NARA'S NOTEPAD
VOLUME 19
OCTOBER 2022
NUMBER 10
Friday, September 30, 2022
GOD'S GIFT
Every morning we receive an invaluable gift from the Almighty. He offers us a packet of 24 hours, in other words, one day. This precious gift is our precious life! During this period, what we do is more important. How do we spend the 24 h? There are ways and means to budget this time for our various activities. Some of us follow the ‘what to do’ diary every day. Most of us do not bother to allot time to every activity we undertake. If we really know the value of the gift, we never will waste a minute. We cannot get back the time lost!
Those who are successful in life always valued time. They
respected time. They managed time. There are thousands of books and articles on time
management. One should read them and adopt
in one’s life. Well spent time is well spent
life! Life is linked with time. We cannot separate time from life. It is said that the growth of an organism takes place at
every infinitesimally smallest time something like nano second even though it’s
difficult to measure.
Time management varies from person to person. Out of 24 h, leaving 8 h for
sleeping, we have 16 h. If we are employed we have to spend 8 h in office
leaving 8 h. Out of that 2 h for travel to
work and back. Finally we have 6 h at our
disposal. For personal duties we may
require say 2 h. Still we have 4 h or 240 min
left.
One hour for physical exercise and one hour for
entertainment such as watching TV, reading books, newspapers etc., One hour for discussing and planning family activities. One hour for miscellaneous activities such as hobbies…In
fact, the core time goes for sleeping and main activity.
Rest
of the time if properly planned, God’s every day gift will bring happiness and
good health. - NARA
ACTION AND REACTION - WHY DO WE WORRY?
‘For every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction is Newton’s third law of motion. When we
pour water from one container into another, the first container becomes empty. In
day-to-day activity, we see this universal law operating every time. All of us
use fossil fuels and generate enormous quantities of carbon dioxide. The creation of Special Economic Zones takes away the agricultural lands of the poor
farmers. The building of dams and the development of eco-tourism destroy the
ecology of the regions and the natural environment. Excessive
use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers for crop protection and production causes
environmental pollution. When production increases, the price comes down. We can go
on and on citing various examples. It is the cause-and-effect phenomenon.
Fossil fuel is a must, without which no
country can survive. Special Economic Zones are required for the economic
development of our country. Similarly, dams are needed for
impounding water to generate power and also for agriculture, industry and human
use. Crops
have to be fertilized and protected from insect pests and diseases in order to
get a good harvest to feed the teeming millions of our world.
Production,
whether agricultural or industrial, has to be increased to meet the needs
of the world.
Therefore,
we have to act, and action has to be initiated. By fearing for the resulting reactions,
we cannot run
away from the action. Therefore,
actions have to happen at the same time the reactions which worry us have to be
tackled. Worrying
about the reactions which are harmful sometimes to our life kindles us to think
and find a solution. Tackling
drastic reactions is not easy, still, the human brain has to be harnessed to make
the undesired reaction as desired. It may not be fully possible, still, attempts should be made to the extent possible.
Large-scale reactions such as global warming, environmental pollution, health
problems, land degradation etc., concern us considerably. One of
the arguments offered by scientists is ‘not to worry, because all questions
have their own answers. They
are optimistic after knowing the seriousness of the problems, whereas millions
of people are ignorant about the reactions and do not worry at all.
There
are a set of people who are pessimistic about the reactions and worried always
and find fault with the ‘actions’ and try to stop them. It is a
constant fight between optimists and pessimists ever since our society came
into existence on Planet Earth. Arguments
and counterarguments for and against the problems are certainly required, so
that appropriate control measures can be taken at the proper time to avoid
long-term reactions. Before
action, we have to predict the resultant reactions. Depending
on the need and necessity and also the seriousness of the reaction, we have to
decide whether to act or not to act. A sensible way of starting an action
will certainly help us to solve at least partly the unwanted reactions. -NARA
HOW TO BECOME A POSITIVE PERSON?
Think before you speak
2. Always
keep an open mind
3. Discuss
rather than argue
4. Think
positive thoughts
5. Always
say kind words
6. Be
objective about criticism.
7. Respect
the feelings of others.
8. Don’t
stress other people’s faults.
9. Engage
in physical activity.
10. Don’t
read or watch negative news.
LIFE ON PURPOSE
People with a greater sense of purpose live
longer, sleep better, and have better sex. Purpose cuts the risk of stroke and
depression. It helps people recover from addiction or manage their glucose
levels if they are diabetic. The purpose is a sense of direction in life – a long
term goal set around one’s core values, which makes life worth living, and
shapes daily behaviour. – Victor Strecher
SOME NICE THINGS TO DO
1.
If someone is
rude, be the bigger person and walk away but sugar-free chewing gum so you don’t
have to give in to junk food cravings
2. Write down your favourite quotes
3. If it’s raining, share
your umbrella with someone who needs it
4. Be nice to kids even if
you dislike them
5. Keep making your art,
writing, and photography. keep doing things even if you think you suck
6. Keep doing something you’re
passionate about even though no one is being supportive
7. Stop changing yourself to fit the standards of other people
8. Plant a garden of fruits and
flowers
9. Stop sitting down so much
and go out and see the world
10. Be strong. Don’t let people walk all
over you
11. Focus on your studying for
30 minutes and give yourself a 10-minute break
12. Look at the moon and the
stars
13. Look at the clouds, sunrise
and sunset
14. Stop using your phone at
dinner
15. Have a bubble bath
16. Message someone you haven’t
talked to for a while
17. Let go of toxic people who don’t deserve you
18. Don’t be afraid to say that
you were wrong
19. Keep yourself busy so you
stop overthinking so much
20. Don’t assume things about someone you don’t
know
21. Say kind things behind someone’s back
22. Be nice to others even if
you feel angry, sad or bitter. it’s not their fault
23. Remember that your emotions don’t have to
rule your actions
TO QUOTE
Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. – Arnold Bennet
All great changes are preceded by chaos – Deepak Chopra
JUST TO LAUGH
When a patient was wheeled into our emergency room, I was the nurse on duty. “On a scale of zero to ten,” I asked her, “with zero representing no pain and ten representing excruciating pain, what would you say your pain level is now?”
She shook
her head, “Oh, I don’t know, I’m not good with math.”
Our company was conducting free
body mass index checkups. When a stout colleague climbed onto the machine, it
spits out a slip of paper telling him what his weight-to-height ratio was and ought to be.
“What
does it say?” I asked. He replied I need to increase my height by six inches.
Two guys are out drinking when
one of them falls off his barstool and lies motionless on the floor.
“One thing about Fred,” his buddy says to the
bartender, “He knows when to stop.”
LINES I LIKED
Ø Life is always knocking on your door, every day, every minute, telling you to change.
Ø
Life is about
striking the right balance between the personal and professional.
Ø
Life is as much a
challenge as an opportunity.
Ø
Life is filled with
possibilities.
Ø
Life is the dance between your deepest desire and greatest fear.
Remember that we are all good at something!
Meet you next month –2022
Professor A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP
SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO:
E-mail: arumugakannu@gmail.com
Ph : 0422 4393017 Mobile : 75399
15614
(NARA’S
NOTEPAD)
Thursday, September 1, 2022
COST OF LIVING CRISIS
We all know that everything has a cost. Even our
living has a cost. Everything we need for our living has a cost. So it is an
accepted fact that we have to bear this cost of living. Those who lived for
80-plus years in this world know very well how this cost has increased over
years. There was a time when even one rupee counted a lot. One thousand rupees
was a great amount. The cost of gold was one hundred rupees or even less per
gram in those times. But we very well know how much a gram of gold costs. It’s
about Rs. 5000/- or so. So the increase in the cost of everything is a real fact or
reality. Somehow we all adjust or manage our income in such a way to
accommodate the increasing cost of living.
We do find that the cost of food items – vegetarian
and non-vegetarian – is increasing leaps and bounds. Everyone complains but
there is no solution in view. The prices of food items only increase but not
decrease. However, when the supply increases the cost comes down a bit for a
short period of time. The fuel price increase indirectly pushes up the
transport costs. Everyone uses transport in one way or another for one’s
movement. People have to go to work, school and college almost every day.
They have to use one kind or another vehicle that needs petrol or diesel. The
prices of these commodities have increased beyond one’s reach. A litre of petrol
or diesel is more than Rs. 100/- I still remember in the 1950s if the petrol price
is increased in the annual budget by one or two rupees, the political parties
to on protests and burned buses and public properties for a day or two. Such was
the reaction of the public against the cost of fuels. But today even the
public came to understand that the increase in prices is a normal phenomenon.
Such an increase in the cost of living is not unique to
India alone. All countries in the world are facing this crisis. Of late we hear
that the UK and many other European countries as well as America, Australia and
other major countries face the cost of living crisis. They do face an increase
in food prices along with other essential items like electricity and gas. The
common people are unable to cope with such increases. They cannot live as
they lived some twenty years ago.
The government authorities say that the cause for the
increase in the cost of living is inflation. They say some percentage about
which many of us are not very familiar. The present inflation in India is
7.8%. They also say that they are trying to bring down inflation to 4% so
that the cost of living will come down. But we have to wait and see. It appears
that a country’s economics play a role in determining the cost of living. The
crisis is coupled with many other economic and financial factors that govern
the government administration.
The truth is that poor people are more affected
due to the increase in the cost of living. They do need food to eat, dresses to
wear, educate their children, and move around to go to work, above all they have
to look after their and their family’s
health. All these are very expensive. Rich people make it up, but what about
the poor ones? Politicians who rule the countries are responsible to find a
solution so that the crisis of cost of living can be controlled.
We are taxed directly and indirectly. House tax, water
tax, professional tax, income tax, tax on all the commodities we buy, goods and
services tax (GST) on every item we buy, liquor tax, road tax and many other
taxes are paid to the governments by the citizens. The governments need money
to govern the country. They incur enormous expenditures on defence, education,
health care, employment etc. I feel that the government is not thinking in
terms of saving money. I have a feeling that every government is spending on
unnecessary activities and projects. If a committee is put to assessing the
unnecessary spending of every government, we will come to know where we can
save and control the cost of living crisis. - NARA
Thinking about eternal youth may be a diverting intellectual exercise. But as a matter of scientific fact, we know that strong and stable relationships and immersion in communities result in people living longer and healthier lives, and the loneliness that too often grips people’s later years has the reverse effect. The idea of co-housing, whereby people – often of all ages – are resident in communities built on mutual help and everyday socializing, embodies exactly that realization. So, at their best, do the kind of modern retirement villages where people live in their own spaces and have access not just to the company, but an array of services and life-enhancing leisure options.
THINGS TO DO BY YOURSELF
Meditate
Go for a walk
Sleep
Read a book
Have a spa day
Take a long shower
Buy something new
Take a short online class
Feed birds in the park
Let your imagination run wild and write a short story
Craft a morning and evening routine
Make a business plan
Brainstorm side hustles for side income
Rewrite your finances
Pay attention and assess your mental health
Stretch
Do a one-time self-defense class
SOME NICE THINGS TO DO
1. Carry a plastic bag and pick up litter that you see
2. Pay for the person behind
you
3. Put a cute anonymous note
in a library book
4. Send a kind anon ask to
someone you’re following
5. Tell your friends and
family you love them
6. Make cookies for your best
friend
7. Include someone who looks
left out in a conversation
8. Hug people tightly
9. Say “thank you” to someone
you appreciate
10. Compliment your friend’s
talents
11. Have a checklist and
challenge yourself to tick everything off
12. Stand up, stretch, and
drink a glass of water every hour
13. Start jogging; don’t feel
bad if you’re slow
14. Wake up early so you have
time for both hobbies and studying
15. Look at things with your
eyes more than you take photos
16. Treat yourself how you
would treat your best friend
17. Learn how to bake a cake
18. Give yourself some time
alone
19. Read a book
20. Try a new hairstyle
21. Learn a new language
22. Look at things and
appreciate their poetry and beauty
23. Keep a journal for all the moments you want to remember
24. Pay more attention to the
good things than the bad things
25. Have manners and don’t be aggressive or rude
TO QUOTE
He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not
learn is in great danger. - Confucius
JUST TO LAUGH
I told my
wife to embrace her mistakes. She gave me a hug.
Old man: “I forgot her name 10 years ago and I’m scared to ask her.”
My five-year-old grandson was looking through some old photos when he noticed his grandfather in his Marine dress blues. “What kind of costume is that?” he asked. “That’s not a costume,” his grandfather growled “Men have died for that uniform. The boy looked up and said, “So you stole it, then?
“Oh, we’ve been married ten years,” I said. “Really?” she asked. “But you look so happy.”
LINES I LIKED
Ø Laugh at fear and glide by like a cloud in the sky.
Ø
Laughing can reduce
or dissolve anger and anxiety.
Ø
Laughter is a good
internal medicine.
Ø
Laughter is a practical
and benign way of negotiating serious matters and harsh realities.
Ø
Laughter is the
shortest distance between two people.
Demands, distractions and worries are all parts of life!
Meet you next month –2021
Professor A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP
SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO:
E-mail: arumugakannu@gmail.com
Ph : 0422 4393017 Mobile : 75399
15614
(NARA’S
NOTEPAD)
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