Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you are talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A 5-day vacation requires only one
suitcase . You can open all of your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe even decades. You only have to shave your
face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes = one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter what how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
No wonder men are happier.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Why We LAUGH?
That is the reason why humorous movies are famous and why we like comedians more than our favourite personalities. In todays world every sigle cinema hero wanted to try humor in their films. Because they know humor is the only formula which works 100%.
But infact i was thinking whay we laugh?
Humour is a subject that has attracted the attention and interest of some of our greatest minds, from Aristotle and Kant to Freud. It has also fascinated and played an important part in the work of some of the greatest writers such as Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde.
However, curiously, after thousands of years spent trying to understand humour, there is still a great deal of controversy about what humour is or why something is funny. There are some interesting theories, though, on this matter.
For Aristotle, comedy is based on “an imitation of men worse than the average,” of people who are “ridiculous”. Hobbes carried the same idea a bit further. He said, “the passion of laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from a sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly.”
There is another theory that is probably the most important and most widely accepted of the explanations of humour. This theory argues that all humour involves some kind of a difference between what one expects and what one gets.
One of the more interesting and controversial theories of humour stems from the work of Freud. The psychoanalytic theory of humour argues that humour is essentially masked aggression which gives us gratifications we desperately crave. As Freud wrote in his classic book—Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious— “and here at last we can understand what it is that jokes achieve in the service of their purpose. They make possible the satisfaction of an instinct (whether lustful or hostile) in the face of an obstacle that stands in its way.”
Freud also recounts a number of wonderful Jewish jokes in his book and alludes to the remarkable amount of self-criticism found in jokes which all Jews tell about themselves. “Incidentally,’ he wrote, “I do not know whether there are many other instances of a people making fun of such a degree of its own character”. His use of the word “fun” is important. He did not regard Jewish jokes as masochistic (gratification gained from pain, deprivation). Just the opposite.
It might be argued that since humour is an effective way to keeping in touch with reality, Jewish humour has been intimately connected with Jewish survival. Also, humour is not some kind of an idle and trivial matter but generally enables people to gain valuable insights into social and political matters.
The fact of the matter is that this seemingly trivial, inconsequential, common thing we know as humour is very enigmatic and plays a vital role in our psychic lives and in society.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
INDIAN WRITINGS IN ENGLISH: AN OVERVIEW
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the first Indian to effectively express himself in black and white through English, though he was initiated to the language when he was in his teens. Thereafter, Vivekananda showed his perfect masterly over the language through his evocative prose, which made the west sit up and take notice of the greatness of Hinduism. Tagore also had written some poems in English. Jawaharlal Nehru and M.K Gandhi were also great masters of the English language. Nehru’s Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History etc are glaring testimony to not only his profound scholarship but also his absolute mastery over writing lucid prose in the foreign language.
Though Mahatma Gandhi used his mother tongue, Gujarati, to write his famous autobiography, later translated into English by his secretary Mahadev Desai under the title The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1929), he used Hindi and English with masterly skill and use. As he lived through a eventful life among his people, who were attempting to liberate themselves from moral decadence; social lethargy, political degradation, economic exploitation, and cultural subordination, Gandhi wrote, day and night, in and out of prisons, for his two journals, Young India and Harijan.
Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1913). Tagore represents a happy combination of the ancient Indian tradition and the new European consciousness. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his slim volume of poems entitled Gitanjali. His other known works are Gora, Ghare Baire and Galpa Guchchha.
In 1930s emerged the first major figures in the field of English literature in the shape of the “Big Three” of Indian fiction: Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao and R.K. Narayan. Mulk Raj Anand is the most westernized of the trio; Rao, while writing in English and using the genre of the novels has his roots in Sanskrit culture. R.K. Narayan’s work occupies a middle ground between the approaches of his two illustrious contemporaries.
Mulk Raj Anand’s reputation was first established by his first two novels, Untouchable (1935), which gives an account of “a day in life” of a sweeper, and Coolie (1936), which follows the fortunes of a peasant boy uprooted from the land. His trilogy, The Village (1939), Across The Black Water (1940) and The Sword and the Sickle (1942)is an epic account of the gradual growth of the protagonist’s revolutionary consciousness, which may be seen as a microcosm of India’s movement towards an awareness of the need for independence.
Raja Rao’s first novel Kantapura (1938) is his most straight forward. It gives an account of how a village’s revolt against a domineering plantation owner comes to be informed by the Gandhian ideal of non violence. Rao’s major work The Serpent and the Rope (1960) is regarded by some Indian critics as the most important Indian novel in English to have appeared to date. It has also published the short novels The Cat and Shakespeare (1965) and Comrade Kirillov (1976).
Nirad C. Chaudhari is being regarded as the most controversial of Indian writers in English. He emerged on the scene with his book The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951). When he visited England, he recorded his experiences in A Passage to England (1959). In The Continent of circle (1965) he puts forward the thesis the Aryan settlers of India became enfeebled by the climate of North India. He has also published To Live or not to Live (1970) and a second volume of autobiography, Thy Hand, Great Anarch (1987).
R.K. Narayan’s early novels include the triology Swami and Friends (1935), Bachelor of Arts (1937) and The English Teacher (1945). The novels of his middle period represent his best works; these include Mr. Sampath (1949), The Financial Expert (1952), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961) and The Sweet Vendor (1967). They explore conflicts between traditional Hindu values and western incursions into the society. Narayan’s more recent novels include The Painter of Signs (1976), A Tiger for Malgudi (1983) and Talkative Man (1986). He has also published several volumes of short stories, including An Astrologer’s Day (1947) and Lawley Road (1956).
Vikram Seth’s first novel, A Suitable Boy has made him the most hyped-up first time novelist in the history of Indian literature. The Golden Gate, a novel in verse had hit the bestsellers’ lists in 1986-87. This was followed by three collections of verses: The Humble Administrator’s Garden, All You Who Sleep Tonight and Beastly Tales From Here and There
Salman Rushdie won the 1981 Booker Prize for Midnight’s Children (1981). The Shame (1983) approaches political events in Pakistan. He has also published Grimus (1975.) a science fiction novel and The Jaguar Smile (1987), a journal about war-torn Nicaragua and of course, the banned book – The Satanic Verses.
Anita Desai has written Fire in the Mountains (1977), Clear Light of Day (1980) and The Village by the Sea (1982), Cry the Peacock (1963), Bye-Bye Black Bird (1971) and In custody (1984). Her subtle unostentatious prose and her sensitive evocation of the inner lives of her characters make her one of the finest talents at work in the Indian Novel.
Other Novelists: The period around Independence provided Khushwant Singh and Manohar Malgonkar with the subject matter of their novels: Singh’s A Train to Pakistan (1956) and Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges (1964) deal with partition. Singh’s I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale (1959) is about the movements of a Sikh family in the Punjab in the uncertain period before partition and Malgonkar’s The Princes (1963) a sympathetic account of the tragedy of a family who represents the local elite that ruled many ‘native’ states during the Raj. Kamala Markandya’s novels, which include Nectar in a Sieve (1954), A Handful of Rice (1966) and The Coffer Dams (1969), are mainly about rural and urban poverty and dispossession.
Nayantara Sahgal, a niece of Nehru, writes about the Indian elite of today and yesterday. Her novels include This Time of Morning (1965), The Day in Shadow (1971), A Situation in New Delhi (1977), Rich Like Us (1985) and Plans For Departure (1986), she was winner of the Eurasian section of the 1987 Commonwealth Writer Prize.
Although Arundhuti Roy she has written only one novel, she managed to gain international recognition as the popularity of her maiden novel; ‘The God of Small things’ transcended geographical boundaries and thereby made her presence feel among the contemporary literacy greats of the west. She also won tremendous critical acclaim for her immative use of the language and her lyrical and yet honest presentation of life and times of a Kerala village which culminated with her winning the prestigious Booker Prize ($20,000), for her debut literacy venture.
Indian Poetry in English
While Indian poetry in English dates back to the early nineteenth century, it is really only in the period since independence that it has come of age. Pride of place among poets writing in English must go to Nissim Ezekiel whose verse frequently explores relationships between the external world and the interior life. His volumes of verse include Time to Change (1951), The Unfinished Man (1960) and Hymns in Darkness (1976). Kamala Das writes about women’s emotions with a candour unprecedented in Indian verse and Arun Kolatkar, winner of the 1977 Commonwealth Poetry Prize for his collection Jejuri, provides a reference point for meditations on Indian life, ancient and modern. Other notable poets after Independence in English include Adil Jussawalla, P. Lal, Jayanta Mahapatra, Dom Moraes, Rajagopal Parthasarathy, G. Patel and A.K. Ramanujan. Vikram Seth has produced a virtuoso novel in verse, The Golden Gate (1986)
Though Mahatma Gandhi used his mother tongue, Gujarati, to write his famous autobiography, later translated into English by his secretary Mahadev Desai under the title The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1929), he used Hindi and English with masterly skill and use. As he lived through a eventful life among his people, who were attempting to liberate themselves from moral decadence; social lethargy, political degradation, economic exploitation, and cultural subordination, Gandhi wrote, day and night, in and out of prisons, for his two journals, Young India and Harijan.
Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1913). Tagore represents a happy combination of the ancient Indian tradition and the new European consciousness. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his slim volume of poems entitled Gitanjali. His other known works are Gora, Ghare Baire and Galpa Guchchha.
In 1930s emerged the first major figures in the field of English literature in the shape of the “Big Three” of Indian fiction: Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao and R.K. Narayan. Mulk Raj Anand is the most westernized of the trio; Rao, while writing in English and using the genre of the novels has his roots in Sanskrit culture. R.K. Narayan’s work occupies a middle ground between the approaches of his two illustrious contemporaries.
Mulk Raj Anand’s reputation was first established by his first two novels, Untouchable (1935), which gives an account of “a day in life” of a sweeper, and Coolie (1936), which follows the fortunes of a peasant boy uprooted from the land. His trilogy, The Village (1939), Across The Black Water (1940) and The Sword and the Sickle (1942)is an epic account of the gradual growth of the protagonist’s revolutionary consciousness, which may be seen as a microcosm of India’s movement towards an awareness of the need for independence.
Raja Rao’s first novel Kantapura (1938) is his most straight forward. It gives an account of how a village’s revolt against a domineering plantation owner comes to be informed by the Gandhian ideal of non violence. Rao’s major work The Serpent and the Rope (1960) is regarded by some Indian critics as the most important Indian novel in English to have appeared to date. It has also published the short novels The Cat and Shakespeare (1965) and Comrade Kirillov (1976).
Nirad C. Chaudhari is being regarded as the most controversial of Indian writers in English. He emerged on the scene with his book The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951). When he visited England, he recorded his experiences in A Passage to England (1959). In The Continent of circle (1965) he puts forward the thesis the Aryan settlers of India became enfeebled by the climate of North India. He has also published To Live or not to Live (1970) and a second volume of autobiography, Thy Hand, Great Anarch (1987).
R.K. Narayan’s early novels include the triology Swami and Friends (1935), Bachelor of Arts (1937) and The English Teacher (1945). The novels of his middle period represent his best works; these include Mr. Sampath (1949), The Financial Expert (1952), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961) and The Sweet Vendor (1967). They explore conflicts between traditional Hindu values and western incursions into the society. Narayan’s more recent novels include The Painter of Signs (1976), A Tiger for Malgudi (1983) and Talkative Man (1986). He has also published several volumes of short stories, including An Astrologer’s Day (1947) and Lawley Road (1956).
Vikram Seth’s first novel, A Suitable Boy has made him the most hyped-up first time novelist in the history of Indian literature. The Golden Gate, a novel in verse had hit the bestsellers’ lists in 1986-87. This was followed by three collections of verses: The Humble Administrator’s Garden, All You Who Sleep Tonight and Beastly Tales From Here and There
Salman Rushdie won the 1981 Booker Prize for Midnight’s Children (1981). The Shame (1983) approaches political events in Pakistan. He has also published Grimus (1975.) a science fiction novel and The Jaguar Smile (1987), a journal about war-torn Nicaragua and of course, the banned book – The Satanic Verses.
Anita Desai has written Fire in the Mountains (1977), Clear Light of Day (1980) and The Village by the Sea (1982), Cry the Peacock (1963), Bye-Bye Black Bird (1971) and In custody (1984). Her subtle unostentatious prose and her sensitive evocation of the inner lives of her characters make her one of the finest talents at work in the Indian Novel.
Other Novelists: The period around Independence provided Khushwant Singh and Manohar Malgonkar with the subject matter of their novels: Singh’s A Train to Pakistan (1956) and Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Ganges (1964) deal with partition. Singh’s I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale (1959) is about the movements of a Sikh family in the Punjab in the uncertain period before partition and Malgonkar’s The Princes (1963) a sympathetic account of the tragedy of a family who represents the local elite that ruled many ‘native’ states during the Raj. Kamala Markandya’s novels, which include Nectar in a Sieve (1954), A Handful of Rice (1966) and The Coffer Dams (1969), are mainly about rural and urban poverty and dispossession.
Nayantara Sahgal, a niece of Nehru, writes about the Indian elite of today and yesterday. Her novels include This Time of Morning (1965), The Day in Shadow (1971), A Situation in New Delhi (1977), Rich Like Us (1985) and Plans For Departure (1986), she was winner of the Eurasian section of the 1987 Commonwealth Writer Prize.
Although Arundhuti Roy she has written only one novel, she managed to gain international recognition as the popularity of her maiden novel; ‘The God of Small things’ transcended geographical boundaries and thereby made her presence feel among the contemporary literacy greats of the west. She also won tremendous critical acclaim for her immative use of the language and her lyrical and yet honest presentation of life and times of a Kerala village which culminated with her winning the prestigious Booker Prize ($20,000), for her debut literacy venture.
Indian Poetry in English
While Indian poetry in English dates back to the early nineteenth century, it is really only in the period since independence that it has come of age. Pride of place among poets writing in English must go to Nissim Ezekiel whose verse frequently explores relationships between the external world and the interior life. His volumes of verse include Time to Change (1951), The Unfinished Man (1960) and Hymns in Darkness (1976). Kamala Das writes about women’s emotions with a candour unprecedented in Indian verse and Arun Kolatkar, winner of the 1977 Commonwealth Poetry Prize for his collection Jejuri, provides a reference point for meditations on Indian life, ancient and modern. Other notable poets after Independence in English include Adil Jussawalla, P. Lal, Jayanta Mahapatra, Dom Moraes, Rajagopal Parthasarathy, G. Patel and A.K. Ramanujan. Vikram Seth has produced a virtuoso novel in verse, The Golden Gate (1986)
Heart of Gratitude!!!
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Enjoy your day with a heart of gratitude
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Enjoy your day with a heart of gratitude
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps
Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps is a book which will have you alternately laughing, crying and nodding your head in agreement. It should be read by everyone in a relationship, or who has ever been in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
Allan and Barbara Pease have worked together to produce a book which explores the differences between men and women and the reasons for these differences. Their explanations are based on detailed scientific research, but are presented in an entertaining and informative way. Cartoons, diagrams and one liners punctuate the text, illustrating key points with wit and simplicity.
Because it is written by a couple the findings are balanced – there are as many jibes at men as at women. Despite the humour and simplicity, the book is amazingly accurate and informative.
The Peases explore physiological and psychological differences, illustrating with examples and case studies. Differences in sensory capability, communication, sexual drive, academic ability and more are all explored, with the intention of helping us understand why these differences occur. There are also practical suggestions how men and women can cope with these differences.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
High Five! The Magic of Working Together!
Hi All,
After coming to Hyderabad from Chennai it took some time to settle here, i mean home, job, society, friends etc. After everything that is important to settle here i started reading this book. My best friend Deepak Lanka and my source to Art Of Living gifted this book to me. It is an amazing. I love Reading it again. This is a must read for the people who work In corporates.
High Five! The Magic of Working Together lists and explains four keys to a successful team and reasons that when all four keys are properly used, the team becomes a high-five team. Blanchard and Bowles use the thrill of a high-five coming together to describe the thrill of a team working together, which is where the term high-five team comes from. Blanchard and Bowles use a recreation league hockey team, the Warriors, to illustrate the keys to becoming a high-five team and how to incorporate those keys into a team that already exists.
The four keys of a high-five team are: providing a clear purpose and shared values, developing and unleashing skills, creating team power and keeping the accent on the positive. By integrating these four keys into a team of any kind, that team is more likely to succeed.
Providing a clear purpose and shared values means giving the team a common goal. This works best if the purpose is something that excites the team. When the team collectively decides on the goal, the team is more likely to get excited about working towards that goal. As a team, the Warriors decided to win the division cup and by coming up with this goal on their own, they were more excited to work towards it than if the coaches had told them what the goal was.
Developing and unleashing skills is illustrated in the book as developing hockey skills to help win the division cup. Once the Warriors had developed their skills, they were able to use them in games to help them win. At a company, once skills are developed they can be used to improve presentations and help the team facilitate closing deals. By developing and unleashing these skills, it is becoming easier for the team to meet their goal.
Creating team power is better described in High Five! as “none of us is as smart as all of us.” Having team power means that every member of the team recognizes that the individuals work better collectively rather than individually. The level individual commitment to the team is also likely to increase when each individual recognizes the importance of the team in achieved the goal. The Warriors realized that working together as a team would get them closer to their goal than all playing for individual benefit.
Keeping the accent on the positive is also described as “repeated reward and recognition.” By constant acknowledgement of the positive things that are taking place on the team rather than negative, the team is more likely to strive to repeat positive actions. It was noted that it is easier to avoid negative actions when they are not even a consideration. If team members focus on performing positively more than not performing negatively, it is easier for that team member to perform positively because the negative thoughts do not even affect his/her actions.
A team will be more successful is all its members and leader used these four keys. The effective combination of these four elements makes for a high-five team.
I think the approach to management that Blanchard and Bowles take is a very interesting and effective one. By illustrating that the basics of a team do not change from recreation league sports to Fortune 500 companies, they are stating that anyone can successfully be a team player. By compiling four keys to a successful team that can be expanded upon and adapted easily, Blanchard and Bowles essentially wrote a book that could apply to a majority of teams. What makes High Five! an effective book is that Blanchard and Bowles illustrate the four keys to a successful team in one of the most elementary examples of a team one could think of. By applying the high-five method to a simple team but also alluding to how it can be applied to companies, Blanchard and Bowles show that their methods are very versatile and easy to apply.
I would definitely recommend this book to other public relations students. While the writing style of the authors may not radiate expertise in management because the material entertains rather than bores you to tears, the lessons taught most definitely do. Blanchard and Bowles not only outline the four points needed in teamwork, but they also illustrate how the teamwork skills can be applied. I think that presenting the material in a way that can be applied to Fortune 500 companies as well as recreational league sports teams shows that teamwork is something that never changes. Blanchard and Bowles also show that the motivation a team needs from its manager never changes either. While at first glance, it may seem that the book is mostly about teamwork, the underlying message is how managers (or coaches) should structure and motivate their team to get the best response.
I believe that High Five! would be beneficial to any public relations practitioner because of the lessons it teaches. By using the High Five! method, public relations practitioners can inspire their team members to work together to produce the best results possible. By understanding what it means to be a team player, public relations practitioners will also have an easier time adapting to new teams that he/she may join throughout his/her professional career. It stands to reason that a public relations practitioner will be a part of more than one team throughout his/her career. By understanding the four things it takes to make a team successful, it becomes easier to motivate a team whether as a team member or leader. Learning how to effectively work as a team is something that will always be an asset in the public relations field. As reviewed by Reviewed by Jenny Moss.
After coming to Hyderabad from Chennai it took some time to settle here, i mean home, job, society, friends etc. After everything that is important to settle here i started reading this book. My best friend Deepak Lanka and my source to Art Of Living gifted this book to me. It is an amazing. I love Reading it again. This is a must read for the people who work In corporates.
High Five! The Magic of Working Together lists and explains four keys to a successful team and reasons that when all four keys are properly used, the team becomes a high-five team. Blanchard and Bowles use the thrill of a high-five coming together to describe the thrill of a team working together, which is where the term high-five team comes from. Blanchard and Bowles use a recreation league hockey team, the Warriors, to illustrate the keys to becoming a high-five team and how to incorporate those keys into a team that already exists.
The four keys of a high-five team are: providing a clear purpose and shared values, developing and unleashing skills, creating team power and keeping the accent on the positive. By integrating these four keys into a team of any kind, that team is more likely to succeed.
Providing a clear purpose and shared values means giving the team a common goal. This works best if the purpose is something that excites the team. When the team collectively decides on the goal, the team is more likely to get excited about working towards that goal. As a team, the Warriors decided to win the division cup and by coming up with this goal on their own, they were more excited to work towards it than if the coaches had told them what the goal was.
Developing and unleashing skills is illustrated in the book as developing hockey skills to help win the division cup. Once the Warriors had developed their skills, they were able to use them in games to help them win. At a company, once skills are developed they can be used to improve presentations and help the team facilitate closing deals. By developing and unleashing these skills, it is becoming easier for the team to meet their goal.
Creating team power is better described in High Five! as “none of us is as smart as all of us.” Having team power means that every member of the team recognizes that the individuals work better collectively rather than individually. The level individual commitment to the team is also likely to increase when each individual recognizes the importance of the team in achieved the goal. The Warriors realized that working together as a team would get them closer to their goal than all playing for individual benefit.
Keeping the accent on the positive is also described as “repeated reward and recognition.” By constant acknowledgement of the positive things that are taking place on the team rather than negative, the team is more likely to strive to repeat positive actions. It was noted that it is easier to avoid negative actions when they are not even a consideration. If team members focus on performing positively more than not performing negatively, it is easier for that team member to perform positively because the negative thoughts do not even affect his/her actions.
A team will be more successful is all its members and leader used these four keys. The effective combination of these four elements makes for a high-five team.
I think the approach to management that Blanchard and Bowles take is a very interesting and effective one. By illustrating that the basics of a team do not change from recreation league sports to Fortune 500 companies, they are stating that anyone can successfully be a team player. By compiling four keys to a successful team that can be expanded upon and adapted easily, Blanchard and Bowles essentially wrote a book that could apply to a majority of teams. What makes High Five! an effective book is that Blanchard and Bowles illustrate the four keys to a successful team in one of the most elementary examples of a team one could think of. By applying the high-five method to a simple team but also alluding to how it can be applied to companies, Blanchard and Bowles show that their methods are very versatile and easy to apply.
I would definitely recommend this book to other public relations students. While the writing style of the authors may not radiate expertise in management because the material entertains rather than bores you to tears, the lessons taught most definitely do. Blanchard and Bowles not only outline the four points needed in teamwork, but they also illustrate how the teamwork skills can be applied. I think that presenting the material in a way that can be applied to Fortune 500 companies as well as recreational league sports teams shows that teamwork is something that never changes. Blanchard and Bowles also show that the motivation a team needs from its manager never changes either. While at first glance, it may seem that the book is mostly about teamwork, the underlying message is how managers (or coaches) should structure and motivate their team to get the best response.
I believe that High Five! would be beneficial to any public relations practitioner because of the lessons it teaches. By using the High Five! method, public relations practitioners can inspire their team members to work together to produce the best results possible. By understanding what it means to be a team player, public relations practitioners will also have an easier time adapting to new teams that he/she may join throughout his/her professional career. It stands to reason that a public relations practitioner will be a part of more than one team throughout his/her career. By understanding the four things it takes to make a team successful, it becomes easier to motivate a team whether as a team member or leader. Learning how to effectively work as a team is something that will always be an asset in the public relations field. As reviewed by Reviewed by Jenny Moss.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Why Employees Leave Organisations???
Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile.
Early this year, Mark, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food. Twice Mark was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined. Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Mark walked out of the job.Why did this talented employee leave ? Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away.The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:If you're losing good people, look to their manager .... the manager is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition." People leave managers not companies ," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.Mostly manager drives people away? HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job.When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don't have your heart and soul in the job."Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.
Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.
- Azim Premji, CEO- Wipro
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Inspiring 30 second Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)
Hi,
For All my Workaholic friends :
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you're keeping all of these in the Air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it."
WORK "EFFICIENTLY" DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME. GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.
“In working for a living don’t forget to live”……!!!!!
For All my Workaholic friends :
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you're keeping all of these in the Air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it."
WORK "EFFICIENTLY" DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME. GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.
“In working for a living don’t forget to live”……!!!!!
Save the girl child!
'How sad, many girls missing from our country are found buried in some graveyard....
India is growing dynamically in every fields. Today, the boom in economy, innovative technologies and improved infrastructure has become nation’s pride. The country has witnessed advancements in all fields but bias against a girl child is still prevailing in the country.
This social evil is deep rooted in Indian ethos and the most shocking fact is that the innovative and hard high end technologies are brutally killing the Indian girl child. Innovative techniques, like biopsy, ultrasound, scan tests and amniocentesis, devised to detect genetic abnormalities, are highly misused by number of families to detect gender of the unborn child. These clinical tests are highly contributing to the rise in genocide of the unborn girl child.
In today’s day and age most couples prefer the process known as a planned pregnancy, because of various factors; prime amongst them being the financial well being to support the birth and nurturing of a child. In such cases, the first prenatal visit actually happens prior to actual pregnancy, to see whether one is ready to go off the contraception pills and conceive a baby.
However, in maximum conceptions, one is unaware of the pregnancy until actual realization dawns after one skips the first menstrual cycle. Normally doctors except ladies to pay their first visit anywhere between the sixth and twelfth week after conception.
Amniocentesis started in India in 1974 to detect fetal abnormalities. These tests were used to detect gender for the first time in 1979 in Amritsar, Punjab. Later the test was stopped by the Indian Council of Medical Research but it was too late. The benefits of these tests were leaked out and people started using it as an instrument for killing an innocent and unborn girl child. Many of the traditional women organizations also took up cudgels to stop this illegal practice but all failed and with the passage of time these tests became a major contributor to bias against a girl child.
Female feticide and infanticide is not the only issues with a girl child in India. At every stage of life she is discriminated and neglected for basic nutrition, education and living standard. When she was in the womb, she was forced to miss the moment when she was supposed to enter the world. At the time of birth her relatives pulled her back and wrung her neck. After killing her she was thrown into a trash can.
During childhood, her brother was loaded with new shoes, dresses and books to learn while she was gifted a broom, a wiper and lots of tears. In her teenage, she missed tasty delicious food to eat and got only the crumbs. During her college days, she was forced to get married, a stage where illiteracy, lack of education resulted in high fertility rate, aggravating the condition of females in the country. Again if this female gives birth to a girl child, the journey begins once again. She missed all roses of life and was finally fitted to a graveyard. That’s where she got peace of mind.
The nation of mothers still follows a culture where people idolizes son and mourns daughters. UN figures out that about 750,000 girls are aborted every year in India. Abortion rates are increasing in almost 80% of the India states, mainly Punjab and Haryana. These two states have the highest number of abortions every year. If the practice continues, then no longer a day will come when Mother India will have no mothers, potentially, no life.
We all are proud citizens of India. The need of hour is to realize our responsibilities and give a halt to this evil crime. What can we do to curb the brutal and undesirable practice of mass killing girls? A determined drive can initiate a spark to light the lamp and show the world that we all are part of the great Mother India.. copyright data 2007. Indianchild.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Music is my blood!!!
Hello all, It has been a very long time we kept discussing about various things that enlighten us and few things that keep us happy. But today i am very keen in discussing about the importance of music which is a part of our routine. I start my day with music and I listen to music while working even at my work place. It is in my blood, Whether you admit it or not, music imbeds our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. So if you're interested in music theory, music appreciation, Beethoven, Mozart, or other composers, artists and performers, we hope you'll spend some time with here and learn from these music articles of note for all ages and tastes.When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of a trivial pursuit. In fact, I only took my history of classical music class because I needed the credits. I did not realize how completely fascinating music history is. You see, in our culture many of us do not really learn to understand music. For much of the world, music is a language, but for us it is something that we consumed passively. When I began to learn about the history of Western music, however, it changed all that for me. I have had some experience playing musical instruments, but I have never mastered one enough to really understand what music is all about. This class showed me.
When most of us think about the history of music, we think of the history of rock music. We assume that the history is simple because the music is simple. In fact, neither is the case. The history of music, whether you're talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is always complicated. New chord structures are introduced bringing with them new ways of understanding the world. New rhythmic patterns are introduced, bringing with them new ways of understanding time. And music reflects all of it.
Even when the class was over, I could not stop learning about the history of music. It had whetted my appetite, and I wanted more. I got all the music history books that I could find. I even began to research forms of music that had not interested me before in the hopes of enhancing my musical knowledge further. Although I was in school studying toward something very different – a degree in engineering – I had thought about giving it up and going back to get a degree in musicology. That is how much I am fascinated by the subject.
If you have never taken a course in the history of music, you don't know what you are missing out on. The radio will never sound the same to you again. Everything will seem much more rich, much more luminous, and much more important. A new song can reflect a new way of being, and a new way of imagining life in the world. This is what learning about the history of music means to many of us.
Best Regards,
Prayaga Purushotham
Monday, March 8, 2010
Importance of paying attention!!!
Weekend was little hectic with lot of shopping at T nagar, Chennai. Today I came to work at my usual 9.30am and started reading mails. Usually my week starts with atleast 100+ mails. so i take time and read them with lot of patience. This is also one of the mail which i really liked and I started my week with a big laugh after reading it.
1st year students of MBBS were attending their 1st anatomy class.
They all gathered around the surgery table with a real dead dog.
The Professor started class by telling two important qualities as a Doctor.
The 1st is that NEVER BE DISGUSTED FOR ANYTHING ABOUT BODY,
e.g. He inserted his finger in dog's mouth & on drawing back tasted it in his own mouth.
Then he said them to do the same.
The students hesitated for several minutes.
But eventually everyone inserted their fingers in dog's mouth & then tasted it.
When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said:
The most important 2nd quality is OBSERVATION, I inserted my Middle finger but tasted the Index finger.
Now learn to pay attention.
Moral:
Life is tough but it’s a lot tougher when you are not paying attention.
1st year students of MBBS were attending their 1st anatomy class.
They all gathered around the surgery table with a real dead dog.
The Professor started class by telling two important qualities as a Doctor.
The 1st is that NEVER BE DISGUSTED FOR ANYTHING ABOUT BODY,
e.g. He inserted his finger in dog's mouth & on drawing back tasted it in his own mouth.
Then he said them to do the same.
The students hesitated for several minutes.
But eventually everyone inserted their fingers in dog's mouth & then tasted it.
When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said:
The most important 2nd quality is OBSERVATION, I inserted my Middle finger but tasted the Index finger.
Now learn to pay attention.
Moral:
Life is tough but it’s a lot tougher when you are not paying attention.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sachin's Appraisal :: Manager's Evaluation
Sachins manager is doing a yearly appraisal and want to rate him.. so he is talking to Sachin
200 Runs/ 147Balls/ 25X4 / 3X6
Agree you have done GREAT…………..
BUT BUT BUT BUT
25 x 4s = 100
3 x 6s = 18
IT implies that you have done 118 Runs in 28 Balls.
And 12 x 2s = 24
58 x 1s = 58
IT means you have done all 200 Runs in only 98 balls
So you have wasted 147-98 = 49 balls
Considering only 1 run scored on each of these balls you could have earned 49 valuable RUNS FOR OUR TEAM
MANAGER’S COMMENT: So you only met the expectations and NOT EXCEEDING (though anyone of our team could not do it) and your rating is 3
200 Runs/ 147Balls/ 25X4 / 3X6
Agree you have done GREAT…………..
BUT BUT BUT BUT
25 x 4s = 100
3 x 6s = 18
IT implies that you have done 118 Runs in 28 Balls.
And 12 x 2s = 24
58 x 1s = 58
IT means you have done all 200 Runs in only 98 balls
So you have wasted 147-98 = 49 balls
Considering only 1 run scored on each of these balls you could have earned 49 valuable RUNS FOR OUR TEAM
MANAGER’S COMMENT: So you only met the expectations and NOT EXCEEDING (though anyone of our team could not do it) and your rating is 3
Thursday, March 4, 2010
10 Rules To Stay Young Forever!!!
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Why am I Hindu?
It is a slightly lengthy article but is quite interesting to read
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA. An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told her that I am from India.
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'. Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?.
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
Who is your prophet?' she asked.
We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
What's your Holy Book?'
We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
What do you mean by that?'
Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu.. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?' What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..
Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?
God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'*
Why should I?. Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an single organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no single institution or authority.
So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.
Why can't you believe in one personal God?
We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions..
Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?
Loka Samastha Suk ino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,
Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?
May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.
Anybody convert to Hinduism?
Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs, practices and a way of life and culture. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception.
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA. An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told her that I am from India.
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'. Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?.
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
Who is your prophet?' she asked.
We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
What's your Holy Book?'
We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
What do you mean by that?'
Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu.. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?' What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes..
Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?
God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'*
Why should I?. Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an single organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no single institution or authority.
So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.
Why can't you believe in one personal God?
We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions..
Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?
Loka Samastha Suk ino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,
Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?
May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.
Anybody convert to Hinduism?
Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs, practices and a way of life and culture. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception.
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Which is more powerful ?
Which is more powerful - power of communication or power of silence?
Power of communication will put you in touch with man. Power of silence will put you in touch with the wisdom that created man. What do you think is then more powerful? It is true that behind every revolution is a revolutionary and the empowerment of the revolutionary was in the power of human voice. Even religions were dependent on the communicative abilities of the founders of the religion. There is one profession behind all professions - the profession of teaching. The lifeline of a teacher is the power of his communication. There is no denying that the power of communication is one of the greatest of human faculties. However, when the power of communication is derived from the power of silence, it becomes a more potent force. I can vouch for this with personal authenticity - the power of my communication is born out of the power of my silence. Psychologists have estimated that on an average we have as many as 60,000 thoughts per day. More importantly, 95-98% of those 60,000 thoughts we process are repeated daily. Each of those thoughts, at the physical brain level is releasing a shower of chemicals. Neuroscientists estimate that the human brain contains 100 billion neurons. Each neuron has about 1,000 connections. Each connection fires, on an average, 200 times per second resulting in 20,000 trillion calculations per second! And all this consumes loads of life energy. Even if we can reduce the number of thoughts by a small percentage, it can have a huge bearing on our life. Practicing silence for a few minutes every day gives you the power of that conserved energy. When we succeed in reducing the quantity of thoughts, we will start observing a remarkable improvement in the quality of thoughts. How? If we can reduce the number of thoughts, then the thought congestion can come down and we will be able to hold every thought a little longer. The longer we can hold on to a thought, the more potent the thought becomes. Every thought has creative power and the longer we hold a thought, the more powerful it becomes. With every thought, we send out the essence of ourselves which mingles with other essences and creates and re-creates our physical environment. In that sense, our life is not our master but our child. This is why it is so important to develop self-awareness to the depths of our ability, so that no creation can come about in our life without we making the choice. Practicing silence for a few minutes every day gives you the power to create your chosen environment. Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In meditation you listen to existence. In meditation you listen to the voice of the beyond. Meditation is a communion with existence. The power of your communication comes from the power of your mind. The power of your mind will come from the power of your silence. Next time around, speak, only if you can improve upon your silence.
Power of communication will put you in touch with man. Power of silence will put you in touch with the wisdom that created man. What do you think is then more powerful? It is true that behind every revolution is a revolutionary and the empowerment of the revolutionary was in the power of human voice. Even religions were dependent on the communicative abilities of the founders of the religion. There is one profession behind all professions - the profession of teaching. The lifeline of a teacher is the power of his communication. There is no denying that the power of communication is one of the greatest of human faculties. However, when the power of communication is derived from the power of silence, it becomes a more potent force. I can vouch for this with personal authenticity - the power of my communication is born out of the power of my silence. Psychologists have estimated that on an average we have as many as 60,000 thoughts per day. More importantly, 95-98% of those 60,000 thoughts we process are repeated daily. Each of those thoughts, at the physical brain level is releasing a shower of chemicals. Neuroscientists estimate that the human brain contains 100 billion neurons. Each neuron has about 1,000 connections. Each connection fires, on an average, 200 times per second resulting in 20,000 trillion calculations per second! And all this consumes loads of life energy. Even if we can reduce the number of thoughts by a small percentage, it can have a huge bearing on our life. Practicing silence for a few minutes every day gives you the power of that conserved energy. When we succeed in reducing the quantity of thoughts, we will start observing a remarkable improvement in the quality of thoughts. How? If we can reduce the number of thoughts, then the thought congestion can come down and we will be able to hold every thought a little longer. The longer we can hold on to a thought, the more potent the thought becomes. Every thought has creative power and the longer we hold a thought, the more powerful it becomes. With every thought, we send out the essence of ourselves which mingles with other essences and creates and re-creates our physical environment. In that sense, our life is not our master but our child. This is why it is so important to develop self-awareness to the depths of our ability, so that no creation can come about in our life without we making the choice. Practicing silence for a few minutes every day gives you the power to create your chosen environment. Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In meditation you listen to existence. In meditation you listen to the voice of the beyond. Meditation is a communion with existence. The power of your communication comes from the power of your mind. The power of your mind will come from the power of your silence. Next time around, speak, only if you can improve upon your silence.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
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