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Thread: Why should I work?

  1. Re: Why should I work?

    Dear Cybernetics

    Delighted to hear of your increase in confidence...It is a great step towards your growth...May god always support and bless you

    Om

  2. #22

    Re: Why should I work?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mana View Post
    Namasté cybernetics

    Just reading through your posts, have you read any Douglas Adams?

    You might know of Marvin?

    I highly recommend the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy to you. I think that you need a laugh!

    praNAma

    mana
    Hey! Just saw that movie...
    Please proceed with what u had to say..

  3. #23

    Re: Why should I work?

    Cybernetics: great question. I can fully understand your predicament, for my own background is very similar to yours. You have arrived at this predicament while still a student, good for you!; I arrived at it much later in life.

    My 2 cents:
    There is no easy solution to your question. It is one thing to follow the advice in the Gita, but know that you are in for the long haul and that's OK.

    Also, know that in this day and age, this will be a Hard way. Your friends will counsel you to take the easy road, your family will want you 'become something' that they can brag about, your work will meet with obstacles of every variety. These need not happen, but the probability is High. I suggest a few things that might help: 1) Seek out and join successful people who have maintained their integrity and vision despite the odds - look at the best NGOs, and get some backing from them for your own ideas. 2) Get an advanced degree; it will help you focus some of your broad learning (a B.Tech is still very broad), put you in touch with capable mentors. See if you like fields that can help you become influential in the larger society; maybe International Relations or Law. 3) If you have time, teach (maybe kids or youngsters from challenged sections of society); it will again influence your own outlook. As I said, my background is similar to yours. I tried ideas 1) and 2), but not 3) and they have helped quite a bit in shaping my worldview.

    You are in an enviable position, really, current predicaments and sleepless nights notwithstanding.

    Cheers!
    T
    Last edited by Tandav; 28 October 2011 at 07:28 AM. Reason: shorten my reply; content remains unchanged.

  4. #24

    Re: Why should I work?

    Namaste Cybernetics,

    What a wealth of ideas from one and all. I was also thinking of NGOs.

    I suppose you are into Krishna Consciousness as you mentioned it and from the way you talk about the material and spiritual world.

    First, keeping Bh. Gita aside, how much are you interested in your chosen field ? Suppose everyone around you suddenly becomes eco-friendly promoting a greener earth, would you like to
    a) join hands and contribute, with KRshNa always in the heart
    b) go inwards with navadha bhakti all day, be the earth green or not.

    If today your answer is (a) , it means earth not being green is not just an excuse to escape the material world. Then you have just opened the door of opportunities of civic duty in KRshNa consciousness. Like Ambarish Maharaj.

    Shrila PrabhupAd touches on the Krishna Conscious way of doing everything.

    Why not kill 2-3-n birds in one stone - as KRshNa always does.

    If you can...
    * Take up a green-earth-friendly job contributing your tech skills
    * Make it clear you will keep moderate hours at work (not 60 hrs a week!)
    * Earn money via nishkAm karma with KrshNa always in the heart,
    * Contribute ideas for greener products/services in the company you work for (you must be familiar with green-earth architecture)
    * If possible volunteer your technical skills towards green facilities in rural India (more electricity, new-technology greener lamps, pest control, thru' pen, voice and action), and talk to them about KRshNa too !
    * Donate towards Food for Life and cow protection
    * Buy a set of BGs, other books, magazines, and give them to co-workers, friends, relatives - IF THEY ARE OPEN TO IT.
    * Discuss spirituality with friends, help them stay Krishna Conscious and not waste life/time in mundane things

    Where do you think you are then ? In Vraj-VRndAvan of course ! No it is not that Utopian and you know it. By throwing all petty and mundane ego-centric thinking out of the window, we increase efficiency N-fold, opening the door to KRshNa's energy.

    While we are here, we acknowledge KRshNa's gifts of talent, intellect, wealth, family, friends, community ...
    and become His pen, flute, voice, hand...

    When is material world an obstacle ?
    a) When a person is too ambitiously attached to career, politics or material desires - greed to collect more than necessary, mundane social endeavors (competing in the social circles), etc. None of these things seem to be the case with you.

    b) When the soul is in utter seperation of KRshNa to the point of being dysfunctional - or in the mood like the six Goswamis who forgot to eat and sleep. Are you in that state ?


    You are starting out on the right foot, and KRshNa will be pleased.
    Imagine if everyone simply joined ashrams, at least 70% will have made the wrong decision too soon, and all these things above would not be possible. The corporate world will keep drawing on resources, the villages will remain as they are, and so many people in rural, urban and sub-urban areas will not receive KRshNa anyways - they will be going their merry way in material pursuits. A wall preventing communication between the spiritual and material. Moreover, where will the resources for the Ashram come from ?

    Hare KRshNa
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  5. #25
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    Re: Why should I work?

    A basic question. Thanks Cybernetics for bringing it up in an innocent way.

    Welcome to the forum.

    Now to the topic.

    1. How does work or what form of work helps in spirituality ?

    2. How does it or How you can align it to the needs of present day ?

    3. How can we also define the negetive sides (as Cyber indicated) wrt the spirituality or karma theory ?

    Did you (Cyber) have all these answers ?

    Only a strong conviction will help in dischaging your work rightly which is also aligned spiritually and not bringing negetives into you or society.

    Love and best wishes

  6. #26
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    Re: Why should I work?

    Quote Originally Posted by cybernetics View Post
    Namaste all,
    I'm a B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering) student. And I've been in depression for quite some time now. I started reading Bhagavad Gita one year back. But I'm still confused. I have been a good science student but now I don't feel like studying anything because men are doing nothing else than exploiting our continuously diminishing energy resources and is using it for something which doesn't lead to us a higher truth. They use it for creating new weapons, exploring outer space which cannot reduce the suffering of birth, disease, old age and death as mentioned in our holy Gita. Arjuna was encouraged to fight against adharma. But what about us who are encouraged to build more and more material things and do nothing for establishing dharma. I've thought a lot about it myself that whatever the result is, my duty is to do my job but that doesn't create any spark inside me to stand up and start studying. Studies are becoming a burden day by day.
    Please help me with some answers that could kindle a spark within me like arjuna to get back to the enthusiastic life which I once had at the beginning.
    Thank you.
    I can very much relate with you. As far as I remember, after discovering spirituality was something important to me, I would occasionally become depressed. I think this is a way of our higher self telling us we need to make a change in how we are living our life if we want to step closer to our goal instead of stepping further away.

    I graduated from University a few years ago and have worked a few jobs. I made some OK money but would usually be miserable. I just felt like I was working so someone else could be rich.

    I decided to join the military this summer for several reasons. I am going to try and keep in mind that I am serving for the betterment of all humanity and I hope this will give my life purpose.

    Maybe you could enlist with the Peace Corps after you graduate? Keep that in mind as you finish school and work towards that. Don't give up on your degree, you already put so much work into it. It would be a shame to put all that work and not really have anything to show for it.
    "The leprosy of unreality disfigured every human creature in attendance."
    - Charles Dickens

    "Every blade of grass, every insect, ant, and golden bee, all so marvelously know their path, though they have not intelligence, they bear witness to the mystery of God and continually accomplish it themselves."
    - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

  7. #27

    Re: Why should I work?

    A very interesting thread indeed. it brings up many branches of thought. It reminds me of that fact that in a medical facility, the housekeeping staff may not feel they're a high and mighty surgeon saving lives, but a medical patient needs a comfortable clean bed. There are many parts to a whole system just in one setting, let alone the global picture.

  8. #28

    Re: Why should I work?

    Namaste cybernetics,

    I apologise not to have replied sooner; I had not seen your response, and this thread has not been highlighted in my browser, I seem to be having trouble with both, my absent mind and an apparent irregularity in the browser. Not to worry though; we'll get there in the end, of that I am sure.

    I wasn't implying anything at all, you remind me of myself in the questions that you ask as to what work to do. Being of a scientific mind; I thought that you would enjoy these radio plays on many levels. They are rather good for a little silly inspiration, inspiration which can at times be very enlightening.

    I have some quite strong views on depression (founded in experience), Its role and its effect. This will not answer your original question; why should you work. You could also ask your self; how shall I work?

    You cannot stop time from flowing, you must work to counter even this. In stillness there is action and in action avoidance of action. You must learn to judge which is best suited to your environment and future.

    I will expand; if you are interested.

    I would however, first draw your attention to my previous questions.

    praNAma

    mana

  9. #29
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    Re: Why should I work?

    1. We work to change the state of my Mind

    2. We work to keep the interactive medium (the body) functioning properly

    3. We work to serve my desires

    4. We work to serve the society

    5. We work to gain knowledge for my worldly desires

    6. We work to gain knowledge for my spiritual desires

    7. We work selflessly in the society, firms and other areas of engagement

    8. We work selflessly to clean our Mind of the worldly desires and Ego

    9. We work to expand our Mind's capacity to serve higher

    10. We work to achieve Moksha.

    From Sakama karma to Niskama Karma to Knowledge. This aligns the Sansari human to the Spiritual human

    Love and best wishes

  10. #30

    Re: Why should I work?

    I apologize for being away for so long.. Got stuck with the exams..
    And, in relation to the above discussion I just have to say that ultimately it's upto us as to what we choose to do in life..Although God is the only controller of this world but he doesn't really interferes with our Karma.. We can either choose to degrade ourselves by indulging in sense gratification or we can uplift ourselves by understanding the line of separation between our material and spiritual selves.. And once we understand this separation, we no longer bother about what we our doing because we understand that it's not us but God who is doing this work, or in a better sense, controlling this world. He is just using our material body as a tool. So He is the Supreme Controller and Supreme Enjoyer and we are but His mere servants.
    Unfortunately, this separation is, I won't say impossible, but difficult to understand because we all are knowingly or unknowingly impure to some degree at least.
    So, whatever* we do, doesn't matter. Because God has decided our fate based on our past activities. What's up to is that we detach ourselves from this material world and.......... BHAJA GOVINDAM.. and wait for mercy to come that one day Krishna will uplift us to his Holy Abode.


    * Whatever, of course, doesn't mean committing sin in any form because we do that only when we are attached...
    Thank You!! Bhaja Govinda..

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