Spiritual Inspiration: God and I by Gul Panag

By Gul Panag

I am not ritualistic at all, but I do believe in the existence of a superpower. My Sikh parents have given me a liberal upbringing as far as religion is concerned. They've never imposed any religious ideas upon me.

I do not have any temple or idols at home. I strongly believe that God is in our hearts. I am of the opinion that positive thinking makes a lot of difference in life. Positive thinking is a way of living, it's a practice, it's a technique that you need to incorporate into your daily life. Allowing your mind to dwell on worries, or fears is a waste of creative imagination.

Secondly, I always say to myself `I can' and `I will' - for positive affirmations make a difference to inner power and inner conscience. If you think `I can' you surely can do it. So I talk to myself loudly sometimes and shun away negative thoughts.

Often with child like innocence, I have thought of achieving many things in life and to be honest it has come true, like winning the Miss India pageant. Faith in one's abilities and in the power within us can do wonders.

The energy around us creates vibrations that do affect us. I try and create a positive atmosphere at home. For that I keep my room absolutely clean. Everything is in its place and I have minimum furniture around. No clutter at all, for cleanliness is next to Godliness.

If everything is in order one feels good and happy about it. I celebrate life and enjoy every day of this existence and find joy in small things.

I often try and meditate, I have learnt it myself and it helps me to relax. Occasionally I do visit the Gurdwara and like the serene and calm atmosphere there. Also at times, looking at the wonders of nature, I feel there is some power beyond us and I enjoy being amidst trees, flowers, mountains and waterfalls, the peaceful surrounding is so relaxing.

I feel in today's world religious heads have tremendous responsibility towards society for their ideas often influence many. They should attempt to unify people. The common man is not affected by religious differences, he leads his life in a simple way. Religion should not be used for a power control. It is something private and personal.


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