Is anything really beautiful without wounds?

The heart knows more than the mind wants to accept. Truth is often revealed through the redirection offered by rejection, failure, loss, heartbreak, job loss, dissatisfaction, advice from loved ones, etc. Truth often comes out when you least expect it. And it is often not what you wanted it to be. But eventually, with time, you know it was the best for you. It is not that you don't believe in things. It is simply that you gain a new or different perspective. This perspective may not be something you had never thought about before. It may simply be that you are more open towards it now than ever.

I can't get over how big the sky is. Meaning, the world doesn't revolve around one person or being or one community or country or whatever our little minds have firmly believed over the years. If we look deeply enough, each community, all around the world, has its own treasures. The message may be one, but the way it is interpreted and conveyed is surprisingly different and wholesome. When one sees with the heart's eyes, we can see the hidden depth in each.

Our ancestors are our greatest teachers. We often believe the next generation has the greatest potential; they are the ones with the forward thinking. But I believe our ancestors are the real treasure. What they built was far greater, with immense depth and precision, than what we credit them for.

We often inherit wealth, land and names from those who came before us. From our ancestors, India inherited something rarer — evidence of minds that refused to accept the limits of their time.

Look at the architecture of some of the greatest temples and monuments:

• Kailasa, Ellora — an entire temple carved out of a mountain.
• Brihadisvara, Thanjavur — a colossal stone crown raised onto a towering temple.
• Kallanai — a 2,000-year-old stone dam that still works with a living river.
• Dholavira — a desert city engineered around the science of water.
• Barabar Caves — granite chambers polished with astonishing precision.
• Mitawali — a mysterious circular temple intertwined with geometry, astronomy and the sky.
• Rani ki Vav — an underground water monument designed like an inverted temple.
• Iron Pillar, Mehrauli — ancient iron that has remarkably resisted the passage of 1,600 years.
• Lepakshi — a massive stone pillar that appears to float above the floor.
• Konark — monumental stone architecture conceived around the movement of the Sun.

Long before machines could lift, lasers could measure and computers could calculate, India was already building things that make us wonder whether we have truly understood the intelligence of the civilisations that came before us.

Today, perhaps our greatest mistake is that we are too busy living a lie to recognise the truth. We choose illusions because they are comfortable, and often resist the very people who try to pull us out of them. We have a peculiar tendency to recognise the value of what we possess only after it is gone — and sometimes, even loss fails to teach us what abundance once made invisible.

In this social media era, everyone throws around heavy words like integrity, unconditional love, ethics, empathy, passion, etc. But when it comes to action — real action — their flip sides often dominate: jealousy, insecurity, competition, superiority complex, fear, choosing violence over humanity, etc.

Every being has the divine and the devil within them, but what makes someone different is what they choose to operate from. This is the core that either reignites beauty or creates wounds. Something to think about.

Now, what is beauty when deception enters the game? In the current world, this question carries a heavy weight. Can you trust someone or something when deception has become a normal lifestyle? How can you trust someone or something when you don't have the full information? Is that even reasonable?

In today's AI world, it is easy to get superficial information about people and things. What's hard is to know the reality behind the public masks. This is what scares people away.

It is time we unlearn some preconceived notions and gain the courage to step into a world where we might initially be strangers. Basically, to take the risk to live life on our own terms, and then not shy away from taking accountability for our actions and inaction thereof; that is what beauty is with wounds.

In a weighing scale, what would you say is heavier — beauty or wounds?

Finally, you have to stop worrying about what everybody wants or needs and just start believing in yourself.

No one knows what your life might create, not even you. Luckily, you don't have to look far, because deep down you know the answers you are searching for. So, stop being a passenger in your own life. Step up, take charge, and make bold decisions, or you might live to regret it.

We trust astrology, numerology, and science beyond our comprehensive understanding. But we fail to trust ourselves. The biggest fortune cookie is to believe in yourself.

We often live like skeptics with an agenda. All we need is to shift our perspective and look above instead of ahead, to learn the most important lesson about ourselves. It is time to remember that not taking a risk is the biggest risk of all. And if you are lucky enough to find your passion, make sure you pursue it, no matter how precarious it may seem.

Do more of what matters; progress, possibility and a little adventure. Don't be afraid to mess things up or fear spoiling things. It is what makes the path meaningful, and anything purposeful is beautiful.

Devastating incidents are not what I am advocating for, but we all know life happens, and the best way to live it is to keep moving on, one step at a time. In such times, it's hard to trust the journey, to have faith or to see the hidden beauty. But having said that, hope is a beautiful ornament to wear when all else is chaos or a time of loss and heartbreak.

Just like a fleeting rainbow that adds colours and smiles to our temporary world. Hope is the divine gift of wisdom and beauty. Keep it safe and secure and let no one or nothing take it away from you. Treasure it like a magic wand, which it is.

Don't always scrap unsolicited advice. Sometimes, it turns out to be the truth we needed to hear. No one is perfect. We all make and will make our fair share of mistakes. That shouldn't be a reason to not be open, to close yourself. If you deeply care about something or someone, just go for it, or you will miss out on something wonderful.

Perhaps being open to what life brings us is itself a form of gratitude.

So, what is gratitude that everyone speaks about but rarely lives to embody?

Gratitude is a beautiful way to acknowledge the grace life has offered us. Something we feel entitled to, but are not really deserving of. Gratefulness is acknowledgement not in words, but in our actions. And gratitude, when truly felt, cannot remain indifferent.

When you truly care about something, you can simply never be indifferent about it. Maybe prima facie you may look indifferent, but deep down it does affect you. And what you do about it is what shapes your story, your ultimate truth of beauty and wounds.

Because when you care about someone or something — you either treat them with all your heart or not at all.

And sometimes, caring deeply is what makes us recognise the doors life quietly opens for us. Maybe, once in a blue moon, if you are lucky enough to notice, fate, destiny, or even the stars can give you a little nudge towards something or someone.