Biscuits- A world of Haves and Have-nots!

Hello readers

 

Hope you are all fine and safe.

 

This topic is more of a real-time experience and maybe the same for all of you who live in a metropolitan city.

 

Biscuits have been one of my topics which I have wanted to write about for some years now. The idea behind biscuits is simple the world is full of haves and have-nots, and this one is more about the have-nots.

 

In the initial years of my career, I used to travel long hours by bus. When I peeked outside the windows, there were beggar communities under the flyovers; beside the footpath, as soon as the signal turns red, they swarm the vehicle population to get a coin and run back under the flyover. 

 

Some say the whole beggars' community is a mafia-run racket; some say they are people who have lost all hopes in life and ended up here!

 

I partially agree that but still should understand the very reason someone chose the profession, if I could call that as a profession, is that they cannot get their daily needs like us. 

 

 Whether they are real beggars or just pretending to be one is a matter of debate, but this is not a balanced society.

 

Each morning when I go for a walk, there are two to three strays that follow me. I feed them with biscuits. 

 

But I realized certain people are even more unlucky than those dogs!

 

They can't afford a square meal and a place to sleep.

 

I have heard people giving me a philosophical touch to this quoting that this is their Karma and all that, alright accepted! But if we had the intention, we would have worked to change it.

 

How many of us treat people in rags who don't have any hope and sleep under bus stations and train stations footpaths as humans? We just pass by them and maybe offer them a coin if they pester us; otherwise, we just read them as tales of a footpath.

 

I belong to a group of haves, which makes me more responsible for fulfilling some needs to my capacity for have-nots. If we don't do that, I feel this societal imbalance will never resolve.

 

There is also another way of looking at this. You will be surprised to know sometimes they haves. Even though they all have the materialistic things in the world, they are poorer than the have-nots.

 

Why do I say so? You may love money, but money doesn't love you back, right? But a person would! So, you are poorer than the poorest there!

 

This takes us to the point that only your materialistic needs are not essential, but your intellectual and emotional are also crucial in life, finally leads to mental balance. 

There are only two families in this world, as a grandmother of mine used to say: The haves and have-nots.

-Miguel De Cervantes

Poor and rich is something man created, but the poorest may be richer in their mindset and qualities.

 

If that doesn't fulfil, then even the wealthiest man in the world wouldn't feel happy!

 

Try to start correcting the imbalance by walking baby steps towards giving and helping people in need.

 

Trust me, you will feel way better!

 

Thanks a lot for your time. Have a great day.

 

Helios

oxytocin

Hello readers

 

Hope all of you are safe.

 

Let go of the thoughts that doesn’t make you strong.

-Anonymous 

My previous blog was about emotions and the support we get from people during times of distress.

 

This one might be a continuation of it and a kind of closure for the discussion. Let's get started.

 

Emotional pillows are people help us lean on them, then we ended up with another question: who do they rely on? 

 

I got good answers from my dear readers for this question. So yeah, the most common answer is that they have someone to lean on. It's an endless chain. 

 

I like biology a lot; oxytocin is both a biological word and an emotional one. 

 

Oxytocin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that is involved in childbirth and breastfeeding. It is also associated with empathy, trust, and relationship-building. 

 

I have heard many speakers talk about oxytocin that boosts emotional intelligence morale and brings people out of depression.

 

The simple reason why it is used is called a mother hormone.

 

The same hormone makes a child calm when their mother touches the child, increasing oxytocin in the child's body.

 

Do we know that when we touch dogs, they feel we are their parents, and likewise, our brain calms down, and oxytocin gets released in your body, so you get that connection with the dog?

 

Well, that's the biological part.

 

 Compare this to how it feels. It's much different than just explaining it with all the biological terms.

 

Oxytocin as an expression

 

You meet many people in life, most of them just passed by some stay with you and some move on.

 

But do we realise all those who left you, who are staying with you, helped you calm you down at some point in your association with them?

 

Are you wondering how?

 

Even simple acts of kindness like getting you a cup of coffee while you were working, waiting for you to join, and then walking together, helping you when you forgot your wallet are just a few examples.

 

When you say good things to people, congratulate them, appreciate them, and are kind to them when you try to help them, with a small pinch of gratitude, you become a caregiver to them.

 

So, in a short period, we have on this earth how many offices can pledge that you just be kind to the people who live around you don't hurt them if we can't be kind.

 

During these times of uncertainty, what we more need is few good words and a smile.

 

Oxytocin matters in life. Though it is a complex biochemical, I see the human angle in this!

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Helios

Emotional Pillows

 Hello Readers

 Hope you all are safe and well!

 The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

-Ernest Hemingway

 When I was in college, I faintly remember reading, even though success is measured in your assets, positions, and various things, your attitude and emotional balance define your true success.

  Always wanted to write about this aspect of looking at life, but I guess I had to undergo situations to arrive at what I wanted to tell.

 The time feels right now to spill some beans on what's on my mind.

 Life is a sum of experiences, and these graphs of your experiences, even though they don't arithmetically progress, will increase in volume as we age.

 To be even more straightforward, each day in your life is an event.

 I am a bit of a stock market buff I follow the markets rigorously; do we know what the most challenging thing for a person who wants to book positions is? It is maintaining emotional balance.

 Emotional balance is simply being in composure come what may, even if it is the worst of situations in front of you and breaking into pieces.

 You should not break alongside the broken situation; instead, you bring up the tape of hope and positivity and stick those chunks together.

 You control your emotions and channel them in the right direction to achieve what you desire in life.

Courtesy Google images

 Emotional Pillows:

 They are not any memory foam or a high-priced cotton pillow available in the market.

 They are people, whose shoulders you put your head on when you are really stressed out or see a way out of a problem.

 I think, for most of us, it is our mothers’ as they have the power to observe our stress and make us breathe easy.

 For some, it is their siblings elder or younger doesn't matter, and for some, it is their best friends.

 But I have a question for all of you, who do emotional pillows take support from? Do they also have some way to release their stress or emotional load?

 Well, that is an open question; I really would love to hear your answers.

 My answer would be that the bolsters do not get any other support. They just pray to the stars to give them more strength to withstand! Yes, they get blessed from above most of the times I feel.

 Looking forward to your answers, Thanks a lot for your time.

 Have a great week ahead.

 Helios.

The Olympics - An event with different meanings.

 Hello Readers

 Hope you all are safe and fine.

 

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

- Pierre de Coubertin (primarily responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894)

 

The Mood of this blog is jubilant and cheerful.

 

That is what I feel; after enjoying a visual treat this past week, yes, some of you would have guessed it already. The Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020.

 

The various sports and their brilliant contenders.

 

When you see a sporting event, there are different ways of interpreting the same. We would enjoy the event, that’s obvious!.

 

When I was enjoying the spectacle, I was viewing this differently.

 

First, I could see the excitement among all the participants in all the sports they participated in.

 

Their raw emotions of happiness or sadness in each moment while they played.

 

The burdens and hopes of their countrymen which they carry.

 

Finally, their trainers constantly trying to motivate them, whenever they can, whether a team event or an individual sport.

 

I think the Olympics is one such event the world comes together forgetting their borders, race or Colour and speaks the only language which is a sport.

 

Imagine the synergy and the positivity present there!

 

An actual demonstration that we all can live with differences yet come together and acknowledge the victory of each other after a fair competition.

 

We can learn a lot from sports; it can measure a person’s determination, goal-seeking ability, and true grit to achieve what they desire to succeed.

 

Finally, the trust between teacher-student or a trainer and contestant in a more sporting sense.

 

That is, a bond of trust which exists between them is unique. Do you know why? Whenever their pupil fails to lead the competition, the coach will go to a different level to motivate their student.

 

They trust each other to the core; that is the gift of the Olympics. When you know someone in your life and decide to become their well-wisher, a teacher, or a simple guide to them, I feel when you know someone in your life. You need to build trust in them and support them.

 

That is the identity of a mature guide.

 

Can you be one? Well, try to do it starting today!

 

“It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve, and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athlete and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication.”

- Herb Elliott (Australian middle-distance Runner)

 

Hearty congratulations to all the winners of the Indian contingent and the other countries part of Tokyo 2020. who proved that it is possible to come what may! Their success stories are unbelievable and heart touching!

Courtesy Google images

Let us all learn from such joyful events and apply some of those principles in your life! Starting with believing in ourselves!

 

Thanks a lot for your time. Have a great week ahead.

Helios.

Snooze

Hello readers

 

I hope you are all safe and doing well.

 

There is no stopping when it's time, but until that time arrives, you have the time to prepare!

-Unknown

 

So many of us take help to get up each morning.

 

What is the simple and most accessible tool available? It's an alarm.

 

I have been a watches buff! since my childhood; I think it was in high school, I had a couple of friends who had once fancied a watch that had a radio in it, another one which had a GPS functionally and used to show the latitude and longitude.

 

I was blown away by seeing those gizmos! But fortunately, I am a 90s kid who has seen the world without mobiles or smart phones and PC games, and now I am living in an era in which they are at their peak!

 

Back to alarm clocks, the first American alarm clock was created in 1787 by Levi Hutchins in Concord, New Hampshire. However, this device he made only for himself, and it only rang at 4 AM to wake him for his job. The French inventor Antoine Redier was the first to patent an adjustable mechanical alarm clock in 1847.

 

After the advent of digital technology and solid-state electronics, digital alarms came into the picture.

 

Digital LCD watch manufactures competed with the multiple alarm modes and lap chronographs or stopwatches.

 

But the concept and logic behind the alarm clock are excellent; it has helped many in achieving their milestones!

 

Are you wondering how?

 

Just think, one of the ingredients  to achieve any goal in life is time management and deadlines, well there lies your answer, alarms do both the jobs for us.

 

What triggered me to write this one is a feeling of ah, seeing the advantages of the modern tech that helps you be on top of your things.

 

High-end digital watches, smartwatches, calendar reminders, you name it!

 

From outlook meeting reminders, birthday reminders on your smartphone calendars, until the smartphone alarm, or I am not sure if you still fancy keeping a wake-up call on your digital watch or a traditional alarm clock.

 

"Your times are ticking is what we hear all the time."

 

That statement has a deeper meaning. The time we have and the time we have wasted till today, the difference between these two numbers is the hours you have been both physically and mentally alive in the world! That is what I believe.

 

We all get constantly reminded by incidents and our past experiences, which should steer life faster in the direction in which we want to go.

Courtesy Google images

Enjoy your life with all the zeal and energy, set reminders and alarms that will help you measure your success, and avoid using this button called "SNOOZE” because when you do that, you end up procrastinating, which leads to moving all your goals ahead and delayed! 

 

Time is the essence of life.

 

Thanks a lot for your precious time.

 

Have a great evening and week ahead.

 

Helios.

The sculptor and sculpture

 Hello readers good morning!

I hope you all are fine and safe.

The exciting fact is, this blog was on my draft shelf for almost two years now, glad I am finally ready to discuss this.

 

We have visited historical places atleast once in our life, like an ancient temple or a chapel, we all would have noticed beautiful sculptures.

 

These sculptures were created using materials like stones or wood, and there are any other material.

 

What is that one activity which stands out while created statues? At the top would be the blueprint, of course, like the dimensions and all the engineering aspects.

 

The second place would go to the making of what is called chiseling, technically speaking.

 

You have a block of stone, and you have an image in mind; now, the goal is to change that block of stone into that image you have in mind or in front of you almost or entirely alike the former.

 

The process begins with the shaping of the stone-like transversal view or a longitudinal view. Once the basic shaping is completed, the most important part begins.

Chiseling: sometimes, it also called carving which requires deep skill and accuracy and timing, we cut the base material into the desired shape we intend to with an artistic touch.

 

In history, we have read about the construction of temples; the timelines soar from few years to centuries in which one of the major parts was chiseling.

 

The activity of carving is the one that would add to the beauty of the whole structure.

 

 Try to co-relate this to life: When you are born, that stone slab is you, untouched, pure, a gift of nature.

 

In case of carving figurines, there is a blueprint, to arrive at a result. Whereas in the case of us, there is no blueprint, the result is what we want to be! Almost unlimited.

 

When I say unlimited, it is up to us and the people around who brought you up and guided you until you could take decisions of your own.

 

Then it is all on you! How and where you want to reach in life, pure and simple, no strings attached here.

 

Of course, you will hear a lot of these words like "NO", "you can't do that", "leave this and move on", but finally it is you who accepted that and left it.

 

I would also like to add that leaving something and then clinging to something else you felt is a better option is not bad, but to completely stop pursuing your interests something is a bummer!

 

My simple message after setting prima facie is: We all are like untouched rocks; when we are born, people start shaping you, chiseling you to turn you into a beautiful person, then there is a point where even though the people are there for you to help you out, it falls on you to decide what you want to become.

When you are time is done on the green planet, people look back and admire the simulacrum(image) you left behind, make it an amazing one not for anyone else but for you; as it makes you feel contended that you lived your life to the fullest!

 

Wishing you all health and all the energy in the world, which I hope you will use to drive your subconscious mind into bringing the best out of you always.

 

The sculptor and sculpture would be you if the effigy did not come out well; now we know the tools are not responsible!

 

Don’t worry about looking good worry about achieving your goal.

-Raymond Thomas Dalio

 

Thanks for your time, have a good week ahead.

 

Helios.

The Stock Market Blob

Hello readers

I hope you are all fine and healthy.

Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered.

-An old investment industry saying warns against being excessively greedy.

So, it is weekend time to blog! Of late, my genres have been more on values, friendship, behavioural psychology, and some good vibes about entrepreneurship.

Today it is about one of my favorite topics, which I am pretty sure there are many people around who get excited and curious to understand about it. So, the stock market it is!

There is a lot of talks going on since last week about this jargon since past week.

It is called the “stock market bubble” lets break it up we know the stock market, what is a? A small globule typically hollow and light: such as. a: a small body of gas within a liquid. b: a thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas.

Understanding Stock Market Bubble

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently warned about a possible stock market bubble in its annual report for FY21. The central bank’s comment comes on the back of domestic stock markets touching record highs even as the country’s economy continues to face disruption due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the context of financial or economic markets, a bubble generally refers to a situation where the price of a stock, financial asset, an asset class, or an entire sector exceeds the fundamental value by a significant margin.

Stock market bubbles are usually hard to predict, especially for those who do not track the market in-depth daily.

There are usually five stages to a financial or asset bubble, and understanding each stage is essential to avoid wealth erosion. The five steps are displacement, boom, euphoria, profit-taking, and panic.

Simply put, the bubble is created based on speculative optimism or demand rather than the financial asset’s real or fundamental worth. 

When the bubble bursts, it leads to massive selloffs, and prices decline rapidly.

The housing bubble in 2008 that led to a severe global recession is one of the most prominent examples, though there have been more minor instances in the past.

The bubble can affect the overall stock market, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or shares in a particular sector.

 I read an article in independent.co.uk about the return of Michael Burry to Twitter, nicknamed the  “The big, short investor”

 Here’s what he had to say: The “Big Short” investor, Michael Burry, returned to Twitter after deleting all of his posts to warn cryptocurrency and meme stock investors that the “mother of all crashes” could be on its ways, costing them tens of millions or trillions of dollars.

 By now, we know the ingredients that make or builds a stock market bubble; let us try to list them, speculation, over inflation of stock prices, the earning capacity of the stock exceeding its fundamental values.

Rest assured; is not the first time this phenomenon has occurred ; here are some famous stock market bubbles which the markets have witnessed.

The Mississippi bubble (1719-1720)

The Mississippi Bubble -- which derives its name from the French Mississippi Company -- grew out of France’s dire economic situation in the early 18th century. By Louis XIV’s death in 1715, the treasury was in shambles, with the value of metallic currency fluctuating wildly.

 The south sea bubble (1720)

During the same period that French speculators were driving up the price of shares in the Mississippi Company, English speculators were purchasing stock in the South Sea Company. Formed in 1711 by Robert Harley, the South Sea Company was created to convert £10 million of government war debt (incurred during the War of Spanish Succession) into its own shares. In exchange, the company would receive annual interest payments from the government and a monopoly on trade with the South Seas and South America.

The Japanese “bubble economy” (1984-1989)

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Japan had one of the highest economic growth rates in the world. In the 1970s, the government began to deregulate financial markets, which allowed banks to actively seek out new customers. During the mid-1980s, Japan took a loose approach to monetary policy, which caused the money supply to increase and interest rates to fall. Combining these two actions was essential to creating a speculative bubble: with low interest rates and easier access to credit, new actors entered the financial markets.

Recently the 2008 mortgage crash!

Are bubble bursts suitable for the market and its participants?

 

• Investors can benefit from bubbles by being contrarian.

A bubble will typically result in great scrutiny on one or two market areas, leaving others ripe for the picking. Despite the broad brush that companies that operate in the sector get painted with, there are some excellent companies that long-term investors can target.

The two most significant traits to succeed in investing have the mindset that allows an investor to be comfortable going against the tide and waiting for their thesis to play out.

• The best way for investors to differentiate between a new business and a trend is to do their homework.

They should consider whether the business they are analyzing has earnings. A company may not necessarily be profitable if it is reinvesting heavily into its operations to grow its business. Still, the company needs to demonstrate an ability to generate profits at some point in the future.

• Investors need to evaluate how much they are paying for a business.

Paying 30, 40, or 50-times earnings is generally not a recipe for success, as a great company can be a bad investment if bought at too high a price. Sometimes, finding a great business means having to wait several years before the market offers up the opportunity to buy it at an attractive price, but that is part and parcel of being a disciplined investor.

• Investors need to monitor their investments.

This is to ensure that the reason they bought a company in the first place is progressing as expected. Companies can fail to execute their strategies for various reasons, poor management, changing industry dynamics or sheer bad luck.

Some key takeaways which understood from doing my math and research are.

The bubble is an inevitable situation, just like the highs and lows of the market cannot be controlled.

It must be noted that day trading should keep a tab on the volatility and avoid trading on eccentric days, especially in derivatives, to avoid losing on heavy market premiums!

Finally, the positive part is that if the bubble fragments the market, and we see a double negative, it is the best time for long term investments.

Thanks a lot for your time, enjoy the rest of your evening.

Helios.

References:

https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/rbi-warns-of-stock-market-bubble-should-investors-be-worried-1809096-2021-05-31

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dotcon/historical/bubbles.html

 https://www.morningstar.in/posts/50879/markets.aspx