The Power of Goodness: Ram Prakash's Journey of Spreading Happiness

Life, essentially, is a journey filled with various experiences – some challenging and some uplifting. The key is to learn to value and cherish even the difficult moments because they teach you the true essence of life.

The guest featured in the "Realising the Purpose of Life" episode on the show Where East Meets West, Ram Prakash, is an exceptionally remarkable yet incredibly humble individual. If you've ever wondered about discovering the purpose of life, by the end of this blog, you might gain some insights.

Ram Prakash, a former civil engineer at the World Trade Centre and a senior RajYogi with the Brahma Kumaris for 47 years, was on the 64th floor when tragedy struck on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Centre in New York.

Remarkably, he managed to exit the building just five minutes before it collapsed. In this episode, you'll discover how he conquered his fears and negative emotions, embracing life from a positive perspective.

To begin, he explains that his initial motive for going to America was simply to work, like anyone else. However, what set him apart was his primary goal to go to America and "share," to give and contribute. His daily routine, much like that of successful individuals, involves waking up early, usually around 3-4 a.m., and commencing his day with meditation before anything else. According to him, the most productive hours are between 4 and 8 in the morning, a fact supported by the healthy lifestyles of those who start their day early.

The central narrative unfolds as our host, Sister Jenna, asks him about his experience during the tragic incident. Where was he, what did he witness, and how did he feel? It's chilling to know that he was present when the Twin Towers began to collapse. He recollects that there was an eerie sense of something different since the morning of that day. He felt almost detached from the current situation as if he sensed that something significant was about to happen. While this is an assumption, it's possible he had an intuition about an impending event. He even mentions a saying that before a major incident, there's often a small occurrence that serves as a hint or warning. Interestingly, there was indeed a minor earthquake just a day before the Twin Towers attack.

After everything happened, his only thought that he had, was “How was I spared?”

He kept wondering when he looked at the family members how his colleagues from the same division had to die and not him. He was desperately looking for a justification from the universe.

However, his answer eventually came through self-realisation. He came to understand that his survival in that accident happened for a reason – because he had a purpose to fulfil in life. Having been spared by the universe, he felt a deep responsibility to contribute to creating a better society for humanity. Importantly, he didn't attribute his survival to the notion that it was solely due to the good deeds he had done, or that those who perished were somehow "bad" people.

And that’s where he introduces his contributions to society, which involve choosing a simple way of life and launching the "7 Billion Acts of Goodness" initiative. This initiative aims to exponentially increase acts of kindness worldwide. He has always been driven by a desire to do good, but he consistently raises the question, "How can we make our impact even bigger?”

He references a quote from a Times magazine cover story that emphasises the contagious nature of happiness. The magazine conducted research over two decades with 5,000 individuals and found that when one person becomes happy, it triggers happiness in 4-5 people around them. These 4-5 people, in turn, go on to make 20 others happy, creating a cascading effect. The magazine also used the analogy of a pool table, where one happy ball hitting the sad ones makes all of them happy, illustrating the concept of a domino effect.

In the subsequent years, he contemplated the origins of happiness and concluded that it doesn't derive from one's position or wealth. Instead, true happiness arises when you engage in acts of kindness and benefit not only yourself but also others. This is what brings joy. When you go the extra mile to do something good, happiness follows. Thus, he began to wonder, why not actively seek out goodness?

Many people may view goodness as a boring topic, but what's truly intriguing is that one person's acts of goodness can ripple across the entire world. So, he pondered the idea of making goodness a dynamic force, just like it has the potential to impact lives on a global scale.

He uses the example of an atomic bomb to explain its explosion, where atoms collide, split, and merge, with a small portion transforming into nuclear energy through E=mc2, resulting in a massive chain reaction and a destructive explosion. But he immediately contrasts this with the idea of an explosion of happiness and goodness worldwide.

He suggests that if there are 7 billion people on Earth, there can be 7 billion acts of goodness. However, the question arises: What does an act of goodness truly entail? According to Ram Prakash, it's when you go above and beyond your duty, obligation, and even your capacity.

?He believes that during times of crisis, it's entirely within our control whether we let it bring us down or use it as an opportunity to rise higher. His core principle is to "be kind to yourself." He illustrates this with an example: Imagine you accidentally break a glass, and there's no way to undo it. However, you can apologise to your mother and promise to make amends, perhaps by using your allowance or future earnings to replace the glass, even getting her two glasses as compensation. Instead of dwelling on guilt, if you give yourself a pat on the shoulder and commit to not repeating the mistake, while also making things right, that's the way to go.

What's truly crucial in life is learning to love yourself as you are and being forgiving of your own mistakes. This mindset naturally leads to forgiving others.

When someone makes a mistake, rather than getting angry with them, you can relate by forgiving yourself for your own past mistakes. This is what Ram practices and it's something we can draw inspiration from.

Forgiving oneself can be challenging, and this is where honesty and sincerity become important. Often, when we make mistakes, it's because of fear, confusion, or peer pressure. Most of the time, these actions are unintentional. Many times, people end up doing things they don't want to do because negative influences are quick to prevail in their surroundings, while positive influences take longer to make an impact.

Finally, he concludes by emphasising that guilt is not a productive emotion; it only drags a person down. Instead, he recommends acknowledging one's mistakes, listing them out, and seeking a path to forgiveness and improvement. This, he believes, is a wise approach.?

If someone asks why he's so humble, it's because he always thought he did little but got a lot in return. He also trusted himself less than others trusted him.?

His life's secret lies in never pursuing grand ambitions; he advocates for maintaining a down-to-earth attitude and staying modest.

His message to the world is to continue doing good, as goodness will find its way back to you eventually. Don't hesitate to be a virtuous person and always begin with small acts of kindness.

Towards the end, he imparts a crucial insight: “When you feel like others might be taking advantage of you, remind yourself that your advantageous position makes you valuable, allowing others the opportunity to benefit. Their disadvantage is why they seek your help. As people utilise your strengths, you continue to gain value, and it should never compromise your self-esteem because you should always recognise your own worth”.

In summary, Ram Prakash's survival during 9/11 inspired him to spread kindness. His "7 Billion Acts of Goodness" project shows how small good deeds can make people happier worldwide. He also teaches us to forgive ourselves and stay humble. Ram Prakash's story reminds us that we all have a special role to play in making the world better. Let's be kind and humble, do small good things, and together, we can make the world a better place.