NARA'S NOTEPAD: June 2021

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 17

JULY 2021

NUMBER 7

NARA'S NOTEPAD IS SUPPORTED BY

READERS LIKE YOU...

BELIEVING EVERYBODY IS DANGEROUS;

BELIEVING NOBODY IS VERY DANGEROUS

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Everyone has a name and everything has a name too. These names are given by us only. Human beings give a name to their children as soon as they are born or a few days afterwards. In fact, names are given to identify the person or things. Without a name, it is impossible to find out who is who and what is what? Therefore humans while evolving learned to name people and things.

The name of the male is distinctly different from that of a female. Before a child is born the parents choose some attractive and fashionable name for their son or daughter. It has become a custom all over the world. In olden days, mostly the name of the grandparents are given to the grandchildren in order to keep the family names alive. Even now in some families, such customs prevail. In fact, my name Narayanan is that of my grandfather. Many parents prefer to give their children the name of Gods and Goddesses. In India, for example, the names of Shiva, Vishnu, Vinayaka, Rama, Sita, Lakshmi, Saraswathi are commonly given. Naming a child is a family function celebrated with family members and friends at home or in a hotel. One thing my friend told me that almost all female names in India end either in “a” or “i” or “e”. It’s a good observation. Think over…

The recent trend is choosing a short name like Nila, Kala, Maha. Even if there is a very long name like Ramachandran, it is shortened as Ram or Ramu or Chandran for easy calling. But in a record, the original long name will be there. There are first, second and third names too. It’s common in Western Countries. In India also we do find such practice in some States. The first name is generally the name of the village where he or she is born, the second name will be the name of the father and the third would be the actual new name. It’s interesting to note that the mother’s name is not added as the second name. Generally, the first two names will be abbreviated as the initials only. In many cases, the last name indicates the caste as Rao, Reddy, Iyer, Pillai, etc. However, adding a caste name is slowly, very slowly vanishing nowadays.

We know that everything in our world is named. Our ancestors fixed the name for things. The names are given in every language. One of the important things is that everyone remembers the names of millions of things around them. It’s surprising! How does our brain remember all these names? We identify things by their names. Everyone can call for a thing like a chair, table, pen, book, cup, water, etc. We learn all these names from our parents, teachers, friends, and others and use them repeatedly. I feel it is a wonderful ability that every human being possesses. Very rarely we forget the names of things, plants, animals, insects, etc. It’s an extraordinary capacity for humans to remember these names. Some of the specialized names are known to the specialists. A mechanic of an automobile knows the parts of a car or any other vehicle. Similarly, a doctor knows thousands of disease names and also the names of drugs.

Moreover, while talking to others we use many names that the other person also knows. Thus it becomes easier for communicating our thoughts. So the names are the key to knowing people or things in our world. Plants are named, places are named, streets are named, and cities are named. If you start writing the names you know in a notebook, it will run into millions of pages. I don’t think anyone has tried this exercise. If you don’t have anything to do, better start writing the names of whatever you know. It would be a wonderful exercise indeed! - NARA

OWN YOUR AMAZING SELF

1. Be original

2. Understand what motivates you.

3. Rise up to new challenges.

4. Concentrate on your strengths.

5. Don’t compare.

6. Speak up when you need to.

7. Find new ways of doing things.

8. Live with integrity.

9. Accept your self-sovereignty.

10. Do your duty.

SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT KNOW

1. All polar bears are left-handed.

2. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

3. Butterflies taste with their feet.

4. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

5. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

6. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

7. Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.

8. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

9. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

10. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

11. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the

body to squirt blood 30 feet.

12. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.

13. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

YOU ARE AFRAID OF

You’re afraid you’re too fat. (I don’t know what this has to do with creativity, exactly, but experience has taught me that most of us are afraid we’re too fat, so let’s just put that on the anxiety list, for good measure.)

You’re afraid of being exposed as a hack, or a fool, or a dilettante, or a narcissist.

You’re afraid of upsetting your family with what you may reveal.

You’re afraid of what your peers and co-workers will say if you express your personal truth aloud.

You’re afraid of unleashing your innermost demons, and you really don’t want to encounter your innermost demons.

You’re afraid your best work is behind you.

You’re afraid you never had any best work to begin with.

You’re afraid you neglected your creativity for so long that now you can never get it back.

You’re afraid you’re too old to start.

You’re afraid you’re too young to start.

You’re afraid because something went well in your life once, so obviously nothing can ever go well again.

You’re afraid because nothing has ever gone well in your life, so why bother trying?

You’re afraid of being a one-hit wonder.

TO STIMULATE CREATIVE THINKING

1. Why must it be done this way?

2. What is the root problem?

3. What are the underlying issues?

4. What does this remind me of?

5. What is the opposite?

6. What metaphor or symbol helps to explain it?

7. Why is it important?

8. What is the hardest or most expensive way to do it?

9. Who has a different perspective on this?

10. What happens if we don’t do it at all?

TO QUOTE

If we can not love the person when we see, how can we love God, when we cannot see? – Mother Teresa

JUST TO LAUGH

A housewife, an accountant and a lawyer were asked "How much is 2+2?"

The housewife replies: "Four!"

The accountant says: "I think it's either 3 or 4. Let me run those figures through my spreadsheet one more time."

The lawyer pulls the drapes, dims the lights and asks in a hushed voice, "How much do you want it to be?"

A man went to a brain store to get some brain for dinner. He sees a sign remarking on the quality of professional brain offered at this particular brain store. So he asks the butcher:

"How much for Engineer brain?" "3 dollars an ounce."

"How much for Accountant brain?" "4 dollars an ounce."

"How much for lawyer brain?" "100 dollars an ounce." "Why is lawyer brain so much more?"

"Do you know how many lawyers you need to kill to get one ounce of brain?"

LINES I LIKED

Ø Learn a new habit to replace the old ones.
Ø Learn all there is to know about what you want.
Ø Learn all you can.
Ø Learn at least one new thing.
Ø Learn by doing.
Ø Learn first to concentrate upon the little things you do – the sharpening of a pencil, the wrapping of a package, the addressing of a letter and so forth.

Make sure you make sure to notice the world around you...

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

www.nara2007.blogspot.com

(NARA’S NOTEPAD)

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 17

JUNE 2021

NUMBER 6

NARA'S NOTEPAD IS SUPPORTED BY READERS LIKE YOU

A LIFE WITHOUT STRUGGLE

WILL NOT ALLOW US TO GROW

SPONSOR

Prof. S. Thamburaj Ph.D

Former Dean, Faculty of Horticulture, TNAU, Coimbatore

11, Vaiyapuri Illam, Sabapathy Road, Saibaba Colony

Coimbatore 641 038, ph. 96007 39443

ON SLEEPING

We all sleep. Animals sleep. Even plants sleep too. So sleep is a biological process all living organisms perform. We sleep at a particular time, especially at the night. We have bedrooms for sleeping with a zero volt bulb blinking in a corner or without it. My bedroom window is facing the street. The street light penetrates through the curtain a bit into my bedroom. Scientists advise us not to have light while sleeping. Also, they say that sleeping is induced by a hormone called melatonin. It controls the sleep-wake cycle. I think this hormone is available in drug stores in the form of tablets. For those who do not get sufficient sleep, doctors prescribe these tablets. Overuse of melatonin may cause even death. There are many cases reported in the newspapers over time. Therefore one has to take this tablet under the doctor’s advice. Prescribed dose in prescribed time is essential to follow. Nowadays sleeplessness has become very common among young people. Not only that. They sleep not at a particular time because of the type of work they do. Some people work at night either in an office or from home. Thus the sleep cycle is changed.

Scientists recommend 6 – 8 h sleep per day for an adult. As an old man I sleep from 10 pm to 5 am and during the day 10-11 am and after lunch, 3 to 4 pm. Most of the senior citizens follow this pattern of sleep only as I come to know from my friends. So there is a sequence of sleep in one’s daily life. Students do sleep in the class if the subject taught is not interesting. Even sometimes teachers do sleep in the classroom after giving some work to students. Thus one cannot know when one sleeps and when one wakes up.

One of the most beautiful things all of us must have noticed is a sleeping 3-month old child in his or her bed. Everyone will enjoy seeing that. I have not seen anything else is more beautiful than that. Sometimes the child smiles in the sleep involuntarily. Every parent might have enjoyed this scene in their life. So sleep adds beauty to the face of a young child.

Another unpleasant thing we notice while people sleep is snoring. A rhythmic sound disturbing the people nearly comes from their open mouths or nostrils. Fortunately, I do not snore and my wife also does not snore. No problem for us. I have often come across people snoring while sleeping in the train either in an A/C compartment or even in the non-A/C one. Annoying it is for those who want a peaceful sleep. How to control snoring? One way is to wake up the snoring man or woman. Of course, snoring is not a disease I think. It occurs due to some nasal blockage. Alcohol consumption before bedtime is also cited as a reason for snoring. There are incidents that couples who got divorce for the reason of snoring.

During sleep, our muscles and minds are relaxed. Nothing we remember or see. Our eyes are closed. Almost all our thoughts are shut except breathing. Dreams do come during sleep all kinds of pleasant or unpleasant dreams do come in our sleep. Some will be vivid and clear, some others are vague and unreasonable. Moreover, the vague ones may not be remembered the next morning. There are volumes of literature available on dreams. Various kinds of dreams are classified and interpreted. People believe in those interpretations. Some dreams may predict good things to happen in the future, others indicate the bad omens in the future life. So dreams that occur in our sleep predict our future. Someone said that what you think or what’s in your mind before you go to bed will come in dreams in some form or other. My desire to put my thoughts on this topic has been completed. It's 10 pm. Time to sleep. Good night to you all. - NARA

EXERCISE

Exercise doesn’t just keep your body fit; it also helps your mind stay in great shape. Aerobic fitness has a positive effect on cognitive function, improving learning ability in both humans and animals. Researchers have found that even just 20 minutes of exercise can increase information processing and memory functions, so consider integrating workout sessions into your academic life.

TRAPS THAT PEOPLE TEND TO FALL

The Mistake Trap: “I’m afraid of doing something wrong.” Losses hold us back!

The Fatigue Trap: “I’m tired today.” Losses wear us out.

The Comparison Trap: “Someone else is better qualified than I am.” Losses cause us to feel inferior to others.

The Timing Trap: “This isn’t the right time.” Losses make us hesitate.

The Inspiration Trap: “I don’t feel like doing it right now.” Losses demotivate us.

The Rationalization Trap: “Maybe it’s really not that important.” Losses allow us to lose perspective.

The Perfection Trap: “There’s the best way to do it and I have to find it before I start.” Losses cause us to question ourselves.

The Expectation Trap: “I thought it would be easy, but it isn’t.” Losses highlight the difficulties.

The Fairness Trap: “I shouldn’t have to be the one to do this.” Losses cause us to ask, “Why me?”

The Public Opinion Trap: “If I fail, what will others think?” Losses paralyze us.

The Self-Image Trap: “If I fail at this, it means I am a failure.” Losses negatively affect how we see ourselves.

YOU ARE AFRAID

You’re afraid you have no talent.

You’re afraid you’ll be rejected or criticized or ridiculed or misunderstood or—worst of all—ignored.

You’re afraid there are no market for your creativity, and therefore no point in pursuing it.

You’re afraid somebody else already did it better.

You’re afraid everybody else already did it better.

You’re afraid somebody will steal your ideas, so it’s safer to keep them hidden forever in the dark.

You’re afraid you won’t be taken seriously.

You’re afraid your work isn’t politically, emotionally, or artistically important enough to change anyone’s life.

You’re afraid your dreams are embarrassing.

You’re afraid that someday you’ll look back on your creative endeavors as having been a giant waste of time, effort, and money.

You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of discipline.

You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of workspace, or financial freedom, or empty hours in which to focus on invention or exploration.

You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of training or degree.

SOCIAL PROOF

You are on your way to a concert. At an intersection, you encounter a group of people, all staring at the sky. Without even thinking about it, you peer upwards too. Why? Social proof. In the middle of the concert, when the soloist is displaying absolute mastery, someone begins to clap and suddenly the whole room joins in. You do, too. Why? Social proof. After the concert, you go to the coat check to pick up your coat. You watch how the people in front of you place a coin on a plate, even though, officially, the service is included in the ticket price. What do you do? You probably leave a tip as well.