To a new start...

In the southern part of India the practice of celebrating of ages 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 : Someone once asked me the Reason.... “Why do we celebrate ages like 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 so grandly? Are these numbers spiritual, or are they just cultural traditions?” The answer lies in a powerful story from the Mahabharata—the story of King Yayati.... King Yayati lived life to the fullest—power, pleasures, success, everything. But when old age suddenly arrived, it shook him deeply. After deep reflection, he realized a profound truth: “Pleasure has limits, but desire never ends.” This single realization transformed his life. He accepted old age and explained that life has five inner turning points—not based on age, but on understanding. Remarkably, these five turning points align with the traditional Indian milestones of 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 years. Let us understand them in simple terms. 60 – Shashti The mind shifts from accumulation to understanding Around 60, something changes—not in th...

Long ago, at a small oasis on the edge of the Silk Road, there lived a young cloth seller named Karim. His family was very poor. They lived in a small tent with only a few rolls of rough cloth woven by his father’s hands. Beside the long caravans loaded with spices, silk, and gold that crossed the desert day after day, Karim’s little stall looked like a tiny speck in the sea of sand – something most merchants passed by without even noticing. One day, a large caravan from the West arrived at the oasis. The camels’ backs were bent under chests of precious goods: glittering glass, shining silver, and the rich scent of expensive spices Karim had never even dreamed of. Heart pounding, Karim picked up the finest roll of cloth his father had ever woven and walked toward the caravan leader. “Sir,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking, “this is the best fabric my family has. If you buy it, we can live through the whole winter.” The leader took the cloth, glanced at it once, and curled...

He wrote that life is meaningless—then won the Nobel Prize and died three years later with an unused train ticket in his pocket. January 4, 1960. Albert Camus was riding in his publisher's fancy Facel Vega sports car, heading back to Paris after the holidays. In his briefcase was an unused train ticket—he had planned to take the train but accepted a ride at the last moment. The car hit a tree at high speed. Camus died instantly. He was 46 years old. The unused ticket became a symbol of the absurdity he'd spent his life writing about: the universe's complete indifference to our plans, our intentions, our very existence. But before that moment, Camus had lived a life that proved his philosophy: when faced with a meaningless universe, we must create meaning through how we choose to live. He was born in 1913 in Algeria, so poor that his family couldn't afford to bury his father properly. Lucien Camus had died at the Battle of the Marne in 1914, when Albert was barely a year...

“Teacher, I’ve read so many books… but I’ve forgotten most of them. So what’s the point of reading?” That was the question of a curious student to his Master. The teacher didn’t answer. He just looked at him in silence. A few days later, they were sitting by a river, suddenly, the old man said: “I’m thirsty. Bring me some water… but use that old strainer lying there on the ground.” The student looked confused. It was a ridiculous request. How could anyone bring water in a strainer full of holes? But he didn’t dare argue. He picked up the strainer and tried. Once. Twice. Over and over again… He ran faster, angled it differently, even tried covering holes with his fingers. Nothing worked. He couldn’t hold a single drop. Exhausted and frustrated, he dropped the strainer at the teacher’s feet and said: “I’m sorry. I failed. It was impossible.” The teacher looked at him kindly and said: “You didn’t fail. Look at the strainer.” The student glanced down… and noticed something. The old, dark, ...

1. The Empty Chair A man always kept an empty chair at his dinner table. When asked why, he said, "It reminds me to stay humble, there's always someone missing who taught me something." Message: Gratitude keeps you grounded, even when people are gone. 2. The Broken Clock A clock in a poor man's house stopped working, yet he refused to fix it.  "Twice a day, it still shows the truth." he smiled. Message: Even broken things have value if you choose to see it. 3. The Old Tree A child once asked a dying tree, "Are you sad you're falling?"  The tree whispered, "I gave shade, I gave fruit, I gave life- I am complete." Message: Life feels full only when you give, not when you keep. 4. The Sand and Stone Two friends fought. One wrote on sand: "He hurt me." Later, the same friend saved his life and he carved into stone: "He saved me." Message: Write hurts in sand, carve kindness in  stone.

The Secret of Life A father used to tell his kids when they were little: “When each of you turns twelve, I’ll share the secret of life.” One day, when the oldest finally turned twelve, he nervously asked his dad, “So what’s the secret?” His father leaned in and said, “I’ll tell you, but you can’t share it with your brothers yet. Ready?  Here it is: Cows don’t give milk.” “What do you mean?” the boy asked, confused. “You heard me. A cow doesn’t just give you milk—you have to earn it. You have to get up at 4 a.m., walk through the barnyard, step in manure, tie the cow’s tail, secure her legs, sit on the stool, put the bucket underneath… and do the work yourself. That’s the secret: cows don’t give milk. You either milk her—or you go without.” The father paused and continued: “See, there’s a whole generation that thinks cows give milk. That things just come to them automatically, for free. Their mindset is, I want, I ask, I get. They’re used to getting whatever they want the easy way. ...