Sanjay-Sehgal.jpg

Sanjay Sehgal

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<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >SANJAY SEHGAL, CEO of MSys
 Technologies, shares a story of a man whose ego-driven intentions led to a
 much-needed lesson, and explains the importance of connecting with our
 truest selves so we can authentically fulfill our purpose.
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 <spanundefined style="color: #274fa2"
 >What is the purpose of my life?
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >Who am I? Why am I here? What am I really doing?


 <spanundefined
 >A direction to the answer to these questions is in this article, but bear
 with me to get there.

<h4 style="text-align: justify">
 <spanundefined style="color: #274fa2">The three wishes
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >There was once a sage who gave his disciple a magic mantra that would
 fulfill three of his wishes. But the boon came with a catch: The disciple’s
 neighbor would be twice blessed with whatever the disciple received.
 


 <spanundefined
 >The disciple was overjoyed. He chanted the mantra for a good living,
 including a nice house, a beautiful wife, elephants, horses, cows,
 buffaloes, etc., without paying much heed to the codicil.
 


 <spanundefined
 >As predicted, his neighbor received twice what the disciple wished for.
 


 <spanundefined
 >Suddenly the disciple felt the weight of his wish and its condition. He
 became jealous, and started wanting to harm his neighbor.


 <spanundefined
 >So intense was his desire that he used his second wish for his neighbor to
 lose one of his eyes and break a leg and an arm. His neighbor thus lost both
 his eyes, and broke both arms and legs.
 


 <spanundefined
 >But, as destiny had it, soon the disciple was struck by paralysis that
 completely immobilized him. He lost the use of his working arm, leg and eye.
 He was devastated and wanted to use the last wish to get back to normalcy.
 However, the mantra did not work.
 


 <spanundefined
 >The disciple was confused and called his teacher, the sage. The wise sage
 came to visit his disciple and learned the whole story. He pointed out that
 the wish could not be granted because of the condition. The neighbor had to
 receive twice whatever the disciple wished for, and no normal human has four
 eyes, arms, and legs.


 <spanundefined
 >The disciple realized his mistake and used his last wish to regain the use
 of one eye, arm, and leg to at least be mobile. And lo! His neighbor was
 back to being healthy.
 

<h4 style="text-align: justify">
 <spanundefined style="color: #274fa2"
 >The moral of the story
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >This is what happens when we get too wrapped up in ourselves and our own
 importance. The disciple was probably hard-working, which is why he received
 a boon from the sage, but due to a lack of self-introspection his hard work
 turned him into an egotist.
 


 <spanundefined
 >To save our minds and not be trapped in an ego-trip, it is very important
 to investigate the motives behind our actions. And a reality check every now
 and again would not go amiss either.

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<h5 style="text-align: center">
 <spanundefined
 >To save our minds and not 
 be trapped in an ego-trip, 
 it is very important to investigate 
 the motives behind our actions. 
 And a reality check every now 
 and again would not go amiss either.
 
</h5>

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<h4 style="text-align: justify">
 <spanundefined style="color: #274fa2">A reality check?
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >In life, we play different roles – son or daughter, brother or sister, wife
 or husband, mother or father, boss or subordinate, mentor or mentee, etc.
 


 <spanundefined
 >But who we are, our identities, differs in each of these roles. In other
 words, can we behave like a son or daughter, be demanding and emotional the
 way we are with our parents, say, or in front of a boss?


 <spanundefined
 >The answer is no, we cannot. Our behavior changes based on the people and
 situations we are in.
 


 <spanundefined
 >The same thing applies to social media. Our behavior, actions, the way we
 project ourselves, is influenced by the various platforms on which we have
 our profiles. And it is when our identities clash that we enter crisis mode,
 much like the story of the neighbor in the beginning. The desire to be
 better than someone else pushes us toward an identity crisis.
 


 <spanundefined
 >In the race to be better, to be the same as others, to fit in, we
 compromise on personal space, without taking a note of the fact that we have
 no control over the way people may perceive us.
 


 <spanundefined
 >We have no clue which version of us will be liked. So, to meet the unsaid
 demands of social media, we keep changing our behavior, which eventually
 leads to a loss of identity.
 


 <spanundefined
 >The only way we can save ourselves is to go beyond this fake existence,
 identify who we really are, and become secure in ourselves.

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 <img
 decoding="async"
 alt="Reality2"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Reality2_98c7736016.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T06:31:09.487Z"
 />

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 <spanundefined style="color: #274fa2"
 >How to approach the real us?
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >How do we merge the experience of the virtual world with our authentic self
 ? Let’s do a self-study.
 


 <spanundefined
 >Ask yourself: “What does being authentic mean? Does our version of our
 authentic selves align with the reality?”


 <spanundefined
 >No knowledge is complete without subject and object. When we introspect,
 we can differentiate between subjective perception (that we imbibe from
 our surroundings), and objective knowledge (of things and life as they
 are).


 <spanundefined
 >This is self-study: To be able to differentiate between perception and
 reality, which happens when we go beyond our existence.
 


 <spanundefined
 >Meditative practices help this process, helping us to stay true to our
 inner nature without letting the demands of a consumer-driven society
 define our existence.
 

<h4 style="text-align: justify">
 <spanundefined style="color: #274fa2"
 >To summarize
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >Let’s return to the questions:


 <spanundefined
 >Who am I? Why am I here? What am I really doing? What is the purpose of
 my life at this time?


 <spanundefined
 >These are the questions that help us stay true to ourselves and stick to
 reality.


 <spanundefined
 >They trigger a spirit of inquiry from within, which in turn lifts us to
 another dimension that is free from ego, jealousy, depression, worry, and
 all sorts of mental stress.
 


 <spanundefined
 >Seeing life from a broader context is what meditation is all about. It is
 not about chanting a few mantras or some nasal breathing techniques and
 performing religious rituals. We don’t need to do any of that. Instead,
 the quest to uncover the very source of our existence is enough to help us
 differentiate fake from reality.
 


 <spanundefined
 >The only side effect of sticking to our true nature is a happy, healthy
 and intuitive conscience.
 


 <spanundefined
 >So, as they say, “You be you.” That’s the purpose of our life at all
 times.

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 <spanundefined
 >&nbsp;
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<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article by <spanundefined>SANJAY SEHGAL <spanundefined
 >Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL
</h4>

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Reality: going beyond fake existence

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<h4>SANJAY SEHGAL, CEO of MSys Technologies, looks to the future. How are we preparing now for what is to come after the corona crisis passes? And what do we need to learn about ourselves in order to create a “new normal” that is a better future?</h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">BC and AD</h4>
For many of us, life is now defined by BC and AD: Before Corona and After its Disappearance. And like most people I can’t wait for AD.
Even as I write this, it hurts my heart to think how far we’ve come since the beginning of this year, and we haven’t even reached the midpoint yet!
We are progressively realizing that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t buy what’s truly important. Maybe God is sending us a strong message that we are his guests, not his masters.
As the lockdown stretches on, we’ve arrived at that trying period where the novelty of being confined at home has started to wear off. My days have begun to blur into each other, with the same routine (or lack of one), anxiously checking on the latest updates concerning the viral spread. But I’ve begun thinking about what fate lies ahead in the wake of this pandemic. It is a crucial time, I feel, to reflect on, “Where will we be in six months, a year, or a few years from now?” And there are two aspects to this – our lifestyle and the economy.
<h4>In AD, there are numerous possible futures</h4>
All of these futures depend upon how we respond to the pandemic and its economic aftermath. As the virus has spread its wings, it’s affected more than 175 countries, and, so far, has dented the global economy by an estimated $2 to 3 trillion. In my view, its effects will be more pervasive, and we are probably just seeing the tip of the iceberg that will snowball into something much larger. With that, I see hope of a rebirth, where we work together to rebuild a better world.
The last quarter has seen the most brutal global equity collapse since the Great Depression. Retail sales have dropped, unemployment has reached record highs, and some industries may never be the same again:
Economically, Covid-19 has expedited and deepened the expected economic downturn in many countries. Sectors like travel, hospitality, manufacturing, IT etc. are already feeling the burn from the outbreak.
Politically, the outbreak is highlighting the fact that most countries are placing their own security and well-being first, thereby decreasing trust in the various multinational organizations and pacts.
Lockdown is placing pressure on the global economy, making some world leaders call for an ease of lockdown measures in lieu of a serious recession.
Socially, however, COVID-19 will hopefully show us that we can absorb shocks and be stronger for it, as a global community. This is an important lesson that needs to be relearned by every generation.
<h4>What will the world look like after the crisis?</h4>
Someone once said that a crisis can make you better, but only with the right mindset.
We are now seeing solidarity among citizens of every country: 80 to 90% are currently favoring extended lockdowns, and governments are assisting those in need. So perhaps we are headed for a better normal in AD. As this new normal emerges, local production and all related technologies will gain speed. Entrepreneurial spirit will be tapped more than ever, when many businesses will be functioning as if they are new – functioning like startups.
At the same time, governments will have to repair their selfimage in the public’s eyes. Harder measures to curb fake news and foreign information operations will become the standard, both during normal and crisis times. There will be better infrastructure in place for emergencies, and organizations will be better prepared for people to work from home at a moment’s notice. There will be more pressure on governments to prepare for a rising demand in medical and social facilities, rather than a focus on nuclear weapons and defense. This is surely a welcome change.
I also anticipate the speed of recovery will be much faster than anyone can imagine right now. Bureaucracy will be reduced, all because everyone has joined together in their efforts towards a better future.
Even though there will be economic hardship, business conditions will improve eventually, by overcoming fear, negativity and other roadblocks.
It is a tough lesson for us to learn, that we know so little about ourselves. But learn we must, and quickly, for we need time to build a better future, and we must buy that time through the pursuit of knowledge.
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by SANJAY SEHGAL</h4>
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