My Buddy - Stress Yo! :D

Stress is a funny concept altogether. In my understanding it is nothing but a mental condition that is always associated with negativity. More than often, we fail to realize that at times, stress can be fun too. As young students, stress or constant worry is something we constantly face. But the underlying question by the end of the day is, “Is it really that bad?” The answer unfortunately is a blunt “No!”

The stress that each one of us are going through, although subjective, should never be considered to be the worst in its league. However, since all of us have a particular threshold beyond which it becomes difficult for us to carry more burdens on our shoulders, a few simple techniques may be utilized to always bear in mind that life is not that difficult after all.

At an age that is young, relationships play a pivotal role in defining one’s state of mind. It is not just important, but mandatory after a certain point to choose who you want to associate yourself with and who, YOU give the power to influence the way you think. We spend a lot of time worrying about our relationships and this in reality is unnecessary. Just think of it this way, after a few years, you will be laughing about the failed relationships you “thought” that hurt you right now. Most of our emotions are momentary and impulsive. Hence, ending worthless relationships that give you a shoddy perspective is something you must do! Trust me, it will help you feel way better.

And trust me AGAIN, this will help you a great deal in life!

Additionally, learn to respect yourself and never undermine your qualities and your worth. A lot of pressure these days is also associated with low self-esteem. There is nothing that you have which I don’t and there is nothing that I have which you don’t. Strangely enough, this reminds me of a chart-buster Pink Floyd track, “Wish you were here”, which says, “We’re just two souls swimming in a fish bowl.” To think of it, it all comes down to this notion. How different are we, really? Start respecting yourself, start admiring yourself and appreciating the little things you do. Will help you counter stress and trust me, this will help you a great deal in life!

Of Life & Impermanence :-)

Recently, I had a conversation with a good friend when I told her that she treated people like projects. After the conversation and a little introspection, I came to realize, who doesn’t treat people like their own projects. Every relationship has a start, a beginning, an intermediate and an end. When I was really small, I knew this one person until I was about four years old. This person I’m speaking about has a great deal to do with whatever I am today, till date. But then when time came, this person was gone, gone in thin air, *poof*. Today, 18 years later, I wonder, why people make an entry into your life if they only have to leave by the end of it.

The truth is, impermanence is the law of nature. Nothing is here to last and everything must come to an end. I know, right now I’m rattling about things we all know about already. Dependence is another weird factor. In life we come across people who promise more than they can ever deliver. Individuals who swear to life that they will always be there and that they will never let go. I’ve made such promises myself, but the fact that nothing can be ascertained about the mysterious tomorrow is what makes such promises obscure. Impracticability is the word for every day. I’ve never met a single person till date who truly is selfless or can love another person without conditions. Promises which include selflessness, unconditional love, and friendship for eternity are just gibberish talk.  I would say, people who bluntly say that they can be selfish at times and those who don’t promise much can be most trusted.

Today, I miss that person I knew 18 years ago. I don’t miss THE person exactly but I miss the person’s PRESENCE. Knowing the fact that if a person existed, things would have definitely been a lot more different (good or bad) is consoling in its own way. There's this particular scene in the movie Lion King (which happens to be my favorite all time part) when Mufasa dies and Simba looks at him in pain and sorrow. Moments later, he chooses to run away and make the best of his life. That's the point - Your life is too precious to loose it for someone else. Make the best of it, NOW.

But yes, I want to try and be as practical as possible. I have been among those who have made promises of selflessness, unconditional love and friendship for eternity. But today, I want to stand up on my own and fight this battle called life by myself. I want to make terms with impermanence and start believing in my existence more than the existence of anybody I’d possibly depend on. The ONLY thing that lasts with you forever is you, yourself. :-)

 Don’t know if anyone can make sense out of this post. But its just a flow of thoughts in my mind and I did not want to stop it.

Have a nice life, everyone. :-) 

Why India is a great country?

• Over 5,000 years ago, when the world was filled with nomads, India was home to one of the first civilizations, the Indus Valley, where people appreciated civic sense and preferred living in clustered societies. Au Contraire, today, the concept of civic society is long forgotten. A dalit girl gets raped by two men and gets punched in the eye for resisting their attempts. Truly civilized behavior like nomads.

• The world’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC; more than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects here. Au Contraire, today, in the name of a million quotas of reservation, the most meritorious and deserving students are denied the opportunity of good education. Poverty and other such plagues completely debar millions of toddlers from even receiving basic education.

• India invented the number system, Aryabhatta’s profound interest for mathematics also introduced the number 0, which the whole world eventually adopted. Complex subjects like algebra, calculus and trigonometry, all came from India. Au Contraire, today, the only numbers a majority of this country knows is that which is found on notes. Bribes, Black Money, Money Laundering and everything that revolves around the word “money” is the only mathematics people know of.

•  Ayurveda is the earliest concept of medicine known to man. Susruta, the father of surgery conducted complex surgeries including cataracts, caesareans and cosmetic implants. Anesthesia was used way back in ancient India. Au Contraire, today, government hospitals are thriving with rodents and dirt. New born babies are burnt to death in incubators or their mothers poisoned with wrong drugs. Pizzas reach faster than ambulances. Oh and yeah, 38% of the doctors in the United States are Indians! Definitely something to pride ourselves about.

•  India is the birthplace of four of the worlds major religious traditions including, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. It is known all across the world as a hub for religious tolerance, unity in diversity and all that. Au Contraire, Yesudas, a strong devotee of Lord Krishna who has sung numerous songs in his praise is prevented from entering a temple simply on the basis of him being born a Christian. The fact that the Karnataka government is shortly going to use a temple in Dharmasthala as a playground to solve their cheap and petty political cat fights is as sacred as it can get!

The truth is, we all dwell pacifying ourselves of an illustrious past completely oblivious and pretentiously overlooking a painful future. Statistically, 65% of the illiterate and 75% of slum-dwellers cast their votes during every election.

Now consider this:

Ø  We have reached the moon (unfortunately with a black and white camera).

Ø  We have the world’s largest working population. (Imagine the manpower!)

Ø  We form a substantial part of the world’s economy. (The rest is in someone’s pocket.)

Ø  We have one of THE best defense systems in the world. (Yes. They are the best.)

Ø  We are a nuclear power, one among five others in the world. (Or so we think.)

It’s high time we stopped priding ourselves about things of the past. We’ve been doing that for a long time now. The future isn’t amazing for all of us. It’s high time we took that option seriously and did some major revamping for a better tomorrow. It’s now, or never.

Someone rightly one said, India is a country where the rich will get richer, the poor, poorer and the middle class will forever remain middle class. Its time for change and the best time for it is NOW.