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Rising Sun

  The beauty and prevalence of philosophy Philosophy is a field of study that forms the basis of every other field of study and human behavior. Everyone has a philosophy in life, whether they know it or not. Most people discard the idea of discussing philosophy as armchair speculation that has no effect. Or rather, they may call philosophy “not their cup of tea”. In fact, however, a philosophical idea that is understood and internally accepted by someone can lead to deep changes in their personality and behavior. What’s more, we all actively evolve mentally throughout our lives (especially in the early stages of our lives) which means we are assimilating new information available to us and modifying our philosophy of life. But the hallmark of a true philosopher is their ability to objectively view different philosophical treatises without attachment to a particular stance. This ability to stay detached when studying philosophy is what distinguishes a philosopher from an everyday user o
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An artist endeavors

Why did V.G. Siddhartha commit suicide? He was a "nice guy" CEO. Based on his letter it appears he had placed a lot of value in not letting down investors and he strongly identified himself as an entrepreneur who served a good purpose - he even mentions how he gave jobs to about 50,000 people. It does sadden us to see a person with good values kill himself for the same values. But this does teach us one important thing: zooming out is necessary in life every now and then, to see the big picture. Life doesn't end with the failure of one duty. Life is never completely what one wants - it is often what one never expected. In the ultimate sense, no external achievement matters, for they all are temporary. What matters is the endeavor one puts in every day. It is the duty of the artist to endeavor for great art on the ever-changing canvas of life. When one loses the ability to endeavor, they cease being an artist... Siddhartha gives a solution for the debts. The assets out
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Emotions - the ephemeral and the transcendent

In spontaneity, in merriment, I rejoice. In fulfillment, in self-delusion, I take solace. In ignorance, in avoidance of pain, I forget reality. Like a river, flow, my emotions. Like an uncontrollable violent storm do they take form. The storm subsides when I release myself. For I was the originator of it and its maintainer too. People ask, "Is being emotionless even human?" "No" would be the answer. But investing one's emotion in trustworthy objects is human. Being transcendent to the ephemeral is human. And so too is being swayed away by the ephemeral. As sways the mind by the ephemeral, so too sways the poor life that follows the mind. But breaks free the soul from its shackles, when it finds itself shackled. Ah, how do we long for that moment of discovery for all that lives on the earth! But nay, discovery is the first step. Will the soul give up its attachment to the shackles that bound it for so long? Will it be able to give up the n
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Unfailing integrity and love

The 1980's: A cultural climate where the concept of love between a couple was a far-fetched idea, and where the themes of caste, religion and gender had strong holdings in any discussion. More so was it in South India, where the families revered purity and self-image. My beautiful mother hailed from a brahmin family and worked in the same office as my intelligent father, from a Naidu family. Then, my mother was proposed to by my father. Both, in maturity, decided that they will live their entire lives together. There was a period of bliss when they were together. But then there was the stormy period filled with repeated thundering and intolerable heavy rains. They could not convince either of their families. Rather, they had met with intense  opposition. The one you may imagine from a movie. Mom and dad decided to get married on their own and then approach their families, so that they will be accepted! To narrate a few salient things on what happened next: my dad was
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Sky-high unreachable crazy goals

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Our activities' consistency and efficiency depend on one thing: our motive for performing the activity. Is it for the essence of the activity that we are performing it? Or are we performing the activity for something else that we may gain by it? Most overlook this deep aspect of reality when it comes to pursuing their dreams. People believe that we just ought to put our efforts as hard as we can, while altogether neglecting the interior strengthening required to undertake a monumental effort. When we put our endeavor for obtaining side-benefits from a situation, we will surely stop working hard once we achieve the side-benefits. For eg: If I studied hard for my exams to become famous by scoring high, once I get a bit famous, my drive to study further is reduced greatly. If a person keeps goals that are short-sighted and achievable, they lose focus once they achieve their goal. They become complacent in life and lose the discipline they once had. Consistency in thought an
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The Superman

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The Purpose of Life. This is one question that has boggled the mind of every thoughtful individual since time immemorial. There are various answers that each individual comes up with. For some, life is about deriving as much happiness as is possible before ceasing to exist. Their line of reasoning is based on the fact that we cannot perceive what happens after death to the conscious observer who lived in the dead body. Also, since every aspect of the individual while they were living was explainable by chemical phenomena occurring in their body. Still others hold the idea that there is an ultimate creator and superintendent of everything in the universe and that He has provided his instructions to humanity through his messengers. They rely on  the traditional messages conveyed to them. Their philosophical viewpoint is based on scripture and many times they do not rely on the external world for proving their viewpoint. Most such philosophies have self-explanatory powers and thos
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