Thums Up to Germany and Europa

Nice to find that Germany is rescuing Greece and Co. from the recession. Shows that Germany is really interested in European Union rather than in NATO expansion. Sarkozy and Brown can take humanistic and political lessons from Merkel. Greece has given a lot to the world and deserves a bailout from those who can help.



To my Nemesis

The wonders of 3G

SMSReject

A cute and silly girl

I didn't delete RB because I didn't want her as a friend. While she was at best acting like an amateur, she was being used by another, a fried chicken, as a tool.

The high point of my interaction with her was in scrubbing soap on her in a FB game. :D


I bless her all the best in life.

Only 2 slots available to be filled on my FB friend list

Atleast, that's what I care to add.

I would like to have beli from the old forum - he was the only one who never made it obvious that I was a jerk. The other one is a psych who I wish to marry to save doc fees when I go tablet-less after some time.

:-)

Made for each other?

 

When a hard-working man with bank balance openly posts that he wants to marry and a lovely woman responds with interest, you can only hope and wish that they are made for each other. Especially, if the man doesn't mind admitting honestly and frankly his sex history and the woman is a lady. When you desire something utterly from the heart, the universe conspires to bring it into a reality, according to Paulo Coelho.

அழகான மனைவி, அன்பான துணைவி அமைந்தாலே பேரின்பமே

If a beautiful wife and a loving companion happens, what a great joy it is.

(from the song "Kalyana Malai" from "Pudhu Pudu Arthangal")

I thought Archana was one for me. Not all guys need to be as unlucky as me.

Russia heading towards the Third-World

I don't mean a visit by the Russian President to some Asian or African country. Heard about America losing the AAA status? Looks like Russia is losing it's 2nd world status and fast becoming a third-world country.

When a country relies on 1 man, you are going to get a country good in only 1 area. And when that 1 man gets sick, the country is going to be good for nothing. That's where Russia is heading now, unless ofcourse providence changes course.

I like Russia. I also believe that every Indian is indebted to the Soviet Union for the nuclear cover it got against the West during the cold war. Ofcourse, other countries are indebted to India for her spirituality and some other things. When I say something about Russia, I say it as someone from a good and trusted country.

I'm not against Putin getting elected by his party - it's up to the party members how they can still elect someone who threatened to walk away by flouting a new party. But when the ruling party beats up the opposition and even doesn't allow it to contest in elections, it's certainly a return back to the dark ages for Russia. Contrast this with India, where there is even a public backing for a non-political opposition by Anna Hazare - this is real democracy at work and a sign of progress.

And I don't believe that the Caeser has got a genuine backing from his lieutenants - some would have supported him not because they believe that he is capable but because they are the next-in-line after the king's time is over.

As for the Russian women, from the fairy tale angels that they were once, they became mail-order brides yesterday and now have become strip-tease artists for the alpha-dog.

The cold-blooded vegetarian pet

Iguana

Welcome to my club

Was your girl-friend just raped before your eyes and you couldn't do anything because a few friends of the rapist held you down? Welcome to my club.

Do you believe in your hearts o hearts that you are Jesus H. Christ (or atleast as much closeness that the Bible allows) but no one wants to take sermons from you on a mount? Welcome to my club.

Have you done a wrong thing which you cannot even confess to the Church father? Welcome to my club.

Do you think that the world is fair and you are not? Welcome to my club.

Do you think that the world is not fair but you are? Welcome to my club.

Do you want to forget all the above nonsense? Welcome to my club.

Do you like my nonsense better than my sense? Welcome to my club.

The easiest way for me to become unproductive, get more psychotic and. . .

. . .lose all the gains I have made till now is to join the Facebook Pravda.

Still. . .

. . .I like Pravda and I think I will likely some time later join them.

I'm already in touch with some of them and so it's not some unholy alliance. But I don't know what the legal department will think. . .why have you reported that there are undesirable elements there and still go to bed with them? Perhaps it will be like the way our maid works with us even after she was questioned by the police for mobile theft at our house.

Pravda's been good to me and I have been wanting to return back the favour. In fact, I even thought of dedicating a novel that I'm writing to Archana, Pravda and Anandh.

As I posted in the title, getting into the flame wars, political dirt and unnecessary social politeness is the sure-fire way to be a mediocre person and unemployed forever. Please don't mistake me. . .I don't want to sound like a prude to wish to belong to some elite club. But when people do nothing but exchange gossip all day long in a regular forum or Facebook group, the level of IQ, EQ and whatever else is going to be collectively 40-70%. It's alright when you think that anything above 40% is good enough to take one safely across life. But that's missing out 60-30% of real life.

I'm sorry for writing like a snob.

So, here's the unofficial 'Like' of the Facebook Pravda. If and when I'm perfectly alright mentally in a few week's time, I will be there.

To NATO: Back off!

???

Today I have proved that I'm so smart to prove that I'm smart. That's all. No other use. That makes me wonder if I'm intelligent. I look more like a drunk stupid bum. It's going to take just a sleep to forget the whole thing and what have I gained? Ah! yes. . .I have proved that I'm so smart to prove that I'm smart.

I'm not right in the head, yet

Sorry to disappoint you. Yesterday was the last day that I took Solian 50mg, an anti-psychotic tablet. Today, I will take Sulpitac 50mg. Compared to Solian, Sulpitac doesn't give a feverish or tranquilizing effect. Solian is not just an anti-psychotic but also a tranquilizer. So when I'm shifting over to Sulpitac, I'm doing it for just the smallest dosage of bare-bones anti-psychotic effect. I plan to take it for another 20-25 days.

The reason I'm not stopping, as planned, is this. I'm doing a practice to get rid of my psychosis. It's been going on for some 25 days now. I'm a firm believer that while it takes 21 days for any practice to become a habit, it takes around 40-48 days (1 Mandalam), for it to bring about the desirable change. So I just don't want to risk disturbing that process. My Psychiatrist told me, "Don't change anything when you are improving." In other words, I'm choosing to err on the safe side. Since Sulpitac is very mild as compared to Solian, this is still a great progress for me. But since I'm still taking a drug, I'm susceptible to behave just a wee-bit oddly - nothing disastrous.

To Obama - How to get over the risk of recession

With the threat of a recession, every tom, dick and harry potter is giving 'expert' advice to Obama. And so, why not me too?

Actually, this is a suggestion that I sincerely believe will help any country.

I haven't read exactly what Obama's plans are but 2 things caught my eye - that there were tax cuts and jobs created. I don't know any further detail than this.

My suggestion is this...along with the tax cut must come a mandatory 1 hour community service. Put another way, people can choose one of the two options - pay tax or do community service. I don't know if any government in the world is making the community service mandatory - there are only tax to be paid.

There is just 2 things in economy (excuse me, Nobel Laureates in Economics :D). Earning and spending. People can contribute by 2 ways - by service and by charity. If this is the case, why not give an option to the citizens to choose which way they want to contribute? To give you an example, I don't have money to pay taxes (My bank balance is Rs.2000 and I intend to keep it that way since I believe that money has meaning only when spent in useful ways, but that is another story). Just because I don't earn enough to pay taxes doesn't mean that I can go scot-free using all the services that the country gives me. Why should only the rich folks pay and not lazy bums?

According to the presented plan, where are you going to get the money to pay for the jobs created? You can't say it is a case of Robinhood stealing from the rich to give to the poor - there are too many honest, hard-working and rich Americans who deserve every penny or million they make while there are an equal number of poor people who are willing to work but don't know how. On an average, an American volunteers for 50 hours/year which comes out to be an hour a week. While Americans perhaps contribute the most in volunteering in NGOs compared to the rest of the world, the statistic can easily change from 1 hour / week to 1 hour / day (perhaps excluding weekends and holidays). There is one more great benefit out of this. The average Joe will start working for the good of everyone for the first time in his life and find that it is not bad after all - I'm one average Joe saying this. There are other benefits from volunteering like finding new friends, developing new skills etc.which you can read elsewhere on the net.

When Mahatma Gandhi asked Indians under Imperialism to boycott foreign clothes, he didn't just leave them naked - he brought in the Khadi handloom movement that employed the Indians who made their own clothes to be really independent.

Give an option to pay the taxes or do community service - some will choose the taxes while others will choose community service but in both the cases, the country made up of these same people will move in the right direction.

My work life - 3 session slots filled, 4 still unclear

There are 3 targets I want to reach in my work life based on employer needs satisfaction, time spent on work and my earning. Having a target is very important, otherwise one doesn't have a direction and also wouldn't know when to stop the struggle and go on cruise mode.

Actually, I'm not that good at executive functioning skills - depression had severely damaged my skills. First it was the depression and then later, focusing on spirituality didn't really help developing those skills directly - Shri Krishna didn't teach Arjuna how to shoot an arrow straight; He only taught how to keep the mind steady to keep the hands steady. Shri Krishna didn't teach it because it wasn't necessary to teach Arjuna something he already was a master of. While only a few people can claim to be the master in his or her area (Sachin Tendulkar for instance), the rest of us can still hope to glean some techniques from His advice even though it is not the correct way. The correct way is to approach the Gurus in the different areas and not come to Shri Krishna every-time like a kid coming to the mother when harassed by some bullies.

I have taken some IQ tests and also some tests that are dependent on IQ, which all indicates that I'm smarter than 60 - 75 % of the people. It's not bad but neither is it something to be exhilarated about - someone with a 80% IQ can consistently beat me don in Chess. But it doesn't matter since for all losers, there is always some compensation - if you don't have a high IQ you can have high EQ or a BQ (Beauty Quotient...don't waste time searching for it) etc.

What Shri Krishna gives is a wrapper which encapsulates the skill-sets that one has. I had once been a bright student and could make a good career for myself by getting good marks in school. Shri Krishna doesn't have to teach me that. But the depression had retarded and blunted my brain. Add to it a wrong interpretation that I sometimes gave to the scriptures that emptied all desires of wealth. And add to it the plain laziness which I masked as spiritual disinterest.

My initial target was to reach a 40 hour / week work period. By this, I mean that I'm going to sit at my comp for the said period whether I work or not. . .under the condition that I will not be sleeping, browsing, chatting etc. The website Mood Gym or Mind Gym gave a good advice for procrastinators. . .if you can't do something useful, do nothing. The point is. . .don't believe that you are working when you are actually spending time in entertainment. The good thing is that the body gets adjusted to this austere measure. This is Tapas, the 1st requirement in success in Kriya Yoga (the other two are Svadhyaya (Self-study) and Ishwara Pranidhana (giving the results to God))

I can presently do a session each of Pathanjali Yoga, learning and voluntary service. By Pathanjali Yoga, I hope to tame my mind. It also must be carefully done - otherwise, it can kill me. I'm subscribing to some lifehacks and this is my learning. Just like how I read a chapter of Bhagavad Gta, I'm going to read those productivity posts. First I thought that I should read on my domain, then later thought that I can learn domain knowledge from experience -- but this -- lifehacks, will sharpen my stunted brain. The voluntary service is mutually beneficial and so I cannot really call it a service - I get practice out of it. So there I have 3 slots filled for the day which trains me on my Attitude, Knowledge and Skill. While these things don't make money for me directly, it will improve my work quality and so I can charge more. The other 4 hour slots, the ones where I earn money, is still unclear. It's not like I cannot do a project - I can get things done on a project, for once, in a haphazard manner -- but it will not be sustainable. I have got to get into a routine that is self-sustaining. I hope to take 1 day per week off. That makes it 42 hours - more than what is necessary.

I'm getting there.

Thanks

9/11

Some people want to remember 9/11 from solidarity with the victims. My opinion is this. . .you cannot forget it unless you have learned from it but once you have learned from it, it's better to archive it in the memory and focus on what is good in the present moment.

Another Day in Paradise - 7 tablets more to go

I try to do a lot of extra-ordinary things and under-perform in more down-to-earth things. At the end of the day, I ask myself, "Arvind. . .what are you really up to?". . .I have no answer.

Sweet-heart

I don't mind if you are as flat as a carrom-board or if you cannot behave like a lady always but the girl for me is someone with whom I have some chemistry, someone who can allow me to remember Archana, someone who can forgive me unconditionally for having been a shameless-flirt and someone whom destiny decides for me.

Making and Dedicating Merit

(This is a repost from somewhere else. I wanted to get these ideas clarified and one way is to explain it to someone.)

Merit and sin both come from Karma and are to be reduced to zero, which is when liberation happens. It's easy to understand why sin is to be avoided since it results in pain at some point later. But why should one have zero merit? Aren't we supposed to do good?

Having a merit means one has to enjoy it. When one enjoys, one breaks -off temporarily from the divine. Suppose a musician has been practicing out of love of music and has mastered it. When the audience hears the music, they will tend to praise, which will prevent him or her from enjoying and focusing on the skillful practice of music that may even bring down his or her performance. Thus, any merit is a hindrance to Nirvana or Liberation. Does it mean that one shouldn't do any good work?

Obviously not. We know from common-sense that we are goaded or forced to do good. The explanation is that one should do good but dedicate all the results to the divine. This begs a question - if one gives everything off, then what does one have? Why would anyone want to work for no benefit?

The subtle truth is that one is also a part and parcel of the divine and so when one dedicates all actions, one gives it to himself or herself also a little - and - when other beings do a similar thing, they also contribute towards the one. You can protest - I understand that doing good will help me but where will I get the energy to do activities. . .I just want to sleep or cannot help procrastinating?

Tell me - what happens to the energy that comes from digesting the food that you eat? You cannot presently find energy because that energy has been wasted away in vain activities. The trick is to do all those activities that you previously engaged in but channel it towards the divine in some way. For example, developing a website can be your hobby but instead of making a website on whatever theme that catches your fancy, you can create one for a NGO helping out the needy. You can still protest - this is alright for those who have food to eat in the first place.

You can't help eating - can you? Either you want to eat from taste or cannot stand the hunger and have to hunt for food.  When you do this, you are contributing towards decreasing the Global Warming since the energy from the sun that you received through the plants and animals that ate the plants is now spent on creating harmony rather than increasing chaos. When you work like this, there is neither a lack of energy nor an unhealthy accumulation of it but it flows through you as you experience the joy of it.

Such good works have the advantage that there is not as much resistance to it from other people as is there in selfish actions which is frustrated by obstacles from competition. The efforts are repaid in full and gets cumulatively added even if done in small increments. The process is sustainable since with every action, along with the fruit comes the habit to do it again easily (the concept of Stigmergy).

While being enlightened on this truth may be instantaneous, the change in the lifestyle takes time since it requires a complete rewiring of one's brain. It takes a great deal of patience to shift from the vicious cycle to the virtuous cycle - a shift from the purgatory hell to an eternal heaven.

Fear not

For whomsoever it may concern

You have got to try harder than trying to frame me by sending fake email from my account. Your time is running out.

P.S. - I'm not right in the head, yet. Pity you, not you...ah, you! won't be there to see me right in the head.

9 tables to go. . .

One table reserved for each tablet. ???

<_>

My Gad!!!

FlyLady TV

Back to basics

I experiment with many techniques in my job. Sometimes I believe that I have found the ultimate panacea for all my work related ills and I become temporarily happy (always optimistic that this time it's going to work). And when it doesn't wok 100%, I go back to basics. So now too, I'm going back to basics of working by saying Krishna Unakke Preethi before I do anything. It's like...one tries out great systems like GTD and finally believes that, for some, a pen and paper solves problems better.

Delhi blast suspect sketch

Please read this with the 99.97% healthy mind of mine in the perspetive i.e. I can be wrong.

I seem to recognize the 1st guy (the thin one). I have seen a guy like him a few times around the Elliots Beach, Besant Nagar and in my area, Thiruvanmiyur. It's not an exact match - the guy I had seen didn't have a beard, had more of white hair and he seemed a little older, perhaps between 45 - 55, whereas the guy in the image seems to be 30 - 45 years old. Ofcourse, a beard can be removed and getting the exact age captured in a sketch is difficult. The point that I want to make is that the eyes that is staring at me from the image and the high cheek-bones ring a bell in my mind. Of course, many people can have such resemblances.
Elliots Beach has CCTV, for your information.

I have wondered when a blast or serial blasts will occur at Chennai, specifically in an area like the Elliots beach.

To B

I think I understanda little but it's alot complicatedasperhaps Elknows.

Thank you, FlyLady!

Eureka!: This exclamation is most famously attributed to the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes; he reportedly proclaimed "Eureka!" when he stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose—he suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged. This meant that the volume of irregular objects could be measured with precision, a previously intractable problem. He is said to have been so eager to share his realisation that he leapt out of his bathtub and ran through the streets of Syracuse naked. (Courtesy: www.wikipedia.com)

Scarf (again)

 Actually these are supposed to be my work hours and so I shouldn't really be blogging. But I thought I will just leave a note.

So Scarf it is.

S - Scope management
C - Case analysis is one of the most general and applicable methods of analytical thinking, depending only on the division of a problem, decision or situation into a sufficient number of separate cases. Analysing each such case individually may be enough to resolve the initial question. (from wikipedia)
A - Ask and you shall receive (from a guy who roamed around 2011 years back.)
R - ROTE
F - Feedback

Ofcourse CMS is implicitly understood.

Scarf is clear to me. Now, I have got to Concentrate, Meditate and get into Samadhi on Scarf. On a scale of 1 to 8, I have scaled the 5th level and now stepping onto the 6th level (with occasional twitchings and tremors in my body). May all the beings in the universe be in harmony with me as I reach towards perfection in work. And, I have thrown out of the window the idea of being a Guru and writing professionally (I will likely still complete the novel that I have started as an amateur writer).

11 more tablets to go

I don't know what difference it will make after 11 days when I no longer take the tablet. I doubt if it will be a major difference but still it will be a subtle difference to me and whoever is around me. It will be a major milestone...perhaps...the most major milestone of my recovery. Going from 99.99% alright to 100.00% alright involves a small difference but still it is a moment to celebrate. By 100.00% alright, I don't mean to say anything like perfection or Nirvana. I will still be making mistakes but they will not be grave ones that requires damage control. These days, I'm almost alright but taking a tablet produces some side-effects. I don't think there will be any major event during these days, positive or negative. Actually, it's funny. I'm not getting alright in a grand way in a moment by the waving of a magic wand but that the development is so quiet and boring, almost imperceptible, so subtle that I have to go back down memory lane to compare how I was and how I'm now.

I'm clubbing Vishnu Sahasranama and Pathanjali Yoga. When I was using the "Krishna Unakke Preethi" mantra in Pathanjali Yoga, I was telling myself that it helps me in Karma Yoga. That the Vishnu Sahasranama also involves Dhyana or meditation made me uncomfortable. I was thinking...why am I doing 2 times the meditation? Add it to do that the chanting of the Dvaya mantra. Then I thought...why not just do the first 5 steps of Pathanjali Yoga as it is and use the Vishnu Sahasranama for the next 3 steps. Doing it like this is a bit new since the recommended length of the mantra for meditation is short generally - not something which lasts for half an hour. Still, there's no reason why it shouldn't be done like that and so I'm doing.

I was reading today the 4th chapter of the Gita and there it was mentioned that the wisdom sacrifice was the best and suddenly I got a new meaning into that verse. Till now, I was interpreting that verse from the point of the disciple - a disciple has to be willing to sacrifice his or her useless knowledge for the better knowledge. And today, I looked at it from the point of view of a Guru or a learned person - he or she shares his or her wisdom. I then thought...let me share whatever knowledge I have through the website (not this one). Actually, I have tried a few times to do it but left it for want of real direction.

I really don't know if this is a wise decision but I plan to devote my work life to wisdom, knowledge and faith. Wisdom through a website, knowledge through web development job and faith through my writing. Brahmins in the old days had 3 ways of earning money - being a Guru, scientist or priest. I can be a Guru, though I would be hard-pressed to find a disciple willing to take me seriously :D I believe that I have valuable knowledge in me, kind of like how Bheeshma was, when He gave the Vishnu Sahasranama. Ofcourse, I'm really not comparinf myself with Him and that's why I have used the words 'kind of'. Moreover, I believe that I have been fortunate to live near a society like the Theosophical Society which gives access to esoteric Wisdom. Web development is no problem as long as it is for an hour or two. I cannot be a priest but I can still do something that a priest is supposed to do - instill faith. By faith, I don't mean a faith in God alone but take it in the broadest definition. Writing on faith would bring some meaning and utility to my novel than just a passionate time-pass.

I'm fashioning these jobs based on what a Brahmin is supposed to do. Some people will immediately start frowning if anything is done in the name of caste. Being a Brahmin has no real advantage than others if one really understands the scriptures. A Cobbler can get the same Nirvana that a Brahmin gets by being a better Cobbler. It's funny to read forums in the internet where foreigners, interested in converting to Hinduism, ask...which caste will I be if I convert to Hinduism? Let me make a few points briefly...1) All the 4 castes have come from God 2)Every caste can reach God by being devoted to his or her work 3) A Sudra might clean the toilet but a Brahmin has to use the cow's dung in doing the Yajna 4) I believe that there are 3 factors deciding which caste a person is fitted to be - the caste he or she was born into, the environmental forces that has shaped him or her during the growing up period and perhaps the present situation...I don't know. So it can be that someone who is born a Brahmin, like a cousin of mine, might be living the life of a non-Brahmin (my cousin unfortunately lost both his parents at a tender age and had to survive with whatever options he had, like eating non-veg, drinking liquor etc. I don't mean to say that someone who is eating meat or drinking cannot be have Brahmin's nature. He or she can but it will not be full. There is nothing wrong in eating meat if you are a Ksattriya and need to defend yourself physically. Or drink a peg of wine for health reasons or otherwise weekly or monthly as long as you don't go overboard. I'm really not trying to be apologetic or supportive of the caste system. The caste system has it's pluses and minuses. It is amazing for me to see how the power hierarchy was kept in balance so that no caste really dominated. The Brahmana is respected the most but the rule of law is not his o her hands - it is the domain of the Ksattriya. And a Ksattriya knows that all of his or her power cannot stand before the non-violent strength of a Brahmana. When I say Brahmana or Ksattriya, I'm talking about those in the old times who lived up to their ideals - not the pseudo-ones these days. But even in the old days, there were pseudo-ones and caste fights were ubiquitous. The point is...it's not what caste that one is which matters but how true one is towards his or her responsibilities that matters. Someone like the musician Ilayaraja, born as a Non-Brahmin, is a maestro who can make any Carnatic Brahmin musician to eat the humble pie. Again, I'm not equating greatness of the soul with talent. Ilayaraja might very will be a scoundrel in real life (I once heard that his wife ran away with some other guy) but he shows the intellectual capacity of a Brahmin. On the other hand, as I mentioned earlier, my cousin is a Brahmin and while he has a good heart, he doesn't really show any intellect. And intellect, physical strength etc. doesn't really matter as long as one has good integrity. Dharma might be different for the different castes but it is his or her own Dharma that really saves someone.

After 11 days, I don't think I will be taking time to explain why it is alright for a Brahmin to do the work of a Brahmin. The unfortunate lengthy explanation of the previous paragraph is one such instance of the side-effects of taking the tablet.

???Buffoon???

I don't know what the world thinks of me. Some, and I mean my old friends and relative, must be thinking I have become eccentric. Those who know me recently would probably be thinking that I'm some extreme joke with periods of normalcy in-between. I don't think that there is anyone I have not p.ssed on voluntarily. More than me being a creepy angry personality, I make it a point that those around me play the game of life fair and square. I make the king or queen of a lay(wo)man and the next moment, I make sure that it doesn't get into their heads. This is the same treatment that I give myself. I might become more like-able in future.

...and the journey continues...

Arvy's search for meaning

A big sorry to my managers for spoiling the sleep. I think reading this wouldn't be as bad as you think. You may even like it.

You may have already guessed where I stole the blog title from. Or atleast seen it when I search now. It comes from Viktor Frankl's ''Man's search for meaning".

My world radar tells me that all is fine and that there is peace, quiet and cool atmosphere in my world. Wondering how I got the info? No, not from any hired service but rather from the source within. . .I'm talking about my body. My body is peaceful, quiet and cool. Look at it this way. . .any problem out there gets reflected in our body. If we can see someone anxious, we become anxious as well. If someone is restless out there, a part of our body starts twitching. Maybe these aren't really a good proof but I'm really not in a mood to explain everything.

Does that mean that all the problems are gone when I feel so peaceful, quiet and cool. Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that my world is becoming almost alright. But there are as many worlds as there are souls. Your world is different from mine. You are at the center of your world just as I'm at the center of my world. You are like one of the planets circling around the sun in my world just like I'm one of the planets circling around the sun in your world. There is however only one universe. If you want to know who is at the center of that universe, try connecting the dots of the different suns (souls) in the different worlds. Unclear? Don't worry, it's unclear to me as well.

I wanted to write about being pro-active. If there are some apples in the tree and you are hungry, you can either wait for them to fall down - or - you can go get them. There was a point in my recovery from depression when I started realizing that the obstacles that I was facing were imaginary or which existed because I contributed to it in some way. All I had to do was, do the limited number of things to get out of the rut. I'm 2 weeks away from being off my depression medicine, forever. While I didn't keep up the appointment with my doctor for the past two months since the previous one left the hospital and it was difficult to explain everything to the new one to get the right dosage, I have my reasons for ending the drug intake. I'm doing Pathanjali Yoga, which controls the mind and thus my psychotic thoughts as well. I'm also planning to limit the time I do my web development stuff since it's more of a right-brained rational activity. As a concrete proof, my body, as I mentioned earlier, including my head, is cool. One more reason is that I have been progressively decreasing my dosage and so this time also, it's a gradual decrease. but this time to zero. Anyway, the point I want to make is, when you are at the penultimate stage of getting out of whatever problem you are in life, you won't be having any real obstacles but it will also be true that things will not fall into your lap. In Chess analogy, suppose you are materially up (which at the Grandmasters level is the difference between victory and defeat), you don't waste your time trying to gain more pieces or get into a better position - you just go for the standard end-game moves and it is likely that the opponent will concede (or you can bring it to an indecent check-mate). The funny thing is that you will find your last opponent as your ego.

BTW, I cannot help mentioning that the Jews, who are supposed to be the chosen people, are today like an out-caste in the world. Today's Jews are fighting the same people who once liberated them. Viktor Frankl will be turning in his grave. Jews need to realize that the world or nature isn't always condescending - you only have to look at the Tsunami and Earthquake that Japan has had recently - you would expect that nature would never ever hurt the Japanese after the Atom bomb. The Japanese are wise enough to pacify the nature and one would expect the Jews to be smart enough to pacify the world - their world (as against my world or any Tom, Dick and Harry Potter's world).