NARA'S NOTEPAD: December 2019

NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 15

DECEMBER 2019

NUMBER 12

NARA'S NOTEPAD

IS SUPPORTED BY READERS LIKE YOU

THE POWER TO CHANGE

SEEK A BETTER FUTURE

LIES WITHIN YOU

SPONSOR

Prof. S. R. K. MURTHY, Ph. D (Rtd.)

A.N.G.R. Agricultural University

#303, Chandra’s Lakeview Towers

Tank Bund Road, KHAMMAM – 507 002 A P

Ph. 798 155 8026 or 994 924 4803

“What is the meaning of life?” Where did we come from?” “What is reality?” “Where is God?” – are some of the questions we often hear. We ignore them because there will not be a definite answer for them. But in fact these are philosophical questions asked by philosophers. So they are important for all of us. As an academician and scientist possessing a Ph. D (Doctor of Philosophy) degree from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi should know the meaning and significance of philosophy. I was told that philosophy means “love of knowledge”. We all love to know about the unknown. That is human nature.

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language. These studies are carried out by using philosophical methods like questioning, critical discussion, rational argument and systematic presentation. Thus philosophy ultimately gave birth to modern – day sciences like psychology, sociology, linguistics, economics and other sciences.

When someone gets a degree of Ph. D, we have to understand that in anyone branch of science one has attained a full knowledge by studying through questioning and experimenting. Philosophy is associated with wisdom, intellectual culture and search for knowledge. So the philosophical questions are asked on all these in order to arrive at some meaningful answers. Invariably philosophical debates and discussions advance our wisdom and intelligence.

Philosophy is not same all over the world. It varies from region to region. We have Western Philosophy, Middle Eastern Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Jain Philosophy, Buddhist Philosophy, East Asian Philosophy, African Philosophy and Indigenous American Philosophy. Each of the philosophy teaches us various kinds of thinking of life and society. Such thinking had created the time-old customs, cultures, religions, festivals and spiritual values. Whether they are scientific or not is yet to be seen!

Philosophy is characterized by five major branches. They are: Metaphysics and Epistemology, Value Theory, Science Logic and Mathematics, History of Western Philosophy, Philosophical Tradition. In each of the category, sub-branches and specific field of studies are also available. Metaphysics examines the fundamental nature of reality, relationship between mind and matter. Epistemology is concerned with the theory of knowledge. The value theory examines how, why and what degree humans value thinks. The philosophies of science are numbers, symbols and reasoning. Some of the superstitious beliefs and religious faiths are also unsolved so far. Explanations are expressed in a logical manner but they are not scientifically proved. Science has a definite way of proving things but philosophy argues and logically tries to prove the above mentioned questions.

There were and are many well known philosophers who contributed to our knowledge. The early philosophers were mostly the Greeks. For example, Socrates, Pythagoras, Plato. Later philosophers were from other countries like UK, Germany, France and USA. Their valuable books on philosophy are still read by people and some of the principles are followed in our lives. Philosophy is used in various fields like politics, sociology, psychology, economics, science, spirituality etc. It makes us to think and arrive at answers appropriate to questions. Thus science made progress and we could understand both the micro- and macro- worlds. Our knowledge today has gone beyond one’s imagination after the invention of internet. Today knowledge is available on any subject. It is free for anyone. Learning and improving our knowledge is our duty. For all these, philosophy remained as the basic foundation. So it is utmost responsibility for all those who earned a Ph. D degree to think creatively, to think differently, to question the existing ideas and to form new ideas and search for the truth. - NARA

BE HAPPY

1) Get enough sleep. Sleeping for 8 hours per night can elevate your mood and better prepare you to greet the day.

2) Take vitamin C. Keeping your immune system happy will keep you happy.

3) Laugh out loud. Laughing releases endorphins and lowers levels of stress hormones.

4) Cook with more garlic. Garlic not only adds delicious flavor to meals, it also keeps blood pressure down to keep you relaxed and healthy.

5) Get more fresh air. Fresh air is invigorating and alters the levels of serotonin in your brain—the stuff that makes you happy!

6) Eat more foods with tryptophan. It has an amino acid needed to make serotonin, the chemicals that make you happy. Try more bananas, dairy products and poultry.

7) Work out. Exercising can not only make you feel better about yourself, it also releases endorphins in your body to give you a natural high.

8) Eat chocolate. Besides releasing endorphins and stimulating serotonin production in your brain, chocolate releases phenylethylamine, the chemical that causes feelings of love.

9) Meditate. According to the Dalai Lama as well as several medical studies, meditation not only decreases stress, but also triggers a neurological response that makes you happy.

OBSESSING OVER THINGS

If you're prone to anxiety, there's a good chance you've spent many an hour ruminating and obsessing over things that may seem trivial to others. For example, you may worry that you said something wrong or embarrassing during a casual encounter. The good news is there are ways to break this pattern of obsessive thinking.

1. Write Down Your Worries

Dina Wirick, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and psychology instructor at California State University, Monterey Bay, recommends writing down your concerns as they come up. Then set aside a time during the day when you can review all the worries on your list. "Don't allow yourself to think about them when they come up throughout the day," Dr. Wirick said, noting that "reminding yourself that you have a designated 'worry time'" makes it easier to stop ruminating in the moment.

2. Focus on Your Breath

Realistically, your worries won't immediately disappear the moment you write them down. When they persist, Dr. Wirick's advice is to spend a few minutes focusing on your breath. "Notice the inhale and exhale of your breath without changing it," she said. "Often, just placing your attention on the present moment and anchoring it to your breath can be enough to shift your mindset."

3. Think About Your Concerns Logically

During your designated "worry time," don't simply stare at the list ruminating. Instead, Dr. Wirick recommends assessing whether the concern is something that you can take action on. If the answer is yes, spend some time thinking through possible solutions. "If the worry isn't something you can do anything about, consider the worst possible scenario [and] ask yourself, how likely is this worst-case scenario? If it happens, can I handle it?" she advised. "What would I tell a friend if they were sharing this worry with me?"

4. Try to Get to the Bottom of It

Molly Giorgio, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist told that obsessive thinking often has a root and comes from a deeper concern. For example, if you consistently can't stop thinking about work emails, consider the possibility that you're actually anxious about making a bad impression on your boss, or that your coworkers won't like you.

"Once you determine what's actually going on [and what's underneath] the obsessive thought, remember that thoughts are just neurons firing in your brain. You can choose to respond to them," Dr. Giorgio said. "The more you fight against or try and 'control' your thoughts, the stronger they will get.”Distraction can be helpful once you've identified the thought and what is underneath it," Dr. Giorgio said. She recommends distracting yourself with something positive like having lunch with a friend, getting coffee and sitting and enjoying it mindfully, listening to music, or doing a puzzle. Activities like this can help get your mind off the anxious thoughts.