TIME = MONEY; HAPPINESS = ZERO

 Ever since I decided to write on daily basis to improve my craft,  I search for triggers to ignite my mind. One such trigger recently came from the title of a small article in a news magazine which I adopted it here.

In fact, happiness is the underlying thread in any activity we undertake.   Instead of finding true centre of happiness, we aimlessly sail our ships which only aggravates the problem. 

The true wisdom lies in enjoying with our own being without encroaching into other's space. It is what Henry David Thoreau did when he left for Walden bank (United States) to live alone. He wrote about all his experiences in an epic book "Walden" which is a masterpiece of a journey of self-transformation. The chapter on 'Solitude' is one of the best inspiring pieces of his literature. When asked why he went to Walden bank to live alone, he contended that : "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front , only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover, that I had not lived. "

The paradigm of happiness has now undergone a tectonic shift  and people  grab material possessions so ruthlessly which brink them to shallow lives. Those who value time with money have neglected their relations and by the time they start realizing, it is too late for them as considerable damage already happens in their lives.

The work alcoholics who treat time as money should be more cautious. The new research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology shows that the more one treats time in terms of money, the more one loses the ability to 'experience' time and everyday happiness.

A  survey puta India ahead of so many advanced countries in terms of happiness. India ranks Number 2 with 43% 'Very Happy people' out of 24 countries in a survey conducted in February, 2012 by a French marketing company Ipsos. Indonesia tops the list at 57 %. It is time for others to learn something from India.

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE FOR CHILDREN

 

As our children grow, we worry so much about their future. Instead of allowing them to flourish on their own, we impose our own ideas on them, thereby condition their minds.

Noted Indian spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggie Vasudev says that it is time to learn back from children. He further says that think for a moment: Who looks more happy – you, or your children ? He believes that children are consultants for happiness.

My daughters when they are taken to evening stroll, they make spirited discussions which they don't do when they are indoors. So take your children on regular walks and listen to their ideas. Robin Sharma in his much acclaimed book 'Who will cry when you Die' echoes the same point: "Children come to us more highly evolved than adults to teach us the lessons we need to learn."

The difference between your child and you is that you know a few survival tricks while he/she is still innocent and brimming with creativity.   Allow them the life they want to lead. Don't be their boss. Be a guardian and facilitator so that they feel comfortable and share their views liberally without any inhibition. If you frighten them, they will shy away from you. So be like a friend. Communication is very vital. The greatest gift you can give to your children, Robin Sharma says, is the 'gift of your time'. But how much time do we really spend with our children is a moot point.

When it comes to education, we evaluate our children through their report cards. We compare them with their peers, and question them why they are not better than their friends in studies. This mindless comparison kills their creativity. It is our duty to nurture their inherent talents so that they achieve their full potential in their area of interest.

Sam Pitroda, former adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovation, says that you cannot really teach your children. They learn the way they can. Do what you are supposed to do, and your children will get the message loud and clear. He further says that give children enough space so that they can understand the works of the world and adapt themselves to the situations.

But the present educational system helps little to blossom children.  The marks mania is eroding the educational standards. I was shocked when I read a news item in a reputed news magazine that India ranked 73 out of 74 countries in a 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study based on extensive testing of nearly 5,000 upper primary students in the educationally advanced states of Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. What is more disgusting is that eighth graders from India could barely match the Math skills of South Korean third graders.

With regard to content of text books,  the same magazine in their story reported that Class 3 Urdu-medium schoolchildren in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh are being taught Hindustan kevazir-e-azam PV Narasimha Rao hai ( P.V. NarasimhaRao is India's Prime Minister).

Some tough decisions need to be taken to reform the education sector, otherwise children continue to be the victims of mediocrity.

 

STEPHEN HAWKING, THE EINSTEIN OF OUR TIMES

 

Stephen Hawking needs no introduction. This Einstein of our times was born in 1942. When he was just 21 , he contracted with 'motor neurone disease' which only gave him 2 years to live, but that kept on extending till March 2018   to the utter amazement of medical fraternity.

This former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge gave mathematical proof for the Big Bang theory.

As far as I remember, it was during 2001, I got a glimpse of his much acclaimed book ' The Universe in a Nutshell' I was terrified to comprehend the concept and scientific jargon used in the book.  It  narrates the origin of Universe in common man's parlance. His other amazing books include 'A Brief History of Time', 'The Grand Design'.

I read so many articles about him especially his computer-aided voice synthesizer without which he can not share anything with the outside world. The science came to the aid of this physicist to share his insights on the mysteries of Universe.

I personally feel that the scientific temper might have kept Hawking alive till 76 years. Under normal circumstances, a crippled body could have led to diminishing mental efficacy.   But in his case, it proved the opposite. He personifies that scientific temper which helped for ground-breaking theories on Big Bang and Black Holes etc. What I have learnt from his life is his unparalleled scientific temper to remain inquisitive all through life.

Science is fast changing the way we see the world and we must constantly update our knowledge dished out by these great minds.   It will be a fitting tribute to this man if we ever expand our scientific temper which refines our everyday living.

SOLITUDE

I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in the company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as Solitude.

                                          - Henry David Thoreau

In the hustle and bustle of city life, I need one constant company that is my own solitude. Outer world is a poor substitute when it comes to inner serenity. Hours will pass like a blip of second when I sink into myself.

When I was a bachelor for 5 years after entering into government service, I never rubbed my shoulders too much with anybody. In fact, I have a very limited number of  friends . I feel scared of having too many friends as I can't carry the burden of their expectations. In fact, the liberty or the chastity of freedom has driven me to take a step of being aloof from the crowd. I really cherish my moments in solitude than meeting anybody else.

But ordinary folks never like solitude. They term it as loneliness which is different. They usually go to others to converse issues from heaven to earth till the other person gets bored from that non-sense. When you ask such people why they do so, they argue that they don't like loneliness which means that they don't want to be in their own company.  The question here is when you don't like your own company, how can others bear you ?

Some people connote solitude with elements of spirituality. There is no denying in that. Solitude is such a silent ocean of energy that will not only churn your creative juices and also gives a higher level of awareness which helps you to go to magical realms of infinite possibilities. If you want to know the gross description of solitude, read Henry David Thoreau's magnificent Work : "Walden”. Every word of Thoreau in the chapter "Solitude" touches your soul and you will relish its prose.

On Solitude, Albert Einstein says : I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity. Solitude and writing are inseparable twins. Great writing happens in the deeper chambers of your soul. I personally feel that the best inspiration comes only in solitude. It could be affirmed in the words of one wise man that "one can be instructed in society, but one can only be  inspired only in solitude".

The inventor of electric bulb Thomas A. Edison sagely says that the best thinking has been done in solitude. So do take regular chunks of solitude  to bounce back with creativity.