One month into 2017; an appropriate time to review our resolutions. Realistic, achievable and still alive? Need some tweaking? If Plan A is falling apart don’t worry – there are another 25 letters in the alphabet! In fact, modern-day motivators reassuringly remind us that the most successful people in the world are those who wholeheartedly embrace and execute Plan B. Chop and change, experiment and innovate, somehow or other, find a strategy that works. Keep progressing forward, and avoid dying a slow death through stagnation and frustration. Plans sometimes need an overhaul, but the goal must be cemented into our consciousness, constantly tugging on our hearts and mind.
On Saturday January 14th, Sura Das of ISKCON Los Angeles was invited to speak at Culver City’s 12th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in Culver City Hall. Sura serves as the secretary and treasurer of the Interfaith Council of West Los Angeles, and represents ISKCON Los Angeles on the Council. This theme of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was “Peaceful Warriors for Positive Change.”
2016 was a significant year for Indian Americans in politics. Five Indian Americans, a record number, were elected to U.S. Congress. To celebrate the milestone, fellow members of Congress, dignitaries and supporters, including ISKCON, gathered at the Indiaspora Gala on January 3rd in Washington, D.C. The bipartisan event highlighted the increasing significance of the Indian-American community in the country’s political landscape. It also welcomed members of the new administration and allowed new and current members to build relationships and strengthen ties.
No one takes their first drink with the desire to become alcoholics. They think that they are just having some fun; they are being cool; they are fitting into the crowd. They believe that they can drink without becoming drunkards.
From the beginning, Ananda-Lila was enchanted by Indian and Vaishnava clothing, and wanted some for her daughters Jamuna, 10, and Tulasi Priya, 2. But she had never been to India, and it was hard to find something comfortable, attractive and natural. So she began designing her own clothes for her children, to match with hers. Others wanted in too, and a unique new company was born. She called it “Mata and Me”.
When we persevere, we progress both materially and spiritually. Materially, we do greater justice to our God-given talents and make tangible contributions in this world. And spiritually, we rise in our consciousness and come closer to Krishna and the unending happiness thereof.
Long, before the advent of Islam, even as early as the third millennium BCE, India had cultural bonds with the Mesopotamian civilization, now the region of Iraq and Iran. As explained by N. N. Bhattacharya, there are plenty of references to establish a very close contact between India and the Islamic world.
Without giving attention to and genuinely caring about relationships, situations and aspirations, how can we achieve any real traction in life? Where the attention goes, energy flows, and results invariably show.
Plants perceive the world without eyes, ears or brains. Understanding how can teach us a lot about them, and potentially a lot about us as well.