ELECTION COMMISSION('S RELAVANCE)

Elections for the first phase of Karnataka Assembly are over yesterday. Every one knows that it is the best managed election to date. There were no cut outs and buntings and other campaign material defacing the streets. The campaign rallies were so restrained that people never felt that electioneering is under process. There were no vulgar displays of money and muscle power. Even on voting day, one cannot miss noticing the peaceful atmosphere around polling booths.

During electioneering, there were restrictions on candidates in using loudspeakers, number of vehicles and people that follow the candidate. How all this was possible? The political thugs were meekly following the dictates of the very bureaucracy on which they were lording over. The ordinary cop, not the commissioner of police was daring in seizing the vehicles of even the former prime minister, whenever there is a breach of conduct code.

Do you remember T.N. Seshan, the election commissioner during 1990 and 1996? It was he, who became aware of the power of election commission and started taming the politicians. The seed sown by him has grown into a massive tree. Every commissioner following Seshan has carried on the good work and today election commission is successful in disciplining the mindless politicians.

How this event is relevant to us? Just by being aware of the power of mind, the thoughts that whirl in our head, the power of mind can be harnessed to shape the life that we desire.

The election commission had power to change the politicians’ behaviour even before Seshan. The awareness and fearlessness in implementation was the key.

The major components of life are health, career, family and social life and spirituality (or non spirituality).

Health: Every individual wants to be in perfect health. The most important thing to be healthy is to be aware of the body constitution. What the body needs? What temperature level is comfortable? Which food gets digested easily? However, most of the time, only debating / mulling on the pros and cons of the diets that we come across goes on. E.g., How many litres of water should we drink? The various research figures (2 to 10) will make us to back out experimenting. The simple awareness of thirst will be enough to decide the quantum of water. And so is the case with regard to food and exercises.

Career: The most difficult thing is deciding about career. The thought of becoming Air force pilot will be tempered by the frequent accidents of MIG fighters. The thought of becoming software engineer gets associated with erratic work schedules. The thought of becoming Business Magnet, brings along the thought of juggling with licences and company laws. The thought of becoming poet / artist brings forth the thought of managing a morsel of food, and the list goes on.
However the awareness of my passion can be enough to be able to choose the right career.

Family and social life: Again maintaining the relationships is so energy sapping, it directly affects the health and career. The main reason for having family and social tie up is to get help. Help in all aspects; feeding, nursing, caring, growing up, in other words all our physical and psychological needs.
So simple awareness of helping without expectations, go a long way in balancing the relationships.

Spirituality (non spirituality) : This has become a fad these days. Many people believe that it is a tool to set right the above three components i.e., Health, Career and family & social life. People are busy in finding out the surest method of yoga, meditation and other rituals that helps in attaining nirvana. There is no separate thing such as spirituality. It pervades the entire gamut of life. It is there in being healthy, in choosing the career, in balancing the family and social tie-ups.

So just being aware of the self is the life! It encompasses every aspect of life: the health, career, family and social tie-ups and spirituality. So, know self is life and increase your shelf life!

So be the Seshan of life mission and start taming the undesirable tendencies of mind and living life in its totality is possible.
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