A few days ago I revealed the meaning of life: one damn thing after another.
(Note: I agreed with a commenter that "damn" sounds negative; however, I am using it in the sense of wow, as in damn! she's a fine-looking babe!)
With several dog walks and even more cups of coffee having stimulated my psyche since that post, I've delved more deeply into the astounding richness of that five-word encapsulation of what life is all about.
I'm nowhere near the end of grokking the nuances of one damn thing after another. But with every damn thing that passes through my mind when I think about one damn thing after another, I come closer to realizing the essence of life:
There's no place to stand outside of it.
No perch from which we can look down on life and see how it appears from above. No gate that allows us to stand outside the boundary of life and gain a detached perspective. No "stop" button which halts life in its tracks, freezing it in place so we can study it closely as a still-life.
I used to believe such was possible.
Most religions, spiritual paths, and mystical teachings do also. They claim that some people -- prophets, saints, enlightened beings, ascended masters, gurus, whoever -- have been able to gain a Gods-eye view of reality (using "God" to mean an ultimate truth normally inaccessible to humans).
In other words, these folks were able to step outside of one damn thing after another.
The wheel of life stopped turning for them. Their karmic cycles were interrupted. God intervened on their behalf with a dose of divine grace. Through meditation their consciousness became absolutely still and clear.
However it happened, supposedly life here on Earth was seen from the outside, rather than being experienced from the inside. This, of course, leads religiously-minded people into all sorts of dangerous and destructive points of view.
Human life often is considered a way-station on the road to Something Better. Or an illusion, not worth much compared to a higher reality.
Everyday life thus is diminished in importance. I've known true believers who couldn't wait to die, either figuratively or literally, so they could be ushered into the presence of the Almighty -- compared to which whatever life as we know it has to offer is a meaningless speck of barely-there.
In fact, for quite a few years I felt much the same way. So I can understand the appeal of believing that one day one damn thing after another will be transformed into One, forever and ever.
Never-ending existence in unchanging heaven, paradise, nirvana, or such.
Well, if that happens, it happens. It would be the last damn thing, with no after another.
I admit that this is theoretically possible. Yet who wants to live life theoretically? If, as is likely, this is the one and only life each of us ever will experience, why not embrace life in all of its fullness, rather than trying to shrink it down to a bare-bones skeleton?
I don't think there is any way to escape the constant changings of life. Except death. Which isn't life.
Death will come to each of us eventually. Why mimic its approach by trying to deny the reality of one damn thing after another? Embrace each moment. Then the next. And the next. Life becomes wonderfully simple and, mostly, joyful when we stop trying to avoid it.
"why not embrace life in all of its fullness, rather than trying to shrink it down to a bare-bones skeleton?"
We can't embrace what we can't shrink from, so it isn't a this-or-that situation. Nothing can be eliminated or added, so it's more a matter of realizing where eveything goes than of deciding what to do.
Posted by: cc | June 26, 2013 at 08:45 AM
http://www.birminghamstar.com/index.php/sid/215460898/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/Customers-Bancorp-picks-up-equity-stake-in-Religare-Enterprises
Customers Bancorp picks up equity stake in Religare EnterprisesBirmingham Star Wednesday 26th June, 2013
• The deal will see Customers Bancorp pick up 5 per cent equity stake in Religare at the close of these transactions
• Religare promoters billionaire brothers Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh had recently agreed to dilute stake to be eligible to set up a non-operative financial holding company
• The RBI guidelines requires 51% of an aspiring bank's financial holding company to be owned by the public.
The RBI guidelines requires 51% of an aspiring bank's financial holding company to be owned by the public.
Brothers Malvinder and Shivinder Singh own 71.75% stake in REL, which will be the non-operative financial holding company that will float the bank. The stake sale to CUBI will pare their holding in REL to 66-67%.
Overall, CUBI will purchase promoter shares worth $22 million in rupee terms and invest another $28 million in share warrants to be issued by REL that can be converted into equity in 18 months. It will buy shares worth another $1 million from REL.
REL will issue the share warrants on a preferential allotment basis as per capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) "floor price and as per applicable law", the companies said.
"We are delighted to have Customers Bancorp Inc. as an investor at Religare. CUBI's management team expertise in global banking will be extremely supportive in our banking foray," said Sunil Godhwani, CMD, Religare Enterprises, in a statement on Wednesday.
"We are confident that the proposed association will further strengthen Religare's endeavour to create a distinctive and diversified financial services conglomerate that believes in the Indian market's long term growth potential.
The deal will see Customers Bancorp pick up 5 per cent equity stake in Religare at the close of these transactions
• Religare promoters billionaire brothers Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh had recently agreed to dilute stake to be eligible to set up a non-operative financial holding company
• The RBI guidelines requires 51% of an aspiring bank's financial holding company to be owned by the public.
"We are confident that the proposed association will further strengthen Religare's endeavour to create a distinctive and diversified financial services conglomerate that believes in the Indian market's long term growth potential. "
The sale may still not ensure a bank licence. "Though these measures will help Indian companies to equip for banking licence, one will have to wait and watch about which are the companies that are getting in-principle approval from RBI," saidVaibhav Agarwal, vice-president of research at Angel Broking Ltd.
Several conglomerates and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) in India have shown interest in floating banks.
On Wednesday, Reliance Capital Ltd announced it will sell 4-5% stake each to Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Ltd and Nippon Life Insurance Co. to be eligible for a bank licence. Magma Fincorp Ltd has also announced its keenness on promoting a bank.
Among other aspirants are LT Finance Holdings Ltd, India Infoline Ltd, Videocon Industries Ltd, Aditya Birla Finance Ltd,LIC Housing Finance Ltd, Shriram Transport Finance Co. Ltd, Bandhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd, Janalakshmi Financial Services Pvt. Ltd, Tata Capital Ltd, Muthoot Finance Ltd, IDFC Ltd, India Infrastructure Finance Co.
• The deal will see Customers Bancorp pick up 5 per cent equity stake in Religare at the close of these transactions
• Religare promoters billionaire brothers Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh had recently agreed to dilute stake to be eligible to set up a non-operative financial holding company
• The RBI guidelines requires 51% of an aspiring bank's financial holding company to be owned by the public.
Ltd, Tata Capital Ltd, Muthoot Finance Ltd, IDFC Ltd, India Infrastructure Finance Co. Ltd, Bajaj Finserv Ltd, SKS Microfinance Ltd and Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd..
Posted by: Mike Williams | June 26, 2013 at 04:06 PM