Human Life Book

Author: Aliceshown

When Albert Camus stated that life is a ‘sum of all your choices,’ the key variables were not something he dwelt upon but the human life book covers it all. It offers meaningful insights into the various aspects of life. It discusses the role of key variables such as philosophy, religion and spirituality in human life.

Human Life Book: Stages

The human life book classifies all important stages in a person’s life. A popular quote on life by Charlie Brown reads, “In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.” For many riddles that one stumbles across in different phases of life, there are no perfect answers.

Consider the following important stages:

* Infancy and childhood: This is the phase of innocence, when every child can be molded like a potter’s clay because they are easily influenced. It is also a phase of ceaseless discovery. A child’s perception of the world, human relationships and spirituality are most powerfully molded at this stage.

* Youth: Becoming popular, trendy and rich makes it difficult for youths to toe the line of spirituality at this stage. Their focus is greatly influenced by the urge to please their peers, acquire popularity and be highly sought after by the opposite sex.

* Middle-age: Being rooted to familial and personal obligations dims the urge for self discovery at this stage in life. The need to make enough money to support family leaves very little time for actual spiritual growth. Still, there are people who pursue spiritual growth despite their troubles and manage to experience peace and contentment.

* Old age: This is a phase of life when the journey towards grabbing opportunities ceases to fascinate most human beings. The quest for spiritual longing begins to develop and grow into a state of spiritual illumination.

Human Life Book and Philosophy

The human life book discusses philosophy as a point of reference for all actions. Philosophy is not just about questioning life’s big ideas, but it involves a journey of self discovery. Important philosophical views include:

* Metaphysics: refers to the methods that an individual deals with his/her natural surroundings.

* Epistemology: refers to the modes of gaining worldly knowledge and wisdom.

* Ethics: involves basic values that determine an individual’s actions throughout his/her life.

* Aesthetics: It implies the theory of establishing what is beautiful and what is not.

Spirituality, life and philosophy forms an important part of the human life book as these are layers that permeate the very foundation of human existence.

To find out more about interesting facts from the human book life, visit http://www.goti-a.com

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5 Simple But Powerful Tips To Help You Have A Healthy Heart

Author: william preston

5 Simple But Powerful Tips To Help You Have A Healthy Heart
When you want to have a healthy heart, it is not as hard to do as most people think it is. You just need to do a few simple things to help you keep your heart healthy. Knowing some important tips can help you figure out the most important things to do in order to keep your heart as healthy as possible. So, this article is going to give you some tips that will help you get started towards having a heart that is healthy.
1. Avoid smoking -
A lot of people don't realize that smoke not only causes lung cancer, but it can also cause problems with your heart. There are many chemicals in the tobacco that can make your heart unhealthy, so by avoiding smoking, you will avoid the problems to your heart.
2. Don't drink alcohol or only drink a little -
It is always a good idea to avoid alcohol as much as you can because this can have a bad affect on your heart, but if you do drink now and then, don't go overboard.
3. Exercise regularly -
This is an obvious one that everyone knows about, but too many people avoid it and that is a mistake. Exercising on a regular basis is one of the best ways to help you maintain a heart that is healthy.
4. Eat a healthy diet -
Again, this is another common tip that everyone knows about, but doesn't always do. You have to eat as healthy of a diet as you can if you want to maintain a heart that is healthy. Eat foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as, olive oil, cold water fish and walnuts. Plus, eating whole grains will help your heart also, along with other healthy foods.
5. Have regular checkups with your doctor -
his is very important because they can help you keep an eye on your heart and make sure it is healthy. If there is a problem with your heart, they can help you determine the best way to make it healthy again.
These are just a few of the tips that you need to know to help you maintain a healthy heart. By making a few simple changes in your lifestyle, you can live a healthier life with a heart that is
healthy. So, make the changes today because the sooner you get started, the healthier your heart will be.

william a preston

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DREAMS

Dreaming is a part of life. Dreams are considered to be the gateway to an inner world hence everyone dreams for as long as they live. Even unborn babies dream in their mother’s womb, it is believed.

Dreams are expressed in visual language and portray a person’s repressed experiences and desires. According to scientific research into dreams, founded by Freud and Jung, dream images and activities show symbolic structures, and thus became psychotherapy’s most important aid in exploration of the unconscious.

Personally, I find this partially true but I don’t believe this to be the end-all theory on dreams. I believe dreams can be categorized into three broad divisions. First are the dreams we see when we have not fallen into a deep slumber, i.e., when we sleep lightly, it is here that we work out our mind’s repressed desires or experiences. They are easy to recollect when we wake up and also more or less easy to understand and interpret in order to know what is bothering us or what is it that we are seeking in our everyday life. For example, I was three years of age when my father got me a book on penguins. I was totally taken in by the photographs and the write-up on them. That night I dreamt that I was marooned on a snow-covered terrain and about a dozen penguins walking towards me and I woke up. My sister had gone to bed one night without having her meal as she was very sleepy, that night she dreamt that a party was on in the house and all sorts of delicacies laid out on the dining-table and however much she tried to reach out for her plate, something or the other came in between and she woke up frustrated.

The second category is when we are in deep sleep. The dreams then are difficult to recall in its totality. Here comes the symbolic structure. We get our information from our souls about some impending happenings. For example, it is believed that if you see a snake entwined inside your house then there are all chances of a new baby coming to the family, birds symbolize intellectual matters, amputation warns of the loss of a family member or impeded progress or loss of freedom. Butterfly indicates a mind going astray, bath a symbol of change and cleansing. Burglar or burglary indicates or refers to something or some incident which has been overlooked or suppressed in day-to-day living of the person. As an example I would like to tell you of an uncle of mine who was never afraid to take up a fight for a cause he considered right, was frequently referred to as an actual coward because very often in his sleep he yelled out that there is a burglar in the house or that a burglary has taken place in his house. Long after he passed away it came to light that he was hiding a major family secret in order not to affect the lives of many other family members. There are many other such symbols. A knowledge of the meaning of these symbols is of great assistance in the interpretation of dreams and thus helps in psychotherapy.

The third and final category is where the spiritual aspect comes in. It can hardly be denied that often we heard of people who have received many a message or warning from the other world, or from dead relatives. This cannot be entirely an imagination. One person I know had leukoderma and was very depressed about it because the doctors had said that there is hardly any chance of a full recovery. While she was trying to come terms with it and also draw succor from the fact that the doctors also assured that it would not spread any further, she dreamt one night that she was standing by the sea-shore (she did not live near one then or before) and a veiled lady came up to her and gave her a small packet in which there were some powder contents and told her to take it if she wanted to be cured. The affected lady immediately consumed it. When she woke up she was very scared, not knowing what implications the dream had but before a week was out ALL the white patches had completely disappeared. You will just have to believe me as this is something which was witnessed by many of my family members.

Fifteen years prior to his demise, my father was diagnosed having prostrate cancer. Now cancer is CANCER, we ran helter-skelter to different doctors hoping against all hopes that there would be some other option other than surgery. The answer from all quarters was the same. ‘Nothing but surgery’. A week or two later, my mother in her dream herself in a temple-like place with a lot of sagacious looking people telling her that what she wants is impossible (she was not aware of her question) but she was not ready to accept ‘no’ for an answer. Soon after a man came out of a side-room and told her to go back home her request will be answered soon. Believe me; within two days an acquaintance informed us about a doc from a different branch of medicine, who treated such cases without surgery. Since that treatment for two years, my father required none other and departed from this world, a hail and hearty person a year after my mother passed away.

This is just two of the many examples I can provide. My idea is to say that our dreams are just not a reflection of our inner most mind and its wants and desires but also a path for supernatural intervention in our daily lives. When we sleep deeply our souls can reach out to a different world wherefrom we gain some information or knowledge. The ‘veiled lady’ or the ‘sagacious man’ is the expression which our souls provide, so that we can identify. Suppose instead of a veiled lady there was a giant amoebic creature hinting in sign language, would we follow the meaning? Our souls thus convert the images into objects or living beings for us to understand and also give our dreams a sense of normalcy.

To say that dreams are no more than an expression of our sub-conscious minds wants and desires which we suppress under social pressures, is not wholly right. It also is a window through which we can reach out to the outer sphere of this world.

MEDITATION

Recently a friend of mine told me to me to give meditation a chance in order to calm my frayed nerves as well as to improve my daily performance at my work-place. Although this may seem to be a common advice by many, I decided to give it a try. I always wondered how a person can meditate with full deliberation, as I always thought that meditation was a state of the mind which a person reaches in the progression of his/her life and after a definite disenchantment of the worldly joys and pleasures. At that stage a person is open to the concept of meditation as a means of keeping oneself in harmony with nature and also finding peace.

When I decided to give meditation a chance, I looked up many books and articles on this topic. I was surprised to know that it is considered as a remedy for many common as well as rare or near-fatal diseases by many doctors and scientists the entire world over. In the U.S., meditation got its first recognition in the late 60’s and early 70’s when Harvard Medical School cardiologist Herbert Benson began training heart patients in this technique with positive results. He was so impressed that he chronicled his findings in his book titled “The Relaxation Response”.

The ancient yogis described the practice of meditation as a powerful tonic that increases energy, rejuvenates the cells and also helps in withstanding the ravages of time and hardships by the person. It also gives greater stamina and a happy disposition, besides increasing the longevity of a person and that too in a tension-free mindset.

The technique is apparently quite simple where you sit in a relaxed posture keeping your spine straight and remaining alert but not tensed. Deep breathing and at the same time concentrating or focusing on one object or name or mantra, “OM” being considered the best.

My problems began when I tried to remain focused on a name. The mind instantly started to veer away from the name and I found myself thinking of other things. I soon brought myself back to my chant with full concentration. A relation complained of falling asleep, we were told that falling asleep also can be of help to some extent although not fully but I am hard put to remain concentrated. I am wondering whether there can be a pre-stage to meditation where I can use some technique to blank my mind of all the thoughts, the answer to which is again meditation. Although I am flummoxed I intend to pursue this form of self-healing. Wish me luck.

Ending on a lighter vein, my five-year-old nephew has cottoned on to the hype about meditation among the house-holders so, whenever a crime of his is detected he immediately sits in a meditative posture and waits for all the storm to blow over before he can again sneak out of the house.

CONFUSING GUIDELINES OF LIFE

As we move along in life at some time or the other, we are forced to seek guidance from our elders and betters to resolve the issues that bother us. It was at such a stage I discovered to my amazement and horror, that nearly every sagacious saying or quotes have a contradictory saying in some other form. Take for example “Great minds run in the same channel” now comes the contradiction “Fools think alike”

Very often we heard the advice when we are at crossroads of life “Seek and you shall find” the shocker comes in the form of “Curiosity killed the cat”. After all the cat was curious about something and had sought to get to the root of it and in the process got killed.

Then again we have “Out of sight is out of mind” but don’t we always say that “Distance makes the heart grow fonder”? Which of the two should we follow?

We all know that “Necessity is the mother of all inventions” which means that the main law of invention is the creation of ‘Necessity’ then where shall we place the following “Necessity has no law”? I am terribly confused. I am then advised not to fret as “What is to be will be”. But how when I have been told as a child that “Life is what we make of it”?

There comes a time in every one’s life when she or he is unsure of which path to select in his or her life, this is often misconstrued as laziness or wastrel nature and are advised ‘“Rolling stone gathers no moss”, so seek out an appropriate profession for yourself and settle down’. How can this be true when I had earlier heard “A sitting hen never lays”?

I suppose what helps other people in their quest in life is not really for me, as the saying goes “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”, now hold it, haven’t we all heard of “Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander”?

Please help me in resolving this riddle.

A GARDENER'S WOES

The onset of monsoons brings to our minds the fresh smell of earth, the cloudy sky, the entire world looking fresh and laundered, the occasional peeping of the bright sun, the flowering trees and accompanying it the new saplings. This is the time when most of us plant new trees, trim the outgrown branches and then wait for nature to water the terrain and make it appear heavenly. My sister and I were passionate about greenery since childhood, so saplings were bought or ‘columned’ from others’ trees and planting them in our garden where ever we resided.
As kids we stayed on the first-floor of a house which had the grace of a large back verandah. Our ambition for a garden was aroused. Our Dad who always indulged us, on asking, presented us with an array of pretty-looking flower pots and a rose-plant. Now, not knowing about the nuances of gardening, after planting the sapling, we kept a hawk’s eye on it lest the soil dries up and as soon as this happened, we immediately watered it. No prizes for guessing about its “glowing future”.

Many such futile efforts later, and many years later, now we reside in a house of our own with a large garden space at the front and back of the house. This space was adorned with pretty flowers trees/plants and multi-hued leaf trees. Flowers like roses, chrysanthemums, dahlias, hibiscus etc. In the back-yard were the fruit trees like the mangoes, wood-apples, jack-fruits etc. We ourselves dug up the spaces mixed the compost to the soil and then planted the plants. These we learnt from an uncle of ours who also loved gardening. This scenic beauty always aroused a sense of joy and had a relaxing effect on everyone around who were dead tired of the concrete jungle called the modern city. This did not last long.

We committed the most cardinal crime of adopting a couple of stray pups and kittens. As they grew out of their infancy, they were allowed to play about in the garden, little knowing what havoc these tiny mites can wreck. Playing should have been their intention, but to our horror we soon discovered many of the plants and saplings uprooted or torn asunder, many pits dug in the places where the plants were and where we humans invariably fell or tripped. The dogs do so in the excitement and ferocity of playing we were told. The cats in their turn nibbled at all the newly blooming leaves and stems leaving them half-dead.

Now the erstwhile ‘GARDEN’ space has been paved with only a five ft square area retained to give a semblance of garden and also to fulfill our life long desire for the same. Even this little patch caught our pets’ eyes and was not spared of their diabolical game-play. So all that survives in the front garden now are a couple of sturdy trees and of course the wild-plants and weeds which funnily never seem to die out.

In the back-yard of course the fruit trees did survive from the atrocities of the cats and dogs, but caught the eyes of all the local brats who think that all the fruits of the trees that are any where or in anybody’s compound rightfully belong to them. So most of the seasonal fruits mainly go to them and if we manage to pluck a few before they do we rejoice. After all it is the “SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST”.

RECIPE -Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse are the most scrumptious delicacy you can dream of. Here is a recipe.

INGREDIENTS:-

Milk-500ml

Eggs-2

Gelatin-15g

Sugar-100g

Cocoa-50g

Cream, glazed cherries and grated chocolate to decorate.

METHOD

Soak gelatin in a little warm water for 5 minutes. Separate yolk of eggs and beat thoroughly with sugar. Warm milk and pour over the mixture. Pour it ina saucepan and plac it on low flame and cook till it thickens. Cool and fold it in stiffly beaten egg whites. Set it in the refriferator. Decorate with whipped cream, grated chocolate and cherries before serving.

DELICIOUS DIABETIC RECIPES

DIABETIC CAKE

1 c. raisins, cooked in 1 c. water, cool

1 c. prunes, cut up, cook in 1 c. water, cool

1 c. applesauce, sweet or unsweetened

2 eggs

1/4 c. Sweet-N-Low

3/4 c. corn oil

2 c. self-rising flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. soda

1 c. chopped pecans or black walnuts

Dredge nuts and raisins in flour. Beat egg and applesauce. Combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes in shallow pan.

DELICIOUS DIABETIC RECIPES

DIABETIC DATE DAINTIES

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. liquid sweetener

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 c. dates, chopped

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. nuts

1 1/2 c. bread crumbs

Beat eggs, sweetener and baking powder. Add dates, flour and nuts. Stir in bread crumbs. Chill, then measure by teaspoon on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

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SUGAR - FREE CRANBERRY RELISH

2 c. cranberries

2 apples

1 c. orange juice

Grind together the cranberries and apples, using a sweet apple. (May also use blender). Add orange juice, chopped nuts and sweetener to taste. Refrigerate several hours before using.

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IT COULD BE A SNICKERS BAR

12 oz. soft diet ice cream

1 c. diet Cool Whip

1/4 c. chunky peanut butter

1 pkg. sugar-free butterscotch pudding (dry)

3 oz. Grape-Nuts cereal

Mix first 4 ingredients in mixer, then stir in cereal. Pour into 8 inch square pan. Cover and freeze. Makes 4 servings.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1/4 c. margarine

1 tbsp. granulated fructose

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together margarine and fructose, beat in egg, water and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in sifter. Sift dry ingredients into creamed mixture, stirring to blend thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 30 cookies.

SUGARLESS CAKE

1 c. dates, chopped

1 c. prunes, chopped

1 c. raisins

1 c. cold water

1 stick margarine, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. plain flour

1 c. nuts, chopped

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

Boil dates and prunes in the one cup of water for 3 minutes; add margarine and raisins and let cool. Mix flour, soda, salt, eggs, nuts, spices and vanilla. Add to fruit mixture. Stir to blend. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Proverbs

A bad workman quarrels with his tools.

A beggar may sing before a pick-pocket.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

A burnt child dreads the fire.

A cat has nine lives.

Action speaks louder than words.

A drowning man will clutch at a straw.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

After death comes the doctor.

After sweetmeat comes the sour sauce.

A guilty conscience needs no accuser.

All covet, all lost.

An old bird is not to be caught with chaffe.

Adversity often leads to prosperity.

Circumstances & Thought

Author: jaisuman

The human mind may be compared to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it will eventually blossom. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weeds and seeds will grow and it will continue to produce the same. Year after year until the right seeds are planted and nourished.
Just as a gardener develops his land, he must keep his garden free from weeds so that he grows the flowers and fruits which are expected, so may a person tend the garden of their mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and growing towards perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. When we follow this process, a person sooner or later discovers that they are the master-gardener of their soul, the director of their own life. This also reveals to them, the laws of thought, and understanding with ever greater accuracy, how thoughts and ones mind operate in the shaping of a character, circumstances, and destiny.
Thoughts and character are one, and as character can only grow, manifest and discover itself through their environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to be pleasantly related to their inner state. This does not mean that at any given time a person’s circumstances are an indication of their entire character and life, but the circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought process within them that, for the time being, they are invaluable to their development.
Everyone is where they are because of their being. Their own thoughts which they built into their character, have brought them there, and in the gathering of them during life, there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot error. This is just as true of those who feel "out of harmony" with their surroundings as of those who are contented with them.
As a person progresses and evolves, they are all right where they need to be so that each may learn and. As we learn the spiritual lessons given us to learn from, they pass away and a new set of circumstances and lessons come our way.
We are only beaten and burdened by a set of circumstances as long as we believe we are to be victims of outside conditions. When we realize that we are a creative power, and that we may command the hidden soil and seeds of our soul, we become the rightful master of ourselves.
We come to know, after a time of learning and experiencing life and its many circumstances that we, receive in exact ratio what we have put our energies in to. It is so true that when we sincerely apply ourselves to restore our defects of character, and make quick and noticeable progress; we will pass swiftly through a succession of changes.
The soul attracts that which it secretly holds most dear. That which it loves and also that which it also fears. We reach the height of our most cherished aspirations. We fall to the level of what we believe to be our lowest thoughts and then the circumstances we face are the means by which the soul receives its own desires.
Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into an action and bearing its own opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit and bad thoughts bad fruit.

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