NARA’S NOTEPAD
VOLUME
15
JANUARY
2019
NUMBER
1
SUPPORTED
BY READERS LIKE YOU
Monday, December 31, 2018
OH MY GOD!
OMG – Oh My GOD...very often we hear
from the mouths of people of all countries of the world. GOD yes GOD, the three
letter word has been the controversial word over centuries ever since human
beings started using it. In fact, they created innumerable GODs everywhere all
around the world and divided the people into groups/religions. In the name of
GOD and religion millions of humans were butchered, assassinated and murdered
mercilessly. Still there is no evidence to show that GOD has punished those
cruel people.
GOD is defined differently by
different people. For some Christ is the GOD, for some others Allah or Buddha
or Rama or Shiva or Vishnu or numerous others are GODs. At the same time for
some there is no GOD at all. They are the Atheists. Even in Hinduism itself
there are millions of GODs. Every year, month and day people celebrate
festivals in the name of GODs. Festivals like Christmas, Easter, Muharram, Eid
al-Fitr, Diwali, Durga Puja, Vinayagar Chaturti are celebrated every year with
gay and gaiety spending lots of money to buy new clothes and food. Processions
are held around for few days. Fireworks go up in the air creating noise and
environmental pollutions. People offer flowers and foods, gold and money to
their GODs. Such believes in GOD are growing day by day as we progress
technologically.
Because of such blind believes
billions of people have, a section of people commercialize GOD and make money
and enjoy. GOD-men are plenty in every country, not to say in India. They are
everywhere in India. In general, they are versatile speakers and preach Vedas,
Bible or Quran to common man. These men and women live comfortably in posh
bunglows with thousands of followers who are indeed their devoted fans. They do
travel widely to preach their ideas to convince the ignorant and poor people by
providing some basic things they badly need. Thus they make more and more
followers and become a popular figure in the world. We have enough proof some
of them who preach spirituality are bogus and immoral. They are jailed for
molestation and rape of women devotees and murdering them. I do not know how
people believe such spiritual beings who are virtual criminals.
By the name of GOD heaven and hell
are created in the minds of people in order to make them disciplined. It is
said that people who do good will go to heaven and those who do bad things will
go to hell. This concept is injected deep into the minds of people around. Even
educated class of the society believe it as truth. But they fail to understand
the nature of heaven and hell. Numerous stories have been popularized all
around the world generation after generation.
Even today no one could, I think in
future even, prove that GOD is one who controls the Universe and the planet
Earth where we live. Is GOD human or alien or a force or energy? We do not
know. Some claim they know! I believe GOD is unknown to all of us, although
most of us believe otherwise. Some of the fake news spread in the weak minds of
mankind has established the concept of GOD. I think it’s the fear we all have
is the root cause to accept this concept.
Fear in life is a universal
phenomenon. If someone is ill or die or not attaining what he or she wants lead
to believe in GOD. By passing on all the sins we have committed, to GOD we
believe that we will be excused and allowed to enter the heaven!
One of the famous scientists of our
time – Stephen Hawking said – “We
are each free to believe what we want and it’s my view that the simplest
explanation is that there is no GOD. No one created the Universe and no one
directs our fate. There is probably no heaven and after life either. I think
belief in after life is just wishful thinking.”
Some say that Google is the modern
day GOD, omniscient, omnipotent and trustworthy. In other words Google is the
global GOD. - NARA
RELATIONSHIP KILLERS
1. Breaking trust
2. Lack of respect
3. Jealousy
4. Angry outburst/ high volatility
5. Making assumptions
6. Unreasonable expectations
7. Bitterness
8. Unforgiveness
9. Being cold and uncaring
10. Failing to prioritize your partner.
HOW TO WORK SMART?
1.
Make the most of those little slots of time – a free fifteen minutes here and
there. You can accomplish a lot in those extra lost minutes.
2.
Make your work place comfortable and inviting. For example, have an inspiring
bookshelf, light a scented candle, put up a few crazy, fun photographs.
3.
Make every effort to enjoy the journey – and remind yourself of the arrival
fallacy (arriving at your goal is usually a letdown, and doesn’t bring the joy
we thought it would bring.)
4.
Don’t be afraid of criticism as it can help you to learn and grow. Dreading it
too much creates anxiety which them prevents you from producing your best.
5.
Recognize that we rarely feel happy when we’re working as we’re bound to
struggle with incompetence, failure, frustration and feeling that we don’t know
what to do. However, they are only a part of the total picture, and completing
a project leads to pride and confidence.
PROCRASTINATION
1. If
you’re procrastinating because you’re feeling stuck (eg, if you don’t really understand
a school assignment, or you don’t know what’s expected, or you don’t know where
to start) then pluck up the courage to ask for some help. When you know what
you’re doing, it’s easier to work.
2.
Remind yourself that most decisions aren’t major. If you get it wrong, you can
start over again … or change your direction … or have another try.
3. If
the task seems overwhelming, just take a baby step. That, at least, will get
you moving – so the next step’s easier.
4.
Tell yourself that you can suffer for up to twenty minutes – and then you’ll
return to doing things you want to do. You’ll be surprised to discover that
“suffering’s” not that bad.
5.
Decide to do the task as soon as you get up – as the more you put it off, the
worse it’s going to seem!
6.
Don’t pretend that other work counts just as much as what you’re leaving.
Simply acting like you’re busy won’t make it go away. Be honest with yourself …
and do what’s most important first.
JUST TO LAUGH
A big burly man knocked on the door of the pastor’s house one day
and asked to see the minister’s wife, a woman known for her charity work and
her love for the poor and helpless.
The woman opened the door and saw the man had tears streaming down
his face.
“Oh, whatever is the matter?” she cried out.
“I came to you today, dear madam for the purpose of doing charity
and good work.” said the man in a hopeless voice.
“Come in, come in!” the woman admitted him inside and they sat in
her living room.
“Madam,” said the man in a broken voice. “I wish to draw your
attention to the terrible plight of a poor family in the district. The father
is dead, the mother is too ill to work and the nine children are starving. They
are about to be turned into the cold empty streets unless someone pays their
rent which amounts to Rs.2000/-
“How terrible!” exclaimed the preacher’s wife. “May I ask who you
are?”
The sympathetic visitor applied his handkerchief to his eyes, “I
am the landlord,” he sobbed.
HOW TO COPE WITH JEALOUS FEELINGS?
1. Understand what jealousy is. It’s a mixture of fear and anger –
usually the fear of losing someone who’s important to you, and anger at the
person who is “taking over”. Recognise that it’s a destructive and negative
emotion - and often nothing good comes out of it.
2. Try and figure out why
you’re feeling jealous. Is it related to some past failure that is undermining
your ability to trust? Are you feeling anxious and insecure? Do you suffer from
low self-esteem, or fear of abandonment?
3. Be honest with yourself about how
your jealousy affects other people. Do friends or partners always have to
justify their actions and thoughts, or always report on where they were, or who
they were with? That kind of pressure is destructive in the end, and puts a
strain on relationships.
4. Find the courage to tackle your feelings. Decide to
question your jealousy every time it surfaces. That will enable you to take
positive steps to manage your feelings in a healthier and more constructive
way. Some possible questions to ask yourself include: “Why am I jealous about
this?”; “What exactly is making me feel jealous?”; “What or who am I afraid of
losing?”; “Why do I feel so threatened?”
5. Work on changing any false beliefs
that might be fueling your jealousy. Start this process by identifying the
underlying belief, for example “If X leaves me, then I won’t have any friends”;
“If Y doesn’t love me then no-one will ever want or love me”. Understand, that
beliefs are often false – and that they can be changed through choice. If you
change your belief, you change the way you feel.
6. Learn from your jealousy.
Jealousy can help understand ourselves better – and teach us important lessons.
For example, it’s natural to feel frightened when a relationship is new, and
you don’t yet feel secure. This is normal and commonplace! Also, some people DO
have a roving eye, and they may lack commitment in the longer term. Better you
know that now, than later on.
7. Work on accepting and trusting yourself. That
makes it easier to trust others, too, and lessens our tendency to feel jealous
of others.
LINES I LIKED
Ø Our world is
prosperous but not orderly.
Ø Our
technology reflects disharmony with natural laws.
Ø Out-of-the-box
thinking requires out-of-the-box doing.
Ø Overdoing of
anything is bad.
Ø Overspending
often is a form of economic dependency.
Friday, November 30, 2018
SPONSOR
NARA’S NOTEPAD
THANK
DR. P. SYAMASUNDARA MURTY
Associate Director of Research, ANGRAU
(Retd.)
13-3-20, Gunturuvarithota,
GUNTUR – 522001 (A P)
Mobile: 98661 75274
For sponsoring Oct. 2018 to Jan. 2019
issues.
MEMO FROM NARA
“Fake news” – is the talk of the day. It’s
sometimes referred as ‘yellow journalism’
or ‘false propaganda’ or ‘lying press.’ Such news was prevalent
even in ancient times. It trickled down the time and today people started
feeling it. Basically human beings are news-hungry. They like to know what
happened around them. News comes in news-papers (print media) and electronic
media such as TV, internet and many other devices. There are news reporters all
over the world to gather news and pass on to their news media houses. The
gathered news enters the print and electronic media in turn. Instant news is
announced as ‘breaking news’. The news thus announced is invariably believed by
all of us. In fact, most of the news is real. Some of them are fake or paid
news. Such malpractices in the media world are not uncommon.
In social media like Face book,
twitter, whatsapp etc. anyone from anywhere can post news and views with ease.
Those who visit these social media have to decide whether the news posted is
real or fake. Sometimes the fake news is shared and they reach millions of
people. Photos and videos are morphed in some cases. With the available
technology it becomes possible for anyone to do this magic. There are people
who believe these magic and share to his/her friends and those friends in turn
share to their friends. Thus there is no end to the spread of this magic in no
time.
All these activities create thrill in the minds of people. Finding fault with the existing traditional customs or political personalities or any other individual is an unpleasant activity. Social media is only for expressing one’s genuine view. It may be accepted or may not be accepted by others. Responsible persons are expected to understand whether the views are fake or true. Governments are seriously thinking of curbing fake news in media because some fake news is dangerous.
Another aspect of fake news or views
is to discredit a person or a product or a service. If the fake news says that
a particular product is bad for health people try to avoid buying that product.
Similarly the services offered by someone or NGO is discredited by saying that
the person is corrupt or the organization is involved in underground
activities. As a result the reputation of a person of a NGO is brought down.
“Fake news” – Can we control? How to identify fake news? One way is to know
the source of the news. If the source is genuine then we can believe the news.
Similarly the credibility of the author of such news has to be checked. Also
one can look into the date of the news. Above all one has to use ones
intelligence to analyse whether the news is fake or not.
Therefore the important thing is to
curb the fake news and it is urgent too. In today’s world, all kinds of news is
spreading throughout the world like forest fire. Necessary legislation has to
be laid out so that fake news is abolished from all kinds of media. People will
be free of unverified and unwanted news. Some of the standard news media still
publish or broadcast genuine news. Hence the media themselves have to take care
of fake news. Also those who read news should also be careful in spreading or
sharing such news to others. That will go a long way to put an end to “fake
news.”
TO QUOTE
Every noble deed is voluntary – Seneca
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. – Anais Nin
Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty and dies with chaos.
– Will Durant
IMPROVE YOUR CONCENTRATION
1. Eliminate noise
and other distractions from your environment. It takes approximately 15 minutes
to reach a place of focused concentration. Thus, constant interruptions will
stop you reaching that place.
2. Deliberately
structure your environment so that the focus is clearly on studying - and not
on doing, and seeing, other things. That may mean changing the room you work
in, moving your desk, and so on.
3. Clarify your
goals for each piece of work. If you don’t know what you’re doing, or you’re
hoping to achieve, you’ll likely go in circles, and simply waste your time.
4. Break large
areas of study down into smaller sections, and then plan how you’re going to
work through each of these.
5. Set reasonable
time limits for each portion of the task – and also for completing the final
project. That should help to stop you wasting time on needless details, from
wandering down blind alleys, and from procrastinating.
6. Be clear about
the requirements for each task. For example, what are the guidelines you have
to follow? What standard or quality of work is expected? How detailed does your
knowledge have to be? If you’re writing as assignment, how long should it be,
and what style and format is required?
7. Isolate
yourself. Often, it is best if we lock ourselves away, and avoid other people,
when we really need to work. Find a place to hide away, or put a sign or your
door – but refuse to talk to anyone until the work is done!
QUALITIES OF SENSITIVE PEOPLE
In general, highly sensitive people
tend:
1. To be more sensitive to sights,
smells, sounds, tastes and smells
2. To be philosophical and more in
touch with their spirituality
3. To feel highly uncomfortable when
being observed (e.g. by a teacher, a boss, during recitals and performances
etc.)
4. To have vivid dreams which they
remember in great detail
5. To have a deep appreciation for
beauty, art and nature
6. To be good readers of others, and of
non-verbal cues
7. To experience very powerful and
intense emotions
8. To find it difficult to rebound from
strong feelings and emotions
9. To be highly empathic and sensitive
to others’ feelings
10. To be hard on themselves, and
unforgiving of mistakes.
JUST TO LAUGH
Three guys are stranded in a desert. By a stroke of luck they find a magic
genie lamp. The genie grants each of them one wish.
The first guy wishes to be back home. Wish
granted…
The second guy wishes to be back home. Wish
granted…
The third guy says, “It feels lonely here
now, I wish my friends were with me. Wish granted…
The police stop an old guy in questionable condition at 1 am.
“What are you doing out so late, sir?” asks
the police officer.
“I’m going to a seminar on ‘The harmful
effects of alcohol,” replies the man.
“Are you pulling my leg or something?!”
says the police officer. “Who would hold a seminar like that at this hour?
The man sighs, “my wife.”
GIVE UP TO BE HAPPY
1. Give up your need to always be
right.
2. Give up your need for control.
3. Give up blame.
4. Give up your self-defeating
self-talk, and your limiting beliefs.
5. Give up complaining.
6. Give up your need to impress others.
7. Give up your resistance to change.
8. Give up your fears.
9. Give up your excuses.
10. Give up on living your life to fit
other peoples’ expectations.
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