Livre

यतो यतो यामि ततो नृसिंहः

बहिर्नृसिंहो हृदये नृसिंहो

नृसिंहमादिं शरणं प्रपद्ये

#narsimha #vishnuavatar #mythology #mahabalipuram #tamilnadu #travel

What good can you do alone? A lot

What good can we do together? Unlimited

Human societies have evolved slowly over the last few millennia's but have picked up speed in the last century. This evolution is soon going to be even faster with the technological advancements in biotech, AI, medicine, and space.

We have the highest ever population of humans on earth and the number is growing rapidly. While we do have conflicts here and there, we can definitely say we are living in the most peaceful times (if you compare to other times in history)

Having said that, core human values are degrading. Ethics and moral values are sidelined every day in favor of material wealth.

“It is in giving that we receive“

The only reason most people feel there is more evil than good is that all evil is together and the good is scattered.

There are great torchbearers holding the light but they are on their own - in most cases without any help and are targetted by the combined evil. Can we pull all of them and their followers together? And then work towards common goals for the greater good

1. Bringing in all good together (BGTN): Bringing together in all people who want to contribute to society. Together, we can.

2. Good life for all (PRKSHN): Ensuring that all humans have basic needs for food, shelter & health fulfilled.

3. Respect and dignity for underprivileged (CHNDNN): Ensuring that the underprivileged are not oppressed and can live a dignified life.

4. Knowledge for All (GYNN): Basic education is accessible to all. It’s only by providing proper education that we can lift people from poverty.

One of my #wishlist #goals for this year #2017 was reading at least 3 new books. I have read 5 books so far (Oct 30, 2017) this year.

“A Reader lives a thousand lives before he dies”

We generate all our experiences from within and reading triggers many such experiences by igniting the mind.

“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens up to allow more light”

If you are a rationalist, reading will give you a number of new perspectives on the same things. Each time you read, it opens up a new door.

For the love of reading, I gifted myself a Kindle this year! Read, Read and Read more. Back to the good old days!

 So which books I read this year? Here’s the list

1. Inner Engineering - A Yogi’s Guide to Joy - Sadhguru

It was thrilling to read a book dedicated to inner engineering. To put ancient techniques for inner well being together and present it as an engineering process is ingenious. The book only builds upon the concept - if you are looking for some concrete hands-on action items, you can download relevant apps or join a course. 

Thanks to the concept of Inner Engineering - no wonder, Sadhguru has gained a huge following in the last few years!

On another note, here’s a collection of line to ponder on from the book. They capture the key takeaways.

http://arpitgoliya.tumblr.com/post/156214080741/lines-to-ponder-on-from-innerengineering-book

2. Zero to One - Peter Theil

A great read. Basics of business, backed by facts and data, put forward in the simplest way - no superficial fundas as such.

195 pages cover the ideology of competition, building a monopoly, power law of venture capital, secrets: how to find and what to do with them, founder’s paradox and many more topics. 

And the best:  Theil’s law on why Foundations matter :

“A startup messed up at its foundation cannot be fixed”

3. How to Create a Mind - Ray Kurzweil

An interesting read on how we can create machines possessing intelligence equal to or even better than Human Brain. Our brains' approach of hierarchical thinking dissected - how a group of neocortex work to create a hierarchy of pattern recognizers. 

Thought Experiments on the mind - covers philosophical aspects of consciousness - and “Who is Conscious?” 

Question to ponder: Will we become cyborgs in near future or accept such machines with similar emotions (as humans) and probably more intelligence as one of us?

4. Scion of Ikshvaku (Ram Chandra Series) - Amish

Fascinating re-tell of the Ramayana story. This book reinforces the need for re-telling old stories for the times we are in. Instead of projecting the characters as Avatars of God, it treats them as mortal humans who became revered and God-like. 

It also adds some logic and rationale to the otherwise unbelievable stories. Reinforcing the principle of Anekantavada - it is yet another version of the legendary story of Ramayana.

5. The Immortals of Meluha (Shiva Trilogy) -  Amish

The first book of the Shiva Trilogy - it’s about the journey of Shiva from being a tribal leader in Kailash to becoming a ‘Mahadeva’ for the people of India. 

It reinforces the belief that there have been many Mahadeva’s a.k.a Rudra’s and is an inspiration for my second book which I plan to start in mid-2018. 

Captivating reading about  Masculine vs Feminine, Suryavanshi vs Chandravanshi, Devas vs Asuras, Good vs Evil.