NARA'S NOTEPAD
IS SUPPORTED BY READERS LIKE YOU
Monday, December 2, 2019
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
PHILOSOPHY
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ALWAYS REMEMBER
1. The
past can’t be changed.
2. Everyone’s
journey is different.
3. Over
thinking will lead to sadness.
4. Happiness is found within.
5. Your thoughts affect your mood.
6. Smiles are contagious.
7. Kindness is free.
8. It’s okay to let go and move on.
9. What goes around comes around.
10. Things always get better with time.
LINES I LIKED
Ø
By hurting Nature man
hurt himself.
Ø
By killing worry we
can, in all probability, live longer and certainly much better.
Ø
By observing the
dress and behaviour of our fellow citizens, we have the opportunity to observe
the best and worst behaviour.
Ø
By changing our
behaviour, we can convert conflict into compromise and cooperation
Friday, November 1, 2019
THE RICH AND THE POOR
Although we can classify the people of the world into
various categories, I hereby classify them as ultra-super-rich, super-rich,
upper class rich, middle class rich, middle class poor, poor and very poor. Of
course, this classification is based on the economic levels of people. We can
put these categories of people in terms of numbers in a form of pyramid,
keeping the very poor as the base and the ultra-super-rich as the tip or top of
the pyramid. It tells us that in the world, irrespective of countries, the poor
are in largest numbers. This has been estimated by world statistical
organizations. Similarly, the ultra-super-rich are relatively less in number.
In between these two classes we find a range of categories from the poor to the
rich.
Let us consider the ultra-super-rich people in the
world. Some of the world renowned magazines used to publish the names of such
people along with their assets. Based on their assets they are classified.
These people are also referred as ultra high-net-worth individuals. They, in
fact, constitute roughly 0.003 per cent of the world population. It appears
that they hold 13 per cent of the world’s total wealth valued as $27 trillion.
This population is largest in USA followed by China, Germany, UK, and Japan.
India comes next to Japan.
These people are generally engaged in business,
industries, IT companies and the like. Some have the inherited properties from
their ancestors. In fact, they employ large number of other category of people
and pay them. In a way, they are the
employment creators. Apart from that they always think forward to make more
wealth. Thus they are the backbone of a country’s economy. They have good
connections with the ruling government and its politicians. Most of them are
honest (?), but some among them earn their wealth through illegal means and at
times they end up in prisons.
The other extreme of the pyramid – the very poor and
poor, suffer a lot because of various reasons. Most of them do not have enough
to eat, shelter to stay and work to do. They do have family with children and old-age people. The conditions in which they live are
not generally hygienic and clean. Therefore they are exposed to all kinds of
diseases. The poor look up to the next category to move up. For
which they need help. Such helps are provided by the governments to a certain
extent. Invariably these helps in the form of various schemes are implemented
not so effectively of course.
Health care, education and employment are the three
important things to uplift the very poor to poor, and poor to middle class
poor. Some people use these opportunities to come up life. Of course, we do see
in the news every day the poor drink and live a careless life. They do not make
a significant number as I think. A good number of men and women are hard
working and associate with their society.
The
intelligentsia of the educated world are doing all sorts of research in the
name of ‘development economics’ to
narrow down the gap between these categories. They discuss and debate to come
to propose changes in the minds of not only the poor but also in the minds of
the well-to-dos. They say that the thinking of the poor is totally different
from the rich. In this regard Steve Siebold in his book, How Rich People Think enumerates the differences between the poor
and the rich people’s views on each other. He says that the poor earn money to save, whereas the rich earn for investing and make more
money. The poor people view being rich is a privilege. On the other hand, the
rich feels that being rich is a right. These differences in opinions will not
change unless we narrow down the gap between these two categories. It is
difficult but not impossible. Let there be a day when the bottom two categories merge into middle-class poor.
- NARA
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
SAY IT TO YOURSELF
1. You’re doing the best you can
2. Life isn’t always fair
3. Just get started
4. It’s OK to take a break
5. We don’t always get what we want
6. This too will pass
7. Today is a new day
8. It’s a bad day, not a bad life
9. Other people have their issues too
10. Stick to your healthy routine
11. Keep your eyes on the goal
12. You can’t control what you think, but you can control what you do
13. Be kind
14. Allow yourself to feel
15. Express your dissatisfaction constructively
16. You can’t control what other people say or do
17. Be authentic
18. It’s OK to set boundaries and stick to them
19. You don’t have to please everybody
20. Don’t listen to your judging mind
EXPANDING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Thinking expansively, rather than personally, offers a different lens
that leads to a different question - one that fits the cultural creative
mindset, but also promotes compassionate action rather than self-involvement: What
can I learn so I can live with greater integrity, empathy, wisdom, and
kindness?
When we ask ourselves continually what we can learn from whatever comes
our way and from whatever effects our own actions cause; when we refuse to
personalize events and instead cultivate a deeper, more far-reaching
perspective, we will not only break free of the cocoon of self-involvement, but
also find ourselves more ready and able to stretch beyond our yoga mats into
the wide world that needs us.
I practice Aikido and yoga because of globalization. I also practice
change-making to benefit other people, other species, and the earth because of
globalization. The primary tool I use to find a balance between inward and
outward work is asking this question about all my choices: What will do the
most good and least harm to myself, other people, animals, and the environment?
Note that I include myself in this equation.
Widening our perspective isn't about self-sacrifice
or self-neglect. It's about seeing one's place in the world for what it can be:
personally gratifying and powerfully engaged in making a difference. – Zoe Weil
TO QUOTE
Optimism
is the medium between knowledge and ignorance. – Plato
We are
not called by God to do extraordinary things but to do ordinary things with
extraordinary love. - Jean Vanier
I would
rather be a beggar and spend my money like a king, than be a king and spend
money like a beggar. – Robert Ingersoll
Kindness in
words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in
giving creates Love. – Lao Tzu
JUST TO LAUGH...
They had just become engaged. “I shall love,” she
cooed, “to share all you troubles.”
“But darling,” he murmured, “I have none.”
“No,” she agreed, “but I mean when we are married.”
The first morning after the honeymoon, the husband got
up early, when down to the kitchen, and brought his wife her breakfast in bed.
Naturally she was delighted. Then her husband spoke: “Have you noticed just what
I have done?”
“Of course, dear; every single detail.”
“Good. That’s how I want my breakfast served every
morning after this.”
LINES I LIKED
.
Ø
By reading others, we
learn to write for ourselves.
Ø
By what you do you
either advance or degenerate.
Ø
By simpler sentences,
you do get your meaning across faster.
Ø
By changing our
thoughts, we can change our lives.
Ø
By choosing to let go
of your hurt and anger, you give yourself the freedom to fully experience joy
in life.
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