Hey reader,

If you have been an old follower of our blog, this could be the last and the least blog, and hence I would like to thank you for all your time in reading our blogs. Back in 2018, when I started the ULD, I never really knew that it will go for 2 years, but every great thing, as this was, is mortal, and hence should end at sometime.

“Mortality is very brief but immeasurably important.”

Joseph B. Wirthlin

I know many of you would be surprised and will be asking of why, online or offline, as I always was excited and loved to blog but it is just a personal decision of not continuing with it any longer, and I believe you all understand. However, if you ever want to reach out to me, I’m just a mail away! Feel free to drop it at understandinglifedecoded@gmail.com.

To my editor, no I’m not at all trying to fire you, as you always say, but I understand that you also have your busy schedules and life, and you will never say no, but for all your help and efforts, I will always be thankful.

To all my followers and friends, thank you for this beautiful journey, it really means a lot. It’s the Christmas and New Year time, and this blog is just a little gift for you all, hope you all will like it.

I know I have already talked about this in Understanding Friendships, but I think there is a lot to add, which I wish to talk about here.

Friendships are something, I thought, that makes our lives somewhat different than the robots. The fun, joy, laughter, be it in classrooms or meeting rooms, that always makes a difference in the life of humans in comparison to the life of machines like ceiling fans of the school classrooms or printers at our workplaces.

And hence, I used to believe that every person I know is a friend to me. Though, things aren’t the way, we want them to look like, which I learned soon. We wish that everything happens as we desire or near to it, but it isn’t possible, as humans desires are endless.

As the time passes, the so called friend-circle also squeezes and keeps changing, and reaches to a point where it is a few people that matters. It’s only about those people who you think of, ask for their safety, fight with them, party with them, wish to spend time with and enjoy your life with them. Also, you get to learn that not every time they will be available. No one can be there with you in your each happiness, success, sorrow or loss. Sometimes few will be there, sometimes others and sometimes, it could be possible that none of them are available. That doesn’t means that they doesn’t matter or you don’t matter to them, it’s just the busy life.

However, there are moments in life, few special events or occasions or news, that you can’t stop or control yourself from sharing it with someone. And it’s possible, that everyone else is busy. It can be a coincidence, or a wishful action but this can happen.

“Attachment leads to jealousy, the shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

Master Yoda (Star Wars)

And when such a thing happens, we understand that there is only one person, who: ‘was’, ‘is’, and ‘always will be’ with us, in our each moment of life, our own self, may be the best friend, we all need. Someone who always stays with us.

Though to connect with it, isn’t a mainstream channel. You can not simply call up or visit to him. But, it isn’t actually very difficult. To connect with your forever friend, you need to connect with yourself. There are ways, some call it hobby, some call it passion, I call it meditation. (And no I don’t mean to close your eyes and start focussing at some point of your brain)

For some people, swimming can be a meditation, for some, it can be painting, it can be listening music for some people, and can be travelling or camping for many people. What is it, which, when you do, you live and experience every moment of it? Which just doesn’t reminds you of anyone else and you are in your own world? That is, may be, the meditation for you.

I feel like, sometimes in our busy lives, we are so lost, that we just couldn’t find ourselves or connect with ourselves. We are so used to of being a virtual world that we consider our inner one also just as virtual being, who is always online but hardly active. We often fail to hear our inner voice, and do something that always gonna affect us in some failure. As I said in Understanding Intuitions , listen to your inner voice (the sixth sense or the subconscious mind behind the locked door), if something, no matter how big is it, if it doesn’t feels good, don’t do it.

Also, to keep the inner us active and not just online, few emotions are better when expressed:

• The apologies and forgiveness are best when asked for/given to by heart, otherwise they are just mere words in this virtual world.
• Emotions like anger, happiness, laughter, sadness are expressions. They doesn’t mean anything if they are just to be controlled. These should come like the free spirits.
• There is no bad in being a mediocre. Not everyone can be a master or will bring a change to the world. To watch the super artists or sportsperson, it is those mediocre who fill up the stadiums, without them, there won’t be anything like superstar. And as I read somewhere : “It’s those extra-ordinary people who bring a change in this world but it us ordinary people who run the world.”

“We can be our own friends – we can enjoy being with ourselves (rather than hiding from ourselves in constant interactions with others), wish ourselves goods (such as existence, pleasures, and virtues), and wish things with constancy across our whole being, without experiencing internal division or schism.”

Aristotle

In Norway, there is a special term for the last week of the year, i.e. from the Christmas to New Year Eve, and it’s called Romjula. Chistmas in Norwegian culture is known as “Jula”, and “Rom” means “room” or “space”. So, Romjula is the time of the year where they make room after Christmas to look back on the past year and make plans for the coming year.

Let’s join them, and plan the coming year for a better health, better career and good relationships with the family and friends.

Wish you all a very beautiful, loving and joyful New Year!

– Navneet