Ajay0

Environment is stronger than will power — Parmahansa Yogananda I would say it is important to modify your environment to keep your resolutions. If this is not possible, you can be creative and tactful. For example , you can enroll in the gym or sports or martial arts classes or activities that peers find cool, and state that you are a fitness fanatic, and hence don't take alcohol. Alcohol actually causes a lot of harm to the body and brain. You can research these medical topics on alcohol and use it as reasons to stay away from alcohol. Stating that medical research shows that alcohol creates brain damage is bound to discourage even the most pro-alcohol peers and supporters. This can also help create awareness on the dangers of alcohol and help people keep off from it. https://www.who.int/health-topics/alcohol https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/alcohol-and-the-brain https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/resources/medical-conditions/alcohol-related-brain-damage/

German chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that an immediate ban on Russian energy imports would trigger an economic recession in Germany and across Europe, which is recovering from the economic strain of the covid pandemic for the last two years. https://www.politico.eu/article/olaf-scholz-warns-against-russia-energy-embargo/

The present war waged with conventional weapons have in itself delivered a blow to the world economy due to rising fuel prices, inflation and its indirect effects. Peace in Ukraine and Russia are of prime importance for overall economic development of the world. Escalation into a nuclear war will aggravate the economic damage many times over. In the heat of battle, reason can be undermined by emotion, and this has happened many times in the past. You might not like these points as they are understandably nasty and painful and one would rather read something else. But these hard facts can also help set our bearings and navigate more prudently. I do a swot analysis myself for my projects. I am a well-wisher of all parties and want the war to end through diplomacy or other means rather than hear talk of casualties on both sides each day, which will aggravate the fissures . We have been suffering from covid for the last two years, along with the resultant economic damage, and now this new calamity based on man-made boundaries has cropped up.

We should also account for all worse case scenarios in long-term strategic thinking. It will be stupid to repent over spilt milk and cry futilely later on.

Even if just ten percent of Russia's vast arsenal touches the U.S. and Europe, it is enough to end their national existence. It has developed hypersonic missiles designed to overcome all known western missile defense systems at present. Yes, U.S-Nato retaliation will also wipe out Russia. The whole west from U.S. to Russia will be a radioactive wasteland , and it will take many centuries for it to become inhabitable again. This nuclear devastation will also create a huge financial and economic burden on other nations who are not involved due to onset of nuclear winter. All thanks to politicians backed by the military-industrial complex motivated by greed and not able to see the bigger picture.

Russian nuclear arsenal is superior to the U.S and Nato put together and has the capacity to wipe them out many times over. Obviously a nuclear holocaust which wipes out the U.S, Europe and Russia is not an option and is a worse case scenario. The global economy will also get a major hit and will not be able to recover for centuries. The best case scenario is for Western and russian diplomats to sit together and negotiate, under the supervision of impartial international diplomats and experienced negotiators. A win-win scenario can be definitely formulated for the west and russia, and this can enable the end of the ukraine war and bring about world peace.

The U.S. itself is hit with 40 year high of inflation . https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-10/u-s-inflation-hits-fresh-40-year-high-of-7-9-before-oil-spike It's time for Nato-U.S. and Russia to set up diplomatic channels and create a win-win scenario for themselves with other international diplomats, and end the Ukraine war. The global economy is taking major hits which will exacerbate the economic strain stemming from the covid pandemic of last two years.

Noam Chomsky offers some penetrating insights on the nature of NATO... https://www.azquotes.com/author/2834-Noam_Chomsky/tag/nato

War, pandemics, conflict and other adversities creates an agitated state of mind which tends to be negative rather than positive. In such circumstances it is important to be mentally equanimous and calm, and focus on the positives deliberately instead of the negatives. This helps one to make the best of the given situation or circumstances. War is a man-made calamity and it actually gives us data on how inadequate the world's mechanisms are in terms of preventing conflict and fostering peace, and is in sore need of an upgrade.

An informative article by Sister Pratibha Daya of the Brahmakumaris on staying calm in the midst of chaos. https://svbrahmakumaris.org/7-ways-to-stay-calm-in-chaos/

Insightful article by Sadhguru on the nature of peace.... https://www.ishafoundation.org/Peace/sadhguru-on-peace.isa

This is insightful and well-articulated. Obviously the security concerns of both eastern europe and Russia should be taken into consideration. Eastern european countries can create an alliance among themselves if needed, against Russia , similar to NATO in western europe. However, inviting both U.S-NATO to Russian borders through alliance is a threat which the Russians cannot be passive to. ( It will also be reneging on promises made to Gorbachev and Russia at the end of the cold war by the U.S. and Nato.) This in turn creates the threat of a nuclear holocaust wiping out the U.S, Europe and Russia, which the rest of the world cannot remain passive or indifferent about. This is why I stated that impartial entities like the UN and NAM should get involved in this crisis, so that a mountain is not made out of a mole-hill.

Putin's invasions of Georgia and Ukraine came up after they expressed willingness to join NATO. U.S-NATO can deploy wmd alongside Russian borders which can give them a decisive strategic advantage over Russia. The Americans have a strategic document that emphasizes pre-emptive strikes on Russian missile bases, and deployment alongside Russian borders greatly falicitates that . This is the main reason why Putin guided by his security experts is against neighboring countries like Georgia and Ukraine joining Nato. He considers the deployment of wmd on Russian borders as a threat. The U.S went to the verge of all out nuclear war and mutually assured destruction with the U.S.S.R to get rid of nuclear weapons aimed against it in neighboring Cuba in 1962. The U.S.S.R finally showed self-restraint in taking off its nuclear weapons and missiles off Cuba. Now when the roles are reversed, U.S.-NATO forces are not showing any similar restraint in keeping off the border states of Russia, knowing fully the regional instability their encroaching into such regions would create. A fully blown out nuclear war is obviously a lose-lose scenario for both sides. I am not fond of Putin myself, whom I see as a mediocre statesman and excellent politician with an hawkish air around him, cleverly exploiting the insecurities of Russians upon the encroaching U.S-Nato alliance. It was the Russians themselves who deposed of Napoleon's dictatorship, ended feudalism and created the russian republic, ended the Nazi war machine permanently, and deposed off the communist hardliner coup in favor of democracy. Left alone by the U.S.-Nato, similarly the russians will soon get tired of Putin and get rid off him from office as well. Last year, the independent Russian newspaper Novaya gazeta, and Maria Ressa of the Filipino news website Rappler won the Nobel peace award “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said when announcing the prize in 2021. I think, given proper space and time, democracy and freedom has a better chance of evolving to their full potential in Russia than in the U.S. and Europe, where plutocratic entities dictate government policies under the guise of democracy.

Yes, the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq and Russian invasion of Ukraine are both unfortunate and tragic. It means that world entities like the UN and NAM, both of whom had been designed to prevent conflict and foster peace had failed in their duties. It seems they have not done their homework well in terms of brainstorming conflict preemption or resolution doctrines for all conceivable scenarios and implementing them.

The UN and NAM should rise to the occasion in order to ensure a timely de-escalation of the conflict raging in Ukraine-Russia. NAM, the non-aligned movement was created in the previous century in order to prevent the world from moving into a third world war. They tried to achieve this by raising awareness of the dangers of a world war and nuclear holocaust, and by not aligning militarily with either the US bloc or Soviet bloc. The formation of this group then helped to bring awareness and perspective of the dangers of modern war, and helped to regulate the thought process of belligerent politicians then, and to view the bigger picture as well. After the UN, NAM is the largest grouping of states worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement The UN, NAM and impartial world leaders need to create a tranquil space of dialogue and diplomacy in between these belligerent entities so as to defuse passions and de-escalate the conflict, and ensure that the security concerns of Europe, Ukraine and Russia are addressed properly and adequately.

Insightful story of a Vietnam war veteran who became a zen buddhist monk... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-02/vietnam-war-veteran-zen-buddhist-monk/100731206

An insightful article by Sister Jayanti Kirpalani, an administrative leader of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, on cultivating values in everyday life . https://svbrahmakumaris.org/1859/ The main points of the article can be summarized in sequential order as... Morning meditation and contemplation of values . Pausing and focusing at periodic intervals during the day to re-orient oneself in terms of these values. Performing an audit and self-review at night to identify any shortcomings in actions on the basis of these values. Based on self-analysis, learning and correcting oneself if needed. Self-motivating oneself in terms of commitment and enthusiasm to the given values for the next day.

The ancient Thiruvathira festival in India which celebrates the cosmic dance of Shiva as a golden red-flamed light, was celebrated this month on December 20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvathira The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva represents five activities – Creation, Protection, Destruction, Embodiment and Release. In essence, it represents the continuous cycle of creation and destruction. This cosmic dance is said to take place in every particle and is considered to be the source of all energy. Physicist Fritjof Capra states in The Tao of Physics: “The Dance of Shiva symbolises the basis of all existence. At the same time, Shiva reminds us that the manifold forms in the world are not fundamental, but illusory and ever-changing. Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter." Interestingly, the monotheistic Dharmic sect the Prajapita Brahmakumaris consider God Shiva to be an incorporeal point of golden-red light, synonymous with Jehovah, Allah and Ahura Mazda of the other monotheistic religions where there are similar connotations and associations with light.

Kiran Bedi was India's first female IPS (Indian police service ) officer, who was noted for her innovative prison reforms which gained worldwide acclaim and won her the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1994. In 2003, Bedi became the first woman to be appointed as head of the United Nations Police and Police Advisor in the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. Bedi's famous prison reforms was to introduce yoga and vipassana meditation classes to change prisoner attitudes of a criminal nature. This model was highly successful in terms of results and consequently was replicated around the world in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doing_Time,_Doing_Vipassana https://prison.dhamma.org/ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/19/britains-most-dangerous-prisoners-to-get-meditation-lessons https://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/09/prison.meditation/index.html S.N.Goenka, the principal teacher and educator of Vipassana meditation around the world, had this to say with respect to crime and criminal tendencies from the perspective of buddhist psychology... " It is impossible to commit an unwholesome action—to insult, kill, steal, or rape without generating great agitation in the mind, great craving and aversion. This moment of craving or aversion brings unhappiness now, and more in the future." Buddhist psychology and techniques like mindfulness and vipassana can be useful tools in reforming the criminal behavior of prisoners for the better around the world. Mindfulness as a practice has also been endorsed by western psychiatry as complementing therapy effectively or having clinical applications. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/mindfulness In fact, this theme of application of meditation techniques to reform criminals have their origin in the story of Angulimala, a serial killer in ancient India who was reformed into a harmless monk by the Buddha.

The fact that the Chinese government messed up both the Sars Cov-1 outbreak in 2002 and the present SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, failing to warn world governments in time, do showcase lack of transparency and accountability in the system. They need to be taken to task by the UN or other regulatory bodies in the world, or else we may face a third coronavirus a few years later after all this is over. As for the lab leak theory , I think it is possible, and I won't be surprised if the Chinese government had gone the extra mile in covering up its tracks and wiping out all evidences in this regard.

There is a saying by Georges Hébert, one of the pioneers of Parkour, "Être fort pour être utile" (Be strong to be helpful). Imho, I think you need to work on developing yourself to optimal levels before being selfless. If a man who does not know how to swim jumps into a lake to help someone else out of selflesness, it will only increase the casualties.

Putin is in a lot of trouble with pro-democracy activists in his own country, especially after the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He probably want to create some sort of issues with Biden so as to raise rapidly dwindling support for him in Russia. It's an old political trick. High time he left office gracefully rather than create the risk of an another Russian revolution.

GAVI, the vaccine alliance, is a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in many countries of the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAVI https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/pharma/india-part-of-international-alliance-gavis-new-coronavirus-global-vaccine-access-drive/77294690 India is part of international alliance Gavi's new coronavirus global vaccine access drive. The 92 low and middle-income countries and economies approved by the Gavi Board will be able to access vaccines through the COVAX AMC, which will also cover at least part of the cost. The COVAX AMC was launched last month at the Global Vaccine Summit hosted virtually by the UK. At that summit in July 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged USD 15-million as India's contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

All of spirituality is contained in that one word: Awareness. ~ Mata Amritanandamayi Proceed on life’s journey with awareness. ~ Mata Amritanandamayi If I were to summarize it ( Guruma's teachings) into one thing, it would be awareness. How to develop that awareness-insight. I am not referring to awareness at the level of the mind as seen in mountaineers or astronauts. A slip in awareness and the mountaineer can be buried alive under snow or the astronaut blasted away from his ship. But that awareness does not transform them or cause them to disassociate from the mind and its functions. To be an observer is to be totally neutral and to be a witness. And somewhere, I would add, the awareness of who I am, or what the truth is. ~ Anandamurti Gurumaa How to do meditation, many people ask me. Don't do anything, to just go into thoughtless awareness. Try to go to the thoughtless awareness. If you can get into that condition of thoughtless awareness you've done your job, because that's the point where you are with the truth, with the reality, with the joy, with everything that is so fundamental. ~ Nirmala Devi When you are in thoughtless awareness, you must know that you are in the kingdom of God and His people, His arrangements, His consciousness, is going to look after you. ~ Nirmala Devi Awareness is the background for all of our experiences, and yet in our ordinary day-to-day lives, it is often obscured by habituated thoughts and emotions. Most teaching and meditation practices are designed to cut through this habituated seeing into the Background of Awareness which is our innate nature and which is, in and of itself, Clear Seeing. ~ Metta Zetty Awareness is the constant throughout all experience. Recognizing this is the key to abiding Satisfaction. ~ Metta Zetty

The Golden Rule is a guide or moral compass that is surprisingly present in diverse cultures and nations such as the ancient egyptian, Indian, Greek, Persian , Roman, Chinese, Jewish, Christian, Islamic . Bahai and so on. It is also present in secular humanism as well. This can be considered thus as ' a global moral code' as you stated. This also implies that universal values may exist whether we discover them or not, like the law of gravity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule