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Mostly we have relationship with our work , with people , with ourselves .

Sometimes we see that we ain't honest about what impact it's having on us and continue with okayness , smile on our faces.

Since it takes some sensitivity to admit and confront to ourselves and others .

When we are clouded by desire / fear

We ain't able to stay authentic.

For the sake of a desire

We sell our authenticity.

Beautiful reminder that there is something subtle that deserves top priority not in mind but in the heart .

Imagine that you see the world around you. There are people, trees, houses, sounds. But how do you know that all of these actually exist in the same way they appear to you?

Solipsism is a philosophical position concerning the limits of what we can know beyond our own experience. In its epistemological form, it asks whether anything outside one’s own mind can be known with certainty. In its stronger metaphysical form, it claims that only one’s own mind exists.

In everyday terms, we do not experience an object directly; we experience it through sensory signals processed by the brain. Signals received by the eyes reach the brain, and the brain helps construct our experience of the world. In other words, the brain plays an active role in how we experience reality.

From here arises a difficult question: if I cannot prove anything outside my own experience with complete certainty, how certain can I be about other people, the external world, or anything beyond my immediate experience?

This does not prove that the external world is unreal. It asks whether we can know it with absolute certainty.

A related doubt appears in Descartes’ philosophy, though Descartes was not a solipsist. He tried to doubt everything that could possibly be doubted. In that process, one thing seemed certain to him: in order to doubt, thinking must be occurring. From this came his famous statement, “I think, therefore I am.”

This established the certainty of one’s own thinking existence; it did not, by itself, prove that nothing else exists.

But here we can also see a subtle grip of ego. What begins as “only I am certain” can gradually become “whatever I know is what is real for me.” Even doubt can turn in such a way that the entire world once again begins to revolve around the sense of “I am.”

More than offering a conclusion, reflecting on solipsism gives us an opportunity to see how easily we treat our certainty as final. The world we consider so clear and real, through what mediums is our knowledge of it ultimately being constructed?

If everything is known to me only through my experience, do I ever observe where the limits of my certainty lie?

Sources

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Solipsism and the Problem of Other Minds

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Yogācāra, for a concise discussion of solipsism and other minds

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Descartes’ Epistemology

I’m 22, and when I met Howard Roark for the first time, I couldn’t stop falling in love with the character.

He walked. People stared. And yet, for him, the streets were empty.

There was something almost intoxicating about that individuality.

But then I looked at myself.

When I walk down the street and people stare at me, I see myself flinching. I hear the voices of fear inside me. I realize that, for me, the streets are not empty.

I still care.

And that is where Roark became more than an inspiring character for me. He became a mirror.

Because Roark can help but perhaps he is at the very upper range of the spectrum of ego. And if I simply admire him, feel a rush of courage, and then return to my old patterns, what has really changed?

Maybe the greats and the geniuses were never meant to be an adrenaline rush.

They cannot be used to temporarily feel extraordinary and then return to a life governed by the same conditioning.

They can be a constant inspiration but only if I am willing to look at myself.

To see where I seek approval. Where I fear rejection. Where I compromise. Where I choose to remain common because being common feels safe.

And then, gradually, to drop what creates resistance to living freely.

Perhaps freedom begins with a no.

A no to whatever keeps me mediocre.

A no to the compulsive need to fit in.

A no to living according to voices that I have never consciously chosen.

Without that moment-to-moment courage to say no, Howard Roark remains only a character I admire.

He doesn't become real in me.

I've been revisiting The Fountainhead recently, and one question has been bothering me:

Roark seems remarkably free from society's approval. But what about the influences within oneself ,desires, fears, conditioning, the need for recognition, etc.?

Is freedom from social pressure enough to call someone truly independent?

Or should we also examine where our own desires and sense of self come from?

I've come across some interesting discussions on this through Acharya Prashant's interpretation of The Fountainhead.

He draws a distinction between fighting society and examining the conditioning within oneself, which I found quite interesting.

Curious how Objectivists here would approach this.

Earlier it was just a bollywood song .

But now i song these lyrics i am reminded of

How much important it too get better

And have the love towards your own highest potential

Which is so much great than your current version ,

So great that it feels almost impossible to reach it

But at the same time lits up the fire of love inside my heart .

Understand and see, O dear friend of my heart,

If you are a true lover, what is the point of hoarding gold?

If you have gained something, then give it away, beloved,

If you have to lose it all step by step, what’s the use of clinging to it?

A dry, rough crust of sorrow is enough,

What need is there for soft, delicious dishes?

Understand and see, O dear friend of my heart,

If you are a true lover, what is the point of hoarding gold?

When sleep itself is heavy in these eyes,

What use are pillows and soft beds?

Says Kabir, this is the path of love:

If you must offer your head, then why weep about it?

This dialogue is from Season 2, Episode 2 of DUCKMAN animated sitcom directed by American illustrator and cartoonist Everett Peck.

Our normal pop philosophy for money is to make more and more money until the end of life.

This kind of philosophy has increased both consumerism and profit driven behaviour.

Why can’t we just stop at one amount like this much savings is required to fulfil some of my responsibilities and some for my old age ?

The main irony is that even very young people save money for old age.🙄

Instead of focusing on making more money we should actually focus on where that money is coming from and where i am using that money.

After a certain amount ,one should use his/her money where it is needed the most.

We are Mortal Beings. What is the use of making so much money and that too for next 2..3 generations?
Doesn’t it feel ridiculous?

I came across a video of a student talking about the Satya Niketan building collapse in South Delhi, and one thing she said really stayed with me:

“They had dreams. They were thinking about their future, and suddenly everything collapsed.”

On September 6, a five-storey boys' PG in Satya Niketan collapsed at around 1:30 pm. Seven people have died and 12 survivors were rescued and taken to AIIMS. The building was reportedly around 50–55 years old, and repair/construction work was underway in the basement when it collapsed. The exact cause is still being investigated.

Satya Niketan is a major student-housing area near DU's South Campus. DU has over 2.5 lakh students but only around 9,000 hostel beds, which means a large number of students depend on private PGs and rented accommodation.

Five MCD officials have reportedly been suspended, and the building's owner has been arrested.

But what I keep thinking about isn't only who is going to be held responsible for this particular collapse.

It's the situation that students find themselves in.

They come to a city to study. They need somewhere to live. Many don't get a hostel, so they depend on private accommodation.

And then something like this happens.

The student in the video was crying because now even the buildings around her don't necessarily feel safe.

And this is where I want to look a little deeper.

Not just at one owner, one contractor or one official.

What kind of system have we created where people who are simply trying to build their future can end up having to compromise on something as basic as safety?

And beyond the system what is happening in us that allows another person's basic need to become an opportunity for profit?

I don't have a neat answer to this.

But I don't think “who is to blame?” should be the only question we ask.

Sources: Deccan Herald

कहते सब कल क्यों रोई थी ?

ऐसा भी क्या तुम खोई थी ?

तुम तो सम्मूच आकाश हो बादल की कोई छठा नहीं

क्या हुआ तुम्हे तुम कैसी हो ?

मुझे इसके उत्तर पता नहीं ✨🙃

ये कविता हर समय यही याद दिलाती है कि कैसे उपनिषद हमे विराटता की दिशा दिखाते है पर हम , छोटे पर , सीमित पर आश्रित होकर दुख पा रहे होते है 🪞

I remember you every breath and you remind me of my highest potential

Krishna or Gita has been a medium for me to make me see the bondages and break free

since I Build connection with Gita, everything started changing.

Slowly I saw myself asking the right questions, now fear was not talking , first time got the courage to let myself live off script .

Few years back my life was just limited to college and studies ;

Like everything was postponed after middle age .

Somewhere I felt carrer is more important and yes relationships for sure ; but the quality of my life was zero.

Parents too didn't care about their own quality of life, how would they care about mine ?

Then came a random person in my life as a teacher his name is acharya prashant.

And slowly i started livingoff script.

Started learning outside syllabus , started going for volunteering, made content , started singing , finally got the courage to get out of shameful introverted Nature.

The journey didn't end there , also started taking solo trips ,

Focused not just on beauty but strength .

And read a lot , met a lot of great people online and offline.

Now also focusing on becoming financially independent along side pursuing degree . 🌝

It's so common to listen to songs like this and always relate it to

Some person of the opposite gender , and that's what they were made for in the first place .

But for the lovers of freedom everything worldy is connected to something maybe it can be a person in the same world who frees you up of your bondages and gives a direction to walk .

In the 2 days holistic individual development program conducted by prashant Advait foundation; we got to learn a lot about right living .

Nothing changes us faster than right company and the right company is where everyone is together for a same purpose that is the love for something beyond their small little self.

This song reminds us that , how much we stay away from the very things we love .

When we look at our life what we see is just distorted choices

And then staying away from what is highest we later feel guilty .

We might have everything in life but if that one thing is missing everything is missing.

Since many years , I kept applying multiple tricks and tips to get rid of this thing called fear completely .

I looked at people who were able to do the things I wasn't and immediately concluded that they are fearless and I am not and there is some secret trick to get rid of all the fear one has and lives by .

Like other kids , i saw myself very self conscious and fearful over a lot of normal usual stuff .

During childhood I felt like ; the key to get rid of it was to participate in more activities, achieve more , collect certificates। and trophies .

I did all that exactly but fear bounced back even more stronger than the previous courageous decision and achievement .

Later when smartphone came into my life , i made learning another crutch .

And the cycle continuing, until I read on fear from the author acharya prashant;

I haven't been touch a lot .

But wanted to post here ;

He opened my eyes i realized that my need for confidence was actually fear .