Health Tips

Four Levels of Humanity

SELFLESSNESS: INHERENT IN OUR DESIGN

Is ‘selflessness’ the basic feature of this creation? Well, facts and observations clearly support this truth. If we throw a glance on this Nature, we find the beautiful melodies of selflessness pulsating in its every fibre. Look at the sun. It shines for all, provides life and growth for all without demanding anything in return. A tree generously offers its shade and sweet fruits to whosoever comes to it. A flower spends its entire life to fill our lives with fragrance. A river flows relentlessly just to quench the thirst of living beings by offering its sweet waters. The air doles out life-giving oxygen for the sake of survival of one and all. Such is the design of Mother Nature, which symbolizes selflessness as its core feature.

It’s not Mother Nature alone. Selflessness constitutes the basic trait of mankind as well. It is said that human beings are genetically designed to be selfless. Not only does anthropology (social science) say so, but research too supports the same. Though we are designed to be selfless, and we may also see this feature being expressed at some instance in varying degrees, but one the whole, we seem to be drastically losing on this aspect in our everyday life. Nature has kept intact its basic nature of selflessness, but man seems to have lost it. Today, the philosophy of ‘I, me and mind’ dominates the world. These have become the buzzwords of the time, with everyone treading the road of selfishness. Unlike the grammar rule, which says that ‘I’ should be positioned at last, today ‘I’ is so very dear to us that we cannot think even in our dreams of shifting its placement anywhere else except the first one.

in reference to the context of selflessness, we can categories people on four scales or levels. These four categories can also be represented on a number line of selflessness as shown in Fig. A:

a. THE NEGATIVE LEVEL OF 
SELFLESSNESS: INHUMANLY SELFISH

            This category includes those who believe in gaining at the cost of making loss to others; who look for their own comfort by bringing discomfort to others; who look for their own delight at the cost of hurting others; who aim at progressing by kicking and killing others.

            For this set of specifications, if you are asked to choose for this category an appropriate model of negotiation from the 4 models as shown in Fig. B, then perhaps there won’t be any ambiguity or delay in answering the correct option.

            It is clear that the philosophy of such people resonates with the policy of ‘You Lose, I Win.’ And, sadly, this is what is becoming everyone’s philosophy today. Shocking statistics of frauds and scams speak aloud of this bitter truth. According to the Financial Fraud Research Center, more than 30 million consumers are defrauded every year. An average of $1.2 million is lost for every workplace fraud committed. In retail frauds alone, the annual cost is over $400 billion. 77% of frauds within companies are not publically reported upon detection. If one attempts to list the types of frauds, the list would perhaps have no limits. Medicare frauds, Insurance frauds, Business trading frauds, Employment frauds, Mortgage frauds, and so no. The common headlines today are: so and so agent ran away with all the money of his clients: an insurance company proved to be fake one, with its owners looting away the hard-earned money of gullible masses; money from ATMs got stolen away, and likewise.

            In the guise of providing service to others, this kind of people actually fulfil their selfish motives. This mentality can be aptly cited through the following incidence:

A car was swiftly and smoothly covering one stretch of the road after another. However, suddenly it met some hiccups, where after it stopped with a sharp jerk. The person driving the car came out and found the tyre of his car being punctured and also stuck in a deep hole. The hole probably went unnoticed by him as it laid covered with some dry leaves and mud. Confused, tensed and seemingly helpless, the man somehow tried to push the car to bring the tyre out of the hole. But, his efforts fell short measure. With a dire call of help from within, he surveyed in all directions. To his great relief, he saw a small tent enclosure nearby, wherein two persons were sitting and talking to each other. He approached them and sought for their help. Those two men instantly got up to look into the matter. They did the needful and finally the car was ready to cover its further journey. The car owner thanked them again and again and offered them some money for their great help. Just before sitting in the car, he happened to ask them, “What do both of you do?” The two men looked at each other and then with a cunning smile on their faces, replied, “We do what we did for you…..After you leave from here, we will prepare the hole again for the next car to get stuck and punctured, so that we can offer the same kind of help to him as well!”

In a nutshell, by hook or crook, by plunging others into the ditch of loss, pain and harm, such people seek for their benefit and pleasure.

b. ZERO LEVEL OF SELFLESSNESS:

INDIVIDUALLY SELFISH

This category includes those who are focused on their growth, their profit, their comfort, but not with the mindset of hurting others. For such people, the whole world shrinks to ‘I’, shutting off everyone else from their zone of concern. They are least bothered about anyone else, and their whole sole motive of existence is restricted to just one person, i.e. they themselves!

However, great wise men have always discouraged this kind of selfish mentality. Once, someone asked Socrates, "Sir, why do you ask everyone who comes to you to become your disciple to first look into the pond and tell what he sees?,' Socrates replied, "Because through this, I get to know what he cares for the most."

Inquisitive: But, how do you do that?

Socrates: On looking inside the pond, those who say that they see the whole pond, the fish swimming around, the other creatures, the plants, etc., I accept them. But, those who say they see their own reflection, to them, I ask to go... because they indirectly intend to say that they are in love with their own self and have no concern for others. And, selfish people have no place here.

The same was the message given by Shri Ramalrishna Paramahansa. When Narendra (who later became Swami Vivekananda) expressed his desire to go into the state of samadhi and remain deluged in that ecstatic state, his Master, Shri Ramakrishna rebuked him outright by saying, "Narendra, how can you be so selfish! I thought that you would serve the suffering masses, awaken them by giving the message of Truth and save the dying humanity. But, you seem to be concerned only about your own happiness! This kind of behavior is not expected out of you, Narendra!"

c. POSITIVE LEVEL OF SELFLESSNESS:

LIMITEDLY SELFLESS

This section comprises of those people, ho circle of concern extends beyond themselves to include their family, the near and dear ones, and the spread may expand to include society and/or their nation at large.

This expression of selflessness bears the support of several evidences. For instance, we see that parents think for their children before themselves. The problems and pain of children become the problems and pain of the parents themselves as they care for them and are deeply concerned about their well-being. Expanding further, the attribute of selflessness may increase wherein one feels the pain of the people living in his society. Such people follow the practice of serving their fellow-beings as a gesture of their selfless attitude. Undoubtedly, this kind of gesture is much appreciated and represents a higher level of altruism. And, then there is also the uppermost stage in this category, when the level of selflessness rises even higher, to bring in one's periphery of concern the whole nation. They are the ones who love their country to the extent that for them, the definition of life becomes serving their nation.

The great freedom fighters who lived and died for the sake of their country are classic examples in this regard. Popularly known as 'the Father of the Nation', Mahatma Gandhi used to say that, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” His incidents of raising voice against the British and standing for the welfare of the people of his country are well known. Seeing his deep concern and untiring work for the people of his country, once someone asked him the reason as to why he did so much for others? Mahatma Gandhi's reply was, “It is not for others. I am here to serve myself only, to find my own self-realisation through the service of others.”

Two weeks before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. made a wonderful remark in his speech, “Nobel Prize doesn't make one great, but selfless service does. And, everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”  His words were not tall talks; instead they were the expressions of his own identity. Martin Luther fought against racial prejudice, was jailed along with a large number of his supporters, organised demonstrations and marches even though he met with a lot of criticism. But still, he did not stop his efforts despite the constant threat of

death.

Though this category scores far more than the earlier ones, yet it cannot be designated as the ultimate expression of selflessness as it bears constraints of being bounded and/or expectation of having something in return. For instance, parents, no doubt, look after their children with utmost level of care and concern. Yet, apparently or subtly, their concern is backed by some kind of expectation from their children. Similarly, those following the principle of serving their society/nation might also have some subtle expectation of return for their service, be it in the form of praise, rewards or other expressions of honouring the merit. And, if not, then also the spread of their selflessness remains bounded in the lines of their society or country.

Thus, there is yet another level on the scale of selflessness, which is the highest expression of altruism that is tending towards infinity

Faith in God

The Holy Bible brings to us an inspiring incidence from the life of Moses. The Lord instructed Moses to lead his people and leave Egypt. Not knowing the way ahead, but with firm faith in the Lord, Moses left with his people. The Lord gave him a pillar of cloud to follow in the daytime. However, when night approached, there was again no clarity as to which direction to follow. Times were tough and directions were unclear. But, still faith was clear and firm. Responding to the steadfast faith of his disciple, the Lord then gave them a pillar of fire to follow. Moses again traced the route as directed by the Lord. However, more tests awaited him. Following the path as shown by the Lord, all of a sudden, Moses along with his people landed in a situation where there were deep waters of the Red Sea ahead and Pharaoh’s army behind, marching to kill them! In such a state of affairs, it is easy for a person’s faith to suffer from shakiness and it may even collapse. But Moses had firm foundations of total faith and surrender in the feet of the God. Moses waited for the Lord’s guidance while his people cried out, “Moses! Did you bring us to face this kind of fate?” But, Moses’ confident reply was, “Don’t be afraid! Stand firm. Have faith in God. He has guided us till now and will definitely guide us further. In His guidance alone is our well being.”

            And, the disciple’s firm faith in the Lord was again rewarded. With the inspiration from the Lord, Moses reached his hand out over the Red Sea. And, lo! To everyone’s surprise, God pushed the waters aside and the sea got divided into two halves by the mighty wind. Huge walls of water stood on their sides and everyone walked through the parted sea. Each step they took did not drown them; instead it made them land upon a dry ground. The whole night they walked. With every step, they became more and more surprised to see how the Lord’s grace was saving them; while, with every step, Moses’ faith in the Lord also jumped leaps and bounds and touched great heights. The Pharaoh’s army, on the other hand, got drowned into the sea with their chariots crushed into pieces. Meanwhile, God again instructed Moses to reach his hand over the sea. Moses obeyed the Lord’s command and the parted sea merged again.

As you sow, so shall you reap

          “As you sow, so shall you reap.” It’s a very common wise-saying that we may have heard right from our childhood. As we grow and mature, we get indulged in the materialistic world full of rivalry and jealousy, ingratitude and infamy. We tend to forget the very gist of this well-heard and simplest rule of nature. Blaming others for our  sorrows and problems and considering all our achievements creditworthy becomes a common practice. We forget that life is merely a reaction to our actions.

          Most of us believe that unless we do something wrong, we do not earn bad karma and hence, should not be exposed to sufferings and sorrows. What we are unaware of is the fact that, even our thoughts and words have an equally forceful impact on our destiny as our actions. A human’s intentions, utterances and actions at present are the foundation stone for designing his future.

          To believe that others are responsible for your sufferings and sorrows is a big falsehood. Lord Krishna has himself promised in the Bhagawad Gita that all the forces of this world put together cannot do us any harm if we don’t deserve it.

          Sometimes we feel that the nice and noble suffer in this world, while the crooked and cunning ones prosper, having full accessibility and right to a luxurious and happy life. This might be a possibility at some point of time because all our karmas do not yield an immediate reaction; but, for sure, they do bear fruit in the due course of time. In the end, God promises a bright future for the good and a dark one for the evil. Our sufferings today are undoubtedly a result of our past doings that can be undone only by keeping good intentions, uttering good words and doing good deeds inexhaustibly. Maintaining a firm, unshakable, immovable faith in God is an essential part of recovery process. Once we start walking on the right path, we are bound to be rewarded with happiness and pleasures of life in the coming future.

          According to the sacred Hindu text, Garuda Purana, “A calf has the capability to follow and find out its mother in a herd of thousands of cows. Similarly, doings of a man (karmas) in one birth follow him till any next birth, until they bear fruit.” Brahama Vaivatra Purana also says, “Millions and billions may pass trillions of times, but the doings of a man chase him out for sure.”

          An interesting episode in the great epic of Mahabharata further clarifies how often we summon the uninvited, unwanted sufferings on ourselves by committing an unintentional sin. After the historic battle of Mahabharata was over, Lord Krishna decided to take into account the repercussions of the war. Feeling pain towards Gandhari, the mother who had lost not less but a hundred sons in the ruthless war, Lord Krishna decided to pay her a visit for consoling her deep wounds. Instead of being grateful towards the merciful Lord, Gandhari chose to blame Him for all the destruction in her life. Holding the Lord himself responsible for the entire catastrophic war, she told Lord Krishna that only if He would have wanted, he could have saved her from the pain of her sons getting killed one after the other. With all her anger and sorrow, she exploded like volcano and started mortifying the glory of Shri Krishna with her poisonous words. The inconsolable mother told Lord Krishna that He is actually unaware of the agony caused by the destruction of one’s lineage before one’s own eyes. As her venomous words kept digging deeper into her distressful woes, she ended up casting a devastating curse on Lord Krishna. She cursed Him, “All your progeny will fight among themselves till the last one is dead and this havoc will take place in front of your own eyes, with You standing as a helpless, powerless viewer.”

          Merciful tears flooded down the Lord’s eyes. Gandhari, proud of her revenge, asked Him scornfully, “So now You do seem to understand the ache of losing the near and dear ones.” As humble as possible, the Lord replied, “Mother, you have suffered this terrible grief as a result of your own karmas in the present and previous births and not because of may or anyone else’s wish. As far as my Yadukul is concerned, it had to suffer this very fate that you have just spoken about, because it was already destined. Now, by authoring this curse, you have made yourself a part of the pre-planned, impending destruction of the Yadukul. You had not yet succeeded in coming to terms with your previous karmas and you have dug yet another ditch for yourself. Now you are bound to bear the consequences for cursing the entire Yadu clan in your next birth or the next world.”

          Our sufferings as well as our achievements are a direct corollary of our own deeds. If we trust God and presume that He’s the one to administer pain and pleasure in our lives, then we must also know that He does give us the freedom to choose our own deeds in a given situation. Only on the basis of this independence of actions, He judges us and decides whether to reward us with pleasures or to make us suffer. If we really want to be happy, we have to prove ourselves to be worthy of it in the Lord’s eyes!

          When a child is born, the first thing it does is cry. All others greet the child into this world with a smile on their faces, but the child itself weeps. If this situation reverses at the time of his/her death, then it can be considered a truly accomplishing and satisfying journey. During the last moments of life, the person leaving the earth should have gratifying smile on the face and all others should be the ones shedding tears with the pain of his/her parting in their hearts.

          So the only mantra that seems to be workable in achieving a trouble-free life is, “Sow well and you can earn a right to reap the best!!”

(From a magazine Akhand Gyan April 2013 with thanks)

Mysterious Wonders of Nature

(From a magazine Akhand Gyan April 2013 with thanks)

You mentioned that this is the age of science. But, I would like to correct your statement. Prof. C.V. Raman, the scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, once addressing a big gathering said, "Maybe the twentieth century is the age of science, but the twenty-first century is going to be the age of scientific spirituality." His observations are a one hundred per cent perfect. The 21st century will not be able to do progress on the strength of science alone. At every step, it will have to take the support of spirituality. Science may come out with a number of inventions, it may make progress to the highest possible level, yet it will not be able to win over this mysterious world. Nature has in its womb a plethora of such extraordinary wonders, researching which the intelligence of the scientists proves to be kindergarten stuff. Their limited intellect is rendered clueless. Scientists are not able to devise any reasons or explanations for several incidents that happen in nature. Such things continue to be mysteries to the scientists.

          Do you know, in Austria, in the Tauern Mountain Range, there exists an amazing spring (waterfall)? Water flows through this spring continuously, but every day at 3:30 pm sharp, a rainbow emerges over it. The timing of the arrival of the rainbow is so accurate that people adjust the time of their watches accordingly.

          In Italy, there is an extraordinary water source. During winter, hot water emerges from it; it is so hot that one can see the clouds of vapours emerging out of it. On the other hand, during summer, its water is so cold that it freezes like the snow.

          In Tibet, there is an astonishing lake. The specialty about this lake is that its water remains salty for twelve years, while in the ensuing twelve years, it turns sweets. This has been happening for centuries.

          In Italy, near the region of Taranto, there is an ocean. All of us know ocean water is salty. But, from this ocean, a fountain emerges. This fountain sends shooters of white water. And, the amazing part is that this water is very sweet. Amidst an ocean of salty water, the fountain of sweet water! Is that not a wonder!

          In Avignon, there is a river by the name of Sorgue. On the bank of river, there is a giant fig tree. In the month of March every year, the level of water in the river automatically begins to rise. It is surprising that the water flows in the opposite direction; it goes from bottom to top, and the level keeps on rising, until it touches the fig tree. As soon as it touches the 'feet' of the big tree, the level begins to fall down, and reverts to the normal of March every year, touches the fig tree and then comes back to its original level! They are unable to find out any reason.

          In Ireland, there is a big lake. This lake is generally filled with water to brim. But sometimes, suddenly, its entire water gets drained. No one is able to unravel the mystery that how water in such a big quantity disappears in a flash and where does it go. In the place of water, only slush and mud remains. The scientists have been investigating this phenomenon for a long time, bur are unable to reach to any concrete conclusion.

          In this manner, there are several such examples, which prove that the known secrets of nature are much less as compared to the unknown ones. If we refer to a river in Korea, then, it is one such example, which the human intellect will perhaps never be able to understand. It is said that in the year 660 Ad, the King of China attacked that country, arrested the King and deported him to China. That dethroned King had 71 queens. Those queens decided to commit 'Johar' (a form of suicide). They all climbed a cliff beside the river, jumped into the river and committed suicide. 1400 years have elapsed since this incident took place. But, from the onwards, every year, near the river, 71 identical plants grow. In these plants, 71 flower buds appear simultaneously, and those buds turn into 71 flowers in an even time period. And on the same day when the 71 queens committed suicide, those flowers drop into the river on their own. Every year, thousands of tourists gather at the spot to view this wonder of nature. Along with the tourists, a number of scientists also reach the place, and perhaps return with the conviction that there are many hidden secrets of nature, which are beyond the reach of science.

          "Valley of Geysers," a narrow valley in Siberia, lends further support to the dilemma of the scientists. This valley was discovered in the year 1941. In the region, about 20 geysers have been identified from which jets of water in different colours spray forth. The wonderful aspect is that all these geysers spring in a regulated pattern, with a definite time interval; meaning, if a geyser springs forth in 10 minutes, then, it will repeat the performance in the fixed intervals of 10 minutes only. The biggest fountain in this valley is christened as "First Born." It emerges out of earth in every one hour, spraying water of different colours every time. When it springs, it gives shape to a huge pillar like structure touching the height of 40 feet. And, its showers engulf the area up to 500 feet. In the entire valley, where the rhythmic dance of these fountains creates an extraordinary ambience for the tourists, there it puzzles and confuses the scientists greatly. In fact, it further makes them aware of the limitations of their scientific knowledge.

          In the year 1896, in "Nature," the famous magazine of England, a renowned scientist W.S. Smith published his observations, which are worth mentioning here. He has written about a vast lake. No military base exists in the vicinity of this lake. But, after regular intervals, high decibel sounds of gun-firings are heard from the bosom of the lake. The scientist made several efforts to locate the source and reason of the sound of the guns. He contacted the local residents and the fishermen of the area. They also corroborated that they too hear such sounds, but they are unable to find out the reasons. Not only that, when the sound originates from the waters of the lake, no disturbance in the water takes place, not even waves originate on the surface of the water. Mr. Smith made several attempts to solve this mystery, but every time he was unsuccessful and returned disappointed.

          Similarly, there are many rivers, waterfalls, lakes, oceans on this earth whose existence and functioning is most mysterious. The water of some rivers is blue like the ink. Some are yellow in colour like the turmeric. The water of some waterfalls is sweet like honey and some waters are sour like lemon.

          On confronting such wonders, scientists have no scientific explanations to offer. They simply attempt to hide the limitations of their knowledge by asserting and dismissing them are rare exceptions for which there are no valid reasons. But, Arthur Koestler, in his book, "Roots of Coincidence," has made it equivocally clear that the functions of nature are very much according to a system of rules and regulations. That which we hail as coincidence, exceptions or miracles, are part of the rule or law, which our limited intellect is unable to comprehend. It may be possible to find answers to some of the secrets in the coming future. But, ever then, to find solutions to all the secrets and riddles of nature will be a tough option, in fact impossible!

          It is so because the intellect takes the support of science and the research of science is confined to the gross level (material things) of the world. For the investigation and realization of the total truth, we need to reach from the worldly to the divine, from the gross to the subtle, from the material to the non-material, from vision to dematerialization, and from the external to the direction of the inner world. Our seers-the super scientists, have termed this as the 'science of spirituality'. When we carry out the process of research and investigation by taking recourse to spirituality, we shall be able to solve all the mysteries of nature, with confidence and ease. Then, the Ocean of Milk (Ksheer Sager) as mentioned in the scriptures will not remain a figment of imagination. Instead, the reality of its existence will be experienced through our inner world.

Interreligious and Intercultural Unity

Temple is a 6 letter word,

Church is a 6 letter word,

Mosque is a 6 letter word

Geeta is a 5 letter word,

Bible is a 5 letter word,

Quran is a 5 letter word.

To be good and to do good that is the whole of religion.-------  Swami Vivekanand

Negative thinkers focus on problems.  Positive thinkers focus on solutions.

Try not to be a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. ---Einstein

The rains of God's mercy cannot gather on mountaintops of pride, but flow easily into the valleys of humbleness.

When you will leave your "I", you will be left with the biggest wealth of faith in the Universal Spirit!

Meditation trains the brain to be more present-focused and spend less time anticipating future negative events, thus reducing recurrence of depression which makes chronic pain considerably worse.

Any external pain making you distressed is more due to your own estimate of it, and you have the power to revoke it at any moment.

O Lord! Please tell me Thy will...and let Thy will be my will.

As you sow, so shall you reap. Sow well and you can earn a right to reap the best!

A calf has the capability to follow and find out its mother in a herd of thousands of cows. Similarly, doings of a man (karmas) in one birth follow him till any next birth, until they bear fruit. - Garuda Purana (A Sacred Hindu Text)

Millions and billions may pass trillions of times, but the doings of a man chase him out for sure. - Brahama Vaivatra Purana (A Sacred Hindu Text)

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. - St. Thomas Aquinas

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. - Mark Twain.

For the realization of the total truth, we need to reach from the worldly to the divine, from the gross to the subtle, from the material to the non-material, and from the external to the direction of the inner world.

Nobel Prize doesn't make one great, but selfless service does. And, everyone can be great because everyone can serve. - Martin Luther King Jr.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Gandhi

Art of Living

Human Personality:

A person is always in one of the following 3 states:

Lack: In this state, person is normally worried about his future needs and feels deprived of them. For example, he/she doesn’t have a house, material wealth, gentle partner, success or a healthy job. He may think how can he arrange money for the education of his children in future. He is said to be in  Lack (in Hindi ‘अभाव’).  
    

Influence: Here, in this state, person is influenced by others remarks (good or bad) or status and feels happy or sad accordingly. By this influence, he may create problems for himself. For eg. by looking the new valuable car of his neighbor, one may be willing to purchase a costly car, although his pocket doesn’t allow for that. A lady does not wear proper warm clothes in the winter marriage and may fall ill. He is in Influence (in Hindi ‘प्रभाव’).

Nature: Here, the person feels self-satisfied. He is said to be in his Nature (in Hindi ‘स्वभाव’). This is the state to be achieved by everybody.

-- Tapan Kumar Mishra (Art of Living)

Human Life:

Human life is structured like an atom. In atoms, at outer orbits, negative charge particles (electrons) are moving. In core, positive and neutral particles (protons and neutrons) exist. Similarly, in the outer world, we feel problems, worries and negative attitude everywhere. But if we develop an inner sight and observe deeply  then we realize the joy, enthusiasm, bliss and positive attitude. If we observe the human personality at the surface level only, we can find the weaknesses of a person. However, our inner sight can see the hidden source of virtues in each and every personality. Every human being is unique and can be transformed in such a way that he become useful for the society. For eg., at the time of Gautam Buddha, there was a cruel dacoit named as Anguli-maal. When Buddha changed his views, he became a wonderful propagandist of the Buddha. Similarly, a street-walker named Aamra-Pali did a great job to spread Buddhism.

Dr. Hinohara

At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world’s longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara’s magic touch is legendary. Since 1941 he has been healing patients at Sr. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke’s College of Nursing. After World War.-II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo, thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation’s top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75^th birthday, including one “Living Long, Living Good” that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself,

Dr. Hinohara says,

            Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It’s best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

            All people who live long regardless of nationality, race or gender share one thing in common: None are overweight…. For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies and rice.

            Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016, I’ll have some fun though, I plan to attend to Tokyo Olympics!

            There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 year old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100….Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.

            When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can’t cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine. To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.

            My inspiration is Robert Browning’s poem “Abt Vogler.” My father used to read it to me. It encourages us to make big art, not small scribbles. It says to try to draw a circle so huge that there is no way we can finish it while we are alive. All we see is an arch, the res is beyond our vision but it is there in the distance. Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke’s we have music and animal therapies, and art classes. Don’t be crazy about amassing material things. Remember” You don’t know when your number is up, and you can’t take it with you to the next place.

            Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. We designed St. Luke’s so we can operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought I was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. We accepted 740 victims and the two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly we lost one person, but we saved 739 lives, Science alone can’t cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones. Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when I was 59 years old, I boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka, It was a beautiful sunny morning, and as Mount Fuji can into sight, the plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. I spent the next four days handcuffed to my seat in 40-degree heat. As a doctor, I looked as it all as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis.

            Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. My father went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University in North Carolina. he was a pioneer and one of my heroes. Later I found a few more life guides, and when I am stuck, I ask myself how they would deal with the problem. It’s wonderful to live log. Until one is 60 years old, it is easy to work for one’s family and to achieve one’s goals. But in our later years, we should strive to contribute to society. Since the age of 65, I have worked as a volunteer. I still put in 18 hour seven days a week and love every minute of it.

Sent by: Yash Paul Sighal