NARA'S NOTEPAD

Sunday, November 1, 2020

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

The year 2020 started with a bad note. The coronavirus pandemic COVID 19 took over the world suddenly. People died in millions, irrespective of nationality, gender, race, caste, and religion. Those who believed in God and those who did not were also affected by the invisible virus. There is no medicine or vaccine so far to control the disease. The governments and the Head of States advise the people to follow the precautions prescribed by the health officials who are also exposed to the pandemic day-in and day-out. One of the important suggestions given by them is ‘Social Distancing.’ It indicates that distancing oneself from others in order to avoid the contamination of the disease. Facemask is another protective measure to prevent the virus to enter our body through the nose and mouth. These measures are to discourage the spread of this deadly disease. But how far people adopt these preventive measures is often questionable. As I see in shops, and other public places people do not follow social distancing. Anyone who has COVID-19 can easily spread it to others around them. Few people do not wear face marks too.

Social distancing or physical distancing is staying a meter or two away from the next person. Whenever we go out people who have a cough, cold, and fever are to be suspected. Maintaining social distancing is not easy in practice although in banks and in supermarkets a meter distance is marked boldly on the floor. People are supposed to stand in those marked circles and proceed when the person in front moves forward. But invariably it is not strictly followed but ignored. To a certain extent to satisfy the government authorities these norms are imposed at various public places.

Because of social distancing, we are not shaking hands, touching others, hug others, or kiss each other as we used to do during the prepandemic years. The attachment and expression of affection and appreciation are lost due to social distancing. Already we and our relatives and friends live in distant places. Our family members are spread out in different far off places in the world. Nowadays even those who are nearby are also distancing themselves. Loneliness in the minds of people creates anxiety and depression. The fear of COVID-19 is in the minds of everyone every time.

Social distancing in a sense is not a new concept. In the olden days in the name of the caste system, the upper caste people distanced themselves from the lower caste people. Gender-wise also a man or woman distance himself or herself from each other. Even now it is the norm although the norm is broken on some occasions. There are many reasons for distancing oneself from others. Social inequality, religious disparity, superiority, and inferiority complexes cause social distancing in a society. Now the coronavirus pandemic!

I experienced social distancing in my life while I was doing my post-doctoral program at Sorbonne, the University of Paris France during 1967. My colleague, a French man once took me to his grandmother's place in a village around Paris. She lived alone at an age of 75 or so in an old French house. He introduced me to her. She looked at me and said nothing and went away from me. I wondered why? My friend later explained to me the reason for her to distance from me. So, the old-timers, who were not exposed to the modern world has a contempt or hatred (?) towards the other people who do not belong to their community.

Over time we are distanced from each other. We are afraid of others. We do not have the confidence to touch others. We suspect people. As a result, we are going to have fewer and fewer friends. Since social distancing is practiced marriages, religious festivals, temple celebrations, political meetings, sports meets, funeral functions are going to be a few people affair. Once thousands and thousands of people gather during these occasions and enjoyed meeting their friends, relatives, and strangers too. But now that luxury of life is lost. We are controlled by the coronavirus pandemic. Stay a meter or two away from others. Do not go close to others. Difficult, but we have to follow. We all may get used to the new way of life and that is going to be our future.-NARA

TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

1. They always start with goals. Effort without a genuine purpose is just effort. Effective people don’t just know what to do – they know why. They have a long-term goal. They have short-term goals that support their long-term goals. They’re not slaves to routine, they’re simply driven to reach their goals and quick to eliminate roadblocks and put aside distractions that stand in their way.

2. They create systems. If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal is to build a successful business. Your system consists of your processes for sales, marketing, fulfillment, operations, etc. a goal is great for planning and mapping out what success looks like; a system is great for actually making progress toward that goal.

3. They believe in themselves. Busy people quickly give up and effective people keep going. Remarkably effective people embrace the fact the only way to get to where they want to go to to try...and keep on trying. They know eventually, they succeed.

4. They believe they are in control of their lives. Many people feel luck – or outside faces – has a lot to do with success or failure. If they succeed luck favored them if they fail, luck has against them. Luck certainly does play a part, but effective people don’t hope for good luck or worry about bad luck. They assure success is totally within their control. If they succeed, they caused it, if they fail, they caused that, too. Remarkably effective people waste zero mental energy worrying about what might happen to them – they put all their effort into making things happen. They know they can never control luck but they can always control themselves.

5. They find happiness in the success of others. Great teams win because their most talented members are willing to sacrifice to help others succeed. Focus only on yourself and ultimately you’ll be by yourself. To be remarkably effective find fulfillment in helping other people succeed. In the process, you will succeed in more ways than one.

6. They use their goals to make decisions automatic. Remarkably effective people are decisive. Indecision is born of a lack of purpose. When you know what you truly want, most of your decisions can – and – should – be almost automatic.

7. They don’t multitask. Remarkably effective people focus on one thing at a time. They do that one thing incredibly well...and then they move on to whatever is next. And they do that incredibly well.

8. They freely ask for help. Busy people ask for help getting something done. Remarkably effective people ask for help not just because they need help but also because by asking they show respect for the other person and trust his or her experience, skill or insight. Mutual respect is the foundation of every solid relationship and the best way to create mutual respect is to first show respect.

9. Want to be remarkably effective? Surround yourself with people who trust and motivate and inspire you and in turn are inspired by you.

Saturday, October 31, 2020

TO QUOTE

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. – Aldous

Huxley

One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointment. –

Henry Ward Becher

BROADEN YOUR OUTLOOK

1. Look at your problems in the context of your entire life.

2. Wake up to the miracles all around you.

3. Extend yourself to others.

4. Interact on a regular basis with those facing serious challenges.

5. Redirect your focus to the many blessings in your life.

6. Be around people who have a healthy outlook.

7. View every problem as an opportunity for growth.

8. Watch your mouth (do not frequently whine and complain).

9. Cultivate your spiritual connection.

10. Everyday read literature which expands your perspective.

JUST TO LAUGH

“If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would I get into heaven?” I asked the children in my Sunday school class.

“No!” the children all answered.

If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the lawn and kept everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?”

Again the answer was, No!”

“Well,” I continued, “then how can I get to heaven?”

A five-year-old boy shouted out, “You got to be dead!”

LINES I LIKED

Ø Do what is right, the right way, and at the right time.
Ø Do what makes you happy.
Ø Do what you can, with what you have, with where you are.
Ø Do what you love and do it often.
Ø Doing small things with the cleanest heart will make you happy.

Do not wait for someone to solve your problem!

Meet you next month –2020

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)

Thursday, October 1, 2020

NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 16

OCTOBER 2020

NUMBER 10

NARA'S NOTEPAD

IS SUPPORTED BY READERS LIKE YOU

DO NOT INTERFERE IN OTHER’S BUSINESS

UNLESS ASKED

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

COVID 19 – AS I SEE IT...

As we all know that COVID – 19 has changed the normal way of life in the whole world. The coronavirus is a virulent one that spread throughout the globe killing millions of human beings. So far no drug or vaccine is successful to control the virus or cure the disease. It is sad for all of us to hear some of our dear ones suffering badly with this virus infection. People who were pious to the core, good-hearted, kind to the poor, scholars, doctors, health workers, businessmen and women, politicians, and all kinds of humans are the prey to this invisible virus. Every day we hear the sad and bad news of COVID -19’s spread and the number of cases. Wearing face masks, using sanitizers for hands, and keeping a social distance of 2m are the measures suggested to avoid the virus infection. Lockdowns in urban areas, prevention of people’s movement from one place to another, stalling transports (rail, bus, and flights) were adopted to check the spread.

No one thought the virus came out of the city of Wuhan in China. It was thought that the wet market of the city was the origin of the virus. It was not proved, so it was thought that the Virology Laboratory of Wuhan is responsible for letting out the deadly virus. The Chinese people living all over the world went to their native places, including Wuhan for the Chinese Lunar New Year got infected. While returning to various parts of the world they carried the virus in their body and spread it all over the world. That happened in January and February 2020. From the beginning of 2020 to date COVID – 19 has changed the normal way of our life.

Schools, colleges, and universities were closed and students were asked to go home. Most of the small and medium-scale industries and businesses were closed and the migrant laborers went back to their home states. Transportations stopped functioning. The poor migrants with their families traveled by their two-wheelers and even some on foot reached their native places. Hard time indeed for those helpless migrants! There was a loss of life on the way too.

From June 2020 onwards the governments started to relax some rules so that people started coming out of their home to buy their day to day necessities. Also, it was allowed for restaurants and markets to open. The government slowly operated city buses and permitted people to go from one district to another. Because of such relaxations, the COVID – 19 started spreading to villages too. The number of cases increased every day. Some people ignored the government rules as usual. They never wore face marks, used sanitizers, and followed social distancing.

The government started worrying about the economy. Unemployment grew. Industries suffered. Income to the government fell sharply. So it made new policies to build up the economy slowly by relaxing the lockdown. In India cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru are worst affected. Hospitals charged huge sums of money from the patients for treatment. The doctors and health workers were and are doing a wonderful job to treat the patients from taking all the risks. A good number of people recovered and returned home. No one is capable of controlling COVID – 19 so far. Some people advise the public to take some foods or tonics to improve body immunity for the virus. It was also informed that aged people are more susceptible to COVID – 19. So aged people like me are careful in not going out unless it is needed. They are advised to stay at home.

People who work in IT and related companies were asked to work from home. Because of the broadband and WiFi facility, people can work from anywhere in the world. Similarly, school going students to college students are taught online in order to save the academic year. Even the examinations are conducted online. So the virus has changed the normal way of our life. It is not only for us Indians but for all the nationalities who suffer due to COVID – 19. Changes are welcome. But the changes brought by the coronavirus may continue and people will be used to these changes and even adopt after the pandemic comes to an end. Will there be an end to COVID – 19? – a big question no one is able to answer at present. - NARA

Behind every popular author, you can find 100 other writers whose books will never sell. Behind them are another 100 who haven’t found publishers. Behind them are yet another 100 whose unfinished manuscripts gather dust in drawers. And behind each one of these are 100 people who dream of – one day – writing a book. You, however, hear of only the successful authors (these days, many of them self-published) and fail to recognize how unlikely literary success is. The same goes for photographers, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, architects, Nobel Prize winners, television presenters, and beauty queens. The media is not interested in digging around in the graveyards of the unsuccessful. Nor is this its job. To elude the survivorship bias, you must do the digging yourself.

BECOME MORE OPPORTUNISTIC

1. Disturb your way of thinking. Optimum can be learned by challenging negative self-talk. You can do that by identifying your negative belief about the event and by challenging its validity and offering alternate beliefs.

2. Find something meaningful. Having a purpose and engaging in something meaningful is the key to remaining hopeful and happy.

3. Count your blessings. Being positive is a powerful tool to stay positive. A simple diary of all the events in your day will help your mind remember all the good things that happened to you if it tends to dwell on the negative.

4. Take charge of your life. A pessimistic outlook may lead to feelings of helplessness and despair in the face of a setback. Take a relook at the situation and come up with things you can do to change the situation or at least your reaction to it.

5. Be thankful and relax. 10 to 15 minutes of mindfulness or relaxation exercise to calm the mind and help positive thoughts come more freely.

6. Develop a support system. Having a good network of friends and well-wishers, who offer support and perspective when things go wrong ensures that you remain in good spirits most of the time.

ARGUMENTS WINNING TOOLS

1. Know your facts. How many times have you made a claim about some piece of trivia only to realize, as soon as you’ve made that claim, that you’re completely wrong? Inevitably, someone challenges you, but because you don’t want to lose, you continue to stick to your guns. This is not an ideal way to win (or enter) an argument.

2. Be ready to see the other person’s perspective. You don’t have to agree with a foe in order to see his or her perspective. However, if you want to win an argument, you do need to be able to see the world the way your opponent does. Stepping into the mindset of those you argue which allows you to figure out what’s influencing them. Perhaps they’re feeling threatened, anxious, or annoyed. Perhaps they know something that you don’t. In any case, showing empathy will lower the temperature of the debate and allow both of you to come to a resolution.

3. If you can’t be open-minded, at least seem that way. Becoming defensive is one of the worst ways to win an argument. Don’t let your opponent sense that you’re doffing into your position without being willing to consider alternatives. If you appear to be giving the other side’s position a thoughtful review, then the solution you propose will seem to be far more sensible. Furthermore, your opponent may come to your side without your having to do anything other than listening. By letting your opponent speak, you may allow the situation to naturally resolve itself.

4. Keep your emotions under control. Emotions play an important role in the conflict by altering how you appraise the situation. In addition, being able to regulate your emotions is equally important. If you lose your temper, you’ll only antagonize your opponent, that will further heighten his or her wrath, and the process can only escalate upwards. Don’t worry you’ll seem weak by becoming calm in the midst of the argument – you’ll gain points by showing that you can exercise self-control. Who knows, the argument may even end right then and there, once both of you take a more reasoned perspective.

5. Remain hopeful that the argument can be resolved. Arguments, by definition, involve negative emotions. In the midst of a screaming fest, it might be hard to see yourself coming out on the other side with your dignity intact. However invoking the feeling of hope allows you to think more clearly, leading to the possibility that you’ll win by sheer force of logic. Hope allows you to come up with creative solutions to the disputes at the core of the conflict