Hatchway

Dear Readers,

 I hope you all are doing fine and safe. 

 The remedy for weakness is not brooding about it but thinking about strength.

-Swami Vivekananda.

 Finally, we see some dip in the corona Virus cases in India, and I think the Bell curve is flattening up, great we could achieve a billion doses of kudos to all the people involved in it. 

 Today want to discuss an all-important topic.

 We all know what we mean by “door” it is a piece of furniture that protects a particular place from trespassing and helps maintain privacy.

 On the contrary, doors are entry points to a new place that is ready to explore.

 That was a material aspect of doors; let us think a little bit from a literary element.

 I mentioned doors are gateways to explore new places.

courtesy google images

 Similarly, now, if we consider our life as a journey and in this journey, we enter many places, and each of these places has boundaries, gates and doors that we need to knock, open and finally go inside.

 Each of those barriers or doors is the problem you face in life, and every time you open that door, you enter a new world which we can call the solution.

 But it doesn’t end there; your new world will have other rooms locked, there you have the task to work upon to unlock those rooms again and explore!

 So the cycle actually continues, you enter a world, you see things there, enjoy them, you suffer from them and move on, and again you move to a different world.

 Many of you reading this would have played the game “Mario” by Nintendo, where he finally clears many worlds to meet his princess.

 Doors matter in life, and as you grow old, the doors will be solid and hard to open, but you need to become strong and competent to open these doors and start exploring the world.

 Unless we do not understand the root cause of our problems in life, we will always open new issues or not close our current ones!

 It is just like carrying the wrong keys to open doors; either you are stuck or may enter the wrong place, by which I mean creating new problems for yourself!

 Just keeping it simple for today, as I see many people are lost and thinking about things which don’t matter. These are times they need to think and work on resolving their issues and move on!

 All the best, practice moving on in life. 

 It seriously helps. It has seriously helped me at times where I needed to! Let it be a job or a person. Once you understand the crux, you need to move on!

 Get busy living or get busy dying!

-Andy Dufresne to Red Redding -The Shawshank redemption.

 Thanks for your time, have a lovely weekend.

 Helios.

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.