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It is only possible to succeed at second-rate pursuits-like becoming a millionaire or a prime minister, winning a war, seducing beautiful women, flying through the stratosphere or landing on the moon. First-rate pursuits-involving, as they must, trying to understand what life is about and trying to convey that understanding-inevitably result in a sense of failure. A Napoleon, a Churchill, a Roosevelt can feel themselves to be successful, but never a Socrates, a Pascal, a Blake. Understanding is for ever unattainable.

Ah! Not for idle hatred!

Not for honor, fame,

nor self applause,

but for the glory of the cause

You did What will not be forgot!

Today is the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Whenever I think of this one man, I tremble, I loose my night’s sleep, my appetite.

These words are from Mr Abraham Lincoln. He delivered this speech for the people of America. But as we read this, we see that it so relevant to our country India even today, close to after 150 years after this speech was delivered!. It is a part of a big speech, however since the following words are very relevant to us, only this is posted. Here it goes ...

High school student Aaron Cheng shares a speech about thalassemia which he recently delivered to his classmates. I share this inspiring testimony with you below.

To My Classmates

A whooping 765 crore worth expressway is now operational between Silk Board Junction and Electronic city in Bangalore. Few years back this 10km stretch took motorists an hour and even more. Simply speaking, it was a nightmare. Few months back when they inaugurated this expressway, I was very excited about the experience.

When my father's friend became the president of a prestigious social club of my small hometown, he set himself the target of getting an ambulance for the town. It took quite a bit of an effort to make the people who were ready to spare tens of thousands of rupees for parties but only a few hundred rupees for a real cause to contribute the necessary amount of money. My father also contributed generously (and only I and his friend were aware of this fact). Finally ambulance came in - it was a Maruti Omni vehicle.

These lines are taken from an address given by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, India's former President. He uttered these words while interacting with students during the Silver Jubilee Celebration of EMEA College of Arts and Science, Malappuram. This was in February 2008. Nice set of lines, hence posted !

It doesn’t matter who I am,

I will work, work and work,

All the forces of the universe will also assist me,

This is for those who spend sleepless times wondering why things dont change for our Nation.

I read these lines and knowing some situations that I am in, I thought they were written to express a lot of me :-)

Somehow my neurons react very adversely when some good human being who has (or at least claims to have) helped someone starts talking loudly about it. My brain cells just don't seem to get back to the native state of bliss and I get very compelled to react! I dont! But, this fries my neurons!

Why are we scared of drinking water? Everytime, when we travel, why are we afraid to drink water from railway station filters? Why do we so often come across shouts of “Don’t drink that water!” ringing in our ears? And we take the advice seriously- we pledge our loyalty to bottled water, we distrust the ability of water filters to tame the toughest bacteria, and the money we spend on water during an average day of travel, is more than the daily wages of half of our countrymen!

Why do Hindus put all their sins, filths, ashes and even the carcasses of his pets in the water of Ganga for getting easy salvation? Why was river Ganga given the divine power absolve sins of all humans? Well, the Gods must be crazy. Didn't the Gods know, that man's sin will increase exponentially and one day will come that Ganga will not be able to take it any more?