A musical instrument resembling a guitar, but its sound is saturated with an Eastern character. The only information available in Latvia about this remarkable Indian instrument is that the sitar was introduced to the Western world by Ravi Shankar and G. Harrison from The Beatles. Enchanted by a melody performed by Anoushka Shankar, I decided to explore this instrument more closely.
A woman behind the wheel is no rarity today. Yet the principles by which women and men choose their cars differ and always will. Some car manufacturers have even conducted surveys to identify the priorities in a car's appearance and features among respondents of both genders and have defined these differences.
It has now been a year since I plucked up the courage and underwent the LASIK operation - vision correction with the aid of a laser beam. Before that I had thoroughly and for a long time researched and read every possible website on the internet where any information about this operation was described. Now I can share my experience.
.jpg?w=690&mode=16x9|crop)
A person in society - part of a structure, which fits into even smaller structural formations - family, work collective, circle of friends, drinking companions, and the like. Moreover, every system has patterns that each individual follows without question in order to be "one of us". Any non-compliance with the system is a protest against something within that system.
People enjoy telling jokes - about blondes, for example - because a rooted belief exists that hair colour determines intelligence or foolishness. But how is it really? Moreover, these days hair colour is not something that limits a woman or a man. One visit to the hairdresser and a blonde becomes a brunette. It turns out there are also studies on hair colour that reveal some of a person's more pronounced character traits. So here is what psychologists and astrologers say.
When I began reading OSHO's book "Joy", I could not for a long time come to terms with many of the thoughts expressed there. The book simply irritated me. I think a similar feeling might overtake many readers, especially those who know little about Buddhist philosophy. Nevertheless, guided by curiosity, I studied the book carefully - through a critical lens, it must be said.
Osho's ashes were buried in a specially built bedroom located at the Meditation Centre in Pune. The inscription on the grave reads: "OSHO. Never born, never died. Only visited the planet Earth from 11 December 1931 to 19 January 1990."
I offer you to whip up a cocktail in the style of James Bond. Yes, yes, in the style of the famous secret agent 007 described in Ian Lancaster Fleming's novel - envied by men and desired by women.
Osho said that he had been "the guru of the rich", for only the (materially) wealthy person is the poorest, and only such a person comes to find answers to the unsolvable problems of life, because there is nowhere left to go. A poor person still has so much to do, so much to achieve, so much to become. Who is interested in philosophy, theology, art? All that is too much for them. His followers have developed Osho meditation-based programmes for stress management, which they have also successfully sold to companies such as BMW and IBM, generating considerable profit.
For clarity's sake, it should be said that this article and these reflections arose from reading one of the many Osho books - "Joy: The Happiness That Comes from Within". If you are chasing happiness, one thing is clear: you will never attain it. Happiness is always a side effect. It is not the result of striving. It happens when you are not even thinking about it.