Skip to main content

PEACE OF MIND

 


 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

12/XII/2024

 

In today’s times, our minds are restless, wavering, and uncertain, sometimes ambiguous. Mind is not thinking but over thinking and constantly conjecturing, sometimes agitated, restless and nervous. Most of the time it gets disturbed and disconcerted. Reasons, most of us know but refuse to accept.

 

The way to find peace of mind for oneself was discovered by me recently. The struggle was on to somehow understand the nuances of this fluctuating mind. Why does it get worked up at things which are beyond one’s control? Why do I have to react, if there is something which I can do nothing about?

 

Money is one big factor. No one knows how much he needs or what amount will suffice. ‘More’ is what we desire. How to earn it? By hook or by crook, fair means or otherwise, by investing, or working for it beyond your own limits and limitations, the list is never ending. Contentment was the key.

 

Health is another peace buster. We do not have a healthy lifestyle. We don’t listen to doctors advice and prescriptions, let's admit this too. We become ‘self medication’ experts, thanks to the information freely available on the net. Bad health means metal stress & fatigue.

 

The only one at peace is the ‘dhotiwala’. He has your and my money to play with. He can twist and turn things and can manipulate the system to his convenience and create rifts. We the people become their puppets after electing them. We lose our peace of mind.

 

Media is the biggest ‘peace destroyer’. They can run a story repeatedly, depending on who owns that channel. They can frustrate you with bombardment of toxic ideas, which they need to germinate in your peace-loving mind. Blood pressure rises on listening to all false propaganda. Just watch one debate on any channel and you will understand.

 

Social media is another thing which can shatter your peace. One video or message can suck you into a fight which never existed. There is an industry dedicated to doing so and we fall prey. Irony is that well read intellectuals get enmeshed in spreading canards which are then fed to vitiate the system. The ultimate sufferer is our mind.

 

Every other country, including India is embroiled with internal and external conflicts. Wars are on, directly, indirectly, by proxies, through terrorist organisations etc all over the world. World peace is at stake. We the people of the world are at stake. Who is responsible and how will all this culminate till peace prevails all over, is killing the peace of mind. Imagine those who are suffering the wrath of such conflicts.

 

Now that one has listed out a few, one needs to find solutions to be at peace.

 

First thing I did was to stop reading newspapers. They only carry advertisements. News gets sidelined and we land up collecting ‘raddi’. The second thing was to exit from all social media groups which were turning toxic. Best friends started hurting and abusing each other. Their point of view was the only view. It was time to exit such a company. Mind you, one has missed nothing but only gained peace of mind.

 

When religion takes over friendships, it means, it is the end of peaceful coexistence. The final destination is to be ‘dust’, then there is no need to pick up a verbal duel, which is the only thing left today. Saffron, green or white doesn’t matter but the wheel of progress does, needs to be understood.

 

It happened that since the second week of November. We were involved in functions and weddings. One thing which went silent was the TV. There was no time to watch the idiot box which was only dishing out noise and no news. I missed live sports though.

 

We went out of station for a week and there the TV didn’t work. A forced and welcome separation from nonsense. On return our TV went kaput. Good that it took fifteen days to get repaired. It was only yesterday that I came to know that Maharashtra had elections. Who won or lost makes no difference to me?

 

By the way, even in family get togethers today, bonhomie is lacking. Relatives and friends are discussed in a derogatory manner and shown in poor light. In family discussion we are doing ‘teen ki tehra’ or slagging, rather mudslinging, which I detest and refuse to be part of anymore. Very unfortunate but true.

 

I find peace in music, silence, gardening, writing my blogs, engaging with people with open minds and above all staying away from all kinds of negativity, especially people.

 

My peace is in my control and what is not in my control should not bother me. Do you agree? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ JAI HIND šŸ‡®šŸ‡³

©® NOEL ELLIS

 

Comments

  1. Superb thinking towards a healthy life stylešŸ‘ŒšŸ‘Œ

    ReplyDelete
  2. Noel , you hit the nail on the head. One agrees 100% with every word that you have penned. Very well written

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes ,šŸ‘ I agree

    ReplyDelete
  4. Absolutely true ,sir

    ReplyDelete
  5. True to a tee!! Get a pet dog also, sir. Great stress buster!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I know, we could keep a pet, but we have enough at hands as of now, cheers

      Delete
  6. Superb thinking Noel. If one is able to block out unwanted communication, one could lead a very healthy life style. Thanks for insightful thoughts....

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FINGER ON YOUR LIPS

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   29/IV/2025   What has happened to Pakistan? While India is doing Fauji Exercises, Pakistan has mobilised for what! I agree that the people of India want revenge. But, from whom? Our PM has only said that “we will not leave the terrorists and their supporters till the end of the Earth”. He has never said he will sort out Pakistan, or has he?   It has been hilarious watching discussions on Paki social media channels. They seem to have already given up. Our RM meets the PM and Pakistan starts shitting bricks. They talk about jazba and gazwa, and start telling us about their nuclear arsenal. 160 I suppose. By the way we will send across one equivalent to your 160 if need be.   There is a saying, ‘Chor ki Dari main tinka” literal meaning is, a straw in a thief’s beard. However, the deep meaning is that a guilty person reveals his guilt through his behaviour, even unintentionally. Clearly, “a guilty conscious needs no accuser”...

SCENE AT ELLIS’ RESTAURANT

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   04/XI/2024   Every morning the scene in the Ellis’ restaurant is so refreshing. The notes birds sing sounds like ‘reveille’ being sounded by the buglers. The ‘scenario’ keeps varying with arrival of different birds at different timings.   It is like being a restaurant owner, working solo with minimum help. Yours truly is the waiter, housekeeper, cook, receptionist, barman, purchase manager, accountant, and storekeeper of this shack. Imagine!   Foremost thing in the morning is housekeeping of the garden area, followed by watering the pots. This gives the plants a nice bath, like kids being readied for school.   The first set of ‘clients’ called the ‘Tailor Birds’ appear. They love to hunt for insects which get disturbed by the watering ritual. They sing and dance, hop and skip and carry on chasing moths and worms, without bothering about my presence.   By then the Bulbuls and the Sparrows start lini...

IF THERE IS A WAR…...

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   28/IV/2025   I remember the 1971 war as a small child. We were in Kapurthala Punjab, very close to the Pakistan border. It was an evening in December, I do not remember the exact date. While returning from a friends house, the declaration of war was done as I skipped along the ‘Thandi Sarak’ of Kapurthala.   The gist was that a vehicle with loud speakers was telling people to head home as an "emergency" had been declared and war had started. I ran as fast as I could, shivering with fear and my heart beating unusually fast. Though I was a lap baby when the 1965 war had taken place, it appeared serious business now.   Overnight, Dad and other Uncles started digging trenches infront of our homes. Carbon paper was no dearth in a teachers house, so mom got into an overdrive to stick them to the glass windows. Though the glass had been painted during the 1965 war, some broken panes had been replaced. Mom told ...

A TRIBUTE TO INDIA’s FINANCIAL WIZARD

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   27/XII/2024   Last night one heard a heart-breaking news of the passing away of Dr Manmohan Singh. A sardar with a big Dil and a sharp Dimag. My heartfelt condolences to the family and every citizen of India.   Let me share an anecdote of a chance encounter with his office three decades ago. It was in 1993-94, he was the then ‘Finance Minister’ of India.   The story goes that we were part of the "Ski-Himalaya Expedition". The expedition was preparing to traverse a 1500 km ski touring voyage from Karakoram Pass to the base of Mount Kailash in Nepal passing through the states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and UP.   Those days, it was not easy to fund the expedition. We found a few sponsors. Let me confess, we were under the Army adventure cell for the preparations. The internal ‘red tapeism’ was killing us. Delays in procuring equipment due to the complex ‘Kagzi Karwai’ was taking too much time. Our window of skiin...

LOCUST WITHOUT A “L”

  LOCUST WITHOUT A “L”   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   14/IX/2024   They say if you wish for something with a noble heart, it gets fulfilled. Had I asked for the moon, I would have got it today. Was it a coincidence? I am not sure. To find out please read on.   A friend of mine had asked me about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ insects in a garden, on which I wrote an article. In that, I had mentioned a kind of grasshopper called the ‘Locust’. It is a bright yellowish green insect. It is sometimes seen in our garden. They create havoc if found in swarms, but one or two do not harm much.   After writing the article, I wished I had a photo of the Locust. Digging it out from the archives could add colour but that would have been time consuming.   Having posted the article, I walked out of the house to check on the blooms of the day. There was a large variety with vibrant colours gracing the garden. A treat to the eyes and soul.   Just then my eyes...

AN OPEN LETTER TO CM PUNJAB

An open letter to Mr Bhagwant Maan on this officer and his son being beaten up so brutally at Patiala. My sympathies with the family and I am sure justice will not be delayed or denied.   AN OPEN LETTER TO CM PUNJAB   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   22/III/2025   Maan jog Bhagwant Maan Saab. Main ek chota jeha sabak fauji haan. Aj majbbor hoke main aa chitti tunahu likh reha han, kyon ki dil andron dukhi hai. Tuhade thalle te tuhadi sarkar de which Patiala police ne jo kuj ek Serving Army de officer te os de munde naal kitta hai o sharmnaak hai ate darshonda hai ki aj di tareekh which Punjab police te tuhada koi control nahi hai. Aj takreeban dus din ho gaye han, te tussi Khamosh ho.   Police da kam sirf kuttapa chaarna hunda hai? Ja ke aam shahri waste eho jeha mahul paida karna ki banda safe feel kare. Bande nu bharosa hove ki haan mera koi mai baap hai. Lor pain te oh meri madad waaste aauga. Par lagda hai ke hun scene badal gaya hai.   Maa...

RUNNING TO TOWN

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   24/IV/2024   As they say, “Jab geedar ki ‘maut’ ati hai woh Shahar ki taraf bhagta hai”. (When a jackal wants to die, it runs towards the town). It simply implies that when someone is in ‘deep trouble’, he takes certain wrong steps and gets into agony himself. It also means that if correct actions are not taken timely, then chances are things go wrong.   Another implication of this idiom is that when someone wants to ‘avoid trouble’, he choses a wrong path or when one faces difficult times, he goes looking for advice and solutions from wrong people and places, jeopardising his own existence.   Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this straight away applies to our troublesome neighbour Pakistan and specifically to the thought process and mindset of their Army Chief General Asim Munir, who revealed it in the lecture he gave to the overseas Pakistanis recently.   I say this in the context of the ‘massacre’ and ‘savagery’ these dastards did in Pahal...

A SPEECH

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   19/IV/2025   Imagine when your “sir ka jhoomar becomes gale ki haddi”, then what happens. That was one Jumla I picked up from the Pak Army Chief’s speech which he delivered in Islamabad to Overseas Pakistanis. They are dual citizenship holders. Their ticket it appears had been paid by the state of Pakistan, I reckon.   An Army Chief addressing a gathering of people who at the very first instance decided to “Pakistan se Zinda Bhag” is uncalled for. If I read correctly between the lines, it was not to impress his countrymen but somehow convince the audience to remit dollars to ensure he and his ilk get their salaries, a plot of land on retirement and an assured pension. Rest of the countrymen can scavenge for all he cares.   Above all, the PM of Pakistan and his cabinet were in attendance. The Chief’s political ambitions were clear and his speech was a subtle message to them that the Army is ‘THE Mai Baap’, as he flexed the ...

IT IS CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN

  IT IS CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   23/XII/2024   Christmas time is here. We waited all year for the ‘yule tide’ to come. Cold weather, celebrations, parties, carol singing, pot luck dinners, picnic, socialising, variety of winter flowers, Christmas trees, non veg preparations, baking Christmas cakes and Pakwans is synonymous to Christmas. Last but not the least we fondly remember the ones who have slept in the Lord.   The house looks Christmassy and smells Christmassy too. Buntings, decorations, lighting up the home, and decorating the Christmas tree is done. The Carol Singing party visited our home and sang with full josh.   Rejuvenating friendship, kinship, relationships, bonds, and ties is the essence of Christmas. Rekindling and remembering good old days and friends are part of the merry making. Festivities, feasting and gifting will extend well into the new year.   Our kitchen would be the hub centre of...