False information. What is true is not defined. If you look at truth value of any statement, it appears there is just a dilemma about what amounts to a 100% truth. But, when we consider the collection of information that we have made over the years, this is vast. If we consider total number of books written, total number of articles published, pictures taken and drawings painted. Human civilization has achieved a pinnacle of information. Fact that no single person can go through everything and master even a single subject is evidence to this rapid expansion of information. As an example, few centuries ago, a doctor could master all the information necessary to treat any disease in a human being. Nowadays, there are doctors, specialized in Prostate cancer, or Rheumatoid arthritis, or dementia. As the information about prostate cancer, is as vast as all the medical information available about all the diseases in the body, few centuries back. Information But, with this rapid expansion of information, there is a problem. As, speculations and false information also expanding at a rapid rate. Here I do not mean scientific information as truth. Science also uses speculation, as a method of finding new knowledge. As it doesn't look for 100% truth, but consensus by a significant margin, scientific truths also carry some margin of error. This is inevitable. But the problem is, they are more and more closer to the truth that, one can get entangled in this haystack of scientific, fictional and religious information and would not find a real truth about life during a lifetime. As the information sphere is already large, and truth is a rare phenomenon, what is proliferating rapidly is not always truth. And there will be a point, that humans are totally unable to navigate meaning of life in their own time. Somebody might say AI, is the solution to the problem. As, AI can judge and screen through a lot of information. But the problem with AI, is that it also has the ability to create new knowledge. Yet, as the information fed to these AI machines are not all true, they will proliferate this false information. This is a real danger to human knowledge. Contemplating Shadows. I was taking a walk in my garden and noticed my shadow. It was there as the sun was shining and my body was in the way. There was earth to hold my shadow. If one of these factors were not there, there would be no shadow. Can I consider Shadow as an independent entity? Or part of extension of this body? It seems I cannot do much with the shadow. I cannot feel it. Then again, I can move it where I want and if necessary, use to shade a thousand ants. When I think about it, I can see there are a lot of false information about shadows, that I have learned over the years. Shadows What is true for my shadow, is true for my fingers. With few differences. It appears fingers are there when there is no sun, or moon. But when I deep dive into chasms of reasons, I realize, Sun still is a reason for my fingers. Several steps away. If no sun there would be no life on earth, if no moon there would be no life on earth. I can easily connect sun and Moon as a reason for existence of my fingers. Then why there is a difference in perception about my shadow and my fingers? Shouldn't I consider fingers as my shadows? It seems, we are drowned in shitload of false information, approved by science and religion, and mathematics etc. Good luck for anyone who is trying to understand any truth in word, without being mindful.

Imagine you try to describe taste of orange to someone else. You would first start describing the fruit. Which is the size of a Golf ball, orange color fruit of citrus family. It is round than a Lemon, but taste less sour, and bit sweet than other fruits of this class. Once you finish the obvious you will start to describe it more. If your friend has tasted apple, pineapple and lemon, you can say it is Not like apple, not like pineapple, but a mixture of pineapple and lemon. This is an example of the two faces of wisdom. mask Two faces of wisdom. First is to recognize and enumerate what is obvious and established. Second is to know what is not there. If you go to a doctor for some illness, he/she will first ask you questions. Generally, they would listen to what you have to say about your symptoms. After that you will be bombarded with a list of questions which seems very irrelevant to the current disease you are having. Obviously, you cannot see the connection. But these are important negatives if you do not have them. They have much significance as the positives. If an artist stared at a blank canvass, he would see a painting. A painting which is not there. While all of us the general people can see is just a white board. Similarly, an artist with a white marble will see a Sculpture. Once he starts to chip out pieces of unnecessary marble, the Statue will appear Like it had been there all the time. Imagine a Scientist, trying to do research. He starts with obvious, possible and evident. Then he will hypothesize about the results. About his observations, possible reasons. If he guessed right the results will show, and even if he guessed wrong, this would add to the knowledge base so next time he can narrow down reason. How to tap into unknown wisdom? For anyone curious, this should be the next question. As, how can we know the unknown. The answer is simple. It is magical. Nobody knows, how artist bring out the sculpture hidden inside a marble. It is not replicable, not even by him or herself. Nobody knows how we speculate about unknown future. Nobody knows how a child can guess answer to a simple mathematical question 1+1 =2. But there are factors that we can manipulate to get more closer to illusion of control in this creative process. Following are few. Basic human needs are met. Observation is a powerful tool. Better information about current status. Rest, calm and peaceful environment. A blind belief that there is a process. Starting to juggle with obvious (Play- according to Einstein)

Peculiar careers It is time to discuss careers, not for a particular reason. But for the amusement, of how many are there, generated over the years by capitalism and industry? If you glanced at LinkedIn career opportunities, there are just names, which I have never heard of. Following is a pragmatic list. But the reality is it is not limited to legitimate sounding ones like these. You can actually become a professional sleeper, a snake Milker, or a golf ball diver if you'd chose to become just that. It is a blessing that we are not confined ourselves to become chimney sweepers like it happened in the times of William Blake. Bullet Train Operator 1. Actuary Analyzes risk using math and statistics—commonly in insurance and finance. The work is highly technical and surprisingly abstract. 2. Forensic Accountant Investigates financial crimes like fraud and money laundering. It’s basically detective work, but with spreadsheets. 3. Hydrologist Studies water systems—rivers, rainfall, groundwater. Important for climate research, agriculture, and disaster prevention. 4. Clinical Informaticist Bridges medicine and data—optimizing how hospitals use digital records and health data systems. 5. Food Technologist Works on developing, preserving, and testing food products. This includes everything from shelf life to flavor chemistry. 6. Urban Planner Designs how cities grow—balancing housing, transport, environment, and infrastructure. 7. Ethical Hacker (Penetration Tester) Legally hacks systems to find vulnerabilities before criminals do. Sounds edgy, but it’s a structured cybersecurity job. 8. Audiologist Specializes in hearing and balance disorders, working closely with patients using advanced diagnostic equipment. 9. Cartographer Creates maps—but modern cartographers work with satellite data, GIS systems, and digital modeling. 10. Conservation Scientist Manages natural resources like forests and wildlife, combining fieldwork with environmental policy. Piano players Imagine you had opportunity to get your hands on a piano, early in your life. And you had a passion and natural skill in playing this. I'm not saying to a level of an impeccable Beethoven but good enough, so we can listen uninterrupted. In that case nobody is stopping you from making a career out of your hobby. There are people who will actually hire you for playing in their arena if you'd do a satisfactory job. Imagine all the people who were born before the piano had been invented. Not only they had no way of building that career, but they had died without ever knowing the Beethoven in them. Such a waste of human talent. You will ask me 🤔 how can I be a professional in anything I like? Like you had no choice but to follow the dreams set for you by others. Haven't You watched any Hollywood film about success? It all starts with agreeing to the shitty state you're currently in and taking necessary actions after writing them down on paper. Ticking them day after day, while quitting some of your favorite hedonistic routines. Saying no to mediocrity and by attracting energetic people who supports your course. It doesn't come naturally on a plate, but I can assure you it is far easier than a Chimney sweepers routine in Victorian Era. Chimney Sweepers Chimney sweepers by William Blake. When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me while yet my tongue Could scarcely cry 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep. There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head That curl'd like a lamb's back, was shav'd: so I said, 'Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare, You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.' And so he was quiet, & that very night, As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!— That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned & Jack, Were all of them lock'd up in coffins of black; And by came an Angel who had a bright key, And he open'd the coffins & set them all free; Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run, And wash in a river and shine in the Sun. Then naked & white, all their bags left behind, They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind; And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy, He'd have God for his father & never want joy. And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark, And got with our bags & our brushes to work. Tho' the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm; So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm. Chimney sweepers version 2 - the harsh reality A little black thing among the snow, Crying "'weep! 'weep!" in notes of woe! "Where are thy father & mother? say?" "They are both gone up to the church to pray. "Because I was happy upon the heath, And smil'd among the winter's snow, They clothed me in the clothes of death, And taught me to sing the notes of woe. "And because I am happy & dance & sing, They think they have done me no injury, And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King, Who make up a heaven of our misery."

Casino Example of handling the risk. Imagine three guys walk into a casino. Three friends. One tall, one medium one small. They are different in character. The tall guy keeps his hands in his pocket. He takes them out only when he is offered free beer. He doesn't engage in play. He doesn't even change his money for chips. He is just on a sight-seeing tour. We can say because of his preserved mentality he has the lowest risk of the three guys, and lowest chance of getting bankrupt tonight, or any other night. He is a hedger. Now consider the small guy. He is the opposite of the tall. He has come up with large sum of money, and according to him he wouldn't mind what happens on the table. He would keep on playing until he wins. Actually, for a couple of rounds he will win, Maybe double his money. But winning streak is always ending, always followed by a losing streak. Hence before the night ends and he will end up in empty pockets, hands sweaty, drunken and minus dollars. He is a speculator - or a gambler. Who tries to win by speculating the future. Arbitrager, speculator and a Hedger The third guy just walks. Inspect tables and learn the play. He sees how the house always wins by gaining marginal benefits from each play round. After each play round the house will grow positive dollars. And they do by exploiting wrong doings of speculators. Although speculators win short term, their addiction on the game doesn't keep them from enjoying their win. House takes minimal risk. But it is still part of the play. He learns the system, not how to play a game. He opens his phone and buys some stocks of the casino. Why shouldn't he? He thinks the business is booming, and he place a long-term bet on its success over ten years. Not about the profits tonight! He is the Arbitrager. How to play the game of life? The casino example although show three different identities, when it comes to game of life, these are not separate. They can be present in same individuals, in different aspects of play. One day we might play the speculator, another day a hedger, when we feel insecure. Only if we are aware of what we are doing and why we can take the role of an arbitrager. I am not saying speculation and taking a bet is a bad thing. If you are 100% sure of a win, why not take a chance. This only applies to situation, when you have a choice, and when the data is not very clear on what will happen in the future. Now imagine starting any new long term or short-term project. Without being a hedger and avoiding anything threatens your tactics, or without being a speculator and blindly be positive on everything, we can play the role of an arbitrager. By analyzing the situation, considering both positives and negatives. Choosing a career, choosing a partner, taking a course. It is not about what you do once you have made the choice. But spending enough time on the choice while still you have time to decide otherwise. In other words, we can play the game of life safe, if we choose to do what is important and not urgent, and by prioritizing this over hedonistic pleasure, or greedy hedging. Of course, the improvement will be slow at first, until it breaks the ceiling with massive growth. (See, I am just speculating :) ->LOL)

Luxury harbors evil at its core. Modern man has to struggle with choices. Not one Not two but thousands of them, day in and out. If you wondered on the street in a Sunday morning, in chilling cold of November, and thought about a hot coffee. You are not wrong. That was a feeling even the cavemen would have had. Compared to him you have the luxury of buying one for few pounds, without wasting valuable calories. But there is a choice. There are seven or eight varieties at the shop, even more. And one of them can be favorite of yours. There are ten coffee shops along the way. And some even sell buns. And you might calculate what better use you can put that money into, as a coffee is not a necessity of every man, but a luxury of modern life. This might put you through a form of paralysis called analysis. Even if you have no paralysis on your morning coffee, I am sure throughout a routine day, you will feel the uncomfortableness of making a choice. As luxury offers many choices, at a wide range of prices, never letting you be satisfied and free from its evil grip. RR Evils of Luxury at work Even the ordinary man spends a luxurious life, compared to then a farmer who lived in Babylonia. There is no way you can escape the evil grip of luxury. Even if you are a beggar, you might receive a burger for lunch and free healthcare. Evil of the luxury does sicken your brain. It pushes you into a race of chasing numbers. Number of doors to your car, one with a sunroof? Number of feet of your yacht measures, or number of sails it has. Number of people who came to your party. Number of birds you photographed on your vacation, and the percentage of exotics in it. I would rather miserably fail in counting. Like Mark Manson once wrote, it seems "not giving a Fu*k" is not a subtle art but a philosophy of handling the evil. So, do not come up to me with your numbers. Give me your problems, failures, sorrow, sadness, the trampled heart by the skyrocketing expectations powered by advertisements of capitalists. I might be able to listen. Agree that you are consumed by the system and formulate a plan for us to heal. The liberation Let us heal from inside out. Let our bodies relax, eat when hungry, not when there is free promotion lunch. Eat one burger, when two is given on Thursday. Sleep when eyes are tired of a hard-working day, not when you they are Screaming from staring at the Netflix screen. Donate some money not when we are rich but, when we have enough, and let it enjoy the happiness of someone else. Let us share with others what we are willing to share with only our family. Maybe that if repeated will drive away the evil nature of our soul, implanted by the luxury life. When or if you try to do that, the system will resist. It will bombard you with stories. Like there is one more experience you have to have before you become a content person. And that one more is just a mirage. You are liberated now or never. If you are not liberated now, you are just a prisoner. Freedom is a choice, not to have any choices.

Daisy world. Imagine a world with only black and white daisies. Black absorbs heat and cool down atmosphere, and White emit heat and makes it hot. And if only these conditions govern the temperature of the earth, the daisies will regulate the atmospheric temperature like a warm-blooded animal regulate their body heat with similar feedback loops. Can we apply this principle to the biosphere of our world and see it regulate the condition of the earth by maintaining its atmospheric and ground conditions? Does earth's biosphere act like a gigantic warm-blooded organism? This fundamentally is the "strong Gaia" hypothesis. "Weak Gaia" hypotheses merely agree to the fact that there are negative feedback loops in biosphere to regulate earth's condition. Not necessarily considered as a single organism. daisies Gaia hypothesis definition The Gaia hypothesis, proposed by James Lovelock (with contributions from Lynn Margulis), suggests: The Earth behaves like a self-regulating system Living organisms (plants, microbes, animals) interact with the atmosphere, oceans, and soil These interactions help maintain stable conditions (temperature, oxygen levels, pH) suitable for life Example: Plants absorb CO₂ and release O₂, helping regulate atmospheric composition. The hypothesis attracts different Individuals for different reasons. For mindfulness enthusiasts like me it shows some interconnectedness of animals and elements of earth. Similarly, the concept itself changes the thinking pattern of biologists, chemists and environmentalists. It seems like although we tend to separate individually or as a species, yet at a much bigger scale we are connected to other plants and animals and what happens to them. Imagine a world with only either black or white daisies. The planet would inevitably become too hot to live or be frozen in an ice age. Significance of Gaia hypothesis and Daisy world. Yet I can agree that one with a strong scientific background cannot reconcile to the fact the biosphere functioning as a single organism as Gaia hypothesis and daisy world example suggest. It seems too mystical in scientific eyes. It might sound like merging science with fiction. My own mind is divided between these two views as well. When we consider mass extinctions and ice ages, which had happened, against the biosphere's resistance mechanisms, the earth seems holding a harsh grudge against all of us living. More like there is no particular control command system. But the hypothesis itself doesn't ask for intention or free will. It merely talks about these feedback loops which keep the earth atmosphere constant and stable for life (Weak Gaia). As long as possible, as long as it is. Until it is disturbed by Alien forces like gigantic asteroids from outer space. Maybe it is time for me to plant some trees, spare some animals and quit burning fossil fuel, and let the trees do the work before they are too exhausted from too much toxicity I created. Some daisies in my garden perhaps recycle the CO2 I made during all winter by the end of this spring.

This article covers some philosophical aspects and mindfulness practices. I cannot forecast which at the beginning, as it just flows. Consider a leaf floating on water. Can you predict exact position in an exact time duration? Even with Modern scientific wisdom and calculus you can only approximate its position. (take a limit) If you measure the position it is going to be different with your prediction every time with a margin of error, how much small this margin, there will always be a margin. This is very significant phenomenon, as we can only approximate any truth but never reach it with science. But mind seems to be remarkable organ, as it doesn't follow science in its thinking. It can, just jump from a state of unknowing to knowing, with no elapsed time in between. Things Everything is a concept. I listened to a podcast by Kapil Gupta who spoke about everything being a concept. And I couldn't agree more. If you follow your mind, a day in and out you might see different things appear and disappear. Like on a TV screen. And every one of these mental objects have same characteristics. They seem appear without intention. They disappear on their own. And every mental object is a result of what came before it. This last character, we can summaries as everything is a concept. Concepts are built upon one over the other. If you learn the concept of Photosynthesis - which is an object which can arise in a mind, (so is the concept of Marriage) It is build upon knowledge of a "Leaf" "chemistry" "energy" "catalyst" "water" "chloroplast" "Alphabet" etc. However, that each and every component which build a concept themselves are concepts. You can trace back any one of these things and end up in nothingness. (Which again is another concept :)) So, what are concepts you know? Following is a list of concepts. Apple, Mountain, Whisper, Ocean, Lantern, Harmony, Run, Crystal, Shadow, Breeze, Thunder, Velvet, Horizon, Jump, Candle, Forest, Mirror, Galaxy, Silence, Feather, Write, Meadow, Flame, Pebble, Think, River, Storm, Canvas, Clock, Dream, Build, Iceberg, Compass, Sand, Coral, Echo, Window, Valley, Speak, Path, Desert, Glow, Thread, Rain, Climb, Leaf, Fog, Pearl, Castle, Night, Draw, Hill, Wave, Spark, Branch, Star, Garden, Cloud, Read, Snow, Light, Stone, Shell, Sun, Bridge, Drive, Flame, Road, Bird, Glass, Sky, Swim, Field, Tower, Lake, Sound, Paper, Wind, Sing, Key, Firefly, Dust, Book, Tree, Water, Laugh, Moon, Chair, Table, Rope, Island, Walk, Flower, Door, Carpet, Roadside, Basket, Plate, Riverbank, Listen As you can see, this is a ChatGPT generated random list of words, which is tangible from your mind. I am sure when you go through each of these words you will understand different things according to your prior knowledge. I am sure it is going to be different from my concepts. But fact that it is so, is fascinating. So, where do we learn these concepts from? Our teachers, parents, books dictionaries, even our own minds connect ideas and create them. We can trace back origins of these concepts into far as minds of ancestors. It seems our connection to the evolutionary monkey is more mental than physical. What is the importance of knowing everything is mental? For me it reduces the burden. If everything is "real" the pain and suffering of to gain something would be inevitable, more would be the pain and suffering of holding to it, and the pain and suffering when I see that getting destroyed. But, when I see everything is mental it forms a hydrophobic layer on my leaf of life, so pain and suffering cannot penetrate into it. Try that. Try reminding yourself everything which comes to your mind is just a concept, throughout the day. It would be a good mindful practice.

I can see a lot of confusion about value. But here in my article I am trying to unravel the mystery for you, so you never get confused. As there is a lot of confusion, we should take a stepwise approach. Trust me, If I had to teach someone one thing from my whole life experience I would tell them " Value is a belief which is confined to a consciousness, it is neither real nor inherently valuable. " But, that claim does require a lengthy explanation. We can start examining dictionary meaning of values. Then what we understand generally by values. Lastly about the claim I made. values Dictionary meaning of Value. The word value refers to the worth, importance, or usefulness of something. It can describe how much something is considered beneficial, meaningful, or desirable, whether in terms of money, quality, or personal significance. Value can also relate to principles or standards that guide behavior, such as honesty or kindness. In everyday use, it often reflects how much someone appreciates or prioritizes something in their life. As you can see value governs everything we do, as it is the fundamental tool for our prioritization. Now let's be more practical and think about our own lives. And formulate what we mean when we use the word value. I have heard this term in following occasions, see you can name a few more. Where do we learn about values? Whenever there is a transaction, we think about monetary value. We judge our friends and give them values, some are best friends, some are just buddies, some are just work colleagues, some are enemies. In a company or organization there are a set of values. We value our own life more than anything or anyone, generally. We have moral values that we adhere to. Some people have opposite values to the general public; they often commit crimes and end up in jail. Olympic Gold medal is valuable more than silver, Silver is more valuable than Bronze. Olympic Gold medal is more valuable than the monetary value of the Gold it contains. The monetary value of Gold is fluctuating each and every second according to supply and demand. gold Brainstorming about values After all this discussion of value, my question is, in all of these wide variety of situations where the word value is used are we talking about the same thing? Or are they different. If it is the same thing, if the meaning of value is universal phenomena, how are they interconnected in these heterogenous situations where we encounter the word in life. In fact, everything you did today is according to your internal scale of values. So, the main driver of modern world is not liquid Gold. It is just the inherent value system of one's own mind. Even the price of the actual Gold. Let's go again the last example in the above list to understand these phenomena better. What is monetary value of Gold? If you look at any auction market - Gold/ stock/ Forex etc., the price fluctuates moment to moment. It looks random process, but it is not at all random. The reason behind these fluctuations is the discrepancy between supply and demand. At any given time these differences are small, hence there are only slow fluctuations. However, once in a while there will be big fluctuations due to various reasons. Maybe buyers don't want to buy anymore. Maybe sellers do not want to sell anymore. However, as you can see, the market price represents how a collection of involved people is thinking about the buying and selling. What their predictions on value. The actual value is just a label. But individually each and every participant has a value in their own mind. So, for the seller, the value is less, for the buyer the value is more. The market price is just where they meet to make a trade. You would see this heaped up values if you looked at the market depth. There are many asking prices and There are many bidding prices. At any given time, Gold can reach any of these prices (technically from zero to unlimited number) As that is only determined by the peoples' thoughts. What is value? Answer Value is a belief (a thought) which is confined to a consciousness, it is neither real nor inherently valuable. And this fact is not only true for market values, of monetary assets, but anything. Even a plastic bottle has a value, but only determined at the time of a trade, between two humans. So, it is not the bottle which carries the value it is the human mind. Company values, friendship values, moral values, monetary values. Although they seem markedly different from each other fundamentally they are connected as a brief belief arise within human mind. As thoughts are not permanent things, in mind, but fluctuating all day these values are also, not permanent, and inherently not valuable. This is the fact I summarized in the sentence "Value is a belief which is confined to a consciousness, it is neither real nor inherently valuable.". Use cases At this stage, you should ask me, So, what MML? What is the practical value of your point? For that I would reply, knowing your values deeply is the only way you can be rich, either materialistically or philosophically. You will be the smartest guy in a room full of people who are unaware to the fact that their minds creating a valuable reality while you see their mistake and weakness. You will be able to remain wise while they kill each other for thoughts, which aroused in their minds, without them even knowing. Maybe the following poem will be meaningful now. Game of life. Three men played a game, on the canvas of time. Rules were set; the audience was there to witness it all. Good and evil were winning. While wisdom played in silence. For a long time, until it becomes a duet. And they shot at each other, stabbed at each other While the audience shook in horror The wisdom disappeared with the prize Into the thin air.

I'm just a floating leaf on river waters. Flowing downstream, washed by the stream. I go with the flow fast and slow. How far I will go, nobody would know. Destiny awaits in the seas. Why does a leaf float on water? Scientific explanations first. Scientific explanation is that due to the spaces inside the leaf which captures some gas, in its parenchymal cells a leaf is less dense than water and have a buoyancy. However, as time goes by more and more air will be lost and the gaps will be filled with water and the leaf will become heavier, until it starts to sink in water. Some plants living in water makes oxygen, and air trapped underneath the leaves. And this helps them with floating. Examples for this include water lilies lotus and water shield etc. https://pixabay.com/photos/leaf-vein-pattern-foliage-tree-4139030/ Floating life of a leaf on water. Have you ever taken your time to be by a stream. If you haven't let me remind you what I have seen. I have seen, slow moving water streams. When a leaf falls on the water it floats and gets washed downstream. Does it ever go upstream? no, it doesn't. A leaf always follow the water down the stream. When the stream is narrow, it travels hurried in turbulence. When the stream is wide, it slows down and reduced in speed. Sometimes it goes into a stagnant pool of water and stay afloat there. After hours or days, it gets soaked with water and become heavy, and it slowly sink down to the bottom of the sea, to degenerate there and either become food to some small creatures or become elements and enrich the bottom of the sea. Have you ever thought about this? How similar our lives to a floating leaf in a brook? Let's compare our life with a floating leaf and be amazed of the nature. Similar to a leaf, we are dragged by the powers of the nature. When I was a student, I had hard time controlling my feelings. And someone wise said to me "control yourself". The exact words still ruminate in my mind, because I wrote about it. I wrote, "control yourself is the best advice I've got" which was not true. I knew it was not true. But now I know why. If thoughts of my mind is like a floating leaf, it is bound to flow with the current. There is nothing the leaf can do about it. If the leaf thinks the leaf can change the direction, the leaf must be mad. The leaf is powerless, helpless against the nature's forces. If you stop once in a while to look at yourself, you will notice this. From morning till night, the leaf of mind just floats this way and that way, to whatever you hear, to whatever you see, and whatever you feel. The leaf has no choice . Poor, poor leaf. I would feel sorry for every leaf that floats. https://pixabay.com/photos/underwater-photography-pond-plants-1529209/ Similar to a leaf, we cannot go back. We cannot go back to our past and change anything. Leaf can only float downstream. Maybe slow, maybe fast. How far the leaf would travel will be determined by the current. And they travel alone on the river. Although surrounded by some similar leaves, they will separate. They will meet new leaves along the way. But from start to end, only the leaf knows where it has been, what it has seen. So, from the perspective of a leaf, it is a lonely journey. Like a leaf, sometimes we tend to suck in stagnated pools of water. In some places. Nothing seems to be moving. No, interesting sights, no improvement, just floating on the water. Maybe hoping a rain would come and wash away. Often would not. Once you are caught in the stagnated pool, usually a leaf would end at the bottom of the pool. It is all part of the leaf life. We cannot know which leaf is going to end up how. You would say, that is sad and depressing. You should not stagnate. You should push against all the odds and break the barrier and float downstream. I would say to what end my friend to what end? If you look at the analogy you would understand, it doesn't matter how far a leaf would travel, its destiny is at the bottom of the river. It doesn't matter how many flower gardens it had seen, It doesn't matter how many waterfalls it had seen, It doesn't matter how many mountains or trees. If you are a leaf, you end up in the bottom of the stream. Nobody can change it. https://pixabay.com/photos/water-lily-beautiful-nature-blossom-2580950/ So, how are we different from a floating leaf? I would say, not from much, but enough. Imagine being a leaf, knowing what the journey of a leaf is. Imagine the ability to see a leaf from a bridge is given to the leaf. That I would say is the different from a leaf, from many other aspects being similar. We are just leaves with ability to look at ourselves from a bird's eye perspective . But how many of us just float downstream thinking we are boats. Even if you are a boat, bottom of the water is your most likely destination. So, let us take our time to observe more and more leaves in water, so we would not be worried when water is fast and slow and stagnated. Thank you for reading. You may like to read: what is a paradigm shift and how to use it .

Life is a game Sometimes we say life is "like a game" not exactly "it is a game". By agreeing to this hypothesis, we assume there is something beyond this game like perception of life. A higher meaning, a higher target, an enlightenment perhaps. And in back of our minds, we always keep and entertain this belief of a virtuous life which exist outside our day-to-day childish games. By calling "childish" I do not assume they are insignificant. Just look at the "wealth creation game". It could generate a handsome income and a deposit for your retirement. It could mean life or death when a person is struck by a serious illness. So, by significance it is no childish game. But if you consider end game called death everything is a childish game. As there is a physical limit to everything we can achieve before death happens at a time Decided by nature. And only within this framework of uncertain future that we are supposed to play and win these games. Games we play in life. I remember the times we played, In our backyard with cousins. My brother, was a policeman, Catching me and others We hid behind shrubs, and broken walls Of old dilapidated lavatories of deserted houses We laughed we cried we fought against imaginary foes Enjoyed nothing more than hide and seek Till my mother called us all for supper. Playing games Imagine a computer game. Or any other game (one which played in Olympic). Everything about this kind of game is imaginary. Rules which define the are made by humans. There was a time the games which we play today did not exist. At the time of hunter gatherer there exist only game of survival, and game of reproduction rights. They seemed fundamental and natural. However, these games also characterize by originated within mind of the person who is living, and conscious. Only dead people do not play any game. But here is one truth if you must understand. Our happiness and Sadness which fluctuates throughout the day depends on the games we play. Life is a game. We might be playing some games out of necessity. Out of passion, or out of force by others. Whatever the reason, we tend to be either winners or losers at the end of the day. As there are discrete outcomes to these games. Yet, for a wise person, who have investigated the phenomena of self, would reveal that games that we play are entirely mental. And more you see these games as games, more you will be happy and content. As outcomes of individual games do not affect the inherent understanding of the world and self. This is why you should look at everything you do as a game. Not as actual reality, or 100%truth. The detachment from the worldly meanings occurs while it is still being attached to worldly games. Paradoxical it may seem but call that first rate intelligence if you may.

Modern Era. Once it was called liquid Gold . Oil is most valuable source of energy up to date. One barrel of crude oil would do nothing to an economy of a country, but oil is sold in millions of barrels per trade, brought by massive tankers all around the world. Oil is major part of any company portfolio, including famous Harvard institute (Ps: in recent years Harvard PF has reduced their oil exposure to less than 2% but crypto and gold exposure increased). Even surpassing Gold as a way of a class of asset in many cases. Just a few sentences are enough to emphasize the fact that, oil is the real motor of all our economic activity. It may not be in the future. But for now, we have to settle for that fact. Iran war has reduced the doubts in any mind. I cannot even hear, any environmentalist talking about climate change as it is totally obliterated by news on rising oil prices and missiles. Maybe they find it difficult to gain funds to have a media appearance. Victorian Oil Story of oil in Victorian era. Before fossil fuel was discovered in the beginning of the last century, oil came from, plants and animals. In the Victorian Era, the rising demand for oil had made it an industry to tap the sources of oil. The great majority of this supply was harvested from the largest Mammal on earth, the Whale. Yes, I am talking about Moby Dick and whaling industry of 18th Century. In a world where oil was a scarce resource, even than today, to power ever expanding economies and demand, people have killed thousands of whales per day, to harvest their blubber, to extract oil at refineries, like ones we have today. That is the true extent of the bloody nature of oil business. If you search for it, you may still find a video or two where they show how whale hunting occurred and they were skinned, near shore, until whale hunting was banned in 1980's. Today oil is still a bloody business, indirectly responsible for some starvation, and famine and war, in less so fortunate countries. It will be a bloody business until world runs out of oil in the future. Future of Oil Fossil fuel will run out in 50-60 years; story of oil would end there. So, a child born today, would have a peep into this era, of no oil to burn. Hopefully countries will turn into other sources long before it happens. Yet, as for now, it seems a distant future dream. Only 8% of global energy supply is still covered by renewables. But we will not only miss oil. There are thousands of petroleum products that we are so much used to nowadays. From Medical equipment's to clothing, plastics to lubricants. I am not sure there are even any replacement available for every one of these products. At least some of the factories would stop functioning, and some of the comforts we have today would not be a viable option in the future. "It doesn't matter to me" is the right response when I look at it as a capitalist with ever greedy eyes. But, if I looked at is as a philanthropist, I would be more concerned. Plant more awareness, encourage more research and write about it again . Maybe we can change our planet before we think about others if we get together for a purpose.

Why you should practice mindfulness 1 .Markets cannot teach you everything. If you closely followed behaviour of any market, it closely resembles how an average person feels during a day. In a moment we feel fine and positive, and in the next minute there is a dip in emotions. Sometimes, hikes up on the happiness can last a few hours, followed by pensive afternoons and gloomy nights. In fact the stock price burns such emotions of thousands of people into a single number and display on our screen second by second. I am sure, at somepoint, you may have looked at this and thought to yourself that you have figured it out. That you have found a way to navigate through this emotional mess and make a profit like a trader. It is not impossible, for some, but for majority, just a risky move. More important is how you react when market is in a panic buying or panic selling mode. How to react with stratergies, not with emotions. How to respond when all stratergies fail and you are at the verge of bankruptcy? Obviously no matter you try, markets cannot teach you everything. It is better to look other ways when we think how we can gain control over our mind, before even start doing some trading. Market fluctuation You are closer to the truth than anyone else. Mindfulness is all about intelligent guessing, on the presense of mind, while being aware. One important side effect of being aware is you come to know about valuelessness of the experience. Whether it is a high, or low emotion that you feel now, it is going to change just like value of a company or stock price. The coin will always be flipped throughout the day. Ups and downs are inevitable, just like revenue. Unexpected events occur in like, competetors coming and going. Sometimes everything you do seems not working, and you wonder what life is all about. Is there any meaning to what you are trying to build today? So, at the end, if you succeed you become a philanthropist. But unless you practice mindfulness and peek into your own so called self, earlier in your life, you might never have enough time to understand and hypothesize a hoistic view about everything. I wonder why anyone should settle for partial understanding about themselves, when they have offered a good healthy 70 years of life. Remove 20 years from each end, yet, you will have a good 30 years, in the middle for this purpose. 3. You play by different rules. By now, as an enterprenuer/ CEO you may have understood there are differnt rules that you play, than general population. The business you own, if is a cash cow, and employers will milk the customers as long as you give them a fat bonus. If everything works out the capital will grow and you will have enough to maintain a luxurious life, and entertain your craziest dreams. But, then what? I do not think many of us will ever come to that level. It is likely you will end up 800 mill USD in debt. (Like D.J. Trump once did in his career.) Consider the fact, that you are playing a game that two of these extreme outcomes are equally possible. Of course you have to play by different rules than ordinary paid worker in your firm. While doing that, to keep your sanity in check, I suggest you practice some mindfulness everyday. There are so many ways you can do that, take a walk solo. Stay quiet for a half an hour in your office chair undisturbed and write down all your thoughts when it is necessary, or take a mindful shower . I am sure you will find a way. This is not a to do list as I do not treat you as a normal human being. :)