Writing From The Heart

Yes!! Its so amazing seeing how two people,on the surface level can experience the exact same events and yet end up differently,giving us such a powerful message that We have not to focus on what we see,but how we interpret it to lead a meaningful life.Lets choose our own journey instead of adapting the toxic behaviours of our environment.

You can either mimic someone’s lifestyle or rebel against it,it’s how you internalise it and the choice you make that will lead to the outcome you get.It is well said that perspective is everything and key to many solutions in our life!!

Complaining attitude or gratitude?Darkness or Light? Thorns or Roses ? Isolation or self elevation ?
Loneliness or Solitude?
It’s all about perspective….

Have you ever wonder when was the last time you sat with yourself for a
long time?You have been on the move for a long time,and always on your
way to next activity! While Mother Nature is busy repairing herself,it’s our time to repair ourselves too!! If you can’t go outside,go inside.Let us
reconnect with our disconnected self.

We all must know that Self Elevation also requires Self Isolation.Self
Analysis and Self Realisation is important to strive to be a better human.Asthe Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread over,we all find ourselves in self-isolation.Self Isolation during Covid-19 pandemic presents new challenges,but along with these challenges also lies the opportunities for new perspectives to emerge.This extraordinary situation allows a person to rethink all areas of our life.And hence can lead to positive shifts and growth in ones personality.

And this can only be possible if we all utilize this time wisely,may be by
learning new skills,practicing self care,meditating,reading good stuff,sharing knowledge and experience,online learning,exploring your artistic side,appreciating nature,doing yoga and much more!!

In this connection,we are reminded of the quote by John Dewey “The Self is not something ready made,but something in Continuous formation through Choice of Action”..And this time can also be such a useful tool for us.I know it’s easier to say than done because the most common emotion faced by us all is fear .It makes us anxiously panick.But believe me if we change our perspective and shift our energy toward positivity,we can really stay productive even during isolation.

This also reminds me of a beautiful quote by Vikter.E.Franki ” When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
As of our strengths humans try to mend the situation as better as they can because anything if happens wrong our last option would count change in ourselves , and therefore the upward quote is aptly said and mean that after ending up with every possible outcome to change any situation we are challenged to take a look at ourselves and consider to change oneself to make the things right although it is one of the most difficult thing one could get through.When you change your attitude towards looking things that
seem to be problem to you,those same things will appear as opportunities to you.

No doubt,these are difficult times for all of us as we all hear about spread of
Covid-19 from all over the world,through television,social
Media,newspaper,family,friends,othersources but at the same time we all
must not forget that life is a battle.One has to fight it fearlessly.

Fight with confidence,positive attitude,right aptitide and we all will win together!!

“When things go wrong,As they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit”! – By John Greenleaf Whittier

LiFe CaN be A Challenge

Of That there Is No Doubt

BuT If We TaKe A Moment

To StOp and See The Humour

We CaN bring a Meaningful Change!!

Humour is observed in all cultures and at all ages. Historically,psychologists framed humour negatively.But research on humor came to light with humor now, viewed as a character strength.Positive psychology,a field that studies the positive aspects of the human experience that make life worth living notes that humor can be used to make others and even yourself feel good and  help buffer stress .Along with gratitude,hope and spirituality,a sense of humour belongs to strengths that helps us forge connection to world and provide meaning to life.

Have a sense of humour and you will possess the ability to laugh at yourself.Laughing at yourself gives you the energy to bounce back.Laughter is natural tranquilizer for people all over the world!

Dr Norman Cousins, author of “Anatomy Of An Illness” is a prime example of how a person can cure himself of a terminal illness.

In 1964 following a very stressful trip to Russia, he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis(a painful collagen illness that rendered him immobile, and at its nadir, nearly incapable of moving his jaw)which left him in almost constant pain and motivated his doctor to say he would die within a few months. He disagreed and reasoned that if stress had somehow contributed to his illness (he was not sick before the trip to Russia), then positive emotions should help him feel better.He figured if negative emotions caused chemicals in our body,then the reverse must be true too.Positive emotions like happiness and laughter would bring positive chemicals into our body. With his doctors’ consent, he checked himself out of the hospital and into a hotel across the street and began taking extremely high doses of vitamin C while exposing himself to a continuous stream of humorous films and similar “laughing matter”. He later claimed that 10 minutes of belly rippling laughter would give him two hours of pain-free sleep, when nothing else, not even morphine could help him.

His condition steadily improved and he slowly regained the use of his limbs. Within six months he was back on his feet, and within two years he was able to return to his full-time job at the Saturday Review. His story baffled the scientific community and inspired a number of research projects.

Of course,medical help is important but the will to live for the patient is equally ,if not more,important.

A funny bone could be lifesaver.Besides,it makes life’s adversities easier to handle!

Amidst the chaos of such dreadful pandemic,Our MOTHER EARTH 💚is healing!!

And one day,she discovered

That she was fierce and strong

And full of fire

And not even she could

Hold herself back

Because her passion burned brighter

Than her fears

-Mark Anthony

International Women’s Day(March 8),a day dedicated to honoring the achievements of women throughout history and all across the globe in the social,economic,cultural and political spheres and is typically a day for women from all different backgrounds and cultures to bend together to fight for gender parity and women’s right.

So,what better day could there be to talk about Women Empowerment!

Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest sons of India, quoted that, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved, It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing”. Thus, in order to achieve the status of a developed country, India needs to transform its colossal women force into an effective human resource and this is possible only through the empowerment of women.

Women empowerment is not a new concept.It is quite a well-known concept around the globe. Women all over the world have been challenging gender discrimination since the beginning of history . These struggles have also been supported by many men who have been outraged at injustice against women.

What exactly is Women empowerment? Women empowerment is to motivate and develop women by promoting their participation in all areas and sectors, to build stronger economies, improve their quality of life and bring gender equality with an equal amount of opportunities.It is to make them independent in all aspects from thought, mind, decision, wealth and to bring equality in society.Women’s empowerment starts at a personal level only.

The country’s first Prime Minister , Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who said, “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves”. So, from the above statement, it is quite easy to understand that if the women of our nation are developed,take the country along with it to new heights.So to achieve this thing, we need to destroy the demons killing the rights of women and ethics and values from society such as honor killing, illiteracy, dowry, rape, female infanticide, inequality, domestic violence, sexual harassment, illegal trafficking,gender apartheid and many other issues. 

And to tackle such issues and many more ,a right mindset need to be developed…

1)START WORKING ON THE NEXT GENERATION

Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults.A good grounding will groom them as responsible youth. In the wake of the recent sexual harassment cases against women, it becomes important to sensitize your child towards gender-based atrocities and develop a mindset that will not favour such acts. Gender is a very important facet of our identity. It should be tackled sensitively and given attention in building healthy relationships. Parents and teachers should inculcate good culture and moral values in children .

2)AVOID BEING A STEREOTYPE ROLE MODEL TO YOUR CHILD

Parents often distribute tasks according to gender. Avoid this .Why should only boys run errands or throw out the garbage, whereas a girl is told to clean the kitchen table or tidy up the room.They grow believing that this is how society works. Parents,adults and teachers need to break such stereotypes.

3)ALLOW THEM TO EXPRESS THEIR REAL EMOTIONS

Boys who cry are labeled as sissies, whereas a girl who indulges in tough activities are referred to as a tom boy; this does not allow a child to express real emotions. Power, strength, domination, are qualities that are very male centric whereas love, nurture, warmth, care are attributed to a girl. These build associations in the minds of little kids and it can be so extreme that they can be led to believe that violent acts like rape and domination are justified by the males .

4)THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT MUST INCLUDE MORAL TEACHING

Schools play an important role in establishing gender sensitivity.Gender equality should be inculcated in the day-to-day practices of schools and moral traditions should be followed. Modified poems and stories that break stereotypes is also a solution that many schools and educational institutes have begun to adopt.Teachers should not differentiate between their students, it could be harmful for the kid’s morale. Encourage to play all kind of sports, irrespective of their gender. Who says boys can’t dance and girls can’t play football!

5)TEACH CHILDREN TO SHARE FEARS

Children should be taught to freely voice their opinions and share their fears, so that they don’t hide their true feelings. Discussing incidences and latest news updates will open their minds to the outer world and break their bubble, making them more aware of their surroundings.

6)ENCOURAGE GIRLS TO BE INDEPENDENT AND BOYS TO BE GENTLE

It is important to establish positive role models for children. Encourage girls to be independent and avoid learned helplessness. Boys should be taught to be gentle and caring. This will help them treat women with respect and not as objects of gratification.Incidences like rape are not gender-specific but person-specific. This is one thing that children need to be taught so that they don’t generalize situations. The attitude and thinking of a person makes a difference .

7)BE A LEADING EXAMPLE TO A CHILD BY RESPECTING WOMEN

Respect or disrespect to women is inculcated at home. For eg women beaten by their husbands stay silent about it.Their children mutely look on it and it becomes an almost acceptable reality since the father is never punished for his actions. Such children grow up beating their partners or accepting being beaten up because it is familiar and un-punishable behaviour. Respect towards women is something that parents have to inculcate in their children by leading by example.

So, to promote the goal of Women Empowerment, it should be promoted from childhood in each and every family.

Let’s look within ourselves , keep our inside(heart) clean and beautiful !!

Mahatma Gandhi once said that education which only awakens the mind of a person but does not touches the soul of a person is worthless because it creates a person without a heart ,a person without feeling ,a person who knows everything but can’t use it for human welfare.

My dear friends,Learning is not merely a cognitive experience but has a deeper meaning.Educating only mind means we are only able to develop cognition.But educating the heart signifies developing compassion,empathy,love,respect for diversity and human dignity,morality,societal values,ethics, appreciating the inner beauty and much more!

Most of the education we are taught has all to do with our head.Its about learning and understanding facts and logics of History,maths,Science etc and being able to answer the questions in question paper .Where is the place of heart in all this ?We are not taught much about how to identify and manage our emotions or feelings,how to recognize them when they arose and navigate your way through them.

Navigating in our inner landscape is not something taught in School.It should be!!One must observe how a person they look up to deals with life and the troubles it throws their way.

Purpose of higher education must emphasize on holistic development of individual meaning all round development including physical,social,emotional ,creative, artistic,intellectual and spiritual potentials.

Developing cognition only will lead at best of making human robotics,not human beings!!