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Tag: effective prayer

Stark extremes

Stark extremes

Published May 17, 2021

Here’s how my LinkedIn feed looks like over the last few weeks

  1. Please help me find a job. I have been laid off since Covid struck in March 2020. I am the sole breadwinner. Unable to make ends meet. Please at least like my post and comment in order to maximise reach.
  2. Just got promoted to Senior Partner. All my hard work has finally paid off. Thanks to my family, boss, colleagues, God, dog etc.
  3. My dearest friend of 40 years is no more. He didn’t get oxygen when he most needed it. Alas. What a tragedy. He is survived by his wife and two toddlers.
  4. Here’s my photo of me and my son. He’s growing up fast. Hope I’m able to leave him a good legacy.
  5. Been in financial markets for 30/40/50 years. Never seen a more screwed up situation – economy down, market up, liquidity through the roof.
  6. Here’s baby S. She lost both her parents and both her grandparents to Covid. We are setting up a trust fund for her so that she may complete her education. Please contribute in any way possible.
  7. The last 4 weeks of my life were the worst. Oh the ordeal of Covid – what a disaster. But at least I’m alive and back home from the hospital. My priorities in life have been changed forever.
  8. Just graduated from IIM/Harvard/Stanford/etc. and have received my dream job. Onward and upward.

And on and on it goes. The extremes couldn’t be more stark. Not much one can do, except pray – not just for the sick but also for the brave and selfless front-liners.

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Effective Prayer

Effective Prayer

Published July 4, 2020

How can prayer be made more effective?

  1. It is the emotion that counts. Not the amount of time spent praying.
  2. The words/mantras/chants may mean nothing to us, but the One who needs to understand, will.
  3. Having a 1-1 conversation with the higher power helps. In the language you are most comfortable in.
  4. Practise, leading to a habit, improves effectiveness – especially when it is most essential.
  5. Pray with family. As is said, “the family that prays together stays together”.
  6. Offer something in return. This is particularly useful for out-sized material wants (money, job, health of a loved one etc.). Promise in advance, that once fulfilled, you will do something meaningful – like feeding a number of homeless children, giving up your favourite food, donating a sizeable amount to a chosen charity etc. Remember, give big, get big (usually bigger!).
  7. Pray for others, significantly more than for yourself. You will find good things happen to others, and great things happen to you.

This is not about religion. We can even just pray in gratitude to the power that sustains life in this universe, and the spark within each of us. This is selfless, and perhaps the best kind of prayer.

We’ve all been in tough spots before, and life being what it is, we may find ourselves in similar positions again. Prayers do work. The proof is in the trying. Prepare to be amazed!

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