" Truth is God and God is Truth," said Mahatma Gandhi.
" Truth is Beauty and Beauty is Truth," said John Keats.
We all have our own perspective of Truth, since it is abstract and the concept varies from person to person; with time and place and the circumstances in which one is placed at that point of time.
For me Truth is eternal and permanent.
Hence, I raise it to my perception of God and His attributes.
Friday, October 9, 2009
What are you passionate about?
My passion is "Love".
"I have no friend except my Beloved I have no work except His love"
‘With every breath I must bow to my friend For I owe my life to His Grace."
“Love is the name for a continuous restlessness of the heat,
This endless yearning is the symbol of my life."
I have heard you are the Messiah of the Messiahas,
yet it is strange that you do not heal those suffering from love."
(These are just a few Couplets of the Great Paramsant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, written by him in Urdu and translated into English by his son, the Living Master, Paramsant Rajinder Singh ji Maharaj--- Extracts taken from the Book: ‘Love At Every Step.’)
I am passionate about Divine Love. With love for all.
"I have no friend except my Beloved I have no work except His love"
‘With every breath I must bow to my friend For I owe my life to His Grace."
“Love is the name for a continuous restlessness of the heat,
This endless yearning is the symbol of my life."
I have heard you are the Messiah of the Messiahas,
yet it is strange that you do not heal those suffering from love."
(These are just a few Couplets of the Great Paramsant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, written by him in Urdu and translated into English by his son, the Living Master, Paramsant Rajinder Singh ji Maharaj--- Extracts taken from the Book: ‘Love At Every Step.’)
I am passionate about Divine Love. With love for all.
Can I have your Good Wishes and Blessings?
You have my Good Wishes and Blessings.
I have something more for you.
Read carefully:
"YOU DID! There have been situations in your life that you thought you would never get through. And yet, you did.
There have been challenges you faced that you thought you would never overcome. And yet, you did.
There have been losses you've suffered that you thought you would never be able to get beyond. And yet, you did.
For you are here today, stronger, wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable as a result of it all. Though the road has had its rough spots, you've successfully made your way along it. There will certainly be more rough spots ahead, and there may even be some particularly difficult ones right now.
So it pays, every now and then, to look back and remember that even though you thought you wouldn't get through, you did.
And perhaps, if you think about it, you'll see that there's really never any reason to doubt yourself. For when life challenged you to make your way through, You did.
And now, even more importantly, YOU WILL. So Cheer Up. You will do it this time also.”
I have something more for you.
Read carefully:
"YOU DID! There have been situations in your life that you thought you would never get through. And yet, you did.
There have been challenges you faced that you thought you would never overcome. And yet, you did.
There have been losses you've suffered that you thought you would never be able to get beyond. And yet, you did.
For you are here today, stronger, wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable as a result of it all. Though the road has had its rough spots, you've successfully made your way along it. There will certainly be more rough spots ahead, and there may even be some particularly difficult ones right now.
So it pays, every now and then, to look back and remember that even though you thought you wouldn't get through, you did.
And perhaps, if you think about it, you'll see that there's really never any reason to doubt yourself. For when life challenged you to make your way through, You did.
And now, even more importantly, YOU WILL. So Cheer Up. You will do it this time also.”
Whether you fool death or death fools you?
Interesting question!
Are you ready for a metaphysical point of view?
“Death” is seen and regarded generally as the end of Life, but in fact it is the beginning of a New Life.
There is life beyond Death. This has been proved beyond doubt by thousands of cases of 'Death like Experiences.'
Death is ' The soul leaving the physical body to don another.
‘Death is going back to God.'
Death is ' a stage in the fulfilment of one's Karma.'
How do I fight it? Are you joking?
'Cowards die many times before their Death, the Brave die only once.'
Robert Browning in his poem: "Precipice" writes:
“I have ever been a fighter,
One fight more, the last and the best."
That is what is true of me. I shall live Life to the last.
I want to burn out rather than fade away.
Death can not be defeated. But at least, it will remember me for the fight that I hope to give it.
Death of a loved one is a great loss, but only in the physical plane. Death does not erase the memories and love of a dear one. In fact, death adds sacredness to our love and sanctifies the beloved.
Death is a symbol of rebirth and life beyond. It is union with God, the Divine.
I see it that way. I have dedicated my life to service of my fellow beings and of everything that the Creator brought into existence and I am fortunate if I am able to continue doing so till the very end. If that happened, I will have achieved the purpose of living my life.
I live, serve, love and do not think of Death. When the hour comes, I will be ready to render my account.
Are you ready for a metaphysical point of view?
“Death” is seen and regarded generally as the end of Life, but in fact it is the beginning of a New Life.
There is life beyond Death. This has been proved beyond doubt by thousands of cases of 'Death like Experiences.'
Death is ' The soul leaving the physical body to don another.
‘Death is going back to God.'
Death is ' a stage in the fulfilment of one's Karma.'
How do I fight it? Are you joking?
'Cowards die many times before their Death, the Brave die only once.'
Robert Browning in his poem: "Precipice" writes:
“I have ever been a fighter,
One fight more, the last and the best."
That is what is true of me. I shall live Life to the last.
I want to burn out rather than fade away.
Death can not be defeated. But at least, it will remember me for the fight that I hope to give it.
Death of a loved one is a great loss, but only in the physical plane. Death does not erase the memories and love of a dear one. In fact, death adds sacredness to our love and sanctifies the beloved.
Death is a symbol of rebirth and life beyond. It is union with God, the Divine.
I see it that way. I have dedicated my life to service of my fellow beings and of everything that the Creator brought into existence and I am fortunate if I am able to continue doing so till the very end. If that happened, I will have achieved the purpose of living my life.
I live, serve, love and do not think of Death. When the hour comes, I will be ready to render my account.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Why do people need you right now?
I have been a Teacher, a Teacher Educator and a Mentor.
I have influenced the lives of many of my students and teachers.
There is a lot that needs to be done still.
We are passing through times where we find a crisis of character and conscience. We all need a friend, a guide, a mentor and a confidant.
Education is at crossroads. Values are getting eroded. Quality is being compromised with. We teach children to pass Exams and not to lead a better life.
Teachers are losing interest in their profession. Many of them are pure mercenaries.
Hence my need in these crucial times. This is my testing time. I have to put in an effort to make a difference in the lives of a few, if not many.
I have to be a Role-model, one who inspires, a motivator, a facilitator and yet compassionate and keep on learning to find new ways and means to affect lives.
Thank God, I am alive and in fine health to continue this noble work.
I have influenced the lives of many of my students and teachers.
There is a lot that needs to be done still.
We are passing through times where we find a crisis of character and conscience. We all need a friend, a guide, a mentor and a confidant.
Education is at crossroads. Values are getting eroded. Quality is being compromised with. We teach children to pass Exams and not to lead a better life.
Teachers are losing interest in their profession. Many of them are pure mercenaries.
Hence my need in these crucial times. This is my testing time. I have to put in an effort to make a difference in the lives of a few, if not many.
I have to be a Role-model, one who inspires, a motivator, a facilitator and yet compassionate and keep on learning to find new ways and means to affect lives.
Thank God, I am alive and in fine health to continue this noble work.
I would love to know the two things you most like about yourself.
My being "ME' Unique and Different.
My ability to Empathise and help others.
My ability to Empathise and help others.
• If Tomorrow is Today....Today is Yesterday......What is Yesterday ?
Yesterday is the ROOTS of Today and Tomorrow.
Yesterday is the DAY GONE.
Yesterday is HISTORY.
Yesterday is WHAT EXISTED ONCE BUT NO LONGER EXISTS NOW.
Yesterday is MEMORIES. Yesterday! WHO CARES?...........
"Think not of the future however pleasant,
Let the Dead past bury its dead, Act,
Act in the Living Present,
Heart within, God overhead."
Yesterday is the DAY GONE.
Yesterday is HISTORY.
Yesterday is WHAT EXISTED ONCE BUT NO LONGER EXISTS NOW.
Yesterday is MEMORIES. Yesterday! WHO CARES?...........
"Think not of the future however pleasant,
Let the Dead past bury its dead, Act,
Act in the Living Present,
Heart within, God overhead."
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
How to prepare oneself for the loss of a dear one; especially when one watches helplessly the dear one consumed by a terminal illness?
How to prepare oneself for the loss of a dear one; especially when one watches helplessly the dear one consumed by a terminal illness? Prof. B.L.Handoo
Steve Stokes wrote:
Not sure I can help you with this one, Prof Handoo. That we die is an ugly truth. The denial of human mortality is not an altogether unexpected response. Much is said about how we handle life, in the way that we handle death.
You have my sympathies as you face this tragic event. My thoughts are with you.
Norm Yerke wrote:
Prof, complete abandonment to the Will of God...St. Augustine said "Nothing, occurs by chance in the whole course of our life. God overrules all." If we allow these words to penetrate into the depths of our souls, we will never regard what comes to us from God's hands as hurtful.
No one loves us more than God does, therefore he would never send us anything that is evil....
Another quote from this book:
ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE
"The terrors we meet on our journey are really nothing. They are sent only so that our lives may be made more splendid by our overcoming them. God involves us in every kind of trouble, and ordinary human common sense, seeing no way out of it, realizes all its weakness and shortcoming and feels completely baffled. It is at this moment that God appears in all his glory to those who belong wholly to him and disentangles them from all their troubles far more easily than novelists, working away in the peace of their rooms, extricate their heroes from all their dangers and bring them to a happy and successful end. With far greater skill and most happily does God lead them through deadly perils, monstrous happenings, through hell itself and its demons and all their snares. He sweeps these souls up to heaven and transforms them into the heroes of stories far stranger and more lovely than any invented by the stunted imaginings of men. So, my soul, plunge ahead, sweeping through all the monster plagued dangers ahead, knowing that you are guided and sustained by the mighty, yet invisible, hand of God. Let us carry on to the end without the slightest tremor of fear, but full of peace and joy, with everything that befalls us becoming the occasion for fresh triumphs. We march under God’s banner to fight and to conquer: “He went from victory to victory” (Rev. 6.2). Every step we take under his command is a victory. God has his pen and an open book before him, and in this book he writes a blessed story which will end only when the world ends. For it is an account of God’s dealings with men and women. If we want to have a place in this story, we must ensure that we link all we do and suffer with God’s will. I most solemnly assure you that all your actions and sufferings are not meant to destroy you. They serve to help to fill this holy book of God, which grows every day."
Hope this helps.....
Eric Van Wetering wrote:
... my father in law died a number of years ago ... what I tried is to give my wive all the time possible to spend with her father ... we had very small kids then ... and I worked as a consultant (long hours) ...
practical maybe but it gives the people who need it most the 'space and freedom' to decide what's best ... and to do what's best ...
other point of course is to be there for them ...
Michael Modes wrote:
Been there twice. Watching the suffering is the worst part. That's what eats you up. You are ready for the end if it goes long enough. In my case.
It was my parents in my case though. My whole life ahead of me, despite tragedy, youthful resilience. Were it my spouse or my child at a later age, I can't imagine. Torment.
Someone who loses someone suddenly? That would be harder in terms of acceptance. Healthy today gone tomorrow is much harder, I would guess.
My sympathies.
You may find that comforting others who come to comfort you helps. I was almost embarrassed by the awkward sympathy. Putting others at ease helped me handle it and take some of the hurt off myself.
Everyone reacts differently. Hope that helps.
Marc Estrella wrote:
I really don't know.
I hope the link below helps.
Links:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=691855
Kevin Harville wrote:
One thing I find is that the effects of ones life go far beyond themselves, and in a sense we are all one super-organism. The best we can do is love. And for whatever reason, to play this game of life for a few rounds is a better choice than hanging out in a state of Nirvana or Heaven doing nothing, learning nothing, and meaning nothing. We are leaves on a tree, here for a season and gone the next, preparing the way for the next season's leaves and the ongoing growth of the tree.
Time is just our perception. You know New York exists, even when you are not there. Similarly, all those moments that occured are real. They simply are not being experienced by you at this moment.
Bad things are not an interruption of life. They are life. And because bad things happen and life adapts, we exist as ever greater beings, living, learning, and loving--instead of remaining primordial unevolving amoebas.
My body is not the same one I had 7 years ago. Nearly every cell has died and been replaced. It is the same with humanity. The process of life has no true barriers. The dinosaurs are our great....great....grandparents, sending living DNA through us all without cessation or interruption--we are the same life force as them and each other. It is like a relay race--but the baton is the same, and the race is one race.
So, in short, this life is and will always be an important part of the universe, important to life just as each individual step is necessary to a staircase, each seemingly insignificant or meaningless till you realize each is a step up to the 100th floor.
I think our role here is to accept the wonders of life just as they are and to love it and others as important parts of creation, however brief each beautiful spark of consciousness remains. Your loved one is an important part of the universe.
Given the choice of existence or nonexistence altogether, God or the universe chose existence. I can see why, and given the choice of the universe existing with pain so we may grow and learn and experience, or not existing, I would choose it just the way the decisionmaker did.
We are all just different parts of the universe, and all life, however long or brief, is one step in a miraculous creation there to love and be loved, even to all be eventually missed and grieved, and to be shown concern and care.
I wish you all the best.
Kevin
Sandy Klocinski wrote:
My mother in law was unable to eat for more than a year before she died. Since she was still in possession of her mental faculties we allowed her to make a choice to either have a feeding tube and live a while longer or to die in short order. By the end she was nothing but skin and bones. I think that those of us in the family were actually more relieved when she died than anything. Not because it was a burden caring for her but it was obvious that she was very tired and ready to go. If I were to be given the choice she were given, I believe that I would choose to let go rather than to starve slowly
Kelly Karius wrote:
Hello Professor,
My dad died of lung cancer in 2006. You'll get tons of advice for this question. Some will work, some will not, it's so very individual.
My short advice is to hold tight to all the moments. Even the ones at the end will help a person later, no matter how dreadful they seem at the time.
That's it.
Keep well if this questions refers to yourself!
Kelly
Links:
http://www.kellykarius.com
Indira Chaudhry wrote:
Just be BRAVE and HOPE the end is peaceful....
On 4/1/09 3:46 AM, Indira Chaudhry added the following clarification:
Death is certain..in most of such cases...so one has to take heart and be courageous....at the same time not to show the ill person your own sad emotions.....which may depress them further...
Also cherish each moment spent with the terminally ill...for later all you may have is their memory....
Rodica Petrescu wrote:
Dear Professor,
Perhaps it is not the most intelligent thing to say... I went through a loss and since then I thought it would be easier to go first than stay behind.
I believe that one who stays behind has to be stronger that the one who dies. It is in the order of things to be tasked with things that one can endure. If the order was reversed, the dying one would probably not be able to bear the sufferance of surviving. That is, I believe, the meaning of staying behind: to spare the loved one this sufferance.
Rodica
Roberta Weiss wrote:
I sincerely hope you are not facing this event yourself. I don't think you can prepare yourself for this kind of experience. It is terribly emotionally draining, sad and depressing. However, you can often find support to help youself get through this terrible time.
1) In the US the hospice system provides care to patients and their families when afflicted by terminal illness. The hospice caregivers are skilled in helping families and patients deal as contructively as possible with these situations, aqnd most doctors can put patients and their families in touch with hospice care.
2) Often there are patient and family support organizations for patients with terminal illnesses. Members of these support groups help each other by sharing experiences and advice for dealing with terminal illnesses. Often relatives of patients who have died have their own support groups that get together and provide support following death. You can often find out about these help groups by googling the disease online. Your doctor may also have this information.
3) Some patients and families seek out psychiatric or psychological treatment to help with the pain of impending loss. Even though depression one feels over the death (or impending death) or oneself or a loved one is a reactive depression, antidepressive medications are often helpful. psychiatrists or other behavioural therapists can help families come to teerms with coming death and resolve family issues in order to help relieve family stress at this time. Your doctor or frieds may be able to provide some referrals if this is a problem.
4) Talk openly with the patient's doctor and let them know what your concerns are and what is important to you and the patient. Make sure that you and the patient understand what the doctor can offer in terms of palliative care, including pain relief. Let other close family members know what is going on (often it is helpful to have a family meeting with the doctors so that everyone gets a chance to ask questions) so you can all be comfortable with the medical choices made.
5) Be kind to yourself. Eat. Sleep (if this is a problem talk to your doctor- she/he may be able to help). Give yourself time to deal with your own feelings over the impending death. Let colleagues know what is going on so that they will not be surprised if you need to take time off for an emergency doctor visit with the patient. Try to minimize other stresses in your life (not a good time to start a new diet). Let your good friends help support you through this time by visiting, staying with the patient while you get out for a few hours to regroup. Try to keep doing some things that both you and the patient enjoy as long as possible- even if it is something like listening to music.
Hope this helps,
Roberta
Madhu Sameer wrote:
My deepest sympathies.....
Something that helps me cope is the thought that wanting an ill loved one to stay alive in the discomfort is born of my own need and insecurity. Perhaps there is a better world out there for them, where suffering is minimized for them. Holding them back for my own benefit, because I hurt, or because I am not prepared to let go, feels self serving. We THINK our anguish comes because we want them to live, but really we only want to prevent ourself from being hurt.
Let the caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly and fly away to a higher level of existence....let go of the attachment......what would YOU have liked to do if it were you? Linger in pain, struggling against the currents of life, or go with the flow into a place that may be more blissful...?
May you find the strength to do (and endure) the right thing...
Susan Shwartz PhD wrote:
Both of my parents are gone. I was not there when my father passed: it was unexpected. I was with my mother when she died, ill and old and, as I gathered, ready to go.
In a way, you can't prepare yourself for this. The hurt is unbelievable. In other ways, you can make yourself better able to bear it. Don't be alone all of the time. Give yourself time to rest, to walk, to eat, to wash. Make sure, if you can, that there are people to mediate between you and well-meaning people. Don't set any requirements or expectations for yourself: this is hard enough without there being one right, or wrong way to behave.
You are helpless to turn back the clock or the devastation of illness. You are not powerless to act. If your loved one is conscious and coherent, you can talk. You can listen. You can hold the person's hand. When you're not with the person, you can begin to set things in order.
What I found consoling was the sense that this is a thing that is common to humanity and that I was doing everything that I could and making certain my mother had what she needed and that her wishes were carried out to the letter.
Don't let anyone tell you anything else, or that you did things wrong. It is your loved one. You simply have to get through it. Style points aren't an issue.
Good luck. If you are a person of faith, that helps. If you aren't, bring your reason to bear. It will never go away. It will diminish in size.
shipra yadav wrote:
Dear Sir,
Just try to live every moment with that one so that whenever we close our eyes we can see that person smiling, laughing and thanking GOD for whatever having even at the end of the journey.
Take whatever u wanna take and Give whatever you can.
We have to, then why to choose a sad way like no other option why not a far better way to convert that great loss to loss and let that person live life like it is given only once live it fullest.
If we can't save life at least we can give best ever lasting moments with the happiness we gave and let that one forget pain for some moments.
Sit n Think about the pain he/she suffering from, its not curable, only one way, the moment we can't even dare to think but for him/her this is the only cure and we have to make up our mind. ya we can lessen that and we did (as i said above)
One should live with smile in our eyes not with tears
Private Note:
Sir,
I m not as experienced as you are, i have seen few such losses in my own family, these are my own ways to prepare for worst moments of life, we can't think of life after this so it should be full of good memories and a satisfaction "i lived however i desired, if not then i don't have any regret "
Regards
John Covey wrote:
The simple yet harsh truth is that you cannot prepare. And after experiencing both I’m not really sure which one is the worse; a slow lingering death, or a quick unexpected one.
I do not know why the nature of the universe is such that we are born only to die. There are some philosophies that say the moment we are born is the moment we begin to die. We each have a defined time that we will be here, and no one really knows when that time will end. This is the way this world was made, and it may well be that it’s also the nature of the universe that we are never to fully understand this.
This is of little comfort as we stand by with someone we know will depart from us soon. The helplessness that we feel wears on us constantly. It is an unwelcome guest in everything that we do. And more importantly, this fear, helplessness, and sadness is the very thing that robs us of the precious few moments we may have left with those who we love.
As I’ve become older, and as the time has grown from the moment when my Parents had to journey on, I’ve come to appreciate more and more the simple wisdom that they tried to impart upon me. My Mother often would say a simple prayer at times like this; “Lord, Thy Ocean is so vast, and my boat is so small”. This simple prayer allowed her to give to God those bad feelings, pray for strength, and search for ways to be an instrument of peace in the family. All by just acknowledging how overwhelmed it made her feel, that God was in command (not her), and by recognizing that it wasn’t about God giving her strength, but providing this time as an opportunity to be strong. And believe me, she almost always was.
Regardless of what you believe, how you believe in it, or to whom you pray, there definitely is a greater power and a higher source in the world. By letting go of the emotions that block us, we have an opportunity to tap into that power. But it’s not like plugging into a light socket. We can’t just turn it on and off when we want to. We have to live the moments, even the bad ones, and let it happen to us. There is no school for it, no handbook, and no grades. But it is a test; and in many ways that test never ends.
Time and distance will help. It is a slow process, and often we make headway only to be pushed back even further than where we feel that we’ve started. But know too that others are watching you to see how to act themselves. By doing your best to be strong, and trying to act as an instrument of peace for them, you can significantly impact others around you in the same way that your loved one impacted you in the first place. And in the process you may find peace and grace in that difficult moment and time.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance. By thoughts and prayers are with you.
Karen Opas-Lanouette wrote:
There is no way to 'prepare' yourself. You simply do the best you can to help your loved one during the process, whatever that may be. If you have a religious background, I presume that turning to your faith may help. If, like me, you ascribe to "Life isn't fair, it's random," then you try and see what is good in the world, small and large, and share it with your loved one.
Lee Joyner wrote:
To be fully prepared I do not believe is possible. As many have already said, embrace the moments beside your dear one. If you are able to talk with your dear one, share memories together. If you cannot talk with them, share memories with others. The memories will grow sweeter and fonder as time passes. If there is any issues that have not been settled, this is the time to settle those. Ask for forgiveness, grant forgiveness even for small or perceived wrongs. This makes the transition easier for all involved.
I would suggest finding someone who is not emotionally attached, whom you can share your feelings with. They don't have to have answers, just be available to listen as you unload some of the burden you carry.
Hope ;this helps some.
Private Note:
I have served as a chaplain for hospice for almost 4 years. This is the primary work I did was to help patient and family find ways to be better prepared for the final moment in this life for the patient. Having someone to walk beside you is a tremendous help.
M. Joyce McMenamin wrote:
I have been blessed in that nobody close to me has withered away from a terminal illness... which is incredible given the fact that my mother came from a very large family and my father came from a medium sized one.
People in my family have typically died from old age and many seem to have gone quickly (overall) - no nursing homes or life support needed (Thank God!)
I have, however, had several employees and a few co-workers over the years who have (a) died this way or (b) dealt with long term death of a loved one... so I still feel as though I have been touched by the process.
All I can tell you is that I have stood in awe of the bravery and strength of those who have experienced the process first or second hand and those few days, or weeks or months that are part & parcel to the 'waiting' period are really small gifts of precious time for preparation for the dying and the ones that loved them.
I think the best prep is to not leave anything left unsaid or undone.
One of the saddest moments I saw in someone's life was at the memorial for my former mother-in-law. One of her friends wept after the service because he remembered a time when she wanted him to take her to Paris for dinner (from San Fran) -- after her death his pain was living with the fact that he could have and didn't (she had asked when nobody knew she was dying).
Don't wait until someone is dying to do what you can to make their life happier. We never know when the next request will be the last one. If we can follow through, we should.
Annette Hope Brewster wrote:
Prof, you will never loose your memories; nor are you "watching helplessly" as you claim.
Your will to live, is to remain positive, your friend or loved one is feeding off your energy -- its your choice to give positive or negative energy to the person enduring this terminal illness.
Pitty no one but yourself for the choice you make enduring this walk of life -- learn from this walk so the next time you are in this equal situation you will walk with dignity, rather than pain.
We all endure grievence, however, why grieve when one is still alive?
Private Note:
I am suffering a terminal illness, and if anyone close to me is negative I walk away -- I am sharing with you my attitude to not let this disease kill me -- others have done the same -- Lance Armstrong to mention one that has kept me on my toes...good luck and please stay strong, stay positive and encouraging to those that are suffering -- it does help ease our pain.
chenbagam pillai wrote:
We attend the funeral of our close kith and kin. Why?
It is not just simplyto show our respect and our affection.
Cremation ground is the learning center for understanding the real life. If we can understand the real concept of life, then we need not worry about our and others death.
Dana Tierney wrote:
I don't think you can.
What I want to say to you though is that this is incredibly difficult for you and much harder for the person dying. So for now it is important to be strong and to help that person to go in dignity and in peace. Afterwards there will be tasks that need doing, and these will help.
I wrote poetry, some profound, some not. But perhaps something of the kind will help you too. The color does slowly return to life. There were objects that I kept for years, and conversations years later; these helped too.
I doubt your dear one wants you to eschew your own life to mourn. It is important to remember that
Christine Gottschalk Barlow CPCU wrote:
Do what's best for both of you; keep the ill person comfortable, talk, cry, whatever you need to do, even if it sounds silly. Laugh at what you can, even the illness itself; it helps take the edge off. Take advantage of every good moment, and try not to focus on the end. Have frank discussions with the doctors, ask every question you can. A good supportive doctor is worth his weight in diamonds.
Read Strong at the Broken Places by Richard M. Cohen - book about 5 folks with seriously chronic illnesses and how they coped. You may find it helps you feel less alone.
Steve Stokes wrote:
Not sure I can help you with this one, Prof Handoo. That we die is an ugly truth. The denial of human mortality is not an altogether unexpected response. Much is said about how we handle life, in the way that we handle death.
You have my sympathies as you face this tragic event. My thoughts are with you.
Norm Yerke wrote:
Prof, complete abandonment to the Will of God...St. Augustine said "Nothing, occurs by chance in the whole course of our life. God overrules all." If we allow these words to penetrate into the depths of our souls, we will never regard what comes to us from God's hands as hurtful.
No one loves us more than God does, therefore he would never send us anything that is evil....
Another quote from this book:
ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE
"The terrors we meet on our journey are really nothing. They are sent only so that our lives may be made more splendid by our overcoming them. God involves us in every kind of trouble, and ordinary human common sense, seeing no way out of it, realizes all its weakness and shortcoming and feels completely baffled. It is at this moment that God appears in all his glory to those who belong wholly to him and disentangles them from all their troubles far more easily than novelists, working away in the peace of their rooms, extricate their heroes from all their dangers and bring them to a happy and successful end. With far greater skill and most happily does God lead them through deadly perils, monstrous happenings, through hell itself and its demons and all their snares. He sweeps these souls up to heaven and transforms them into the heroes of stories far stranger and more lovely than any invented by the stunted imaginings of men. So, my soul, plunge ahead, sweeping through all the monster plagued dangers ahead, knowing that you are guided and sustained by the mighty, yet invisible, hand of God. Let us carry on to the end without the slightest tremor of fear, but full of peace and joy, with everything that befalls us becoming the occasion for fresh triumphs. We march under God’s banner to fight and to conquer: “He went from victory to victory” (Rev. 6.2). Every step we take under his command is a victory. God has his pen and an open book before him, and in this book he writes a blessed story which will end only when the world ends. For it is an account of God’s dealings with men and women. If we want to have a place in this story, we must ensure that we link all we do and suffer with God’s will. I most solemnly assure you that all your actions and sufferings are not meant to destroy you. They serve to help to fill this holy book of God, which grows every day."
Hope this helps.....
Eric Van Wetering wrote:
... my father in law died a number of years ago ... what I tried is to give my wive all the time possible to spend with her father ... we had very small kids then ... and I worked as a consultant (long hours) ...
practical maybe but it gives the people who need it most the 'space and freedom' to decide what's best ... and to do what's best ...
other point of course is to be there for them ...
Michael Modes wrote:
Been there twice. Watching the suffering is the worst part. That's what eats you up. You are ready for the end if it goes long enough. In my case.
It was my parents in my case though. My whole life ahead of me, despite tragedy, youthful resilience. Were it my spouse or my child at a later age, I can't imagine. Torment.
Someone who loses someone suddenly? That would be harder in terms of acceptance. Healthy today gone tomorrow is much harder, I would guess.
My sympathies.
You may find that comforting others who come to comfort you helps. I was almost embarrassed by the awkward sympathy. Putting others at ease helped me handle it and take some of the hurt off myself.
Everyone reacts differently. Hope that helps.
Marc Estrella wrote:
I really don't know.
I hope the link below helps.
Links:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=691855
Kevin Harville wrote:
One thing I find is that the effects of ones life go far beyond themselves, and in a sense we are all one super-organism. The best we can do is love. And for whatever reason, to play this game of life for a few rounds is a better choice than hanging out in a state of Nirvana or Heaven doing nothing, learning nothing, and meaning nothing. We are leaves on a tree, here for a season and gone the next, preparing the way for the next season's leaves and the ongoing growth of the tree.
Time is just our perception. You know New York exists, even when you are not there. Similarly, all those moments that occured are real. They simply are not being experienced by you at this moment.
Bad things are not an interruption of life. They are life. And because bad things happen and life adapts, we exist as ever greater beings, living, learning, and loving--instead of remaining primordial unevolving amoebas.
My body is not the same one I had 7 years ago. Nearly every cell has died and been replaced. It is the same with humanity. The process of life has no true barriers. The dinosaurs are our great....great....grandparents, sending living DNA through us all without cessation or interruption--we are the same life force as them and each other. It is like a relay race--but the baton is the same, and the race is one race.
So, in short, this life is and will always be an important part of the universe, important to life just as each individual step is necessary to a staircase, each seemingly insignificant or meaningless till you realize each is a step up to the 100th floor.
I think our role here is to accept the wonders of life just as they are and to love it and others as important parts of creation, however brief each beautiful spark of consciousness remains. Your loved one is an important part of the universe.
Given the choice of existence or nonexistence altogether, God or the universe chose existence. I can see why, and given the choice of the universe existing with pain so we may grow and learn and experience, or not existing, I would choose it just the way the decisionmaker did.
We are all just different parts of the universe, and all life, however long or brief, is one step in a miraculous creation there to love and be loved, even to all be eventually missed and grieved, and to be shown concern and care.
I wish you all the best.
Kevin
Sandy Klocinski wrote:
My mother in law was unable to eat for more than a year before she died. Since she was still in possession of her mental faculties we allowed her to make a choice to either have a feeding tube and live a while longer or to die in short order. By the end she was nothing but skin and bones. I think that those of us in the family were actually more relieved when she died than anything. Not because it was a burden caring for her but it was obvious that she was very tired and ready to go. If I were to be given the choice she were given, I believe that I would choose to let go rather than to starve slowly
Kelly Karius wrote:
Hello Professor,
My dad died of lung cancer in 2006. You'll get tons of advice for this question. Some will work, some will not, it's so very individual.
My short advice is to hold tight to all the moments. Even the ones at the end will help a person later, no matter how dreadful they seem at the time.
That's it.
Keep well if this questions refers to yourself!
Kelly
Links:
http://www.kellykarius.com
Indira Chaudhry wrote:
Just be BRAVE and HOPE the end is peaceful....
On 4/1/09 3:46 AM, Indira Chaudhry added the following clarification:
Death is certain..in most of such cases...so one has to take heart and be courageous....at the same time not to show the ill person your own sad emotions.....which may depress them further...
Also cherish each moment spent with the terminally ill...for later all you may have is their memory....
Rodica Petrescu wrote:
Dear Professor,
Perhaps it is not the most intelligent thing to say... I went through a loss and since then I thought it would be easier to go first than stay behind.
I believe that one who stays behind has to be stronger that the one who dies. It is in the order of things to be tasked with things that one can endure. If the order was reversed, the dying one would probably not be able to bear the sufferance of surviving. That is, I believe, the meaning of staying behind: to spare the loved one this sufferance.
Rodica
Roberta Weiss wrote:
I sincerely hope you are not facing this event yourself. I don't think you can prepare yourself for this kind of experience. It is terribly emotionally draining, sad and depressing. However, you can often find support to help youself get through this terrible time.
1) In the US the hospice system provides care to patients and their families when afflicted by terminal illness. The hospice caregivers are skilled in helping families and patients deal as contructively as possible with these situations, aqnd most doctors can put patients and their families in touch with hospice care.
2) Often there are patient and family support organizations for patients with terminal illnesses. Members of these support groups help each other by sharing experiences and advice for dealing with terminal illnesses. Often relatives of patients who have died have their own support groups that get together and provide support following death. You can often find out about these help groups by googling the disease online. Your doctor may also have this information.
3) Some patients and families seek out psychiatric or psychological treatment to help with the pain of impending loss. Even though depression one feels over the death (or impending death) or oneself or a loved one is a reactive depression, antidepressive medications are often helpful. psychiatrists or other behavioural therapists can help families come to teerms with coming death and resolve family issues in order to help relieve family stress at this time. Your doctor or frieds may be able to provide some referrals if this is a problem.
4) Talk openly with the patient's doctor and let them know what your concerns are and what is important to you and the patient. Make sure that you and the patient understand what the doctor can offer in terms of palliative care, including pain relief. Let other close family members know what is going on (often it is helpful to have a family meeting with the doctors so that everyone gets a chance to ask questions) so you can all be comfortable with the medical choices made.
5) Be kind to yourself. Eat. Sleep (if this is a problem talk to your doctor- she/he may be able to help). Give yourself time to deal with your own feelings over the impending death. Let colleagues know what is going on so that they will not be surprised if you need to take time off for an emergency doctor visit with the patient. Try to minimize other stresses in your life (not a good time to start a new diet). Let your good friends help support you through this time by visiting, staying with the patient while you get out for a few hours to regroup. Try to keep doing some things that both you and the patient enjoy as long as possible- even if it is something like listening to music.
Hope this helps,
Roberta
Madhu Sameer wrote:
My deepest sympathies.....
Something that helps me cope is the thought that wanting an ill loved one to stay alive in the discomfort is born of my own need and insecurity. Perhaps there is a better world out there for them, where suffering is minimized for them. Holding them back for my own benefit, because I hurt, or because I am not prepared to let go, feels self serving. We THINK our anguish comes because we want them to live, but really we only want to prevent ourself from being hurt.
Let the caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly and fly away to a higher level of existence....let go of the attachment......what would YOU have liked to do if it were you? Linger in pain, struggling against the currents of life, or go with the flow into a place that may be more blissful...?
May you find the strength to do (and endure) the right thing...
Susan Shwartz PhD wrote:
Both of my parents are gone. I was not there when my father passed: it was unexpected. I was with my mother when she died, ill and old and, as I gathered, ready to go.
In a way, you can't prepare yourself for this. The hurt is unbelievable. In other ways, you can make yourself better able to bear it. Don't be alone all of the time. Give yourself time to rest, to walk, to eat, to wash. Make sure, if you can, that there are people to mediate between you and well-meaning people. Don't set any requirements or expectations for yourself: this is hard enough without there being one right, or wrong way to behave.
You are helpless to turn back the clock or the devastation of illness. You are not powerless to act. If your loved one is conscious and coherent, you can talk. You can listen. You can hold the person's hand. When you're not with the person, you can begin to set things in order.
What I found consoling was the sense that this is a thing that is common to humanity and that I was doing everything that I could and making certain my mother had what she needed and that her wishes were carried out to the letter.
Don't let anyone tell you anything else, or that you did things wrong. It is your loved one. You simply have to get through it. Style points aren't an issue.
Good luck. If you are a person of faith, that helps. If you aren't, bring your reason to bear. It will never go away. It will diminish in size.
shipra yadav wrote:
Dear Sir,
Just try to live every moment with that one so that whenever we close our eyes we can see that person smiling, laughing and thanking GOD for whatever having even at the end of the journey.
Take whatever u wanna take and Give whatever you can.
We have to, then why to choose a sad way like no other option why not a far better way to convert that great loss to loss and let that person live life like it is given only once live it fullest.
If we can't save life at least we can give best ever lasting moments with the happiness we gave and let that one forget pain for some moments.
Sit n Think about the pain he/she suffering from, its not curable, only one way, the moment we can't even dare to think but for him/her this is the only cure and we have to make up our mind. ya we can lessen that and we did (as i said above)
One should live with smile in our eyes not with tears
Private Note:
Sir,
I m not as experienced as you are, i have seen few such losses in my own family, these are my own ways to prepare for worst moments of life, we can't think of life after this so it should be full of good memories and a satisfaction "i lived however i desired, if not then i don't have any regret "
Regards
John Covey wrote:
The simple yet harsh truth is that you cannot prepare. And after experiencing both I’m not really sure which one is the worse; a slow lingering death, or a quick unexpected one.
I do not know why the nature of the universe is such that we are born only to die. There are some philosophies that say the moment we are born is the moment we begin to die. We each have a defined time that we will be here, and no one really knows when that time will end. This is the way this world was made, and it may well be that it’s also the nature of the universe that we are never to fully understand this.
This is of little comfort as we stand by with someone we know will depart from us soon. The helplessness that we feel wears on us constantly. It is an unwelcome guest in everything that we do. And more importantly, this fear, helplessness, and sadness is the very thing that robs us of the precious few moments we may have left with those who we love.
As I’ve become older, and as the time has grown from the moment when my Parents had to journey on, I’ve come to appreciate more and more the simple wisdom that they tried to impart upon me. My Mother often would say a simple prayer at times like this; “Lord, Thy Ocean is so vast, and my boat is so small”. This simple prayer allowed her to give to God those bad feelings, pray for strength, and search for ways to be an instrument of peace in the family. All by just acknowledging how overwhelmed it made her feel, that God was in command (not her), and by recognizing that it wasn’t about God giving her strength, but providing this time as an opportunity to be strong. And believe me, she almost always was.
Regardless of what you believe, how you believe in it, or to whom you pray, there definitely is a greater power and a higher source in the world. By letting go of the emotions that block us, we have an opportunity to tap into that power. But it’s not like plugging into a light socket. We can’t just turn it on and off when we want to. We have to live the moments, even the bad ones, and let it happen to us. There is no school for it, no handbook, and no grades. But it is a test; and in many ways that test never ends.
Time and distance will help. It is a slow process, and often we make headway only to be pushed back even further than where we feel that we’ve started. But know too that others are watching you to see how to act themselves. By doing your best to be strong, and trying to act as an instrument of peace for them, you can significantly impact others around you in the same way that your loved one impacted you in the first place. And in the process you may find peace and grace in that difficult moment and time.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance. By thoughts and prayers are with you.
Karen Opas-Lanouette wrote:
There is no way to 'prepare' yourself. You simply do the best you can to help your loved one during the process, whatever that may be. If you have a religious background, I presume that turning to your faith may help. If, like me, you ascribe to "Life isn't fair, it's random," then you try and see what is good in the world, small and large, and share it with your loved one.
Lee Joyner wrote:
To be fully prepared I do not believe is possible. As many have already said, embrace the moments beside your dear one. If you are able to talk with your dear one, share memories together. If you cannot talk with them, share memories with others. The memories will grow sweeter and fonder as time passes. If there is any issues that have not been settled, this is the time to settle those. Ask for forgiveness, grant forgiveness even for small or perceived wrongs. This makes the transition easier for all involved.
I would suggest finding someone who is not emotionally attached, whom you can share your feelings with. They don't have to have answers, just be available to listen as you unload some of the burden you carry.
Hope ;this helps some.
Private Note:
I have served as a chaplain for hospice for almost 4 years. This is the primary work I did was to help patient and family find ways to be better prepared for the final moment in this life for the patient. Having someone to walk beside you is a tremendous help.
M. Joyce McMenamin wrote:
I have been blessed in that nobody close to me has withered away from a terminal illness... which is incredible given the fact that my mother came from a very large family and my father came from a medium sized one.
People in my family have typically died from old age and many seem to have gone quickly (overall) - no nursing homes or life support needed (Thank God!)
I have, however, had several employees and a few co-workers over the years who have (a) died this way or (b) dealt with long term death of a loved one... so I still feel as though I have been touched by the process.
All I can tell you is that I have stood in awe of the bravery and strength of those who have experienced the process first or second hand and those few days, or weeks or months that are part & parcel to the 'waiting' period are really small gifts of precious time for preparation for the dying and the ones that loved them.
I think the best prep is to not leave anything left unsaid or undone.
One of the saddest moments I saw in someone's life was at the memorial for my former mother-in-law. One of her friends wept after the service because he remembered a time when she wanted him to take her to Paris for dinner (from San Fran) -- after her death his pain was living with the fact that he could have and didn't (she had asked when nobody knew she was dying).
Don't wait until someone is dying to do what you can to make their life happier. We never know when the next request will be the last one. If we can follow through, we should.
Annette Hope Brewster wrote:
Prof, you will never loose your memories; nor are you "watching helplessly" as you claim.
Your will to live, is to remain positive, your friend or loved one is feeding off your energy -- its your choice to give positive or negative energy to the person enduring this terminal illness.
Pitty no one but yourself for the choice you make enduring this walk of life -- learn from this walk so the next time you are in this equal situation you will walk with dignity, rather than pain.
We all endure grievence, however, why grieve when one is still alive?
Private Note:
I am suffering a terminal illness, and if anyone close to me is negative I walk away -- I am sharing with you my attitude to not let this disease kill me -- others have done the same -- Lance Armstrong to mention one that has kept me on my toes...good luck and please stay strong, stay positive and encouraging to those that are suffering -- it does help ease our pain.
chenbagam pillai wrote:
We attend the funeral of our close kith and kin. Why?
It is not just simplyto show our respect and our affection.
Cremation ground is the learning center for understanding the real life. If we can understand the real concept of life, then we need not worry about our and others death.
Dana Tierney wrote:
I don't think you can.
What I want to say to you though is that this is incredibly difficult for you and much harder for the person dying. So for now it is important to be strong and to help that person to go in dignity and in peace. Afterwards there will be tasks that need doing, and these will help.
I wrote poetry, some profound, some not. But perhaps something of the kind will help you too. The color does slowly return to life. There were objects that I kept for years, and conversations years later; these helped too.
I doubt your dear one wants you to eschew your own life to mourn. It is important to remember that
Christine Gottschalk Barlow CPCU wrote:
Do what's best for both of you; keep the ill person comfortable, talk, cry, whatever you need to do, even if it sounds silly. Laugh at what you can, even the illness itself; it helps take the edge off. Take advantage of every good moment, and try not to focus on the end. Have frank discussions with the doctors, ask every question you can. A good supportive doctor is worth his weight in diamonds.
Read Strong at the Broken Places by Richard M. Cohen - book about 5 folks with seriously chronic illnesses and how they coped. You may find it helps you feel less alone.
"When Death is the end of Life; Why should Life all Labour Be?"- Comment
"When Death is the end of Life; Why should Life all Labour Be?"- Comment….. Prof. B.L. Handoo
Steve Stokes wrote:
Life should not all labour be. We ought not live to work, but instead work to live... on this journey that we call life, we must balance enterprise with experience. In other words, we should work in order that we can play.
Life is short, and it could be over with at the drop of a hat, so we must not waste a moment. We should do what we must do in order that we can do what we desire to do.
Steve
Scott Byorum wrote:
I keep telling my boss that but they just don't seem to get it. Neither does my landlord or my creditors.
Kevin Harville wrote:
All we ever have, under any circumstances, is the moment. We are part of the universe, like cells in a body, and if we only look at ourselves in this time period, life is senseless.
But when we consider the FACT that we are not just lonely separate parts of the universe, but parts of a much larger process, then life makes sense. For instance, you may consider only your own life, but YOUR life is simply one stage in a process that started with the first life on earth, which started because of the Big Bang. From the first DNA to your DNA, this process has NOT CEASED, but has CONTINUED, UNINTERRUPTED, giving rise to a person who is on linked in, communing with other parts of the universe (us), pondering the meaning of life, consciously.
Through us the universe experiences life. We are like leaves on a tree appearing and disappearing from season to season. But the tree remains.
We are a necessary process and stage in the evolution of the universe.
Indira Chaudhry wrote:
Life, like a fire, begins in smoke and ends in ashes.
Life itself cannot give you joy/ Unless you really will it./ Life just gives you time and space -- It's up to you to fill it....Life is half spent before one knows what life is.....
Neetubala Raina wrote:
Dear Prof.
Not sure if I will be successful in putting down my thoughts together to answer your query but would certainly give it a try as your query within itself has thousands of queries echoing.
"When Death is the end of Life; Why should Life all Labour Be?"
I believe, while I am on the deathbed, I would rather wish to die a peaceful and dignified death, happily recalling all those efforts/labors that probably were successful / unsuccessful but intentions behind were too genuine for sure. I would certainly not want to be full of regrets while I am on the deathbed for having done nothing but wait for the doomsday to arrive for myself.
It is a perception too that differs from person to person. More than half of the humans on earth, I am afraid if think so profoundly about life and death!!!! “Ignorance is bliss” stands true for such a philosophical thought process and happy are they who don’t understand this or wish not to understand this. Anyway, God bless all!
“Life is a comedy to those who think and tragedy to those who feel”
Few lines from my poem I would like to recite here that I jotted down while having similar thoughts:
“I understand things that I am not interested in,
I am living the kind of life that I find no charm in
Bless me with the ignorance, which to people makes sense,
Replace my ability to perceive with such “blissful ignorance”
One query that comes to my mind is “why parent a child when we know death is the end of life?”
I believe nothing on the earth is as dear as the child to a parent. Still we love our kids more than ourselves and make sincere efforts to give them a good life and bring them up as a good human being. A parent is the one whose happiness knows no boundaries while the child is admired. And while I am on the deathbed I would happily want to leave the world only if I see my child standing before me as an independent human, emotionally stable and capable of leading a successful life, an ideal life that I would teach him about based on my experiences to make him stronger.
Similarly I believe like we love our kids and feel proud seeing them successful when they grow up, probably when on the deathbed our body while bidding good bye to our soul would certainly wish to feel proud and have no regrets before leaving the world, a world that had and gave ample opportunities to ensure a dignified death. So I would make the most of the opportunities made available to me to ensure I die respectfully in my own eyes essentially.
Labour in life basically gives a positive direction enabling us to do justice to our capabilities and our essence as a human being.
Thanks so much!
Neetu
Rodica Petrescu wrote:
Dear Professor,
What is proper Life, one asks, when it ends in Death anyway?
What should Life be? Chasing pleasures? Labour? Refusal? Wealth? Worship? An anticipation and waiting for death?
Each must try answer what is Life and why he/she is here; there is no one answer like the other and no answer is better than the other.
I cannot speak for someone else. All I know is it takes a lifetime to grow an answer and there is no reason to rush. Shall I ask for guidance and help – I'll miss. Shall I jump to conclusions – I'll miss. I must use everything I am “gifted” with, I must do everything I do, learn the lessons and wait.
Rodica
Susan Shwartz PhD wrote:
There isn't much time in life, but there surely is -some- time to smell the roses. The trick is becoming aware of that, making the time, and enjoying the best roses possible for as long as you can.
John Covey wrote:
I think it best said by the Author Kahlil Gibran in the book "The Prophet" - On Work
You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.
When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?
Always you have been told that work is a curse and labor a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born, And in keeping yourself with labor you are in truth loving life, And to love life through labor is to be intimate with life's inmost secret.
But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.
You have been told also that life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.
And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit, And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching.
Often have I heard you say, as if speaking in sleep, "He who works in marble, and finds the shape of his own soul in the stone, is nobler than he who ploughs the soil.
And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the likeness of man, is more than he who makes the sandals for our feet."
But I say, not in sleep but in the over-wakefulness of noontide, that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks than to the least of all the blades of grass;
And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving.
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man's hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man's ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.
Colleen Norris wrote:
Life is whatever I create it to be.
I choose to look back at the end of this life having lived.
Take the time to enjoy this life. It's all that you are guarenteed.
M. Joyce McMenamin wrote:
Only the good die young.
{So they say}
Vinod Kad wrote:
Life is a tremendously beautiful gift to enjoy. But it is us humans who impose things like hard work, labour, ambitions, goals upon our lives.
But you may argue that we need to labour to survive. Thats is not labour. Thats natural. Thats what a hungry animal or bird does. Thats not labour.
Now you may further argue that if we do not labour who will make beautiful gardens, temples, paintings, inventions etc.. I would say that all the beautiful paintings, inventions, temples, buildings, palaces etc. were made out of one's love or passion or interest for these things.
Remember buildings like Taj Mahal, Khajuraho Temples, Mughal Gardens; Inventions like Radio, Television, Electricity etc. were not made as a compulsion of Labour.
So if you are yourself sure and unconditionally / totally accept Death then you should immediately drop concepts like labour, effort, goals from your life.
But the problem is neither I nor You and most of others ACCEPT that our death is certain. We just TALK and WRITE that death is imminent. But we never experiment it.
Perhaps death is the most TALKED / WRITTEN about and the least EXPERIMENTED subject in this world.
Whoever will dare to EXPERIMENT with death, will surely drop all labour from life. But that does not mean that he will not live here. He will live much much relaxed and joyful life than us. For example Raman, Buddha, Nisaragdatta etc.
James D'Argantel Odrowaz wrote:
Proverbs are the collected errors of humankind.
So always take then with a pinch of salt... and who can categorically state that death is the end of life?
Annette Hope Brewster wrote:
Is death the end of life or merely a new beginning?
As for my life, my labor pays for the luxuries I enjoy in life, such as helocopter rides, hiking, backpacking, water skiing, ski diving, etc., none of which I can do for free --
I had a near death experience when I was 21 and learned then life is way too short to be a work-a-holic; my time at work is 150% of my efforts, my company shouldn't expect anything more from me, as long as I produce greater than my quota.
Rajshree Mathur Ghosh wrote:
Hi
I whole heartedly agree with you. God has been very unkind to mankind . He created such a beautiful word, Sun, Stars, Breeze, Valleys, Flowers and Love and so much more. And thud..bang it all ends with death. If only someone would feed me and give me ready made clothes and a lovely house on the beach......I would not work a day. Then life would comfort, luxury, beauty, freedon, happiness and all that I intend to do with it...But alas....Labour is an integral part of life. So thats how mankind must earn his/her right to life! By working hard. Death....Is where this beautiful story ends. No regrets about the Labour. I am fine with it. One has to pass time (life) some how. So better is working and being useful to other humanbeings.
Rajshree
Andrew Scharf [LION] wrote:
Death is not the end of life; it is the end of the duration of the physical form allocated to us from the moment we manifest on the material plane. The soul cannot be touched by fire, water, wind, heat, or cold. In a body we experience many things; and this is the pleasure and curse of the body.
What someone chooses to do with his or her body is a question of choice. Sometimes those choices are difficult and challenging but there is always choice. The 'labour' of life is series of lessons to teach the soul awareness and the 'meaning of life'. We can get caught up in a multitude of activities like children experimenting with new toys. Toys titillate but they can never satisfy ultimately.
Because of the roles we play, there are diverse levels of responsibility and obligations. However, we need to have the perception that every task is filled with joy. Taking out the trash does not appear to be joyous, but with the right frame of mind, we can make it so. It is what one sage referred to as a question of consciousness.
Having said this, when we are physically present knowing that life is a gift, we should not waste time. Time is a non-renewable resource. At first, we believe it is infinite. We have this belief because, i fact, we really are. However, our bodies are not. The body can be used for a multitude of activities. Engage in ones which bring peace of mind as well as pleasure.
One day the 'hotel keeper' will come and ask us to check out of the hotel. That day arrives for everyone. There are no extensions for VIPs. Big Boss is very democratic on this. Therefore, appreciate, give thanks, and dwell in the state of grace which is the birthright of us all.
Above all, one should have no regrets. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination.
from Andrew Scharf
Links:
http://www.whitefieldconsulting.com
http://www.mba4success.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewscharf
Steve Stokes wrote:
Life should not all labour be. We ought not live to work, but instead work to live... on this journey that we call life, we must balance enterprise with experience. In other words, we should work in order that we can play.
Life is short, and it could be over with at the drop of a hat, so we must not waste a moment. We should do what we must do in order that we can do what we desire to do.
Steve
Scott Byorum wrote:
I keep telling my boss that but they just don't seem to get it. Neither does my landlord or my creditors.
Kevin Harville wrote:
All we ever have, under any circumstances, is the moment. We are part of the universe, like cells in a body, and if we only look at ourselves in this time period, life is senseless.
But when we consider the FACT that we are not just lonely separate parts of the universe, but parts of a much larger process, then life makes sense. For instance, you may consider only your own life, but YOUR life is simply one stage in a process that started with the first life on earth, which started because of the Big Bang. From the first DNA to your DNA, this process has NOT CEASED, but has CONTINUED, UNINTERRUPTED, giving rise to a person who is on linked in, communing with other parts of the universe (us), pondering the meaning of life, consciously.
Through us the universe experiences life. We are like leaves on a tree appearing and disappearing from season to season. But the tree remains.
We are a necessary process and stage in the evolution of the universe.
Indira Chaudhry wrote:
Life, like a fire, begins in smoke and ends in ashes.
Life itself cannot give you joy/ Unless you really will it./ Life just gives you time and space -- It's up to you to fill it....Life is half spent before one knows what life is.....
Neetubala Raina wrote:
Dear Prof.
Not sure if I will be successful in putting down my thoughts together to answer your query but would certainly give it a try as your query within itself has thousands of queries echoing.
"When Death is the end of Life; Why should Life all Labour Be?"
I believe, while I am on the deathbed, I would rather wish to die a peaceful and dignified death, happily recalling all those efforts/labors that probably were successful / unsuccessful but intentions behind were too genuine for sure. I would certainly not want to be full of regrets while I am on the deathbed for having done nothing but wait for the doomsday to arrive for myself.
It is a perception too that differs from person to person. More than half of the humans on earth, I am afraid if think so profoundly about life and death!!!! “Ignorance is bliss” stands true for such a philosophical thought process and happy are they who don’t understand this or wish not to understand this. Anyway, God bless all!
“Life is a comedy to those who think and tragedy to those who feel”
Few lines from my poem I would like to recite here that I jotted down while having similar thoughts:
“I understand things that I am not interested in,
I am living the kind of life that I find no charm in
Bless me with the ignorance, which to people makes sense,
Replace my ability to perceive with such “blissful ignorance”
One query that comes to my mind is “why parent a child when we know death is the end of life?”
I believe nothing on the earth is as dear as the child to a parent. Still we love our kids more than ourselves and make sincere efforts to give them a good life and bring them up as a good human being. A parent is the one whose happiness knows no boundaries while the child is admired. And while I am on the deathbed I would happily want to leave the world only if I see my child standing before me as an independent human, emotionally stable and capable of leading a successful life, an ideal life that I would teach him about based on my experiences to make him stronger.
Similarly I believe like we love our kids and feel proud seeing them successful when they grow up, probably when on the deathbed our body while bidding good bye to our soul would certainly wish to feel proud and have no regrets before leaving the world, a world that had and gave ample opportunities to ensure a dignified death. So I would make the most of the opportunities made available to me to ensure I die respectfully in my own eyes essentially.
Labour in life basically gives a positive direction enabling us to do justice to our capabilities and our essence as a human being.
Thanks so much!
Neetu
Rodica Petrescu wrote:
Dear Professor,
What is proper Life, one asks, when it ends in Death anyway?
What should Life be? Chasing pleasures? Labour? Refusal? Wealth? Worship? An anticipation and waiting for death?
Each must try answer what is Life and why he/she is here; there is no one answer like the other and no answer is better than the other.
I cannot speak for someone else. All I know is it takes a lifetime to grow an answer and there is no reason to rush. Shall I ask for guidance and help – I'll miss. Shall I jump to conclusions – I'll miss. I must use everything I am “gifted” with, I must do everything I do, learn the lessons and wait.
Rodica
Susan Shwartz PhD wrote:
There isn't much time in life, but there surely is -some- time to smell the roses. The trick is becoming aware of that, making the time, and enjoying the best roses possible for as long as you can.
John Covey wrote:
I think it best said by the Author Kahlil Gibran in the book "The Prophet" - On Work
You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.
When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?
Always you have been told that work is a curse and labor a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born, And in keeping yourself with labor you are in truth loving life, And to love life through labor is to be intimate with life's inmost secret.
But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.
You have been told also that life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.
And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit, And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching.
Often have I heard you say, as if speaking in sleep, "He who works in marble, and finds the shape of his own soul in the stone, is nobler than he who ploughs the soil.
And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the likeness of man, is more than he who makes the sandals for our feet."
But I say, not in sleep but in the over-wakefulness of noontide, that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks than to the least of all the blades of grass;
And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving.
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man's hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man's ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.
Colleen Norris wrote:
Life is whatever I create it to be.
I choose to look back at the end of this life having lived.
Take the time to enjoy this life. It's all that you are guarenteed.
M. Joyce McMenamin wrote:
Only the good die young.
{So they say}
Vinod Kad wrote:
Life is a tremendously beautiful gift to enjoy. But it is us humans who impose things like hard work, labour, ambitions, goals upon our lives.
But you may argue that we need to labour to survive. Thats is not labour. Thats natural. Thats what a hungry animal or bird does. Thats not labour.
Now you may further argue that if we do not labour who will make beautiful gardens, temples, paintings, inventions etc.. I would say that all the beautiful paintings, inventions, temples, buildings, palaces etc. were made out of one's love or passion or interest for these things.
Remember buildings like Taj Mahal, Khajuraho Temples, Mughal Gardens; Inventions like Radio, Television, Electricity etc. were not made as a compulsion of Labour.
So if you are yourself sure and unconditionally / totally accept Death then you should immediately drop concepts like labour, effort, goals from your life.
But the problem is neither I nor You and most of others ACCEPT that our death is certain. We just TALK and WRITE that death is imminent. But we never experiment it.
Perhaps death is the most TALKED / WRITTEN about and the least EXPERIMENTED subject in this world.
Whoever will dare to EXPERIMENT with death, will surely drop all labour from life. But that does not mean that he will not live here. He will live much much relaxed and joyful life than us. For example Raman, Buddha, Nisaragdatta etc.
James D'Argantel Odrowaz wrote:
Proverbs are the collected errors of humankind.
So always take then with a pinch of salt... and who can categorically state that death is the end of life?
Annette Hope Brewster wrote:
Is death the end of life or merely a new beginning?
As for my life, my labor pays for the luxuries I enjoy in life, such as helocopter rides, hiking, backpacking, water skiing, ski diving, etc., none of which I can do for free --
I had a near death experience when I was 21 and learned then life is way too short to be a work-a-holic; my time at work is 150% of my efforts, my company shouldn't expect anything more from me, as long as I produce greater than my quota.
Rajshree Mathur Ghosh wrote:
Hi
I whole heartedly agree with you. God has been very unkind to mankind . He created such a beautiful word, Sun, Stars, Breeze, Valleys, Flowers and Love and so much more. And thud..bang it all ends with death. If only someone would feed me and give me ready made clothes and a lovely house on the beach......I would not work a day. Then life would comfort, luxury, beauty, freedon, happiness and all that I intend to do with it...But alas....Labour is an integral part of life. So thats how mankind must earn his/her right to life! By working hard. Death....Is where this beautiful story ends. No regrets about the Labour. I am fine with it. One has to pass time (life) some how. So better is working and being useful to other humanbeings.
Rajshree
Andrew Scharf [LION] wrote:
Death is not the end of life; it is the end of the duration of the physical form allocated to us from the moment we manifest on the material plane. The soul cannot be touched by fire, water, wind, heat, or cold. In a body we experience many things; and this is the pleasure and curse of the body.
What someone chooses to do with his or her body is a question of choice. Sometimes those choices are difficult and challenging but there is always choice. The 'labour' of life is series of lessons to teach the soul awareness and the 'meaning of life'. We can get caught up in a multitude of activities like children experimenting with new toys. Toys titillate but they can never satisfy ultimately.
Because of the roles we play, there are diverse levels of responsibility and obligations. However, we need to have the perception that every task is filled with joy. Taking out the trash does not appear to be joyous, but with the right frame of mind, we can make it so. It is what one sage referred to as a question of consciousness.
Having said this, when we are physically present knowing that life is a gift, we should not waste time. Time is a non-renewable resource. At first, we believe it is infinite. We have this belief because, i fact, we really are. However, our bodies are not. The body can be used for a multitude of activities. Engage in ones which bring peace of mind as well as pleasure.
One day the 'hotel keeper' will come and ask us to check out of the hotel. That day arrives for everyone. There are no extensions for VIPs. Big Boss is very democratic on this. Therefore, appreciate, give thanks, and dwell in the state of grace which is the birthright of us all.
Above all, one should have no regrets. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination.
from Andrew Scharf
Links:
http://www.whitefieldconsulting.com
http://www.mba4success.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewscharf
Friday, January 2, 2009
Educating Young Learners.
Parents and Educationists recognize the crucial importance of good quality education in the early years. The experiences and environment the children are exposed to in the first five years, when the seeds for learning are sown in the blossoming brain, have a great impact on the child’s life. We recognise that learning shifts from age to age. A three year old is not a five year old, but a perfect three year old. Children at different age levels have different needs and ways of learning.
Young children love to play and are naturally curious. They are full of love and purity. Games, puzzles and educational activities need to be incorporated in the syllabus, so that the children learn new skills in both a fun and challenging way. We know that children learn best when they are enjoying themselves. One of our main aims should be for children to develop a joy for life-long learning.
School is often the first time the children are away from home, so the classroom becomes a new family. An atmosphere must be created in which each individual is respected, loved and cared for. Children learn to grow and learn together in a cooperative environment. In games they learn to work together as a team. Students need to be provided with opportunities to work in small groups, so that the teacher has more individual time with each child. We should have a daily organised routine with a variety of activities for the children to experience learning in a stimulating environment.
Students need to start the day with a few minutes of meditation. This helps them to relax, develop their inner peace and be more focused. They also ought to have a daily period for Life Skills, in which they learn to take care of themselves and others. They need to learn how to share, become a good human being, learn good manners, and polite social interactions. They also must learn to appreciate multicultural diversity and the common elements of different religions.
We must incorporate kinaesthetic learning – learning through movement, in the learning process. Physical activities are a fun way to learn the alphabet, numbers and many environmental topics. Children love to move, jump and run. Children process new information through their whole body, in kinaesthetic learning. Some children learn best through their sense of touch, they are called tactile learners. Such children flourish when they can paint, and create things with their hands. These art and craft activities need to be linked to topics they are learning. They also love educational aids and manipulative. School is not about sitting still the whole day.
The preschool years are not the time to engage the children in lengthy memorization exercises. Children at this age develop their thinking processes in the context of play and physical activities.
During the year there ought to be special theme days, like an Alphabet Party or a Number Day. On these days the whole day has to be packed with role play, games, music, and craft activities related to the topic.
We need to be aware that children are keen observers. How we speak, listen and interact with others needs to be loving and polite. Children quickly pick up our attitudes and behaviour traits. By modelling how we want our children to behave and the skills we want them to learn, we do the best in creating a congenial atmosphere for learning and growing.
After modelling we also need to give children the opportunity to do things on their own. Learning through doing has to be a key word at all Schools. Mistakes are okay, and part of the learning process. We remember 90 % of what we do, whereas we remember very little of what we read. Our teachers should be committed to providing the best possible learning experience for your children. Encouragement is an important word for children. Words of encouragement work wonders. We need to help our students develop self confidence. All of these efforts make a School a wonderful place for a child to grow.
Young children love to play and are naturally curious. They are full of love and purity. Games, puzzles and educational activities need to be incorporated in the syllabus, so that the children learn new skills in both a fun and challenging way. We know that children learn best when they are enjoying themselves. One of our main aims should be for children to develop a joy for life-long learning.
School is often the first time the children are away from home, so the classroom becomes a new family. An atmosphere must be created in which each individual is respected, loved and cared for. Children learn to grow and learn together in a cooperative environment. In games they learn to work together as a team. Students need to be provided with opportunities to work in small groups, so that the teacher has more individual time with each child. We should have a daily organised routine with a variety of activities for the children to experience learning in a stimulating environment.
Students need to start the day with a few minutes of meditation. This helps them to relax, develop their inner peace and be more focused. They also ought to have a daily period for Life Skills, in which they learn to take care of themselves and others. They need to learn how to share, become a good human being, learn good manners, and polite social interactions. They also must learn to appreciate multicultural diversity and the common elements of different religions.
We must incorporate kinaesthetic learning – learning through movement, in the learning process. Physical activities are a fun way to learn the alphabet, numbers and many environmental topics. Children love to move, jump and run. Children process new information through their whole body, in kinaesthetic learning. Some children learn best through their sense of touch, they are called tactile learners. Such children flourish when they can paint, and create things with their hands. These art and craft activities need to be linked to topics they are learning. They also love educational aids and manipulative. School is not about sitting still the whole day.
The preschool years are not the time to engage the children in lengthy memorization exercises. Children at this age develop their thinking processes in the context of play and physical activities.
During the year there ought to be special theme days, like an Alphabet Party or a Number Day. On these days the whole day has to be packed with role play, games, music, and craft activities related to the topic.
We need to be aware that children are keen observers. How we speak, listen and interact with others needs to be loving and polite. Children quickly pick up our attitudes and behaviour traits. By modelling how we want our children to behave and the skills we want them to learn, we do the best in creating a congenial atmosphere for learning and growing.
After modelling we also need to give children the opportunity to do things on their own. Learning through doing has to be a key word at all Schools. Mistakes are okay, and part of the learning process. We remember 90 % of what we do, whereas we remember very little of what we read. Our teachers should be committed to providing the best possible learning experience for your children. Encouragement is an important word for children. Words of encouragement work wonders. We need to help our students develop self confidence. All of these efforts make a School a wonderful place for a child to grow.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.
Jean Piaget needs no introduction to a trained-teacher. Every teacher receives some exposure to the theories of Piaget during his training. Piaget’s notions of assimilation and accommodation are probably the most commonly known and the most easily interpretive of Piaget‘s theories.
The fact that is intrinsic to Piagetian theory and the one that must be reiterated in regard to these two concepts and indeed to the totality of his theory is that at no point in the child’s intellectual development does Piaget consider the child as the passive recipient in the acquisition of knowledge. His theory rests on the fact that the intellect is active in the development of knowledge
The young child in the process of assimilation continually reaches out, touches, and tastes accessible elements in the environment. Piaget categorizes this earliest of stages as the sensori-motor stage in the development of the child. In the process of assimilating external reality, the child gradually moves towards a system of classification. This process of assimilation, however, remains comparatively uninhibited in the early stages of a child‘s life. Later when the child reaches the age of two or three, the process involve contradictions which result in disequilibration in the knowledge previously attained. The child seeks equilibration and resolves the problem through a process of accommodation. It is this process that contributes substantially to the development of the child’s intellect.
The processes of assimilation, accommodation and equilibration are life–long processes.
At the later stages of intellectual development, more sophisticated processes are developed, yet it is this disequilibration that is at the heart of intellectual development. The interaction of the human intellect and the environment results in increasingly complicated systems of knowing, and assists the individual in attaining advanced stages of knowledge. These stages called SCHEME (Plural schemes) by Piaget develop progressively, and although Piaget suggests ages at which they occur, the limits have been determined empirically from numerous investigations in Geneva and elsewhere.
According to Piaget, although the age limits are not rigidly delimited, each stage must nevertheless be attained in the proposed sequential order: - sensori-motor stage, Pre-operational stage, Concrete operational stage and Formal operational stage.
FOUR PERIODS OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
PERIODS APPROXIMATE AGE RANGESensori-motor Birth-1 ½ - 2 years
Pre-operational 1- ½ - 2 – 6-7 years
Concrete Operational 6-7 – 11 – 12 years
Formal Operational 11-12- through adulthood.
The ages at which these stages are attained has much to do with the development of the individual child and environmental factors.
Another important characteristic of learning is the process of reversibility. The question of reversibility has significance for the development of knowledge, especially in mathematics and the sciences. The ability of the pupil to grasp the process of reversibility contributes significantly to more comprehensive learning. The application by teachers of this process in teaching; for example, addition with its converse subtraction and multiplication with division, provides the pupil with the opportunity to improve learning.
“I recall one evening of profound revelation. The identification of God with life itself was an idea that stirred me almost to ecstasy because if enabled me to see in biology the explanation of all things and mind itself…… The problem of knowing (properly called the epistemological problem) suddenly appeared to me in an entirely new perspective and as an absorbing topic of study. It made me decide to consecrate my life to the biological explanation of knowledge.” ………..PIAGET
The fact that is intrinsic to Piagetian theory and the one that must be reiterated in regard to these two concepts and indeed to the totality of his theory is that at no point in the child’s intellectual development does Piaget consider the child as the passive recipient in the acquisition of knowledge. His theory rests on the fact that the intellect is active in the development of knowledge
The young child in the process of assimilation continually reaches out, touches, and tastes accessible elements in the environment. Piaget categorizes this earliest of stages as the sensori-motor stage in the development of the child. In the process of assimilating external reality, the child gradually moves towards a system of classification. This process of assimilation, however, remains comparatively uninhibited in the early stages of a child‘s life. Later when the child reaches the age of two or three, the process involve contradictions which result in disequilibration in the knowledge previously attained. The child seeks equilibration and resolves the problem through a process of accommodation. It is this process that contributes substantially to the development of the child’s intellect.
The processes of assimilation, accommodation and equilibration are life–long processes.
At the later stages of intellectual development, more sophisticated processes are developed, yet it is this disequilibration that is at the heart of intellectual development. The interaction of the human intellect and the environment results in increasingly complicated systems of knowing, and assists the individual in attaining advanced stages of knowledge. These stages called SCHEME (Plural schemes) by Piaget develop progressively, and although Piaget suggests ages at which they occur, the limits have been determined empirically from numerous investigations in Geneva and elsewhere.
According to Piaget, although the age limits are not rigidly delimited, each stage must nevertheless be attained in the proposed sequential order: - sensori-motor stage, Pre-operational stage, Concrete operational stage and Formal operational stage.
FOUR PERIODS OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
PERIODS APPROXIMATE AGE RANGESensori-motor Birth-1 ½ - 2 years
Pre-operational 1- ½ - 2 – 6-7 years
Concrete Operational 6-7 – 11 – 12 years
Formal Operational 11-12- through adulthood.
The ages at which these stages are attained has much to do with the development of the individual child and environmental factors.
Another important characteristic of learning is the process of reversibility. The question of reversibility has significance for the development of knowledge, especially in mathematics and the sciences. The ability of the pupil to grasp the process of reversibility contributes significantly to more comprehensive learning. The application by teachers of this process in teaching; for example, addition with its converse subtraction and multiplication with division, provides the pupil with the opportunity to improve learning.
“I recall one evening of profound revelation. The identification of God with life itself was an idea that stirred me almost to ecstasy because if enabled me to see in biology the explanation of all things and mind itself…… The problem of knowing (properly called the epistemological problem) suddenly appeared to me in an entirely new perspective and as an absorbing topic of study. It made me decide to consecrate my life to the biological explanation of knowledge.” ………..PIAGET
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