How to live life

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No matter whatever be your age. Be happy and enjoy your life. Why? You may ask.

Four Stages of Elimination in Life:

At 60, the workplace eliminates you. No matter how successful or powerful you were during your career, you'll return to being an ordinary person. So, don't cling to the mindset and sense of superiority from your past job, let go of your ego, or you might lose your sense of ease!

At 70, society gradually eliminates you. The friends and colleagues you used to meet and socialize with become fewer, and hardly anyone recognizes you at your former workplace. Don't say, "I used to be..." or "I was once..." because the younger generation won't know you, and you mustn't feel uncomfortable about it!

At 80, family slowly eliminates you. Even if you have many children and grandchildren, most of the time you'll be living with your spouse or by yourself. When your children visit occasionally, it's an expression of affection, so don't blame them for coming less often, as they're busy with their own lives!

At 90, the Earth wants to eliminate you. Some of the people you knew have already departed forever. At this point, don't be sad or mournful, because this is the way of life, and everyone will eventually follow this path!

Therefore, while our bodies are still capable, live life to the fullest!

 Eat what you want, drink what you desire, play and do the things you love.

Remember, the only thing that won't eliminate you is the Whatsapp group. So, communicate more in the group, say a hello, maintain your presence, be happy, and have no regrets!

Consciousness - 2

From Stanford University https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness/

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Wikipedia - 3 types of consciousness

Minimal' consciousness is the occurrence of any mental activity, whether or not the subject is aware of this activity. 'Perceptual' consciousness is perceptual activity. Introspective consciousness is perception-like awareness of the subject's own current mental states and activities. 

Minimal and perceptual consciousness may be present, yet 'introspective' consciousness be lacking.

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Consciousness 1 - verywellmind

Consciousness is the individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. Essentially, your consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you. This awareness is subjective and unique to you.

Your conscious experiences are constantly shifting and changing. For example, in one moment, you may be focused on reading this article. Your consciousness may then shift to the memory of a conversation you had earlier with a co-worker. Next, you might notice how uncomfortable your chair is, or maybe you are mentally planning dinner.

Topics - Table of Contents

1. States of Consciousness

2. Functions

3. Changes

4. History

5. Theories

1. States of Consciousness

There are many states of consciousness. They include:

Dreams

Hallucinations

Hypnosis

Meditation

Sleep

States induced by psychoactive drugs

and

Medically induced  or related states such as

Coma, Confusion, Delirium, Disorientation, Lethargy and Stupor.

and higher states of consciousness experienced in meditation and as part of spiritual experiences.

There are five levels of consciousness

They are :

Preconscious: Information you are not currently aware of that you can pull into awareness if needed. It resembles peripheral vision. In this regard our mind uses the out of attention / awareness data for evaluations and assessments required for here-now activities like when crossing a busy road.

Subconscious: Information that is out of consciousness and not immediately available to consciousness.

Unconscious: Memories that are outside of awareness and inaccessible.

Non-conscious: Automatically bodily functions that occur without awareness and sensation.

Functions of Consciousness

Consciousness has several biological and social purposes. For example, it allows us to process information, choose our actions, set priorities, learn and adapt to new information, make decisions, and more.

Consciousness is an essential state in philosophy, spirituality, and religion. All of these require self-awareness, which is impossible without consciousness.

Changes in Consciousness

Understanding different levels of consciousness can help healthcare professionals spot signs that someone might be experiencing a problem. Some of these changes occur naturally; others are the result of factors such as drugs or brain damage. Changes to consciousness also can cause changes to perception, thinking, understanding, and interpretations of the world.

Changes in Consciousness

Understanding different levels of consciousness can help healthcare professionals spot signs that someone might be experiencing a problem. Some of these changes occur naturally; others are the result of factors such as drugs or brain damage. Changes to consciousness also can cause changes to perception, thinking, understanding, and interpretations of the world. Such as : Table of Contents 

States of Consciousness

Functions

Changes

History

Theories

Consciousness is the individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. Essentially, your consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you.

This awareness is subjective and unique to you. If you can describe something you are experiencing in words, then it is part of your consciousness.

Your conscious experiences are constantly shifting and changing. For example, in one moment, you may be focused on reading this article. Your consciousness may then shift to the memory of a conversation you had earlier with a co-worker. Next, you might notice how uncomfortable your chair is, or maybe you are mentally planning dinner.

This ever-shifting stream of thoughts can change dramatically from one moment to the next, but your experience of it seems smooth and effortless.

States of Consciousness

The various states of consciousness include:

Dreams

Hallucinations

Hypnosis

Meditation

Sleep

States induced by psychoactive drugs

The two normal states of awareness are consciousness and unconsciousness. Higher states of consciousness are often associated with spiritual or mystical experiences. It involves an elevated state of awareness where people are able to gain a greater sense of themselves, their role, and the world. Examples of this include transcendence, meditation, mindfulness, a "runner's high," lucid dreaming, and flow states. 

Altered levels of consciousness also can occur, which may be caused by medical or mental conditions that impair or change awareness. Altered types of consciousness include:

Coma

Confusion

Delirium

Disorientation

Lethargy

Stupor

Doctors and healthcare professionals use various assessments to measure and assess levels of consciousness. They use scores on these assessments to guide diagnosis and treatment decisions.1

What Are the 5 Levels of Consciousness?

Conscious: Everything you are aware of

Preconscious: Information you are not currently aware of that you can pull into awareness if needed

Unconscious: Memories that are outside of awareness and inaccessible

Non-conscious: Automatically bodily functions that occur without awareness and sensation

Subconscious: Information that is out of consciousness and not immediately available to consciousness

What Is the Unconscious Mind?

Functions of Consciousness

Consciousness has several biological and social purposes. For example, it allows us to process information, choose our actions, set priorities, learn and adapt to new information, make decisions, and more.

Consciousness is an essential state in philosophy, spirituality, and religion. All of these require self-awareness, which is impossible without consciousness.

Changes in Consciousness

Understanding different levels of consciousness can help healthcare professionals spot signs that someone might be experiencing a problem. Some of these changes occur naturally; others are the result of factors such as drugs or brain damage. Changes to consciousness also can cause changes to perception, thinking, understanding, and interpretations of the world.

Changes in consciousness can sometimes be a sign of medical conditions or they may even be a sign of an immediate medical emergency. Such as  Aneurysm, 

Brain infections, Brain tumor or injury, Dementia or Alzheimer's disease, Drug use, Epilepsy, Heart disease, Heatstroke, Lack of oxygen to the brain, Low blood sugar, Poisoning, Shock, Stroke.

Summary

While consciousness has intrigued philosophers and scientists for thousands of years, experts clearly have a long way to go in our understanding of the concept. Researchers continue to explore the different bases of consciousness including the physical, social, cultural, and psychological influences that contribute to our conscious awareness.

In a moment, in this moment

You have a seed: when you look at the seed you can find no indication of the flowers that will grow from it. There is not even a clue of what it can be. Will it be a lotus- blossoming in the water but remaining untouched by it, dancing in the rays of the sun? And the sun too may become jealous of its beauty, of its tenderness, of its incomparable glory and grace. Its perfume will fly into the sky. Looking at the seed, this cannot be known. Looking at the seed, one cannot even imagine, cannot even guess. But one day it

happens.

Myself and My-Self / My-Selves

Understanding Myself and My-Self / My-Selves

This an intriguing area of human exploration. It affects us all. This is a modest effort to document my understanding.

Our self is that part of us which thinks and feels, evaluates and assesses, considers and concludes our own value, worth, dignity and esteem. It thus generates a view and a self-concept that is empowering and motivating on the one hand or deficient and lacking on the other hand or de-motivating on the still another hand.

We have ten principal aspects of personality which structure our thinking and feeling in generating our perceptions, evaluations, assessments, conclusions, decisions, judgements, activities and actions. These may be done by us on purpose or occur awarely or unawarely in a programmed or habitual manner. They are listed in the note at the end.

There are two aspects of this self. The 'I' that sees, feels, experiences itself or other selfs (living, non-living, conceptual, thoughts, ideas, evaluations, constructs, occurrences, behaviours, processes etcetera) - the subjective self and the 'I' that possesses; interacts; deals with people, events, incidents; and lastly the externalised subjective 'I'. This other 'I' is called 'me'. 

Then there is of course the Pure Self. This Pure Self is the aspect of the universal of which each one of us, every other living entity, non living matter and object is also an aspect much like a drops of water which together form water bodies as an ocean, sea, river, lake, tank, or for that matter what we hold in a glass or carry around in our body.

Ten Principal Aspects of Personality

1. Value, worth, dignity and esteem upholding authoritative, controlling self.
2. Value, worth, dignity and esteem denying aggressive, persecuting self.
3. Value, worth, dignity and esteem upholding helpful, assisting nurturing self.
4. Value, worth, dignity and esteem denying rescuing self.
5. Age appropriate, reality driven and orienting situation ending, problem solving sane, objective self.
6. Little bothered, free of restraint, free flowing urges, impulses, drives driven self.
7. Child-like creative, innovative, out of the box thinking, magical thinking unencumbered self.
8. Child-like adapting but rebellious non complying, rules breaking self.
9. Child-like adapting compliant, complying, extra courteous, pleasing self.
10. A deep hidden aspect that sort of pulls the sheet from our feet, so to say, and nullifies a well done task, job, activity, piece of art, a tasty dish or a dress - aptly called the demon. It also from nowhere releases a slip of tongue, causes momentary withdrawal of attention from an ongoing activity, or triggers a self harming, impulsive act.

Aspects of the Me Self

1. The Material Self - This believes it owns and possesses. It includes all things that belong to us. Our body, whatever we own, our associations and whatever we hold dear including our thoughts, feelings, memories and experiences.
2. The Social Self - Who we are in a given social situation. We change with time, place, position, role, purpose etc.
3. The Spiritual Self - The Self with a Conscience that experiences right and wrong, guilt etc.
4. Pure Self - This Pure Self provides continuity of existence through past, present and future.

Disposing Problems

As told by Osho in “The Dhammapada: The way of the Buddha”

A rich man, every night, pray the same prayer to God. He repeats his prayers again and again on a daily basis. In his words, he would ask, “God, please do one favor for me, at least one favor — and I have been asking this my whole life. As clearly as I know, I am the most unhappy man on the earth. Why have you made my life full of problems? I am ready to exchange my difficulties with anybody else, anybody will do — just let me exchange my troubles with somebody else. I don’t ask for bliss. Can’t you give me only this single opportunity to exchange my worries with somebody else? This is not much!”

And one night while he was in a dream he saw God. A heavenly voice came from the high above saying, “Gather all of your miseries into bags and bring them to the temple hall.”

So the whole town packs their miseries into big bags and they bring them to the hall. This man has a big-time: “So the time has come! It seems something great is going to happen!”

He rushes with his bundle. On the way, he finds others also are rushing.

By the time he reaches the hall, he becomes afraid, very afraid, because he saw people are carrying bigger bags than his. People that he had always seen smiling in beautiful clothes and always saying nice things to each other, and they are carrying bigger bags!

He starts becoming a little hesitant whether to go or not to go, but he has been praying for his whole life, so he says, “Let us see what happens.”

They enter into the hall. The voice says, “Put your bags around the hall.” They put their bags, and the voice says again, “Now you can choose any bundle that you like.”

And the miracle of miracles happens: everybody rushes to his own bags!

This man also rushes so fast towards his own bag, afraid that if somebody else chooses it then he will be at a loss. Everybody has chosen his own bags, with great relief and they are all happy, carrying their bags back to their homes. Even the man who prayed for his whole life just to exchange his miseries is very happy, for the simple reason that “Who knows what is in the other’s bags? At least we are aware of our own problems. And we have become accustomed, we have become adjusted to our difficulties.”

Moral of the story:

Problem solving is always better than exchanging it with others, At least you understand your problems and difficulties, now or then, you are going to find the solution to it. Just stay grateful for what good you have.

Ego and Mind

Profile of Ajit Karve

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Introduction to Transactional Analysis

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Erase the Ego - Gain Spiritual Emancipation

Erase the Ego - Gain Spiritual Emancipation

Here are prescribed simple steps to taste spiritual emancipation in a few minutes without any practice.

Spare 30 minutes to an hour to complete the process. 

Whatever our age. Mine is 73. We start with our present age and ask these questions for previous (reducing by 10 years) ages till we reach the age of 3 years. (Jump from 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, to 3). One can choose to write down the questions and answers specific to ages as applicable. 

Tap this link to obtain a printable PDF of the questions. Questions

For me I will ask for ages 63, 53, 43, 33, 23, 13 and 3.

1. Where was I living.

2. What was I doing.

3. What was my family like.

4. How was my life.

5. What did I think about myself. 

6. Did I have a name? What was it.

7. How did people address me - socially, at work, at home, by siblings.

8. What made me feel proud.

9. What made me feel hurt, pained, insulted, ignored, left alone, not regarded, slighted or blamed.

10. What made me feel angry, sad and anxious.

11. Did I own a self identity which when hurt made me feel hurt.

12. Could I forgive and forget wrong done to me.

13. Did I yearn love, affection and praise. 

14. Did I recognise : Ah that's me.

15. Did I possess a sense of self.

It is at the age of 18 months that we for the first time recognised ourself as in : Ah, that's me!  When we looked at ourself in the mirror. The self was born at that age. Till then we were a first person pronoun, I, He, She without ego. 

We had a fully functional biological existence at the 23rd week of foetal life. The systems are functioning since then.

Till then we were passing through the germinal stage of 0-3 weeks after conception, then the embryonic stage from 3-8 weeks after conception, then developing foetus 8-23 weeks after conception and developed foetus waiting for delivery pains 23-40 weeks after conception. Tap this link to read about foetal development Foetal Development

Earlier to conception we were an egg for the age of our mother's life to delivery plus age of her mother's life. If I was born when my mother was 24 and she was born when her mother was 24 then I spent 48 years waiting to be conceived. My mother's reproductive system was developed when she was passing through 9-10th week of foetal life.

Prior to that our existence was food that our grandma ate. 

So we are born of food, are sustained by food, and are an expression of food. The food partaken by our grandma was eaten by others too.

Food is organic as well as inorganic.

That is our true existence.

Prior to that backward timeless energy assuming and changing forms and existence 

We ourselves have been living for millions if not billions of years.

We are not distinct from any one or any body.

Our core identity is one. One-ness describes our identity.

A rope is mistaken for a snake in dim light.

A snake is mistaken as a python, green snake, water snake or a cobra.

My snake has a name too - I call it Tinku. I possess it.

So also we think of ourself as distinct from everybody else. It is an illusive sense of identity. 

We can journey backward and realise our true identity of being the universal one.

Emancipation is at hand for the asking if only we care to know and realise it.

To know more read verses 65 to 75 from Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8 Part 2 with special emphasis on Verse 70 highlighting illusion by tapping this link Pt 2 Ch VIII ASHTAVAKRA Gita and tap this link for reading the entire Ashtavakra Gita Full Ashtavakra Gita

Emancipation is denied because we are unable to give up the possessive I, mine. No only that we action it by adding sense of possession to it. Thus we convert illusion into reality, then hold on to it as if it is for fact. Ego is generator of all ails. It is the thread that provides possessiveness. Removing or burning the thread returns the beads to the universality of their existence. We do not give it up. We dissolve it whenever it becomes an impediment to our release from bondage. Example of a washerman's donkey is given in shastras to explain how illusion of belonging is generated. 

To read the story tap this link Five Stories for Audio of Five Stories tap this link Five Stories Audio

Fallacies

Sourced from Wikipedia 

Formal fallaciesEdit

Main article: Formal fallacy

A formal fallacy is an error in the argument's form.^[2] All formal fallacies are types of non sequitur.

• Appeal to probability – a statement that takes something for granted because it would probably be the case (or might be the case).^[3][4]
• Argument from fallacy (also known as the fallacy fallacy) – the assumption that, if a particular argument for a "conclusion" is fallacious, then the conclusion by itself is false.^[5]
• Base rate fallacy – making a probability judgment based on conditional probabilities, without taking into account the effect of prior probabilities.^[6]
• Conjunction fallacy – the assumption that an outcome simultaneously satisfying multiple conditions is more probable than an outcome satisfying a single one of them.^[7]
• Non-sequitur fallacy - where the conclusion does not logically follow the premise.^[8]
• Masked-man fallacy (illicit substitution of identicals) – the substitution of identical designators in a true statement can lead to a false one.^[9]

Propositional fallaciesEdit

A propositional fallacy is an error that concerns compound propositions. For a compound proposition to be true, the truth values of its constituent parts must satisfy the relevant logical connectives that occur in it (most commonly: [and], [or], [not], [only if], [if and only if]). The following fallacies involve relations whose truth values are not guaranteed and therefore not guaranteed to yield true conclusions.
Types of propositional fallacies:

• Affirming a disjunct – concluding that one disjunct of a logical disjunction must be false because the other disjunct is true; A or B; A, therefore not B.^[10]
• Affirming the consequent – the antecedent in an indicative conditional is claimed to be true because the consequent is true; if A, then B; B, therefore A.^[10]
• Denying the antecedent – the consequent in an indicative conditional is claimed to be false because the antecedent is false; if A, then B; not A, therefore not B.^[10]

Quantification fallaciesEdit

A quantification fallacy is an error in logic where the quantifiers of the premises are in contradiction to the quantifier of the conclusion.
Types of quantification fallacies:

• Existential fallacy – an argument that has a universal premise and a particular conclusion.^[11]

Formal syllogistic fallaciesEdit

Syllogistic fallacies – logical fallacies that occur in syllogisms.

• Affirmative conclusion from a negative premise (illicit negative) – a categorical syllogism has a positive conclusion, but at least one negative premise
• Fallacy of exclusive premises – a categorical syllogism that is invalid because both of its premises are negative.[11]
• Fallacy of four terms (quaternio terminorum) – a categorical syllogism that has four terms.[12]
• Illicit major – a categorical syllogism that is invalid because its major term is not distributed in the major premise but distributed in the conclusion.[11]
• Illicit minor – a categorical syllogism that is invalid because its minor term is not distributed in the minor premise but distributed in the conclusion.[11]
• Negative conclusion from affirmative premises (illicit affirmative) – a categorical syllogism has a negative conclusion but affirmative premises.[11]
• Fallacy of the undistributed middle – the middle term in a categorical syllogism is not distributed.[13]
• Modal fallacy – confusing necessity with sufficiency. A condition X is necessary for Y if X is required for even the possibility of Y. X does not bring about Y by itself, but if there is no X, there will be no Y. For example, oxygen is necessary for fire. But one cannot assume that everywhere there is oxygen, there is fire. A condition X is sufficient for Y if X, by itself, is enough to bring about Y. For example, riding the bus is a sufficient mode of transportation to get to work. But there are other modes of transportation – car, taxi, bicycle, walking – that can be used.
• Modal scope fallacy – a degree of unwarranted necessity is placed in the conclusion.
• Informal fallacies
• Edit
• Main article: Informal fallacy
• Informal fallacies – arguments that are logically unsound for lack of well-grounded premises.[14]

Argument to moderation (false compromise, middle ground, fallacy of the mean, argumentum ad temperantiam) – assuming that a compromise between two positions is always correct.[15]

Continuum fallacy (fallacy of the beard, line-drawing fallacy, sorites fallacy, fallacy of the heap, bald man fallacy, decision-point fallacy) – improperly rejecting a claim for being imprecise.[16]

Correlative-based fallacies

Suppressed correlative – a correlative is redefined so that one alternative is made impossible (e.g., "I'm not fat because I'm thinner than John.").[17]

Definist fallacy – defining a term used in an argument in a biased manner (e.g., using "loaded terms"). The person making the argument expects that the listener will accept the provided definition, making the argument difficult to refute.[18]

Divine fallacy (argument from incredulity) – arguing that, because something is so incredible or amazing, it must be the result of superior, divine, alien or paranormal agency.[19]

Double counting – counting events or occurrences more than once in probabilistic reasoning, which leads to the sum of the probabilities of all cases exceeding unity.

Equivocation – using a term with more than one meaning in a statement without specifying which meaning is intended.[20]

Ambiguous middle term – using a middle term with multiple meanings.[21]

Definitional retreat – changing the meaning of a word when an objection is raised.[22] Often paired with moving the goalposts (see below), as when an argument is challenged using a common definition of a term in the argument, and the arguer presents a different definition of the term and thereby demands different evidence to debunk the argument.

Motte-and-bailey fallacy – conflating two positions with similar properties, one modest and easy to defend (the "motte") and one more controversial (the "bailey").[23] The arguer first states the controversial position, but when challenged, states that they are advancing the modest position.[24][25]

Fallacy of accent – changing the meaning of a statement by not specifying on which word emphasis falls.

Getting a second opinion saves a lot of money

A hilarious Case. Wisdom is rewarded by a host of experiences, Here is a rare one.

Headache and Testicles 

A man had suffered from really bad headaches for the last 20 years. He eventually decides to go and see a Doctor in a Multi speciality hospital.

The Doctor says, the good news he can cure his headaches. The bad news is that they will require removing his testicles. 

The doctor said that "You have a very rare condition, which causes your testicles to press on your spine and the pressure creates one hell of a headache.The only way to relieve the pressure is to remove the testicles." 

The man was shocked and depressed. He wondered if he had anything to live for. 

He had no choice but to go under the knife. The surgery costed him Rs 4,00,000/-. 

When he left the hospital, he was without a headache for the first time in 20 years, but he felt like he was missing an important part of himself.   

As he walked down the street, he realized that he felt like a different person. He could make a new beginning and live a new life. 

He saw a Men's clothing store and thought, 'That's what I need. A new Suit.' 

He entered the shop and told the salesman, 'I'd like a new Suit.' 

The elderly Tailor eyed him briefly and said, 'Let's see size 44 would fit fine. 

The man laughed, 'That's right, how did you know?' 

'Been in the business 60 years sir!' the tailor said. 

The man tried on the suit it fitted perfectly. As he admired himself in the mirror, the salesman asked, 'How about a new shirt?' 

The man thought for a moment and then said, 'Sure.' 

The salesman eyed him and said, 'Let's see, 34 sleeves and 16-1/2 neck.' 

The man was surprised, 'That's right, how did you know?' 

'Been in the business 60 years sir.' 

The man tried  the shirt and it fitted perfectly. 

The man walked comfortably around the shop and the salesman asked, 'How about some new Underwear?' 

The man thought for a moment and said, 'Sure..' 

The salesman said, 'Let's see..... size 36. 

The man laughed, 'Ah ha! You got it wrong this time! I've worn size 34 since I was 18 years old..' 

The salesman shook his head, 'You can't wear a size 34 sir. A size 34 would press your Testicles up against the base of your spine and give you hell of a Headache.' 

Surgery - Rs 4,00,000/- in a multi speciality hospital, New underwear at - Rs 75/- 

Second Opinion-Priceless. 

Always take second opinion before going under the Surgery through multi speciality hospital.