Apply LifeSkills to Promote Global Citizenship!

Communal Violence has been ruling the headlines since a very long time. What appeals to the public is not the endless wars and intolerance for humanity but peace and harmony! Communal violence has consumed a lot of media interest among adults. How do you think your kids respond to this news? Do they respond and have some definite ideas about this violence?

Never mind, the answer is always vague when it comes to children. Mostly, we assume that news is for adults and not for children, especially when it is about communal violence. But have you ever thought that even children need to know about the World they live in? Much importance has been delegated to students to behave well in their homes. What about teaching them what it means to interact globally?

Not all students are fortunate to have global exposure. Most of them go to local schools and learn whatever is taught to them. They do not get the chance to participate in global forums unless invited via the internet. For example, on a social networking site, you will hardly see your children talking about universal brotherhood unless he has a foreign friend with whom he mingles the most. It is natural psychology and part of our culture to defend our own community. But looking at the growing annoyance between communities, we see a pending need to define cultural refinement through global citizenship.

If you heard him saying so, then probably he regrets not having done something in his life. Life skills provide the basic education towards a new way of thinking. For example, decision making skill. It teaches our children how to build a base for their thoughts which have a lot of power. It is a fact that thoughts can produce action and action has repercussions. To make it short and simple, decision making skills can provide a mean for success in life.

It's time that students are taught to be responsible not only for their own society but for the World at large. We see global leaders talking about global peace every now and then. Why do you think they spend hours preparing a global speech? It is to make sure that our global citizens respond more responsibly towards the earth and its beings which in turn will make it a sustainable and safe place to live in.

Life skills help a child to think differently, to put forward his opinions, to broaden his horizons and not be caged into the humdrum of daily life. Moreover, it shapes an individual's character by adding qualities like honesty, politeness, tolerance and respect towards other cultures.

To enrol your child for a life-changing skill set, log on to skillizen.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arihant_Rao
Author: Ankita Majumder

LifeSkills Rule the Winners!

Have we ever thought why we can't fix a car engine? The answer is simple. We are not mechanics. But what does a mechanic have that makes him fix the engine and not us? He has mechanical skills and proper knowledge to fix or regulate any kind of machine.

Sometimes we wish to be the topper in class or the employee of the year. Does that happen? You might think, no! At least not all of us succeed. To change this, do we have any magic formula that can let us win? An age old phrase says, "Practice makes a man perfect". But the question is 'what to practice'?

I say it's Life skill! It's time that we start working on our present by applying certain skills in life which can let us reach the destination. Just imagine how good it will feel to relish the taste of 'best student or employee' of the year title? A dream will come true. Isn't it?

All this is possible. With little hard work and most importantly, by knowing what skills you need to learn in order to become the best. What can get you ahead of the mass?! Research says, the brain is hard wired to learn and adopt these skills from the ages of 6-18, after 18 years we develop our own belief system. Does that mean we can't learn it after 18? Sure we do, sometimes through practical applications in life. But that is a long process. Let me be elaborate, in jobs, it takes years to learn these practical skills and in schools or public education sectors,

we are not taught what skills are, instead we are taught how to calculate, how to locate or know things and everything related to the subjects which are confined to their own world. For example, history teaches or tells us about past events but do we learn any skills from it? Not really. Unless somebody wants to be an archaeologist, in that case he/she needs to join the course of archaeologies.

My point is simple, life skills teaches us to be winners in life. They can be leadership skills, planning and organizing, interpersonal communication skills, self-management, entrepreneurship. Every skill is a great resource to an advanced future.

Every day in news or articles we can see billions of people feeling trapped in their stressful jobs or frustrated as they cannot fulfil their dreams. Nobody gave them education for skills, nobody told them how to utilise some of them. They are on their own. To change the situation, it's time to concentrate on the extra added flavour in life which can reward us in many ways.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8891564
Author: Ankita Majumder

What do you think of Soul mates?

“I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.” 

- Lisa Kleypas, Blue-Eyed Devil

A Role Model

‘Why did you throw your school bag like that?’

Aunt Anna asked John as he came back from school and threw his bag. He looked a bit frustrated.

This was a bit contrary to what he generally is, a fun loving and cheerful boy. He was in his 5^th grade and the reason behind his frustration was his school friends who spoke badly about David Beckam. He had an argument with his best friend about Beckam’s last match. 

Perhaps Aunt Anna sensed his mood and started asking him ‘what happened?’

John didn’t reply and took his towel. At the same time his mother Mrs. Rose came in and said ‘oh you’re back!, how was your day?’

John said ‘fine’ and headed towards the washroom.

Meanwhile, Aunt Anna told his mom that today he seemed to be a bit frustrated. Reason was unknown. His mother frowned and said ‘well we need to give him some time, these kids nowadays, you know’. Aunt shook her head and started preparing dinner. 

His family was a mediocre one in which his mother was a school teacher and Aunt Anna stayed with them. John used to be close to his sister who was in her 2^nd grade.

John’s sister rosemary showed her new drawings to Aunt Anna. She nudged her fondly and said ‘Very good’.

In myriad ways, many students nowadays get attracted to celebrities who become their role models. John was one of them. David Beckam played a crucial part in his life to build up his character although his dad never approved of it. He wanted his son to become an engineer. Since childhood, john has dreamt of playing like Beckam one day. His father always told him ‘Son you need to do good to people in some way or the other way, become an engineer like me’.  John became defensive and replied ‘No father, I want to become a footballer’. But nothing changed.

Soon after, John grew to be a handsome gentleman. He had to pursue engineering as his dad always wanted. Much to his grief he learnt life wasn’t easy, people had to work hard and pursue realistic goals. However, he continued playing football with his friends in the backyard every weekend.

One fine day while picking up letters from the post box, he found a letter addressed to him from England’s football association. It was like a dream come true for him as he applied for it long back on his sister’s persuasion. But the question here was, should he tell this to his family members or not? Rather, would they let him go to England?

He thought for a while. Unable to decide, he went up to his sister and gave her the surprise.

‘Wow, this is incredible. How could you possibly didn’t tell me?’

‘Dear I got it today while retrieving letters from that box, I don’t know since when it was lying there’.

‘Whatever, I’m going to tell dad’, she said.

‘No, you’re not. Promise me!’ John begged.

Rosemary had no other option but to keep her mouth shut. She could understand the anxiety John was going through but felt helpless.

‘How can you make your dream come true then?’

‘I don’t know, leave me alone for some time. I’ll figure out’ said John.

She snapped the door and left.

John lay on his bed and closed his eyes. He could see the crowd cheering and the lights on. Nothing meant much to him than Victory. Victory of being acclaimed,  of being a superstar. Much higher than the nitty gritty of life he was currently in. He could see all the best players smiling at him. In his mind, he saw himself as a footballer.

All of a sudden the door cracked open. It was his dad.

‘Hi buddy, what’s up with your office? You don’t talk to me nowadays’ Mr Rose said.

‘Well dad, I had to tell you something’ John said looking at his dad’s eye. ‘ I’ve got a chance to play for England’.

‘Oh come on! How could you even think they will select you? Don’t you know England is a tough team, recently it has been out of World Cup. The press call them ‘Idiots’ and you want to join them? This is ridiculous. Besides, what will happen to your job here?’

‘I’ll figure that out dad. I’ve been old enough to take the decisions of my life. I loved Beckam since I was 3, that’s too soon for a kid to adore a player isn’t it? I want to pursue my dream’ John said confidently.

‘Perhaps, I shouldn’t have given you so much freedom son. I think you don’t understand the stakes of moving to such a big city in search of stardom. You’re glued to unrealistic dreams. I have nothing more to say.’ He left the room in silence.

John sighed.

The clouds roared and it started raining. That night John couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about his dream which he wanted to turn into reality.  

He went to his mother’s room. Opened the door  without making noise, tip toed to reach up to her bed. She was fast asleep, unaware of what her son was going through. John took her hand into his and started weeping silently. Somehow he missed her. He missed talking to her, sharing his thoughts with her. A tear fell on her hand and she got up.

Immediately he left her hand and wiped off his tears. ‘John! What happened? What are you doing here?’

‘Nothing mother, I missed you’

His mother hugged him and said she could see the tears in his eyes. He smiled. She assured him that next morning they’ll chat about the problem he might be going through and bid each other good night.

The very next morning, John and his mother met at the breakfast table. They greeted each other and John told the story of his football fascination. His dad was busy gardening so he thought of sharing his thoughts to his mother in a profound and comfortable way.

His mom nodded and said, ‘It’s good that you have a role model since your childhood, everybody does but your dad wanted to become one for you, he has worked day and night to bring you all that you needed. Do you remember the time you had malaria? He stayed up nights to look after you, he loves you and is not your enemy Johnny. We want to see you happy. If you think you can pursue your dream in England then we would help you start the procedure. Why not? But remember the importance of your family while you grew’.

‘Of course I do mother, I just wanted your support and love. I can win the whole World if you’re beside me’.

They hugged each other. A big burden was released from his chest after he spoke to her. John’s mother spoke to his dad and convinced him for his departure.

His sister rosemary and Aunt Anna were happy to see John smiling after a long time. He had this grief of not pursuing his dream all through he grew up. The family became busy packing his bags after he got approval from England’s football team and got his visa stamped.

The departure date finally set in and he held a bag in his shoulder, the other bags being on the trolley at the Airport. Aunt Anna squeezed his cheeks and told him ‘Son, remember one day you threw your schoolbag in apprehension? Don’t throw it this time’ and laughed.

He laughed and said ‘Sure I wouldn’t’. Soon after his family bid him happy journey and his flight took off.

Do you think John became a renowned footballer? How important a role does family play in shaping an individual’s life? 

Exploring the beauty of Nepal : Do-gooders call it Voluntourism

“What makes you come here?”

I entertained a surprising question while trying to justify my wanderlust for Nepal. The man asking this question was a retired army officer, looking at me through his black bordered big spectacles, trying to get hold of a young girl’s motive in an estranged yet beautiful country! My companion, a Spanish expert high school drop-out long term friend Robina had been snoring till then in the bus we boarded to reach our destination.

I said as a matter of fact there is a book in which Jeff Rasley quoted "You have to get lost before you can be found" in the thrill and awe of the high mountains which awaited exploration. Sure, one can have a fascination for the location especially for mountaineering or to volunteer depending upon various possibilities.

However, he seemed a bit unconvinced. I still continued 'I’m here to witness a landlocked country in South Asia, comprising of eight of the World's highest peaks, Everest being the most prominent. Located in the heart of the Himalayas, it attracts many monks and tourists in search of peace & beauty.' He smiled and said ‘if you might have a look at Kathmandu, you’ll like it’. I nodded.

We finally reached eastern Nepal, Khartuwa Village which overlooks a range of green hills and plantations. Robina wanted to read the newspaper in hand, somehow twisted and turned with the wind’s subtle blow. I was walking all the way up to the cliff to grab a photograph when a group of cowherds caught my attention. Robina immediately set the newspaper aside and started asking them in local language ‘hello, do you know where we can find a restaurant?’ A boy clad in ripped brown dress replied ‘nothing here’ and walked off. Robina frowned and said ‘Damn! he was so rude ’. I smirked.

Apparently, Nepal has a population of only 15% having electricity in their households and is often termed as the least developed countries in the World. Bridging the thin line between poverty and tourism, Nepal desperately needs volunteers as many thousands of children live on the streets and are engaged in physical work. We were very excited about incorporating ‘mission health habits’ among Nepalese children. Over the years, ‘Voluntourism’ was an alien word until some great adventurers from “ethical volunteering” team described it to the World in which people like us join in forces to make use of our free time. Our Camp was set in Marshyandi Valley which had breath taking glacier flows. We were scheduled to start off in a few days from the village.

Robina quenched her thirst of water after we reached a no-star fine-to-be-in hotel. Over the curtains, Bal Balika Primary school could be seen, the only school which was accessible in a 500-people village. Getting there was difficult as proper transportation was not available. Most of the villagers lived on agriculture and young women fetched water. I glanced through the window and noticed a beautiful child standing across the steel fence with red cheeks and sweet smile waving her hands towards me as a gesture to come up there and join her friends.

She looked timeless and she looked perfectly happy. If only I could clean her mud ridden face ….I sighed. A hand stretched out to my shoulder while I looked back, it was Robina, smiling. The journey to Nepal ensured that the kids were taught the right mode of conduct. We were extremely satisfied and thankful to the Nepalese teachers and children for their warm co-operation and love.

 European dreams - In the midst of lush green valleys and picturesque landscape

All too often, while sipping a cup of coffee we daydream of visiting places which invigorate our senses, the thought of distant valleys and oceans, the feeling of diving into the pool of wonder makes us ponder ' IF ', if at all we could be there at that moment. Europe is one of those places on Earth which not only satiates our wondering mind but also helps us relieve the ongoing stress of daily life.

 One Beautiful morning while climbing up the hills to reach our destination in Switzerland, we found some local cows grazing with their melodious bells ringing all the way. The clouds over those mountains provided a prefect scene of nature's bliss.

Buddha says "It is better to travel well than to arrive" and it is strongly justified in the journey of ancient places which are uphold by European Culture even today. One can see the beauty of Michael Angelo's work that classified and established the Western Art through his various sculptors and amazing paintings all over Italy, Venice and Florence. 

As we descended towards the most popular city of France, Paris, we found the glorious Eiffel Tower with its magnificent height standing right in the heart of the city. Children played on the parks with their parents and we took the lift inside the tower which provided access to most delicious food available. There were telescope provided for the travellers to get a glimpse of the brilliantly planned city. The evening became more joyous after we had the boat ride all over the water surrounding the tower.

Hi All,

After a long time again, hope you all are fine.

I'm going to write what I came across few months back while I visited a Meditation Center namely Brahma Kumaris in India. Along with a friend I had good experiences which I'm going to share with you.

Today most of the problems in relationships occur due to the common 'expectation' we have for the other person. The other person can be your husband/ wife/ boyfriend/ girlfriend/ parent/ friend/ sister/ brother. Anyone close.
Sadly, with those we are close and ironically that too, we shouldn't be expecting much. You might relate to quotes you see like 'Expect little, give much' and so on. Well, its true. A relationship is formed in the mind.
Ask me how? I tell you.

Read carefully, a relationship is something which is 'formed' when two people 'give'. I give, you give. It's that simple and its formed. Then attachment happens and slowly you share things with the other person.
Now to maintain the relationship it is very vital to remember that you should concentrate on giving without expecting much.

Sit back and think about it. When was the last time you selflessly did something for the one you love and they appreciated? How did that make you feel?

Now you might have negative thoughts creeping in like 'Oh I did so much but i got very little' or something like 'I'm disappointed'. Ask yourself why?!

Let me tell you, if the relationship you are relating to right now while you are reading this is about 'love', then love is supposed to be completely unconditional. Unconditional acceptance of the other person.

If you are facing problems in your relationship try the method of being more loving and caring no matter what you receive from the other end. Have patience, keep faith. This unconditional love has the power to get the person back into your life or solve the problems now or in the future.

Love is within us, its our very core with which we are made. We are human 'beings' after all. Aren't we supposed to be better than animals who just reproduce but not socialize?!

Similarly, a human being is supposed to give, the other will give too. If however you think that you have given enough positive energy to the other person and it is simply not working then maybe you can go back in time and ask those questions of what went wrong. Somewhere it is our fault that we do not recognize or are too 'egoistic' to accept our mistake.

Keeping a relationship healthy is very simple:

Step 1. Be Positive.

Step 2. Remember to give and to share.

Step 3.Trust wholeheartedly, no matter what. If they betray, accept it as your choice to trust, do not blame them.

Step 4. Don't try to change the person as that means we are Not accepting him or her. If we don't accept, we are sending negative vibes which leads to more misunderstandings.

Step 5. Accept yourself as you are and concentrate on being more loving and caring.

May Peace be with you.

I decided to write after a long time. But this time only for a 'Cause'. 

My heart goes out for all the victims who were brutally raped and murdered in our capital. Today the 23 year old girl appeals to our senses, our emotions only after what is done... But before it happened, nobody was concerned. Even after she was thrown out of the bus naked, nobody helped her. How cruel have you become human kind? 

Dont you have mother's, sister's and daughter's? Why not help an innocent victim and take her to the hospital? Only because of your 'name'? WHat is the importance of your existence if you cant live for others?!

Looking at the issue with minute details makes me feel ashamed of our so-called security and ministers...

May God help her and her family and may Justice be done for all those who suffered. 

How to Control "Vulnerability" !! Here's an interesting article for all of you!!

Emotional Vulnerability: Its Causes and Cure

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my wife’s traveling with another guy, and the reaction of a conventional friend who asked, “Are you OK with that?” At the time, it didn’t occur to me that she might be talking about jealousy, but then a few days ago, a much less conventional friend—in some ways—made the subject clear: “Don’t you have the least bit of jealousy?” I was so surprised by the question that I couldn’t think quite what to say, but a simple “No,” left her still looking quizzical. I wasn’t at a loss for words, thanks to a cup of espresso, but I don’t think I covered the issue very well.

In thinking about it later, I remembered that Eve, my wife, had asked me the same question, and when I answered, “No,” she said, “Damn! That’s too bad.” I think she was joking, but at any rate, we have talked about our relationship so much that I didn’t have to go into detail—she believed me. So why aren’t I jealous?

My first serious encounter with jealousy, which I’ve written about in the Journal, was in the seventh grade, and thanks to some fortuitous preparation by life, I came out of it pretty well. I realized that there’s no controlling someone else’s preferences, and if I care about their happiness, I’ll want them to get what they want, even if it’s not me. Any other reaction is selfish and unreasonable. I still had emotional reactions when I saw my desired girlfriend with someone else, but each time those arose, I went through the reasoning process again, and those reactions got less and less severe, until they became momentary.

Jealousy, anger, love, lust, and all the rest of our emotions, evolved because they conveyed some survival advantage to the genes of the animals that had them. Lions and tigers have emotions, too, but don’t seem to think about them very much, while the complexity of the human cognitive apparatus allows us to consider their origins and their effectiveness or appropriateness.

Our DNA provides the machinery of emotions, but with humans, culture complicates the situation. The cues for lust vary considerably from culture to culture, and the same is true for other emotions.

The more aware we are of how our emotions can be deliberately manipulated, the better we can become at monitoring and evaluating attempts at control. For example, I don’t expose myself to sexual stimuli unless the calendar says it’s time for prostate exercise, although the occasional innocent-looking email will slip up on me.

Most thinking adults would agree that monitoring media input is advised, given the general motivation of advertisers, politicians, and circulation editors, but when the subject becomes love and relationships, thinking often becomes much less critical. Tricycle magazine has a section on relationships, and the Summer, 2008, article by Barry Magid illustrates how much is taken for granted in this area.

Magid jumps from the interdependence and connectedness of everything—good science and good Buddhism—to the vulnerability we expose ourselves to in our relationships with others who are, basically, uncontrollable and unreliable. He discusses two strategies for dealing with this vulnerability—control and autonomy—and disallows both as ineffective: attempts at control create more anxiety than they prevent, and autonomy requires “repression or dissociation, a denial of feeling.”

My attempts at controlling other people have assuredly met with failure, but I think Magid’s dismissal of autonomy is premature. There’s an old Zen saying, “A patch-robed monk has nothing to cling to,” and while this sounds bleak at first reading, perhaps, it is in fact the lot of all creatures: security is always temporary, and loss and death are certain. “Life,” as the Buddha may have said, “is suffering,” either in the present moment or in anticipation. But there is a way to end suffering—and vulnerability—and all it takes is the ending of delusion: learning to accept life as it is, not life as fantasized.

The centuries-old charnel-ground meditation, in which we contemplate the rotting of our bodies, offers a way to familiarize us with the idea of death and its consequences. If we reflect on the science of emotions—biological and cultural—we can develop a similar familiarity with our conditioned responses that undermines identifying with them as “ours:” emotions are no more personal than the functioning of the liver or the heart.

Everything that we are—physical, emotional, intellectual—is the result of prior biological and social conditions. To identify with any of it as a possession of the self, or to take the responses of other people as under their control and a reflection of our value, is the result of not understanding the human condition.

Fitness Solutions [ an article posted From Art of Living ]

Greater responsibilities and ambitions you have, greater is the need for you to meditate

Q. Why should people meditate in our modern society?
Sri Sri: If you look at the benefits that meditation brings in our life, you will find that it is all the more relevant. In ancient times, meditation was used as a way for finding the Self, for enlightenment. Meditation was a way to overcome misery and problems. It's the way to develop one’s abilities.

If you want, keep aside enlightenment. Today’s  stress and tension in society calls for meditation. If you take more responsibility, more meditation is required. Greater responsibilities and ambitions you have, greater is the need for you to meditate. If you have nothing to do, you may not need meditation as much.

The busier you are, the lesser time you have, the more desires and ambitions you have - all the more is the need to meditate. Because meditation not only relieves you of stress and strain, it also enhances your abilities,strengthens your nervous system and mind. Not only does it help eliminate stress and tensions, releasing toxins from the body and soothing the mind, it also makes you more capable, enhances you in every way. What else do you want?

I would say if you want to be happy and healthy, you’ve got to meditate.

Q: How does the Art of meditation help the mind, the body, spiritual aspirations and relationships and society as a whole?

Sri Sri: Meditation helps tochange your perspective. It improves the way you perceive things. It brings clarity in the mind. It improves your interaction with people around –what you say, how you react and act in different situations, you become more aware. In general, from a stress-free society to peace and health in individuals and from a violence-free society to a sorrow-free soul – all are side effects of meditation.

 Q: What makes this form of meditation(Sahaj Samadhi) so unique?

Sri Sri: It is very simple and profound. Usually the common notion is that what is profound must be complicated and what is simple is not effective. But Sahaj Samadhi Meditation is a very rare combination of simplicity, profoundness and depth.

Q: Can you speak on the value of the Vedic tradition of Masters who have kept this knowledge alive for thousands of years?

Sri Sri: From thousands of years people have passed this technical knowledge. Usually, most Masters will test a student before even teaching meditation. They would give this knowledge only to someone who qualifies. They would wait for the right student to come to impart this knowledge. In the past, it used to be very tough, you had to please the Master before you could get anything from Him.

I took a very different stance, I opened the flood gates, gave it to everyone, let everybody progress as per one’s sincerity and capability.

 

Friends,I hope this article has answered few of your questions about meditation and how to relate it with Fitness[any kind of questions are welcome].Success is nothing more than an outcome of proper health and fitness.Have a good day!!