woes. I was looking for something that records my snoring so as to become aware of the intensity of my snoring sound and know what kind of a snorer I am i.e. whether I produce a pinched nasal sound or more of a throaty, guttural, louder sound.

Friends, snoring happens due to the vibration of soft tissues in our head and neck while we sleep. The exact sound that we make depends on the type of soft tissue that is vibrating. Snoring may be caused by several factors such as obesity when there is large amount of fat around neck area or the advancing age when the muscles tend to weaken making snoring louder and more prevalent, or it may be due to genetic factors, mouth breathing or even seasonal factors like cold or fever, or even intake of alcohol or caffeine products may enhance snoring.

I came across Snorelab which uses proprietary soundwave technology to measure and analyze each night’s snoring and allocates each night a unique Snore Score; indicating the severity of your snoring over the course of a sleep session. Now this Snore Score acts as a means of comparing snoring across nights, allowing you test the effectiveness of snoring remedies and measure the impact of special factors such as alcohol, baths and caffeine. A full night’s sleep recording along with the snoring score can be presented before the doctor for a better treatment.

5. Smile More:

Smile More

Smiling is one of the most precious treats that you can give to yourself and others and all that for free. Every moment spent not smiling is a moment wasted. Although I smile often, as the day goes along, due to the pressures of daily life I forget smiling. I hope you could relate with the situation.

Smile More is an app that brightens your day with reminders throughout the day to keep you smiling. Sometime when you feel down and a bit lost, all you need is a simple reminder that there are things to smile about. The app will keep you positive and smiling with its five categories of reminders namely ‘It will get better reminders’, ‘You are special reminders’, ‘You are not alone reminders’, ‘Relaxation reminders’, and ‘Benefits of smiling reminders’. Each category consists of beautiful messages to keep you happy and upbeat as you go along the day.

The free version of Smile More allows you to select up to three reminders to pop up every day and includes a banner ad at the bottom of the settings screens. The paid version available for $1.99 USD removes the ads and allows you to select as many reminders as you would like. Well this little investment in your pursuit of happiness is simply worth it.

Want a natural rush of happiness? Smile! and simply go for Smile More app. J

6. Daily Prayers:

Daily Prayers

I do believe in the power of prayers. And hope most of you do as well. I was looking for something which gives me inspirational messages of goodwill and grace. I came across this beautiful Daily Prayers app in appstore which provides sweet, short and simple yet powerful, healing and uplifting Payers.

One of the prayers read “Dear Lord, help me to only say uplifting and encouraging words that will build and never tear down.” Another prayer goes like “Protect me Father, from any person or relationship that would slowly prod me down the wrong path.” These beautiful prayers are complemented with equally beautiful background pictures. 

7. Instant abs:

Instant abs

Instant abs is a brilliant prize winning personal trainer app especially to tone up and tune up your abs.  Major feature of the app includes its comprehensive exercises for body weight, dumbbells and resistance bands. It provides detailed exercise instructions with exercise photos, videos and animations. Working out with the app becomes easier and convenient at home or on the go. While I use sworkit for regular exercises, I stick to Instant abs for building up my ab muscles. 

As part of this blog I have provided hyperlink for the apps for iOS users. I am sure you all can google out for equivalent apps for android and windows phones. 

My final words:

Many years ago, famous Norwegian and Noble laureate, Christian Lange said “technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master”.  British-Canadian author Cary Doctrow said "This is why I loved technology: If you used it right it could give you power and privacy". Well the whole idea is not about the choice between using or not using technology, the challenge is to use it right. Let us be responsible in usage of technology, let us use it to build bridges rather than creating boundaries between fellow human beings. I wish you the very best in the wise usage of technology for the benefit of yourself and your family members. God bless humanity! :)

One Life!

Narendra Gupta

Why we must MEDITATE?

“Greater is he (the spirit) that is in you, than he (the body) that is in the world.”

-  I John 4:4, the Holy Bible

Finding Love

Ever since I was a teenager two things kept coming in my life at regular intervals. One anticipated financial riches, the other promised physical, intellectual and spiritual wealth. While I was curious about both with a desire to know them better, deep inside one always repelled, I had quite a fascination for the other. Both kept knocking my doors when I went to college and even when I joined work but each time I kept eluding them. It was as if two girls approaching me to marry – one with the modern hi-fi, showy, pretentious life style of a big city and the other filled with simplicity, peace, patience, true to her-self, ever- smiling with a beaming presence of a small city or a village. It was a battle of the mind and the heart. Finally, when I was nearing 30, I pursued the first one only to know what my true love is. With the kind of personality I possess, I had fallen in love with the second one long ago secretly. Out of shyness, couldn’t express my love for so many years. Well friends, my romance with the second one has just started.

Okay, while most of you might have guessed my love from the title of the blog, the other lady I was talking about is Amway (perhaps few of you might have guessed that as well for wherever and in whichever part of the world you go, it keeps chasing you :P). When I came to America for the first time in Dec’13, out of curiosity and the inner-spark to do something apart from routine work, and importantly be on a forum where you meet new people and attend those large business seminars, I finally joined Amway. After attending those meetings and seminars, I was fed up with the over-significance that was given to the word ‘money’ and seeing people applying hook and crook to lure prospects for expanding their networking business. I quit Amway for the good exactly after 51 days of joining. I appreciate my decision of joining Amway (and leaving it) for it made me realize my calling and purpose of my life and moreover I will never repent that I could have done something better in my finances had I joined it. 

That was the time I realized my heightened passion for reading, writing, helping people without anything in return. More recently, from deep inside I felt a strong desire to meditate as if my lost love had been looking for me all these years.  It’s been 35 days of mindfulness meditation and I feel happier, calmer, stress-free and at peace of mind. I am here today to share my thoughts on why we must meditate and that it is not a ‘should do’ or a ‘would do’, but a ‘must do’ stuff. 

Gateway to Self-awareness 

 Further to my previous blog on the pursuit of an enriching inner life through self-awareness, today I present you insights on meditation which helps instill a higher degree of self-awareness. We live in a world where there is ever-growing egotism, desire for material possessions have taken over moral values and respect for fellow human beings. There is inability to love people; people seem to have forgotten the language of compassion and kindness. The ever growing sources of distractions and lack of moral values have led to imbalanced behavior. The un-healthy competition and everlasting battle to show others down and in the bad light has further led to performance pressures, dissatisfaction, joylessness and discontent. We seem to have forgotten our true selves, our divine selves and have associated more with the vices and uncalled for pleasures of the world.

Well friends it is time that we must connect to our inner selves; take responsibility for our own states of mind and change them for the better. Re-iterating the words from my previous blog, true self-improvement cannot happen without being self-aware and meditation is the most powerful and efficient tool to becoming fully self-aware. To further my statement that ‘self-awareness is the gateway to journey within’, I would go on to say – ‘meditation is the gateway to self-awareness'.

Before I delve deep into what meditation really is, I must clarify what meditation is not.

What meditation is not?

1. Meditation is NOT Relaxation: Relaxation makes us calm, gives a sense of serenity and rejuvenates our body. All these things are natural by-product of meditation. Meditation has much more to offer. It is as if relaxation is a small subset of meditation, and certainly not meditation.

2. Meditation is NOT Concentration: When we concentrate we fix our attention to a particular object, task, idea, or activity for a certain period of time. In meditation we do not project our attention towards an object, task, idea or activity; rather we simply remain aware of the moment without choosing anything to concentrate upon. Yes, concentration helps in learning meditation in the initial stage when we focus on our breathing but certainly it’s not meditation.

3. Meditation is NOT Exercise: Exercises such as postures or breathing do not constitute meditation. They only help establish some balance in the initial stage of meditation.

4. Meditation is NOT self-hypnosis: In hypnosis, an initial period of concentration on an object is required whereas in meditation, meditator maintains an awareness of the present moment and stays conscious of the meditative process which is not the case in self-hypnosis.

5. Meditation is NOT mental effort or Thinking:  In meditation one does not apply mental effort, introspects or thinks, rather meditation is the art of letting go and surrendering oneself.

In addition to the above, meditation is also not any sort of religious practice; it does not pertain to any particular religion. Furthermore, meditation certainly does not mean leaving the family life and going to mountains in pursuit of liberation (Rather I would say this very act of leaving is running away from your duties and responsibilities which form the basis of karma yoga). 

What is Meditation?

“Meditation is listening to the song of the inner soul, seeing the beauty of inner-self, smelling the fragrance of the inner spirit, experiencing the touch of the divine inner energies, and tasting the intense sweetness of the inner god.”    

-Dr. Amit Ray, Author of Om Sutra: Pathway to enlightenment 

Meditation, one of the greatest discoveries of mankind, helps to re-discover ourselves, connect with our true identity with a whole bunch of health benefits as a by-product. It’s a technique to separate ourselves from the past or future at our will. Authentic meditation enables us to focus on the present moment rather than dwell on the unchangeable past or the undetermined future.

Friends, it’s important to understand meditation from inside-out. I will start right from the word ‘meditation’ itself.  The word meditation comes from two Latin words; ‘meditari’ means to think, to dwell upon and to exercise the mind while the second word ‘mederi’ means to heal.  The Sanskrit derivation comes from the word ‘medha’ which means wisdom. Meditation trains and heals the mind bringing wealth of wisdom to it. Wikipedia defines meditation as  ‘a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content without becoming identified with that content, or as an end in itself.’

In simple words, I would say that meditation is a means of transforming the mind. By engaging in a meditation practice, we learn the patterns and habits of our mind. The practice offers a means to cultivate new and more positive ways of being. Meditation takes us to a state of thoughtless awareness and does not involve any effort or doing rather it is simply a state of being. Meditation helps access the cosmic intelligence of the universe which is the reservoir of all positive things like – bliss, wisdom, pure love, creativity, intuition, and deep peace. 

Why Meditation?

Okay so why we must meditate? I would say for the simple reason of reaping its health benefits. Additionally, meditation is also a means to self-realization. It helps to put our mind in control. It helps you understand that you are not your body, neither your mind nor your thoughts. With this awareness we can learn to live fully in the present. Friends the true ‘I’ exists only in the present. Past or future or rather attachments to past or future are works of our imaginative mind. The day you grasp the fact that you are separate from your body or the mind, you can manage it better. It is just like we have rented the body and mind for a limited period from the creator of this universe. So as to say, Narendra (the body), Narendra (the mind), and Narendra (the soul or the true Narendra) are three separate entities that happen to live in the same house (the body). In majority of us, the mind is the boss and controls the body and the soul which is a misfortune. There is least communication between the three. Majority of the action is performed by the mind and the body, of-course the mind commands and the body demands while the soul is asleep. 

The mind keeps wandering in different directions every single moment. It is said that a person of average awareness thinks about 60,000 thoughts in a day. Friends, is it any surprising that with such a huge volume of inner traffic we lose touch with our true-selves. In this purview, it has become so essential to tap to our inner-selves and teach the mind – who is the boss? With better control over mind and body, we can limit the number of thoughts at our will and connect to our consciousness. Meditation or the art of stillness is the medium to do this and bring harmony and peace between the three entities that live in the body. Meditation unites the body, the mind and the eternal soul and when this happens in someone, miracles start to happen. 

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation brings inner peace, gives energy to cope up with difficult situations and unites the heart and mind of people. Good meditation improves motivation, perception, cognition, creativity, attention and decision making ability. Overall it plays a significant role in improving the quality of life and brings about a personal transformation. We feel a paradigm shift in our being. Some of the benefits of meditation are listed out here.

 Foundation for self-awareness: The most important of all benefits of meditation is the fact that it provides the foundation for self-awareness. It helps us focus on the present moment and stop worrying about unchangeable past or the undetermined future.

      Health Benefits: Meditation lowers hypertension and high blood pressure while slowing down the heart rate. It lowers the levels of blood lactate which helps in reducing the anxiety attacks.  It reduces stress and over a period of time helps to become (almost) stress free. It decreases any tension related pain

There are scientific research which proves that meditation helps improving the functioning of brain, improves metabolism and helps lose weight, increases immunity and helps fight disease, and even helps in getting a good night’s sleep.

Manage negative (and positive) emotions: It helps manage and have better control over negative emotions. The negative feelings of jealousy, hatred, greed, anger, frustration, anxiety and failures start disappearing from our personality. It brings emotional steadiness and harmony.

Attitude towards life will change for the better: We see the larger picture of things instead of small day to day problems. We start ignoring the petty issues that consumes much of our energy. We learn how to be more appreciative of the good deeds of others. We start enjoying the little moments of happiness that life provides every day. It helps us feel more connected to people and world.

   

Increases Concentration, self-esteem, spontaneity, creativity and depth of awareness:  Meditation increase attention span and helps focus on one thing at a time there by increase our productivity. It helps boost our creativity and new ideas get generated. Our inner ability to solve complex problems increases.

 Sense of Gratitude:  Meditation helps develop a deep sense of gratitude and contentment. It makes us content with what we have. The desire for giving more increases. 

How meditation?

Friends, meditation is a skill that we need to develop. It’s like a baby who tries to stand and then walk, he or she falls often but eventually is able to walk. In 35 days of my meditation journey so far, and I must admit I am still in the kindergarten stage; I have really struggled with anxiety and thoughts of doom and gloom occasionally getting the better of me. However as we progress along the journey, the ability to meditate becomes easy and the practice of meditation becomes the most enjoyable, most refreshing and life giving part of the day. It is a step by step journey into the subtler world of blissfulness and fulfillment.

There are thousands of meditation techniques and in each of them the basics remain the same.  To start with I would recommend start meditating with as less as 5 minutes duration. It is said that a person should ideally meditate for duration equal to his age. For example a 30 year old should meditate for 30 minutes, however in order to get started and make a long-term and fun experience, we should start small.  Meditation is made easy and fun with this 5-step process. 

      1. Choose a peaceful environment: Firstly we should choose a place with peaceful environment and possibly away from external distractions. This helps us focus on the task of meditating.

      2. Stretch out: Now we Stretch out in order to minimize any tension or tightness existing in the body. This process helps us feel lighter and relaxed.

      3. Duration of meditation: There after we decide how long we want to meditate. Possibly we may set timer. I would re-commend starting with 10 minutes.

       4. Sitting Posture: We sit in a comfortable place on a chair or floor with our backs straight and gently close our eyes.

       5. Focus on breathe: Finally we take three deep breaths and keep focusing only and only on breathe – from the source where it originates to the destination where it ends. 

End goal of Meditation

Friends, there are plenty of misconceptions in this regard. The ultimate goal of meditation is neither to know about your past lives nor to see the future; it is not even seeing some God we have visualized from the photographs or daily soaps we see on tv. After reading and listening to quite a few genuine experts in the field and with my current state of awareness, I can say the end goal of meditation is simply to become fully conscious and learn to live in the absolute present every single moment (literally).

Meditation is the beautification of our inner and outer world and it certainly starts from inside. It helps radiate positive energy wherever we go across the world.  Dr. Amit Ray says all human beings are so deeply connected that we have no option but to love all. Friends, meditation manifests the potential to find inner peace for ourselves and contribute to the happiness of all beings. When we plant the seeds of love, nothing but kindness, compassion, peace, harmony and happiness blossoms all over.  For whatever reasons we pursue meditation, be it for the personal transformation, or the development of a sound physical health or the pursuit of inner peace and endless love – meditation emerges as a factor essential for leading a balanced life. 

My Declaration

Before I conclude, with this blog, I declare three important decisions I have taken today. 

1. A book based on my experiences with meditation: With that immense love for meditation which is growing every single day, I have decided to pen it down in the form of a book. My first book based on my experiences with meditation will be published in 2 years from now.

2. Blog every 2 weeks: From today onward I will be publishing my blogs every 2 weeks for the next 1 year in a row. These blogs will be based on my learning’s and daily life experiences.

3.  My website: My personal website will be live in roughly 2 months from now. This will include along with blogging a few more initiatives I look forward to kick-start. I will keep you posted. 

“You exist in time, but you belong to eternity. You are a penetration of eternity into the world of time. You are deathless living in a body of death. Your consciousness knows no death, no birth. It is only your body that is born and dies but you are not aware of your consciousness. And that is the whole art of meditation – Becoming conscious of the consciousness itself.”   - Osho

Wishing you the very best in your meditation practice. God bless humanity.

One Life!

Narendra Gupta