First Mark, Life Insurance and Mediclaim Premium

varalotti · Jun 13, 2011

How you look at things is much more important than what things you are looking at.

I’ll repeat the cliched, hackneyed story of two disciples who wanted to get their Master’s permission to smoke.

The first one posed a direct question, “Can I smoke while meditating?”. The Master’s answer was a thundering no followed by an hour-long lecture on the evils of smoking.

The second disciple asked, “Master, can I meditate while I am smoking?” The Master was moved by the disciple’s eagerness to indulge in a spiritual practice even while giving in to an evil addiction.

This time the Master gave an ‘Yes’ for an answer.

Even before I heard this story my best friend and my classmate demonstrated this subtle concept to me.

The period was late 70s. We were doing our Bachelors in Commerce. My friend and I always fought for the first mark. He was decidedly better stuff than me.

What I lacked in intelligence I made up by hard work. (This sentence can be called as my motto and would sit very nicely on my epitaph).

So we used to alternately win the first position.

We were seated in the alphabetical order of our names in the class. His name started with R so he sat before me, as mine started with ‘S’.

One day as our Statistics Professor was distributing the marked exam papers I saw R placing his paper inside the desk without even seeing his marks.

After I got my paper he turned to ask my marks. I told him. Then he closed his eyes for a minute in silence and pulled out his paper. That time he got the first mark.

I pulled him up after the class. Why did he not see his marks before knowing mine?

“It’s simple, Sridhar.You know both of us want to be first. Suppose I see my paper first. Then my prayer to God will be, ‘Let Sridhar’s marks be less than mine so that I can stand first in the class.’ That’s a negative prayer.

"Now I got to know your marks first. Hence my prayer will be, ‘Let me score more than Sridhar.’ That will be a positive prayer, right?”
“Smart thinking,” I said.

But well, that was not so smart. Because the next time I refused to tell him my marks as I also wanted a positive prayer.

His system failed but I learnt a powerful lesson which I practise even today.

When I opted for my first life insurance policy way back in 1987 I told the Development Officer of LIC and my agent,

“Let LIC make full profit out of this policy.”

They were very happy. When will LIC make full profit out of an insurance policy?

Only when nothing untoward happens to me and I survive the full endowment period of 20 years. I got a meagre return of 4% pa but a major risk was covered.

I survived the full term to get the sum assured along with the full bonus (even then the return was just 4% pa).

Every year in March when I give a cheque for mediclaim insurance I tell the officer of the company, “Let the entire sum go to add to your profits.”

Which of course means that I and my family will make no claim on them during the year. Which means we’ll live a healthy life and not fall sick.

In these two cases I was apparently blessing them but actually blessing myself. And that always works.

If you link your well-being to somebody else’s, the Universe has a vested interest in your welfare.

Let’s start the week with this thought. For starters let me wish you all that your insurers (life, mediclaim or personal accident) make full profit out of the premium paid by you.

Have a great week ahead.

Malathijagan · Jun 13, 2011

Dear Sridhar,
This is a unique example you have given for universal well-being. I have read somewhere about the motto of LIC (I think, in an ad.). It said something like this (my words may not be very correct but it conveyed the meaning thus)- "LIC is the only organisation which truly prays for your good health and well-being."
The example of the master and disciples was something I have come across for the first time.

If you link your well-being to somebody else’s, the Universe has a vested interest in your welfare.
Click to expand...

Very true and meaningful words.
Enjoyed one more of your thought provoking blogs
Love
Malathi

mssunitha2001 · Jun 13, 2011

Superb sir !!!!!!!!!:cheers
Nice to read the story of the disciples, your friend's way of thinking positive and about our famous LIC Policy !!!!!!!!!

satchitananda · Jun 13, 2011

Very interesting reading and also very wholesome food for thought.

I loved your quote "What I lacked in intelligence, I made up with hard work" That is true of so many of us. Very few are those who are blessed enough to glide through life without bothering too much about anything.

The story of the master and the two disciples was also very interesting. One really needs to learn this art to get one's way in life.

SARASVADIVU · Jun 13, 2011

Dear Sir,
A marvellous post that provokes our thoughts..not to leave out the mind-blowing story of the masters & his disciples!

These lines that go to form the climax of the post echo a lot of nourishment for the soul:
>If you link your well-being to somebody else’s, the Universe has a vested interest in your welfare.

That's truly a soulful write-up for us to begin the week with!!
Regards & love,
Saras

rgsrinivasan · Jun 13, 2011

Very nice one to start the day and week with and remembered the sanskrit phase, all of us belong to the same family. Wish you a great week too Sridhar. -rgs

jayanthisathish · Jun 13, 2011

Dear Varalotti,

Though Iam a regular visitor of your page, this is the first time Iam penning down .
That was a wonderful message and clearly explains the power of positive thought.

Thanks very much ... Now on I will have a better impression on my annual insurance policies ...

Iam forced to recall Dr. Abdul Kalam's words here ...

Posting it here for those who have not heard it so far...

=========================

This is really good article. Rightly said power of positive thinking and talk......

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.

One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.

My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, "Bart, Hold on tightly." So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.

I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, "Tammy, don't fall!" And Tammy did fall.

My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.

sreemanavaneeth · Jun 13, 2011

Dear Sir,

You have engraved the Positive thoughts with your excellent way of conveying. Excellent. You have correclty putforth the below message which has to be accepted by universally.
make full profit out of the premium paid by you.

swt.charu · Jun 13, 2011

Thank you Sridhar for the wish !!!

Excellent blog as usual !!!

iniyamalar · Jun 14, 2011

:rotfl
This one was too good.

That clever disciple reminded me of my daughter (who always knows how to ask a question to make me answer yes)

And your marksheet story- another:rotfl.
Back in my school days i used to be like that- naive enough to tell my mark. But interestingly here after telling my mark i will ask theirs and they usualluy would turn around as if suddenly they don't know me. WTF.

I enjoyed this post immensely for it was light yet rich.:thumbsup