Life vs. Livelihood: Are We Finally Prioritizing Well-being Over Work?

Namaskar, friends.

Under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the right to life is guaranteed. The meaning of life is a complex concept and includes several rights, the interpretation of which is constantly evolving. The right to livelihood was also included in the right to life in the 1980s by the Supreme Court of India.

In common sense terms, these two concepts are often seen separately, although they are very much interdependent. However, it is intriguing that modern man has often prioritized livelihood over life. Recently, there seems to be a shift towards focusing on life while still acknowledging the importance of livelihood. People are now allocating some time for the betterment of life amidst all odds.

What are your views, friends?

Regards

Life is always dearer. I can't say much on Livelihood (Haven't started earning yet), but the way I see it is... To live you need livelihood. But livelihood is not the only thing you need. It is necessary to get the basic necessities of life and something much more that most of us want today: comforts, luxuries.

But sadly, there are people who have forgotten to distinguish this basic difference. They spend so much time working, and working even harder, they forget to live. Life for anyone is dearer, Dr. Jogeshwarji, but not many people realize they have stopped living and confuse life with livelihood. The ones who can still distinguish continue to know life, consider it "dearer," and live it well.

Regards, Vinisha.

Namaskar, Vinisha ji.

In my observation, your note on life and livelihood is very appropriate. Let us now consider what others think.

Regards

There is no doubt that the quest for a livelihood can become a trap - a "gilded cage" if you are not careful. Pursuit of luxuries heaps obligations and commitments on your shoulders that cloud over the real priorities in life - relationships, learning, peace, etc.

It is only in recent years that I have come to understand the value in wanting less - but once committed, it is hard to reduce expectations of family, friends, and self. However, how often do we hear of those facing death who regret not having lived rather than having greater wealth or comfort.

Hi,

I agree with numerouno that once a person and the people around him have high wants, it is difficult to want less. But it's not wanting less that matters. It's wanting in the right quantity.

If I want less money, I may not be able to lead a happy life because I may not be able to purchase the resources required to lead a happy life for myself and my family. And if I crave for more and more money, I may work so hard at it that I may forget to live. So, what is more important is wanting the money (or anything for that matter) in the right quantity. The magical word here is - Balance.

While I was typing the above paragraph, an important point came to my mind. Don't you think we just forget the exact reason for earning money? Most people get so absorbed in the pursuit of money that they tend to get lost. They forget that money is not an end; it is necessarily a means to an end, just like food is a means to the "end" of having enough energy and health to perform all the activities.

I don't find anything wrong with wanting more money, but I do find something wrong in mistaking "money" as a sole objective. Our society has been such that people are inclined towards a tendency to work so hard and earn so much. For a long time, this society ignored the importance of actually living. But things are surely changing now, for most of us have been giving importance more to have a life than merely having a livelihood. This transition is perhaps the most welcome one.

Regards,

Vinisha.

P.S. Let's remember, the identity of the society is, in fact, because we are the society. The transition, hence, is in our hands.

Namaskar, Vinisha ji and Numerouno ji.

I am happy to meet Numerouno after a long time. Your discussion, as I find, is around two points: 1. Optimum attention to livelihood and 2. Transition from neglecting life to caring for life. I think, once the second is attended to, the first will follow. Here are certain tips to make life lively:

1. When we meet someone, we greet them with words like "good morning" or "namaskar," etc. Our Zero Pathology Ganga meeting and parting wishes are - "good morning brother(s)," "cheer up, gear up, and march ahead."

2. When we ask someone's age, we usually say, "How old are you?" Let's change it to "How young are you?"

3. When we enjoy life, we often say, "Life is short. Enjoy it as much as you can." Let's change it to "Life is long. Enjoy it as much as you can."

Please adopt these tips religiously and see the changes in life and livelihood. May I request the viewers to add more tips?

Regards

Namaskar, Vinisha ji.

You are most welcome to post your tips to make the discussion wider. However, by this time, you are more or less familiar with the wide spectrum of personalities here. So please keep the feasibility aspect in the back of your mind. To repeat, you are most welcome to post your tips. I am eagerly awaiting.

Regards

Thank you Jogeshwarji. We all can find ways to make life worthwhile, but at the end of the day, we should really "believe" that our life is worthwhile. I have met many people who have quite a lot in their lives that is precious and fulfilling, but they fail to recognize it or even accept that their life is indeed different, exciting, and much better than the rest. But the quality of their lives deteriorates primarily because they just do not "appreciate" the good things in life. I am positive there are many more people out there who choose to look at the negative side and end up living unfulfilling lives.

In short, "thinking positive," "thinking happy," or rather just adopting a positive frame of mind can many times contribute significantly to having a great life. It's not that difficult, come to think of it. It just requires changing your mindset. The only person who can control his/her mind is he/she. And the "power" to control lies within our hands. "Power" to self-control when within our reach can work wonders easily.

Regards,

Vinisha.

Vinisha ji. Namaskar. I find a very deep perception of life in your note. To illustrate your points, let me tell you about a gentleman who visited me last evening. We have known each other for about the last 6 months. He is retired and getting a pension of about Rs. 8000/- per month. He prays to God - "Oh God! please lift me". My diagnosis is that he is touchy, fussy, and fastidious. He comes to me to get a bit of momentary solace, which he gets from none. Whereas my purpose is to transform the person completely, but in the last 6 months, he has not budged even a millimeter. The sum and substance of yesterday's conversation was that:

1. You cannot change the world as you wish. You will have to find out your way there. It depends on how skilled you are.
2. The more you use "why" and "should" for others, the more you will suffer. The gentleman not only frequently uses why and should for others but also for nature and God.

Though he has not budged even a millimeter in the last 6 months, I have not lost hope.

Regards

Jogeshwar ji, it's good that you have not lost hope as yet. Hope is what keeps us going on. If that gentleman has been coming to you for the past 6 months, I can see him having a hope of change. Though it is very possible that he hopes that you will be in a position to change his life. However, he might just not realize that until and unless he changes his perception of life, his life wouldn't change much either.

The use of "should" for others, I agree, isn't justified. Although, we do have a lot of "shoulds" around us. "Children should not talk to strangers" is one such example. Using "should" for a justified purpose like the one mentioned in the earlier statement is indeed justified. But using "should" as follows:

"She should not have left me alone."

I don't think that's justified.

When it comes to "why" for others, the same rule applies. I think using "why" for others can be necessary. "Why" in the context of curiosity and not in the context of complaining/fussing. I am pretty sure you must be using a lot of curiosity "why" yourself. Justified, I say, because else we would not have half the knowledge or creations of this world.

"What if" is another usage that can be discussed in depth. For example, "What if I don't succeed?". It can hamper a person's development and progress in life.

It's amazing how words can have such a major impact on the human mind!

Regards,

Vinisha.

Vinisha ji, You have rightly caught the thread. When one becomes mindful about his/her "why" and "should" then he/she will differentiate which are contributory and which are detrimental to life as such. The left out frequency will be minimal and really contributory to life.

About "what if". We use it to break obsession. For example, someone could not marry his/her loved one and the memory is haunting him/her. In such circumstances, we ask the sufferer to sit down, relax and imagine that he/she has married the person of his/her choice. Then we ask him/her to have the dreams of being with the person. Let it be daily for 45 minutes. Hardly within a week, the sufferer will forget his/her obsession "Ek tu na mila, sare duniyan mile bhi to kya".

Regards

Jogeshwar ji, It's good that you have not lost hope as yet. Hope is what keeps us going on. If that gentleman has been coming to you for the past 6 months, I can see him having a hope of change. Though it is very possible that he hopes that you will be in a position to change his life. However, he might just not realize that until and unless he changes his perception of life, his life wouldn't change much either.

The use of "should" for others, I agree, isn't justified. Although, we do have a lot of "shoulds" around us. "Children should not talk to strangers" is one such example. Using "should" for a justified purpose like the one mentioned in the earlier statement is indeed justified. But using "should" as follows:

"She should not have left me alone"

I don't think that's justified.

When it comes to "why" for others, the same rule applies. I think using "why" for others can be necessary. "Why" in the context of curiosity and not in the context of complaining/fussing. I am pretty sure you must be using a lot of curiosity "why" yourself. Justified, I say, because else we would not have half the knowledge or creations of this world.

"What if" is another usage that can be discussed in-depth. For example, "What if I don't succeed?". It can hamper a person's development and progress in life.

It's amazing how words can have such a major impact on the human mind!

Regards,
Vinisha

Wonderful. "Imagine Experiencing the Desirable Unexperienced."

But would it hold true for every other person? I mean, does a person necessarily forget their obsession? I believe there are people who may just end up getting even more obsessed about it. An obsession that may not be healthy for them or the people around them, especially the one they are obsessing about.

This therapy would probably need to be supplemented with other sessions to avoid a negative outcome.

I am just making a guess. Do let me know if I am right!

Regards, Vinisha.

Hey numeruno, long time no see. Hey vini, hi Dr. JM, the discussion is a good read. This paragraph above is the real reason for the confusion, don't you think? Seeking money is as good as a trap. It is rightly said, human wants are like tidal waves, never-ending. And I guess, once you start getting what you want, you start wanting more; human wants are unlimited. My point of view is that I hope I always cherish my life. I know I do now, but I hope I continue to do so. Life is not just about livelihood; it's so sad if people mix it up. One should earn a livelihood to live and not end up living to earn. One should be focused on the goal, and the rest of the things will fall into place. My advice - retire at 45 😉.

[quote=Vinisha]Wonderful. "Imagine Experiencing the Desirable Unexperienced."

But would it hold true for every other person? I mean, does a person necessarily forget his obsession? I believe there are people who may just end up getting even more obsessed about it. An obsession that may not be healthy for him/her or the people around him, especially the one he/she is obsessing about.

This therapy would probably need to be supplemented with other sessions to avoid a negative outcome. I am just making a guess. Do let me know if I am right!

Regards, Vinisha.

Namaskar Vinisha ji,

I am happy that you liked the technique. I was responding to your "what if." It is not the only way to break an obsession. Every one of us has obsessions. Obsessions confine us to our groovy thoughts, consequently, we use very limited brain cells of ours. So, to break the obsessions and to stimulate the maximum brain cells, I impart an exercise to my trainee participants. It is highly enjoyable.

Regards.

Namaskar Sunayna Ji. Happy to find you in this thread. I am sure the discussion will enrich further.

Your post reminds me of a man who angrily says, "Having so much money also goes on running after money and money and money."

I asked him, "Are they after your money?"

He says, "No."

Then I asked him, "Why are you so angry then?"

Regarding money and wealth, my perception is that more is a disease and less is a curse. What is optimum needs to be decided. Living with the optimum is called *aparigraha* in Sanskrit.

Regards

[quote=sunayna]
:oops:
Very rightly said.

More or less, but not optimum, is suffering. But is it not suffering to be pained by others' money? Also, life is not just about money. I think money is just something and not everything in life.

Regards

Jogeshwarji,

You said you impart techniques to help people break away from obsessing. What is this technique?

Also, referring to your statement, "More or less but not optimum is suffering. but is it not suffering to be pained by others' money?" the suffering caused by the pain of others having more money can be completely avoided if a person learns to be content with what he has and realizes that his life is different from others, including the one with loads of money. The suffering is a result of what one can call "comparison of one's life to others". But isn't such comparison absolutely futile when our life is always going to be different from that of others?

Hi Sunayna, Welcome. I was wondering what was keeping you from participating. I guess the answer is "I just saw this post!" I am sure I was near to your answer. Hehe. I like the quote, "Human wants are like tidal waves".

Regards,
Vinisha.

Dear Sunayna and Vinisha



Both of you are interested to know the obsession breaking exercise but it appears that Sunayna ji wants to understand through logic. Interestingly it is a translogical exercise, to be experienced rather than argued. The purpose of this exercise is:

1.To plunge into theta state of brain waves, a deep state of relaxation.(For a little more about brain waves, please open the threads “empowerment” and “The heaven of kranti”)

2.To stimulate every brain cell.

3.To cleanse unconscious which contains the garbage of our experiences.

4.To break the obsessions.

THE EXERCISE

1. Suspend your logical thinking for a while and be in a translogical mental set as if in dream.

2. Sit down in a comfortable position where you will continue for about 45 minutes.

3. Feel relaxed and close your eyes.

4. The beginning:

Imagine a big lake with abundance of lotuses. There is a very big lotus which covers the whole lake. You are in the center of this lotus. You find a little hole in the center. You get thinned and slide down through the hole. You get into the chord which is long enough and you go on sliding and sliding………… Then you reach in a very beautiful palace. As you go on exploring, you find a beautiful garden. Here are various types of strange animals which are very meek and mild. You see some rabbits which are having very big horns. You mount on a rabbit and climb on one of its horns. You go on climbing up and up and up………………

5. Have no more imaginations by your effort but leave the imaginations to flow by themselves spontaneously. Be just effortless.

6. You will have strange imaginations.

7. Whenever any ugly imagination comes, just reverberate BEAUTY. The ugly imaginations will disappear. Please do not forget to reverberate BEAUTY whenever any ugly imagination comes. I find that some become so engrossed in the imagination that they forget to reverberate.

8. Continue for about 45 minutes.

9. Observe your feelings. How freshening it is!

10. Repeat it regularly. You may restructure step 4 above as you please.

Jo dubyo so paio gahree pani paith(One who dives down gets the treasure under the deep water)-Kaveer Das. And also ex nihilo nihil fit(nothing comes out of nothing).

Now please go through the experience what it is!

Regards.

I remember, my science teacher in 7th standard used to make us meditate, somewhat like this. We used to meditate for 5 minutes after the value education lecture. It was fun; I used to imagine myself on a beach with a dog.

Life and livelihood!!!!
So, who is important... dad or mom???
Impossible to decide... so is life and livelihood. It's not about which is dearer; the point is how we balance both! They are two faces of a coin. As far as I see it, it's impossible to prioritize one of them. Many times, circumstances decide which is dearer. That is related to that moment in life. In general, we can never evade or prioritize one over the other. Please share your thoughts!

Namaskar Sunayna ji,

I remember, my science teacher in 7th standard used to make us meditate somewhat like this. We used to meditate for 5 minutes after the value education lecture. It was fun; I used to imagine myself on a beach with a dog.

Meditation means focusing attention on something. Depending on the meditation gurus, there are thousands of variations of meditations now practiced around the world. Certainly, the purpose, steps, and effects are not always the same. May I like to know the purpose, steps, and effects of the meditation which your science teacher taught you? Do you think that it had relevance only in class 7 and not now?

Regards

Hi Sunayna,

For the past two weeks, I have been hearing "dog" from you repeatedly. It's time for you to get one!

Unfortunately, my parents are insisting that we sell off the dog. It will be really sad to see Gypsy go.

No! I am not selling it to you.

Regards,
Vinisha.

Jogeshwarji,

Though I wasn't in the same school as Sunayna, our school gym teacher used to make us meditate every Thursday. Back then, none of us really understood the importance of meditation, and most of us didn't know that we were actually meditating. Sadly enough, none of the school authorities even made an attempt.

Anyway, we basically listened to an audio tape that talked about the beauty in this world, gave us various visualizations (which, frankly speaking, I don't remember!), and made us aware of the various sounds around us. I do remember feeling very fresh and having a greater amount of concentration and energy levels during those days. Check my records! I was probably never absent on a Thursday! Because, somehow, Thursday was an interesting day at school!

Regards, Vinisha.

Hi Sunayna,

Everyone's saying they liked April better than Gypsy, but my parents didn't like April. I like Gypsy - it makes her sound mysterious and freaky :D. That day, I was walking her, and a guy came along, tried to be friendly with the dog. As soon as I called her Gypsy, he backed off... hehe.

By the way, don't you have a holiday today? I took a day off, and I have tomorrow off as well. I am home for 3 days in a row!

Regards,
Vinisha.

Dear virgovish,

Namaskar.

Your mom-dad analogy is very much befitting. The points of discussion are:
1. Are we caring for mom and dad equally and adequately?
2. Are we neglecting one of them?
3. If so, to whom?
4. Do we need to rethink?

Regards

Sunayna ji,

Am I not disturbing you time and again from your complacent life? I am a non-complacent person. Our Zero Pathology Ganga assembles every day in the park around 5.45 a.m. and lasts for about 2 hours even when there is less than 5 degrees temperature in Delhi.

But what is going on between you and Vinisha? It appears that you two are enjoying pricks very much and I am left alone. Am I a very serious person?

Regards.

Jogeshwarji,

Well, you seem kind of serious. But the real reason could be that Sunayna and I are great friends. We are in the same college, same class for marketing and finance lectures. So the bonding has to be greater.

However, I apologize if we made you feel left out. Although your post did arouse curiosity. Do you have a dog? Having a dog works wonders for health, in terms of relieving stress, reducing the risk of heart attacks, and works wonders for blood pressure patients.

Regards,
Vinisha.

Oh! Vinisha ji. I was just drawing your attention, and you became more serious than me. There is no need to apologize. I am enjoying your replies with every bit of seriousness. I get delighted by your caring words.

I have no dog, nor do I like to have one. My resistance to electric conductance/GSR goes beyond 2048 kilo ohms, a level which I have not observed in anybody except me. I am thinking of the premature death of humans. That is because of stress. Keeping a dog will not prevent that. As far as health is concerned, I have not visited any physician for health reasons, nor have I spent even a paisa on medicine for over the last 5 years. My blood pressure remains at the level of 120/80 or slightly less. Hope and trust you will remain caring.

Regards

Hi all,

On the point that 'one is working hard to make a livelihood but taking the least concern in living,' I want to give my opinion. I feel one gets away from life not if he works day and night but if his mind is more centralized only on material things. I can note that one working hard doesn't mean that his mind is materialized. The best examples are many — from Mother Teresa and Vivekananda to Tata Birla, Dhirubhai Ambani, and many more who are passionate to work. One certainly can make his livelihood, work day and night, and stay "not attached" to any one of his actions, which is so-called living.

If any of you feel that the terms of livelihood and life I meant are from a different perspective than what you all mean, kindly discard.

Regards,
Aruna

Hi Aruna,

The terms "life" and "livelihood" described by you hold the same meanings for me too. However, you have brought forward a very important point. I never looked at it from the perspective you gave. Somehow, I just assumed at some point that working for longer hours would necessarily mean ignorance of life and too much attention to livelihood. Your point of view, that working long hours does not necessarily mean greater attention to livelihood, is indeed right, as supported by the examples given.

The assumption that working longer hours means livelihood is the focus may have stemmed from the fact that people tend to ignore their family, and family is "supposed" to be the closest thing to any individual. I would not necessarily adhere to that supposition though.

Interesting perspective, Aruna.

Regards,
Vinisha.

Vinisha ji,

It is not a question of loving a dog or a cat. I prefer comfort to luxury. Samay, shrama, and artha do not permit me to acquire a luxury. My father used to keep dogs, cats, cows/oxen, male and female buffalos, sheep, goats, hens/cocks, ducks, and yes, even peacocks and peahens. None of these are possible for me.

I like to observe nature (including living beings in it). Nature reminds me of 3 things:
1. No two creations of God are identical.
2. Everything happens spontaneously.
3. Detachment/non-possessiveness is perennial.

These three observations silence my turmoil whenever I have it. Am I not enjoying your posts with every seriousness?

Regards

Hi all,

On the point that 'one is working hard to make a livelihood but taking least concern in living'... I want to give my opinion. I feel one gets away from life not if he works day and night but if his mind is more centralized ONLY on material things. I can note that one working hard doesn't mean that his mind is materialized. Best examples are many from Mother Teresa and Vivekananda to Tata Birla, Dhirubhai Ambani, and many more who are passionate to work. One certainly can make his livelihood, work day and night, and stay "not attached" to any one of his actions which is so-called LIVING.

If any of you feel that the terms of livelihood and life I meant are from a different perspective than what you all mean, kindly discard.

Regards,
Aruna

What I gather from your post, Aruna Ji, is that living is about balancing. If this is so, I agree with you.

Regards

Livelihood, I feel, is an organized way of achieving insatiable wants, which in turn are very unstable and changeable. By being with them, a person senses a complete life. But eventually, a stage comes when a person forfeits the livelihood and goes ahead with life. So, in my opinion, life is dearer.

Deepa

Namaskar, Vikasdeepa ji. It is a very excellent observation. However, my feeling is just the reverse. Eventually, a stage comes when a person forfeits taking care of life and goes ahead with livelihood only. If life is taken best care of, then livelihood will follow. This supports your conclusion.

Regards

Sunayna ji,

I had forgotten to mention one more type of beautiful birds he kept, that are parrots.

My answer to your query lies in the very same post: "Detachment/non-possessiveness is perennial."

However, this reminds me of the kings of Ayodhya and Nala. When the swayambar of Damayanti for a second marriage was declared, the King of Ayodhya was also invited to attend. Nal, being deprived of everything, was working as the horse keeper of the King of Ayodhya. Eventually, he became the charioteer of the king. Once, when Nal drove the chariot at such a speed that the king's scarf flew off, the king asked him to stop. Nal replied, "That is a hundred yojan behind. You cannot get it."

I think I am exploring life as a bed of roses, and you are enjoying it.

Regards