What’s Trending on os.me?

Swamiji’s much-awaited post was titled Lies. The sweet irony then that it ignited a flame of truths in our favourite space. Truth has been trending on os.me. It is our very foundation. Whether or not it’s ok to lie sometimes is a conundrum everyone is trying to crack.

Truth is beauty. But, truth is also difficult. So what do we tell ourselves? At least I am more truthful than the other person. But, my friends, there is another aspect to it – the truth is not absolute. It might translate as different things to different people. Your 6 is 9 to the other. Get off the high horse. Don’t judge. The truth ought to be accompanied by kindness. That’s the vision Swamiji has for the world – an idyllic sweep by the brook that flows with truthfulness and kindness. And os.me is just the beginning.  

I don’t know the answer to the question he asked in his last post – is it okay to lie sometimes? But I do know that we ought to carry compassion in our heart, and empathy in our being no matter what. That you and I will make this place more truthful and kinder than it was yesterday.

Towards that undertaking, I bring to you our weekly picks of life-transforming personal experiences sure to motivate you to be better. Oh! There are prizes to be won and competitions to participate in, for the truth is also exciting. So exciting!

Wisdom from Swamiji

Balloon of Happiness: Do you want everlasting happiness? It’s as easy as blowing up a balloon. But what if someone pricks it? Swamiji answers in this post. Read it to learn the truth about happiness! Quick, life is going by too fast.

Be Grateful: Swamiji penned this pensive contemplation on an incident from his life before he renounced. “Be grateful for all of life’s colours; that’s what makes life worth living. Stop complaining,” says Swamiji. Read to know how.

8 Real Experiences

Truth and Beyond: It takes guts and faith to do what Mohit Aggarwal did. When the os.me community did their bit to take some worries off Mohit’s overloaded plate, he made a bold move. He shared his Karma Program earnings and made a promise to the community. His story is emblematic of everything that os.me stands for – empathy, kindness, support and OSKarma Program. You go, boy!

The Father Wound: This is the truth of a young woman’s yearning for her father’s hug. She wants him to lift her in his arms, smother her with sloppy fatherly kisses. But her father has his way of being there for the family, and it doesn’t include such gestures. Divya Manoharan finally arrives at the truth, and accepts it too. Heartwarming pictures of the father-daughter duo included!

If You Don’t Read: Here’s a lowdown on everything that makes you better than that ‘voracious reader’ snob. Reading is a meaningful act. However, if you aren’t too much into it, Kunal Lunawat has it covered for you. He lays down ways to benefit from the virtues of reading through alternative means. Give it a read, even if you are not a reader.   

What’s in a Review: A trip to the dentist brought home the truth — It’s our responsibility to make sure we don’t act (read react) out of anger. No, no one broke anyone’s teeth. Yet, through a simple observation, Nikhila leaves the reader with a powerful insight.

Of a Pencil Case and Diamond Earrings: Daughters and mothers share a unique bond. Divya Vanshika confronts her mother about an incident that left an indelible mark on her. Her mother’s response left all our readers teary-eyed.

Unity of Life and Colors: “It knew what it wanted to be, and it was not what I had in mind,” says Danielle Om Der Bedrossian Wells of a painting that the artist birthed with the truth, “There is infinite beauty in life and death…”

The Wizard Called Life: Through years of penury and riches, Siddhika Umesh kept storing pieces of jewellery that she intended to gift her daughter. The bag that contained all her love and sacrifices, disappeared one day. A guilt-ridden mother accused herself for all of it, until one day, two years later, when the truth surfaced.  

Maybe Baby: Sushree Diya Om has had quite a life. From a battered childhood, to dating the ‘it’ guy, attending some exclusive parties, and now living in the ashram, our Merry Monk is sharing her eclectic life truthfully. This episode is from her teenage years when she was faced with a pregnancy test. Follow her because her life only gets more interesting than those Bollywood films. Oops! I don’t want to say more. Read it yourself.

#OSdotMe Challenge: The Write Choice

This time, my dears, I bring to you another exciting opportunity to win amazing prizes from a carefully curated gift basket. So many of you participated in our Get Social challenge last week. And I have the winners with me. But before that, many of you said you aren’t on any other social media. Very well! Then this competition is just for you, and I shall entertain no excuses. Participate and experience the winner’s rush. An incredible high. 

The challenge this week is called: The Write Choice. 

It has two categories: 1) Writers 2) Readers. 

The first category of this challenge is for the writers in us. 

What’s up for grabs? There’s a curated gift basket that the winner and runners-up get to choose one item from, one by one. This week’s gift basket has: 1) 100% free access to the Creative Writing Course; 2) $50 in your OS Karma account; 3) Annual Membership (individual) – keep it or gift it.

The Challenge: Pretty simple. Starting May 20, write at least one post everyday about anything you want. The one who writes the maximum number of posts and at least one everyday is the winner. If you write ten posts but miss out even a day, you are out. So, if A writes 12 posts, but misses out writing on a day, then B who might have written 10 posts but at least one every day, gets the prize. There will be runners-up, too. Remember to use #TheWriteChoice with your posts. 

Who can participate? os.me members. Not a member yet? No problem. Make a free account now!

Dates to remember: #TheWriteChoice challenge starts 20 May, 2021 (5:00am IST); ends 24 May, 2021 (11:55pmIST). The winners will be announced on 26 May, 2021 in the weekly editorial.

The second category of this challenge is for the readers amongst us. 

You are the ones who make writing worth the toil. You always have the right word to say. You encourage, you motivate. You get your own category. For the readers amongst us, the one who writes the maximum number of comments, between the aforementioned challenge dates, also wins 100%access to the Creative Writing course or $50 in OSKarma account. Who can participate? The os.me members with a paid account. 

The decision of the os.me team will be final. In case of a tie, there will be a draw of lots. 

That’s all for now, folks. Our next editorial will bring another super-cool competition. Let the writing games begin!

What? Did I forget something? Yes, the winners of the Get Social Challenge. Congratulations are in order for Chandrika Shubham, Amrendra Om, Divya V (in that order). Way to go, people! The os.me team will be contacting you shortly for the gifts.

An update: Our Get Social Challenge has one more winner. Due to a glitch in the system, we missed out on Mudit Saxena’s social media posts. He made 1271 posts. He is clearly a winner. We manually went and checked. Therefore, he will also get the top choice.   

Until next…

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