Atoning for my sins

Cheeniya · Jan 23, 2012

Dear Viswa
That's a good one. But no one seems to think that it is necessary to have a purpose to want to live long. Even a pavement dweller wants to live a long life. The last thing that everyone wants to give up is his life!
Sri

PriyaKathiravan · Nov 16, 2012

That’s an impressive, but all too universal, inventory of Sins to atone for. Atonement , which could include public admission and resolution to desist in future , also provides a chance to go through the items in the garbage bag to see if anything can be used to feed the need for newer sins. Making a finely crafted article out of past crimes with full knowledge that it will bring a generous shower of ecominuims is simply a way to indulge in another sin called Vanity ! How lovely , the pride in one’s humility ! We all do that ! That’s why I like your listing ! It was a pleasure to read each entry and check mark :” me too “ ! ( with suitable gender changes of course) The only item I couldn’t tick was the dragon- fly one. And ofcourse my matching game stopped short of the penultimate set, for I have to wait a while to get there, but am sure it will turn out the same ! As I have no intention of learning from other’s mistakes !
The Pancha Maha Paapams or The Seven Cardinal Sins …. Greed, Rage, Envy, gluttony, sloth….just memorising the words is of no use. If we are not sinning, the gods of various denominations will be bored and their secretaries on earth, the priests and godmen and astrologers and preachers will lose their livelihood. Without sinning, we will not be returning to earth in successive janmas for redemption and it will do the world no good to have no life on it. So lets keep transgressing , collecting experience, getting wise and sounding holy when the flesh can no longer co-operate with the spirit. That would be a life well lived.

Cheeniya · Nov 16, 2012

My dear Priya
How easily you have seen through my game plan! And how precisely you have exposed my pride in my humility! Thank God I wrote this five years back and not yesterday. I guess this vanity is more pardonable at 65 than at 70! Perhaps I wrote this when my wife kept insisting that I should be an example for my grandchildren to follow. The first set was something they were already excelling in and their actions brought in their wake a lot of nostalgic memories. This was more a pleasurable recall than what I branded as atoning for my sins!

I too am with you in sinning more and landing back again and again on this garbage filled earth. But I do get a bit apprehensive that God might one day decide to plant me in another planet. It could even be a 'rogue planet' of which we read so much in the newspapers yesterday. I further start getting worried what if the value system in the new planet is exactly the opposite of the earthlings and all the vices here are really virtues there. Then I may have to start learning a whole new set of sins. That may not be tough for me but the problem will start if I start shuttling between different planets until I become the greatest bag of contradictions!
Sri

shyamala1234 · Nov 16, 2012

Dear Sri,
I missed this also.

If the list that you made are sins everyone in this world is a sinner....if not all a few at least everyone must have had done. If someone says that he/she had not done any of these I don't think they are telling the truth. We are careful when we make the list...we do omit some, gaps would be there and we do not want posterity or wife/husband to see them. Some skeletons would be there and we do not want others to probe into. So, let them be where they are.

The last list....reminds me of my father. He used to take pride in telling everyone that he has his three mile walk even at the age of 85. And when we were not paying attention to what he is saying he used to get upset (how many times we can listen to second world ward, difficulties in those days, his childhood and many more. We do not come from a generation that says to dads "Enough, we heard these stories many times."Politely we used to listen to everything as if it is the first time. But sometimes he used to sense that we are not listening). He passed away four years back and we miss him and his speeches and episodes.
On the other day when Viji madam wrote about small gifts she received reminded me of my mom(she is also no more) and today my dad.

Syamala

Cheeniya · Nov 17, 2012

My dear Syamala
Isn't it wonderful that whatever we read in IL keeps reminding us of our parents and other elders? The point to note here is that age is a great leveller. At youth, we may be following different professions and interests and as a result, our individual characteristics would differ from person to person. As we grow older, these differences would narrow down and post retirement, we are all on a level ground not knowing what to brag about except the miles we walk. The only difference will be that I may express it in kilometers whereas older people like your dad stick to miles. I recall how my dad used to refer to the Indian coins as 'naiya paisa' even years after they were introduced!

Now at my age, I'll be comparable to every other old man in my habits and mannerisms. I know I am fighting a losing battle in guarding against being branded as a 'mighty bore'. I guess I have not reached that stage yet. I am confident that sincere and honest friends like you would promptly point it out if I become one!
Sri

shyamala1234 · Nov 17, 2012

Dear Sri,

We never pointed it to our dad or mom. Why would I point it to you? You are the most imteresting among all of us...really true.Makes us think a lot, learn a lot and by putting forth our thoughts we get encouragement.

One more thing that I have observed that as one grows, we behave and think just like our parents...though we rebelled on the same points when younger. Now I think my mom and dad were right.

Syamala

Cheeniya · Nov 19, 2012

My dear Syamala
Sorry I did not notice this post of yours. How can I thank you enough for this very warm and liberal praise? Thank you!
No mom and dad appear right when we are young. It really takes years to understand them!
Sri

rgsrinivasan · Dec 3, 2012

Thats quite compelling a list, Cheeniya Sir. Unfortunately, I see most of them as minor, compared to what I at least did for my part as such, till this date.

I believe that someone above accounts
For all I did whether good or bad.
Though I may not be able to account
All of them, believe me! I am not sad.

I just wish to get one boon
For myself, though I am not
That good, Come on! See the moon!
It too has flaws! Is it not?

I just want to remember all
Flaws of mine from now on!
And forget all the good to all
Or few that I offered upon!

At least that makes me to be free
To expect a return from those men
To whom I did 'something good', you see!
I can stop demanding now and then.

When I go, at least I would be
Talked for good about one thing.
"There was a word of kind from me
To each while my heart was beating!"

Cheeniya · Dec 3, 2012

My dear RGS
Strange things happen in Heaven when we are summoned there from our earthen abode. A very detailed summary of our conduct through life is not maintained there as we have been thinking. The Heaven's system of judging our actions is not the same as we practise here. They are vastly different and highly objective. People who are well versed in scriptures scare us saying that for every bad action, an appropriate punishment will await us as Shankar tells us in 'Anniyan'. Heaven does not believe in subjectivity. There have been a lot of changes in the earlier accounting procedure followed by Chitragupta. Following up and accounting of individual sins were becoming an enormous burden and an expert committee went into the whole issue and submitted a Report on Rationalisation of Human Actions. It simply recommended immediate stoppage of subjective accounting of our actions and in its place introduced a grading system based on an objective summary of the life led by the humans.

Chitragupta does not sit anymore and write elaborate summaries of human life. All he needs to do now is to grade our lives as A+, A, B+, B and C. This is based on a purely objective assessment of the quality of our life. For all your flaws, the Heaven may still rate it as flawless and grant you an appropriate grade. So don't sweat it out to figure out how to redeem yourself.
Sri

iyerviji · Dec 16, 2012

My dear Anna as AC has mentioned your threads are a treat to us and after reading I always feel I had a yummy food. As Shyamala has mentioned the sins you have written you did is done by many people. Three cheeers to your memory for remembering them.Thanks for the lovely post