Celebs and influencers can do a world of good in the world if they want to. Many do as they are aware that their words and actions carry weight, more so today when hundreds of thousands follow them on Instagram and other social media.
Take Meera Teresa Gandhi. With a name like this, the Manhattanite couldn’t have but followed the course of life she chose. I have met her off and on to profile her work with The Giving Back Foundation she set up in 2010 to empower young women and children, alleviating mental health, illness, and poverty.
Frequently mentioned in society magazines in the US, India and elsewhere, recently she made real news when she published her book simply titled ‘3 Tips’ and went on a whirlwind, 21-stop tour of India to promote it. The book has been published by Rupa, an established brand in the trade in India.
The 3 Tips was actually part of her eponymous show on B4U TV Network some years ago. It then continued on Instagram to her large following and culminated in this book. The 3 Tips book, subtitled, The Essentials of Peace, Joy and Success, is divided into three sections — On Work, On Life and On Self — giving 3 broad tips on all aspects of life. In the book now climbing the popularity charts, Meera Gandhi has distilled her life’s learnings, drawing from both spirituality and modernity, into easy-to-follow, practical tips for everyone.
The high profile book launch events were held in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, organized by Rupa and her friends. The moderators included Suhel Seth, Malavika Sangghvi, Dolly Thakore, Vinod Advani, Ramola Bachchan and Madhu Bhandarkar.
At one such event, Meera Gandhi said, ”We are to the Universe only as much as we give back to it. This book is a guide to becoming our best selves. It covers mental health and wellness topics and breaks down complex issues into simple tips that anyone can pick up and implement into their lives.”
Book Extract
Tips on Ownership
1. Ownership is a Myth – While we are on this planet, we have to understand we never really own anything, not even real estate, because when we pass away, we leave it all behind.
2. Ownership is Transient – We have to understand that our belongings are loaned to us by the Universe to enhance our lives so we should cherish the things we have.
3. Welcome Joy, Not Stress – We should not be attached and we should enjoy our belongings to bring joy into our lives and not stress.
Let’s examine our relationship to Things. We own Things because they connect us to people, to places, to life experiences. They provide shelter, safety, enable us to take care of ourselves and accomplish whatever goals we set out to do. These things are useful while we are alive, but we must always remember that the minute we die they are of no use to us whatsoever. Things and homes and valuables we own are here to give us a sense of status, safety and help us attain our goals and wishes which in turn does have a powerful knock-on effect on the Earth where we live and people around us.
The best way is to consider these things we own as loans so we must take care of them and make sure they are actually serving our needs on this journey of life.
Non-attainment and sparing Taṇhā (a Pāli word for longing or greed) are important qualities to remember while acquiring ownership of homes, cars, clothes, jewelry, books, digital equipment and other worldly objects. The biggest mistake we make when we acquire all that we strive for with hard work, is that we forget to enjoy it! Don’t make that mistake. Enjoy it, you deserve it and enjoy it without attachment, greed, boastfulness or ungratefulness! You deserve some of the Earth’s wealth to own. Work hard, own it and enjoy it!
