First live and help live then die and help live

Please note that from 8 June 2010 I have been posting as Compassionist here. Thank you for reading this message. Thank you for being you. You are a luminous candle in the dark.

_~~~ Luminous Poems by a Luminous Candle _~~

~~ WHEN ~~

When we die, leaving our love to live,
Others live, in our footprints.
When we are afraid yet fight the fear,
We rise to the challenge.
When we can discuss, without argument,
We reach agreements.
When we do, the right thing the right way,
We live ethically.
When we can commit but not be obsessed,
We enjoy devotion.
When we walk, in shoes, mine and yours,
We have empathy.
When we are open-minded, yet sceptical,
We sieve the truth from the lies.
When we lose our way but never despair,
We blaze new trails.
When we follow rules, making wise exceptions,
We live by wisdom.
When we appreciate, who we are,
We have happiness.
~_{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

_~~ How I lost my temper! _~~

Once upon a life,
I was walking on time.
But something happened,
And I missed a chime.
So I lost my temper,
As it rolled down my past.
And since the past is past -
I can never lose it again,
From the time, I saw it last!
~_{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

_~~ The Pendulum Swings _~~

The pendulum swings,
Resurrecting memories…

A portrait of disbelief,
Disbelief, painted in tears.
The silent screams of disbelief,
The disbelief of blood.

They say, every second, two of us
shuffle off this mortal coil.
They say, every second, five new faces
join this eternal toil.

Where from? Where to? Who?
How long do we have?
And Why?

Why not?

Faces…
And more faces.

Life goes on.
The meandering cascade.

This ends.
The story, of course, never does.

• Dedicated to the memory of my best friend, Mushfiq,
  who was killed on 18 May 1998. *
  ~_{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

_~~ Such Flows the River of Life _~~

I have reaped harvests I have not sown.
As have you. As have others.

I have reaped harvests of my own sowing.
As have you. As have others.

I will not reap all the harvests of all my sowing.
Nor will you. Nor will others.

We are all sowers.
We are all reapers.
We are one.

Causality binds us.
Causality frees us.
Causality rules us.
Causality obeys us.

Such flows the river of life.
Through the fabric of reality.
~_{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

_~~ WHEN (The Really Long Version) _~~~

When you take to at least one of these lines,
We make a start.
When we can trust ourselves in any situation,
We are ready for life.
When we dream and live our dreams,
We make them real.
When we think and voice our thoughts,
We have dialogues.
When we feel and share our feelings,
We feel intimate.
When we truly show our faces,
We unmask ourselves.
When we observe without condemning,
We truly love.
When we can talk and listen, really listen,
We have a conversation.
When we plan and change those plans,
We get to taste the fruition.
When we nurture the heat of life in the handful of dust,
We enjoy the warmth of life.
When we walk in the rain, like walking on sunshine,
We turn the winter into the summer.
When we do nothing yet not die of boredom,
We spend time in meditation.
When we are afraid yet fight the fear,
We have a hero to lead us.
When we die, leaving our love to live,
Others live, in our footprints.
When we fall into the hole and jump right out,
We transcend adversity.
When we give, without needing to receive,
We get to give, the gift of receiving.
When we don’t stink like a skunk when hurt,
We have forgiveness and reconciliation.
When we can discuss, without argument,
We reach agreements.
When we can lie, for truth’s sake,
We live for the truth.
When we lose, yet really win,
We know that life’s not a rat race.
When we cry and can splash rainbows,
We get to join in and splash some more.
When we can boldly go, where we haven’t been before,
We leave a trail to follow.
When we smile and it’s not fake,
We smile too, by our tear lake.
When we can ask, with dignity,
We get to give, with respect.
When we believe and act on faith,
We see that, faith works.
When we fly, despite no wings,
We are inspired, to reach for the zenith.
When our heads and hearts are one,
We have inner peace.
When we stand up and be counted,
We have someone to count on.
When our work lasts an eternity,
We achieve immortality.
When we take one fleeting moment and make it count,
We make our lives, worth every minute.
When we can ask ‘Why Not?’, as well as ‘Why?’
We take steps, towards change.
When we see through cynicism and beyond it,
We have a vision of realism.
When we work smart, rather than trudge,
We love our work.
When we have confidence, without the arrogance,
We have a reassuring credence.
When we talk with the young and the aged,
We bridge the generation gap.
When we do the right thing the right way,
We, live ethically.
When we are strong yet gentle,
We bond and stay bonded.
When we teach, with clarity, not confusion,
We spread our knowledge.
When we wait, in anticipation, without worry,
We don’t, get irritated.
When we combine the steady with the fickle,
We survive, the dice of causality.
When we can perceive without prying,
We communicate, sensitively.
When we control, yet, not be controlling,
We share our freedom.
When we know and break our limits,
We improve.
When we can commit but not be obsessed,
We enjoy devotion.
When we can hold each other, without suffocation,
We get to comeback, to each other.
When we empower with our power.
We reign, as equals.
When we are passionate but can keep our head,
We keep our hearts together.
When we do what we say,
We see that it can be done.
When we can evaluate without criticism,
We create solutions to problems.
When we praise without flattery,
We cradle confidence.
When we can walk, in shoes, mine and yours,
We have true empathy.
When we strive but bypass the rat race,
We remain human.
When we grasp a dream, without crushing it,
We stand to make the dream real.
When we can reason, as well as feel,
We lead, a balanced life.
When we make mistakes and learn from them,
We, earn our redemption.
When we turn crap into compost,
We make our lives bloom.
When we believe, in the presence of doubts,
We, make miracles.
When we live mindful till our last breath,
We, really live.
When we pull our weight, plus delegate,
We, lighten the burden.
When we live to live and not to win,
We enjoy life.
When we are open minded, yet sceptical,
We sieve the truth from the lies.
When we can balance, on a tight rope,
We walk, in a straight line.
When we’re wise yet not patronise,
We spread our wisdom.
When we are enlightened but not esoteric,
We shine our light for all.
When we use discretion before we speak,
We cherish trust.
When we think before we speak,
We, say what we mean.
When we are serious but just enough,
We prosper in fun.
When we follow rules, making wise exceptions,
We, live by wisdom.
When we hold Destiny and redesign it,
We, curve our lives.
When we don’t know, still take a chance,
We realise possibilities.
When we dominate and are dominated,
We are equals.
When we spot needs and address them,
We live in fulfilment.
When we make money without greed,
We have a tool for living.
When we use our heads, in tune with our hearts,
We live in harmony.
When we keep fit in boday and mind,
We live long, without stagnation.
When we do, what we can,
We fulfil our potentials.
When we have a conscience, free of guilt,
We are, beyond reproach.
When we see with rainbow eyes,
We really appreciate life.
When we are assertive, without aggression,
We stay within our rights.
When we can think and apply those thoughts,
We truly make a difference.
When we value, ourselves and others,
We build bridges.
When we give, as well as take,
We have a business.
When we are clever but not cocky,
We shine our wits.
When we are observant, without spying,
We come to comprehend.
When we remember and see connections,
We find new insights.
When we push but do not shove,
We are motivated.
When we live and touch other lives,
We become, each other.
When we speak and speak with style,
We are amused.
When we help yet preserve independence,
We serve to empower.
When we take the bad with the good,
We accept life with all its variety.
When we philosophise and live accordingly,
We, live profoundly.
When we lose our way but never despair,
We, blaze new ways.
When we appreciate, who we are,
We have happiness.
When we focus, on the journey, rather than its end,
We travel light – that’s light hearted.
When we can talk big but are not pompous,
We really inspire.
When we believe that our thoughts can change the world,
We reshape this world.
When we see science in art and vice versa,
We complete the circle.
When we face death, with deep calm,
We die, in peace.
When we can show, the patterns in all things,
We see life, as the fractal, it really is.
When we believe in life, with honest awareness,
We value life without distortion.
When we grieve those gone but not die with them,
We make the memories, live within.
When we fall but rise one more time than you fell,
We turn failure into success.
When we take rejection as an opportunity,
We truly open new doors.
When we take things and make things happen,
We, have innovation.
When we use a dip, as a spring board,
We, reach higher heights.
When we stay steady, with the unpredictable,
We dance to life.
When we, take to some of these lines,
We are making it.
When we, take to most of these lines,
We are in great shape.
When we love, without condition and expectation,
We live by true love.
When we have it all and let it all go,
We, live freely.
When we follow ALL these lines, all of the time,
We have made the journey.
When we get moved to tears and move others, too,
We, touch souls.
When we promise, only that we will keep,
We, truly deliver.
When we suffer but not grow bitter,
We, walk the rainbow.
When we reach the end of our tether, yet hold on with hope,
We, catch the rainbow.
When we start with a purpose and adapt the purpose,
We, do what we want to.
When we can take one small step, that’s a giant leap for mankind,
We, reach the moon of ambition.
When we weave the ‘Why?’ and the ‘Why Not?’
We become dream weavers.
When we use the Earth and not abuse it,
We save it, for posterity.
When we are good, at not being bored,
We, have an interesting time.
When we accept our limits yet feel adequate,
We have self-esteem.
When we combine, madness with sanity,
We get true genius.
When we have more of speed and less of haste,
We make good time.
When we are friendless and give friendship,
We, gain new friends.
When we be an angel, yet remain mortal,
We are good people.
When we dig deep and dig laterally,
We comprehend, the contradictions.
When we have interest and keep at it,
We go the distance.
When we face hate, with serene detachment,
We shake hands.
When we paint the gray, with infinite colours,
We bask, in warm wonder.
We have shared before, we will share again,
We live only once,
Let’s treasure each day we get.

How I lost my temper!

Once upon a life,
I was walking on time.
But something happened,
And I missed a chime.
So I lost my temper,
As it rolled down my past.
And since the past is past -
I can never lose it again,
From the time, I saw it last!

“At any instant, everyone is either playing the role of the hero or the villain or the bystander or the victim. The easiest and the commonest role is that of the bystander. Victimhood is the result of powerlessness. Villainhood is the result of the abuse of power. Heroism stems from a whole-centred and balanced use of power. Bystanders either lack the courage to use power for collective benefit or they lack the courage, the knowledge and the skills needed to be a hero. All situations revolve around the dynamics of power. There are those who have more power and those who have less power. In principle, might is right is wrong. In practice, might is right is right.” – Compassionist

Philip Zimbardo prescribes a healthy take on time

I recommend the above talk highly.

WHEN (The Long Version)

When You, take to at least one of these lines,
We make a start.
When You can trust yourself, in any situation,
We are ready for life.
When You dream and live your dreams,
We follow ours.
When You think and voice your thoughts,
We build on those.
When You feel and share your feelings,
We feel intimate.
When You are You and show your face,
We unmask ourselves.
When You observe, and not judge,
We rise above board.
When You can talk and listen, really listen,
We have a conversation.
When You plan and change those plans,
We get to taste the fruition.
When You nurture the heat of life in the handful of dust,
We enjoy the warmth of life.
When You walk the rain, like walking on sunshine,
We turn the Winter into Summer.
When You do nothing, yet not die of boredom,
We spend time in fascination.
When You are afraid yet fight the fear,
We have a hero to lead the peer.
When You die, leaving your love to live,
We live, in your footprints.
When You fall into the hole and jump right out,
We leap, too.
When You give, without needing to receive,
We get to give, the gift of receiving.
When You stink not like a skunk, if hurt,
We, have forgiveness.
When You can discuss, without argument,
We, reach agreements.
When You can lie, for truth’s sake,
We, live the truth.
When You lose, yet really win,
We, know, that there’s no race.
When You cry and can splash rainbows,
We, get to join and splash some more.
When You can boldly go, where we haven’t been before,
We, have a trail to follow.
When You smile and it’s not fake,
We, smile too, by our tear lake.
When You can ask, with dignity,
We, get to give, with respect.
When You believe and act on faith,
We, see that, faith works.
When You fly, despite no wings,
We, are inspired, to reach for the zenith.
When Your head and Your heart, are one,
We, have inner peace.
When You stand up and be counted,
We, have someone to count on.
When You work, and make one moment, last an eternity,
We, achieve immortality.
When You take one fleeting moment and make it count,
We, make our lives, worth every minute.
When You can ask ‘Why Not?’, as well as ‘Why?’
We, take a step, towards change.
When You, see through cynicism and beyond it,
We, have a vision of realism.
When You work smart, rather than trudge,
We, love our work.
When You have confidence, without the arrogance,
We, have a reassuring credence.
When You talk with the young and the aged,
We, bridge the generation gap.
When You do, the right thing the right way,
We, live ethically.
When You are strong yet gentle,
We, bond and stay bonded.
When You teach, with clarity, not confusion,
We, experience knowledge.
When You wait, in anticipation, without worry,
We, don’t, get irritation.
When You combine the steady with the fickle,
We, survive, the roll of the dice.
When You can perceive yet are not prying,
We, touch sensitively.
When You control, yet, not be controlling,
We, share our freedom.
When You know and break your limits,
We, improve.
When You can commit but not be obsessed,
We, enjoy devotion.
When You can hold me, and can let me go,
We, get to comeback, to each other.
When You empower, with your power.
We, reign, as equals.
When You are passionate but can keep your head,
We, keep our hearts together.
When You do, what you say,
We, see, that it can be done.
When You can evaluate, without criticism,
We, create solutions and not problems.
When You praise, and that’s not flattery,
We, cradle confidence.
When You walk, in shoes, mine and yours,
We, have empathy.
When You strive, but bypass the rat race,
We, stay human.
When You grasp a dream, without crushing,
We, stand to make the dream real.
When You can reason, as well as feel,
We, lead, a reasonable life.
When You make mistakes and apply what you learn,
We, earn redemption.
When You turn shit into compost,
We, make our life bloom.
When You believe, in the presence of doubts,
We, make miracles.
When You live, until you die and not before,
We, really live.
When You pull your weight, plus delegate,
We, lighten the burden.
When You live to live and not to win,
We, enjoy life.
When You are open minded, yet sceptical,
We, sieve the truth from the lies.
When You can balance, on a tight rope,
We, walk, in a straight line.
When You’re wise and don’t patronise,
We, spread the wisdom.
When You are enlightened but not esoteric,
We, shine the light.
When You use discretion before you speak,
We, cherish trust.
When You think, before you speak,
We, say what we mean.
When You are serious but just enough,
We, prosper in fun.
When You follow rules, making wise exceptions,
We, live by wisdom.
When You hold Destiny, and redesign it,
We, curve our lives.
When You don’t know, still, chance it,
We, have a possibility.
When You dominate and are dominated,
We, are equals.
When You spot needs and address them,
We, live in fulfilment.
When You make money, without greed,
We, have a tool for living.
When You use your head, in tune with your heart,
We, live in harmony.
When You keep fit and your mind is active,
We, live long, sans stagnation.
When You do, what you can,
We, fulfil potentials.
When You have a conscience, free of guilt,
We, are, beyond reproach.
When You see and see with rainbow eyes,
We, appreciate life.
When You are assertive, without aggression,
We, make a deal.
When You can think and apply those thoughts,
We, make a difference.
When You value, yourself and others,
We, build bridges.
When You take, as well as give,
We, have a business.
When You are clever but not cocky,
We, use the wit.
When You are observant, without spying,
We, come to understand.
When You remember, and see connections,
We, see insights.
When You push but do not shove,
We, are motivated.
When You live and touch other lives,
We, become, each other.
When You speak, and speak with style,
We, are amused.
When You help yet preserve independence,
We, make things better.
When You take the bad with the good,
We, accept life.
When You philosophise and live accordingly,
We, live profoundly.
When You lose your way but never despair,
We, blaze new trails.
When You appreciate, what you have, not what you have not,
We, have happiness.
When You focus, on the journey, rather than its end,
We, travel light – that’s light hearted.
When You can talk big but are not pompous,
We, pay attention.
When You believe, that, with our thoughts we make the world,
We, make the world.
When You see Science in Art and vice versa,
We, complete the circle.
When You face death, with deep calm,
We, die in peace.
When You can show, the patterns in all things,
We, see life, as the fractal, it really is.
When You believe in Life, with honest awareness,
We, have true faith.
When You grieve those gone, but not die with them,
We, make the memories, live within.
When You fall but rise one more time than you fell,
We, are success.
When You take rejection as an opportunity,
We, open new doors.
When You take things and make things happen,
We, have innovation.
When You use a dip, as a spring board,
We, reach higher heights.
When You stay steady, with the unpredictable,
We, dance to life.
When You take to some of these lines,
We, are making it.
When You, take to most of these lines,
We, are in good shape.
When You love, without condition and expectation,
We, live true love.
When You have it all and let it all go,
We, live freely.
When You follow ALL these lines, all the time,
We, have made the journey.
When You get moved to tears and move others, too,
We, touch souls.
When You promise, only that you will keep,
We, deliver.
When You suffer but not grow bitter,
We, walk the rainbow.
When You reach the end of your tether, yet hold on with hope,
We, catch the rainbow.
When You start with a purpose and adapt the purpose,
We, do what we want to.
When You can take one small step, that’s a giant leap for mankind,
We, reach the Moon.
When You weave the ‘Why?’ and the ‘Why Not?’
We, become dream weavers.
When You use the Earth and not abuse it,
We, save it, for posterity.
When You are good, at not being bored,
We, have an interesting time.
When You accept limits and not feel inadequate,
We, have self-esteem.
When You combine, madness with sanity,
We, get a genius.
When You, have more of speed and less of haste,
We, make good time.
When You are friendless and give friendship,
We, become friends.
When You be an angel, yet remain mortal,
We, are good for each other.
When You dig deep and dig laterally,
We, comprehend the contradiction.
When You have interest and keep at it,
We, go places.
When You face hate, with serene detachment,
We, shake hands.
When You paint the gray, with infinite colours,
We, bask, in warm wonder.
I have shared before, I will share again,
You die only once,
Treasure each day you get.

The Pendulum Swings

The pendulum swings,
Resurrecting memories…

A portrait of disbelief,
Disbelief, painted in tears.
The silent screams of disbelief,
The disbelief of blood.

They say, every second, two of us
shuffle off this mortal coil.
They say, every second, five new faces
join this eternal toil.

Where from? Where to? Who?
How long do we have?
And Why?

Why not?

Faces…
And more faces.

Life goes on.
The meandering cascade.

This ends.
The story, of course, never does.

Dedicated to the memory of my best friend, Mushfiq, who was killed on May 18, 1998.

The above poem by me was first published in 1999 in Songs in the Silence by United Press.

WHEN

When you die, leaving your love to live,
We live, in your footprints.
When we are afraid yet fight the fear,
We rise to the challenge.
When we can discuss, without argument,
We reach agreements.
When we do, the right thing the right way,
We live ethically.
When we can commit but not be obsessed,
We enjoy devotion.
When we walk, in shoes, mine and yours,
We have empathy.
When we are open-minded, yet sceptical,
We sieve the truth from the lies.
When we lose your way but never despair,
We blaze new trails.
When we follow rules, making wise exceptions,
We live by wisdom.
When we appreciate, who we are,
We have happiness.

The above poem by me was first published in 2003 in Just for You by United Press.

Such Flows the River of Life

I have reaped harvests I have not sown.
As have you. As have others.

I have reaped harvests of my own sowing.
As have you. As have others.

I will not reap all the harvests of all my sowing.
Nor will you. Nor will others.

We are all sowers.
We are all reapers.
We are one.

Causality binds us.
Causality frees us.
Causality rules us.
Causality obeys us.

Such flows the river of life.
Through the fabric of reality.

The above poem by me was first published in 2008 in Lyrics of Life by United Press.

“Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.” – Henry David Thoreau

“If compassion was the motivating factor behind all of our decisions, would our world not be a completely different place?” – Sheryl Crow