Sadness??

Feeling down? Got the blues? You're not alone. Everyone gets sad. Yes, everyone you've ever met. Some people have sad feelings just once in a while, and others may have sad feelings pretty often. More than half of teenagers go through a sad period at least once a month and plenty of younger kids do, too.
When you're in a sad mood, it may feel like it will last forever, but usually feelings of sadness don't last very long - a few hours or maybe a day or 2. A deeper, more intense kind of sadness that lasts a lot longer is called depression (say: dih-preh-shun).
What Is Sadness?
Sadness is a feeling - it's one of the many normal human emotions, or moods, we all have. Sadness is the emotion people feel when they've lost something important, or when they have been disappointed about something, or when something sad has happened to them or to someone else. When they're lonely, people often feel sad.
When you're sad, the world may seem dark and unfriendly. You might feel like you have nothing to look forward to. The hurt deep inside may crush your usually good mood.
Sadness makes you feel like crying, and sometimes the tears are hard to stop. Crying often makes you feel better.
Sometimes when your mood is sad, you just feel like being alone for a little while. Or you might want someone to comfort you or just keep you company while you go through the sad feeling. Talking about what has made you sad usually helps the sad feeling melt away.
When sadness starts to go away, it can feel like a heavy blanket is being lifted from your shoulders.
When Is It Natural to Feel Sad?
Feeling sad every once in a while is natural. Maybe you didn't get something you really wanted. Maybe you miss somebody. Maybe somebody you really like doesn't want to be friends, and you don't feel so great about yourself. Maybe an illness or condition gets in the way of doing some things you want to do or makes you different from your friends. There are lots of reasons that people feel sadness.
Most of the time, sadness is because of a loss or separation, a difficult change or disappointment about something, or relationship problems.
Loss and Separation
This is the most common cause of sadness. It's a very sad thing to lose someone or something that you care about. There are many kinds of loss. The death of a relative, friend, or pet can bring weeks or months of sad feelings. The kind of sadness you feel from the death of a loved one has a special name - grief.
Other kinds of loss or separation from important people can also bring sadness, like people close to you getting a divorce. Sometimes it is hard to think straight because you cannot get your mind off your loss. Usually, the load of sadness you carry after a loss will lighten over time, although for a really big loss, there may always be a little bit of sadness left.
Changes
Changes that involve leaving something (or someone) behind, like moving to a new town or changing schools and leaving old friends can make you feel sad, too. The arrival of a new brother or sister may make you feel sad even though everyone thinks you should be happy to have a new sibling.
Disappointments
Disappointments like losing a game you hoped to win, getting a poor grade, or not being invited to a party can cause sadness. Sadness is a natural reaction to those things. How sad a person feels is usually related to how big or small the loss or disappointment is.
Relationships
Relationships bring happiness and fun most of the time. But tension or conflict in important relationships, or relationships that break up, can cause sadness, too. Many kids fight with family members, especially their parents, in the struggle to grow up and gain independence.
People often feel sad when all is not right between them and their loved ones, or when they get criticized or yelled at a lot. They fight about things like money, clothing, haircuts, school, and friends. In school, problems with teachers and grades may cause some sadness as well.
More Stuff That Makes Kids Sad
Other kids, both friends and enemies, can cause hurt feelings and sadness through fighting, teasing, peer pressure, not giving you support, or leaving you out of group activities. Feeling misunderstood by people close to you can lead to feelings of sadness.
Sometimes with sadness, there are other feelings mixed in, too. When you're sad, you might also feel angry or guilty. You might feel like blaming others or blaming yourself. Some kids mistakenly think that sad events like death, illness, or divorce are all their fault - but this isn't true. Kids don't cause these things to happen.
When Is Sadness a Problem?
If a sad feeling goes on for too long, hurts too deeply, and makes it hard for you to enjoy the good things about your life, it's called depression.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of depression:
feeling empty or numb
feeling hopeless (like there's nothing to look forward to)
feeling guilty or worthless
feeling lonely or unloved
feeling irritable and annoyed a lot (every little thing gets on your nerves)
feeling like things are not fun anymore
having trouble keeping your mind on schoolwork or homework or getting bad grades
having trouble keeping your mind on things like reading or watching TV or not remembering what a book or a TV show was about
having less energy and feeling tired all the time
sleeping too much or not enough
not eating enough and weight loss or eating too much and weight gain
thinking about death or thinking about suicide
spending less time with friends and more time alone
crying a lot, often for no reason
feeling restless (being unable to sit still or relax)
having certain body feelings, like lots of stomachaches, headaches, or chest pain
People who have depression may not know it. Often it's a parent or teacher who notices behavior changes like the ones in the list above. Depression can run in families. Having a parent who gets depressed makes it more likely for a kid to become depressed.
When children have depression it is usually coming from a long period of sadness after the loss of someone really close, such as a parent; long-lasting problems at home, including violence, illness, divorce, or alcohol or drug use; child abuse or neglect; rape; and long-term illness, burns, or accidents. But sometimes kids may be depressed for no apparent reason.
Getting Help
Kids, teens, and adults can get depression. It's very important for people of any age who have depression to get help. When they do, they can get better quickly. Sometimes treatment involves talking to someone who knows all about depression. Sometimes medications can help depression heal. Sometimes both of these things are used.
If you think you have depression or you just have sadness that simply will not go away, it is important to talk to an adult about it: a parent, relative, doctor, teacher, guidance counselor, coach, or close adult friend. This person can help you find the right type of treatment. Many cities also have mental health hotlines or suicide hotlines that are listed in the phone book. There is always somebody to talk to when you are sad or if you are depressed - somebody who can help.
Updated and reviewed by: David V. Sheslow, PhDDate reviewed: November 2004Originally reviewed by: Steven J. Bachrach, MD

My downhill journey

I am not sure why but I am finding it hard to accept that it is not unusual in life to run into business difficulties. Although I fully understand that sometimes it’s because I may not have taken my business seriously enough, I may have gone into wrong business, may have taken a business decision that don’t match my strengths, or perhaps life just got in the way.

New immigrant entrepreneurs may find that the business skills that got you through with very high success from your previous country and/or market place may not work as well here in Canada, where things move quickly, differently and often through large, very large corporations. Different skills are called for, and the good news is, like any skills, they can be learned. You might very well figure it out on your own, but you might save time and be more successful if you take advantage of some of the resources available in the marketplace.
Am I comparing my performance as a businessman with others? Well, if I am not some else may be doing it – making me feel that I have gone downhill since the last many years. I know fully well that there’s going to be comparisons, and that's unavoidable. There will be my friends, family members and many other people out there who will make me feel that I hit my peak long back in the much younger age and have been gone downhill since.
In Canada first thing we talk about is snow, second snow and snow again. When snow is hard – its easy while you are going downhill – but for me it’s not been so easy – at this time at least – I think it is because it has just started snowing and will take a bit of a time before I will be able to get used to it. Well, it may not be only snow – I think there is a little bit contribution of my bad luck too – but it will change – soon I guess.
I welcome life each morning as it arrives – in whatever shape and size. I look forward to living the life to its fullest. I want to live happily – no matter what. I know life is not all about roses – it’s not all about happiness – it’s not all about dancing. I want to face it whatever it is.
I know my mother gave me birth and that’s when my journey on earth started. What was my mission on earth – I didn’t know at that time. My ability to know about my mission on earth is probably is the same as it was at the time of my birth? I have learnt from many that no matter how much money we make on earth; that it will remain here and that I can not take it with me. Some say money is everything and our mission on earth is to make money more and more – in fact as much as possible.
Whatever is the mission of others on this earth that I share with my fellow human beings, one thing is for sure – each mission is finished with one thing, which is NOT under control of any HUMAN – DEATH”.

My Inner Police refused bribe

I think I am being foolish. It’s not easy to get ‘true friends’ these days and when I have got one – I am making this person nut. I am talking to you directly my friend, ‘you are such an honest friend, and its nothing to do with gender not is there any fear in my mind as to the relationship between the both of us. Your friendship with me is my connection with God. It’s not about both of us when we are together but when we are not. I experience my demons and they keep whispering all around me, "you are an imposter."

I can not lie to you and my inner voice tells me – I am a fake – it cries inside me as if I have imprisoned many of my masked slaves inside me. I think my "inner police" is still honest and have been refusing to accept bribe. My fear is that I may not be able to live up to my billing. One of my inner masked myself has refused me several times; another person inside me is bent to give all credits to my luck.

I am not afraid of you being a woman and I being a man. I am not afraid of our friendship being a friendship of opposite sex people. I feel fully connected and there is no doubt in my mind that our friendship is clean and is forever. But one of my inner selves is telling me that "you should be afraid because you are a fake" – I know I am not but still I am afraid.

The fact of our society is that normally when opposite sex people begin their relationship it's the female who should act the way I am acting. Perhaps you are stronger than I am.

$40M Hindu Temple Opens In Toronto

Sunday July 22, 2007

CityNews.ca Staff

It's already a source of tremendous pride for Canada's Hindu community. After more than a year's worth of construction, Prime Minister Stephen Harper helped open a $40 million holy temple Saturday, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto.

In his speech, Harper praised India's efforts to alleviate tensions and reconcile interests within it's diverse population through democratic institutions. "Where far too many other countries have failed, India is succeeding," he said.

He added that the opening of the holy temple marks another step in Canada's quest to accommodate diversity, and that it stands as a testament to both Canada and India's traditions of pluralism.

Located in north-west Toronto, the temple made of Turkish limestone and Italian marble is being called an architectural masterpiece.

It's 2,000 builders were required to follow ancient Hindu rules governing how a holy shrine is to be built.

Federal Opposition Leader Stephane Dion, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller also attended the opening.

Death

There are few things of our life that we take too seriously. Death is one of them. We know that death is one of the natural functions that is made to loom so large only by our ignorance and taboo. If someone dies in our family, we all cry so much but hide when our morals which dies inside us on a daily basis. Death they said is not the greatest loss in life - the greatest loss is what dies inside us while we are still alive. Everybody who is alive will have to die one day its a fact. And things become easier when you know the facts of life upfront but this fact is not an easy one to cope with. No one wants to die - everyone wants to be immortal - even though death is the fact of life but nobody wants to accept it. The other fact is that it takes a lot of courage to live as life wants you to live. There is a saying "anybody can die it takes courage to live." So true. We take death too seriously because it is something which keeps happening in front of us everyday.

The Seed - An email story sent by Sunil Gupta

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to chose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said. "I have decided to choose one of you." The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to plant
the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have
grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds
and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.

Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his
colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back.

"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO.

"Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty
pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Here is your next Chief Executive! His
name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed.

I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.

"When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap
later.

Let me not drift away from my target

I have no idea how to self-control and how to set limits in 'love', 'friendship' or any other 'game of chance'. Wait a minute what did I call love and friendship? A friend tells me about the importance of setting limits. I am told it is important and that I should think long-term, and be realistic in my approach to these things. Sometimes I have a feeling that may have recently started to drift away from my actual target. I know I should not. Let me try to focus back on my target. Let me focus on my target.

Momories

Memories and old feelings seem to be coming to the surface for reason not very clear to me. Where are these memories coming from? Where and why are they hidden in-between? With these memories on my mind, I feel like connecting to my roots. Sometimes it feels as if I have simply left my roots somewhere and there will never be any connection with them but whenever the old memories surface – my desire to go back to my root too become alive.

We do a lot of things and come across a lot of people – after a while they are become memories. We forget memories but it seems memories don’t forget us. Memories are just like our computers – each memory is packed in a path and a file. They are hidden until the file is not clicked open.

Living away from your country sometimes makes these memories to tick more than usual. There are times that you want to discuss something with someone but you don’t know whom do you want to discuss with and what. You need somebody to whom you can connect – 100% without any reason and without any purpose. You feel like having somebody who can hear your silence and can speak to you without opening lips.

I wish to visit them and wish they visit me; I wish to write to them and wish they write to me; I wish to make a telephone call and wish they call me – but who are these people that I am wishing for?

Memories kept coming and I kept waking up in the middle of the night. I do not remember the days, I do not remember the dates or years but some fade memories kept me up. I don’t even remember the complete incidents – I think this is the beauty of forgotten memories.

Was it This Day? - A poem by Sandhya Advani - my friend

Was it this day
Nineteen years ago
you held my hand
promised vows?
Thrilled was I
with my loved one at last
stars shone in my eyes

Just a month laterinsults heaped,
humiliations began
Tears flowed...
Your silence robbed the stars
only a darkness remained

Drifting through life
My womb bore the seeds
Of your existence
No happy moments
Just a vacant stare

My dreams,
my ambitions,
my desires,
my smile
my laughter
all lost
to a stillness in my heart

And now,
The woman lost forever
a mother exists
protecting, nourishing,
a lifetime spent
serving others...

I Met You One Day - A poem by Sandhya Advani - my friend

I met you one day
You smiled, spoke softly
Charmed me with your voice,
Your eyes looking into me
That special smile,
I smiled back...
My eyes searching
Searching for that special spark
That special bond that tied you to me

I thought I caught a glimpse
Of warmth, tenderness
That itself was enough
For me to open my heart

I shared my life, my circumstances
My feelings, my pain
Hoping, longing that
You would be my friend,
Hoping you would stand by my side

But you vanished,
Leaving me bewildered
I cried, my heart ached
Is this all that life is about?
Don't people matter?
Don't I matter?
Is everything sacrificed,
at the altar of personal gain?

You realized the truth
It was too much of an effort
You vanished
Leaving me with dried tears

It's fine,
I've got used to it now
Its just a matter of time
I've grown stronger,
My smile deeper
I've survived through it all
And now I don't need you anymore.

Forgotten - A poem by my friend: Sandhya Advani

Forgotten I'm a woman
My long nails cut off
Don't need any adornment
Just purify me
With a caring heart

Forgotten the pangs of desire
The cravings of being loved
Barriers around me now
No more pain
Just pure existence!

Forgotten my smiles
My laughter,
Only one focus
To prove my worth
In this ever-changing world

The past is just a memory
Time has hardened me
Standing up after every fall
Bruised, scratched, embittered
Forging ahead...

Now I'm cold, unfeeling
Ice around my heart
Maybe some day,
The ice will melt
And I'll feel like a woman again.

New Hopes - a poem by my newly found friend Sandhya Advani

New hopes, new beginnings
A seed waiting to burst
Drops of rain fall,
An aroma emerges
From the sun soaked earth
A surrender
The earth to the rainIts ecstasy...

She stretches her arms
All accepting
Bearing the brunt and passion
Of a long awaited lover

Rains keep lashing
All night long
Slowly the fury abates
It's now gentle, mellow
Like a tender caress

Nature in her finery
Like a newly wed bride
Lets out a satiated sigh
She has waited long
Drops coming faster
The earth smiles
New life springs forth
From her womb.
She feels fulfilled at last !

Thoughts are powerful

We are all on a great journey. A journey that seeks truth and answers the Great Questions. The very same questions that have been posed by people for millennia. Since the dawn of humankind, we have struggled to come to terms with and to understand the mysteries that surround us. Humans have asked themselves:

Who Am I?
What Am I?
Where Do I Come From?
Why Am I Here?
Where Am I Going?
What Should I Do?
What Is Love?
What Is The Human Mind?
What Is Thought?

Humankind has always innately felt part of the Universe or Cosmos. We have always instinctively known from our actions that we are masters of our own destiny. Intuitively, we have believed that if God is to be found then he is to found in everything -- including within ourselves. And now, science has uncovered new knowledge that confirms our deepest beliefs and provides proof that we really are more than we think we are.

There is new and yet ancient knowledge that will finally help us to understand our true place in the Universe. Certain arcane wisdom has survived through the ages and now throws light upon many of the mysteries that have previously eluded our understanding. New evidence and research concludes that:

• Thoughts are things.
• Thoughts are powerful.
• Thoughts can, and do, change the world.
• We affect the universe, our world and our lives with our thoughts, emotions and our intentions.
• We have access to a power that is abundant, unlimited, and is available to for the asking. It can provide us with answers, assistance, guidance, and whatever else that we may ask of it.
• The power is within us all. We do not serve it - we are the power. We are 'entangled' and connected. We are one with each other and with everything else.
  As such we are creators. We can design and live a future of our own making for the benefit of ourselves, our loved ones and our world.