Time Journal, and its' use.

Here is a classic 'Time journal' or a 'day log'. This journal is used to capture the lost titbits of time- The time that is lost in doing 'nothing'.

Instructions: Spend a faithful day with the Time Journal. Log in every detail religiously, but do not change your routine on that account. This simple excercise is extremely effective as a Time Management tool. It acts as a mirror, and shows us our pitfalls, and also the glory that can be achieved once the shortcomings are overcome.

Click to see the time Journal

You run like a Tiger!

You run like a tiger
On to my lap, so gay
This pants is small too, Ma,
Proudly you say.

Buy me new shoes too,
Says the twinkle in your eye
I’m growing up, you know Ma
I’ll soon be very high.

“tall”, I correct, channeling
My sadness into pride
Wish I could stop the time
Wish I could turn the tide.

Tolerating Intolerance

Let me share with you two very striking news stories I read lately.

The first one is concerning Road Rage. Road Rage is a well defined word, and wikipedia defines it as violent behavior by a driver of an automobile. As traffic situation worsens, we see more and more of these cases around us.

I also read about the increasing number of divorces in the new age India, specially among the young couples. Divorces are now more likely to happen in the first two years of marriage, and on much softer issues than ever before.

Both these phenomenons indicate towards a critical pattern in our society - Our lessening tolerance levels.

Are tolerance levels in our society going down? Are we, as a collective people, becoming more and more prone to short temperedness and explosive outbursts? I bet we are.

The examples are aplenty. All around me, I see working mothers on the edge of their patience, celebrities losing their temper at a whim, and world meets failing. The important question here is - Why?

I have often heard an old age adage - " To err is human , to forgive divine". It seems that we have forgotten forgiveness. Why?

I believe the reason lies in the fast track lifestyle changes we have made in the last century. The human race has seen more development in last 100 years than in thousands of years put together. This puts enormous pressure on us to catch up. More than that it affects our quality of life. Life probably seems easier today- what with all household appliances, faster means of transport and instant communications. But that is just an optical illusion. Life has become faster, and we are losing the sense of time. We forget that life is not a race, but a stroll, a walk through the years. It is definitely not a competition. The demands and schedules are so tight, it leaves no place for peace and patience. When parents have no time for their children, no gadget can replace the emptiness a child feels. No VCD can take place of a bedtime story in soothing mother's voice. Spending time leisurely is a basic human need, And as this need is not realized, the tempers rise, the tolerance falls.

I also want to bring to your attention a very different point here. Intolerance is not always wrong. Indeed, in many case

Intolerance breeds Development. India has been an extremely tolerant society historically, and in many ways, it is because of htis tolerance, that we have lagged behind the rest of the world in development. External powers have used our tolerance as our weakness. Take an example- You are sitting in a reserved coach of a train, and a man comes in without reservation. He smiles at you, and requests a place to sit. "Adjust, sir!"

He'll say, and we tolerate this rule-breaking as another part of life. May be we'll even feel proud of ourselves, helping a fellow citizen in his hour of need. MAy be we'll resolve to use this tactic next time ourselves. Intolerance, here, would have been definitely a better option.

This ofcourse, does not vaidates the aggresive nature of some. I daresay that a little love and patience would do our world much more good than humdred inventions put together.

It is a very sad realization, that out society is losing the very tolerance that has sustained it through the turbulent centuries. We need to ensure that we do not become part of this vicious circle. Just like anger, love and peace spreads too. Our tranquility will infuse tranquility in people around us.

The loss of GrandParents.

My daughter studies in Kindergarten. Recently they celebrated Grandparents' day there, when the students were asked to bring their grandparents to the classes. She came back thoroughly confused. "How can one have grandparents at their own home, Mom?" she asked me.
That is the state of our society today. Not just young kids, but many grown ups too, can't imagine a family apart from the nuclear one. This unprecedented spread of nuclear families has given rise to many issues- the prime being the disintegration of social structure. What are the reasons behind this, and is this phenomenon truly a disheartening one?
Changing social scenario has given rise to the current situation. More and more people are moving abroad, for studies, work, and life in general, leaving behind aging parents. Even People who live in the same city as their parents choose to live separately, mostly due to western influences. Joint family, as was known, is becoming more and more extinct.
Is it desirable or not? Can this be seen as completely black or white; or is it a grey area in the evolution of men? There are two very distinct schools of thought regarding this:

1. Many people believe that the disintegrating social order is nothing less than a shame to the humanity. Parents sacrifice all their lives and ambitions to bring up their children. They nurture and nourish a baby into a fully grown person. They sit through the kid’s sickness, examinations, and heart aches. And when these very parents grow old, and need a hand, all they receive is a cheque!! Children, who once grew around the epicenter of their parents, now regard them as an expense and nuisance. This surely indicates the lessening humanity of human kind. Many people would argue that this is effectively going back to being a savage animal!
2. However, someone else might use the same simile to insist that this is indeed what nature intended in the first place. Plants spread through pollination, and if seeds always stay near the parent plant, they would never gain their full growth and valor. Different people are different, and need different circumstances to perform their best. As we grow up, it is only natural for children to spread their wings, and look for an independent nest. Undue importance, some think, is attached to the social structure in the oriental world.
As you can see, the two schools have such contrasting ideas, that it is difficult, nay impossible, to arrive at a specific 'correct' answer. Indeed, there is no single correct answer. It is our duty, and privilege, to be able to care for people who brought us up. Nothing can survive a storm like a well-knit, close family. No one can provide the guidance and protection that experience does. But in the same breath, I must say that it is better to live alone than to live with an abusive family. It is better to be happy separately than to be miserable together. Old age homes still carry a huge stigma here in stigma, but are actually a great idea for senior citizens to bond with fellow citizens in surroundings that are conducive to their specific needs.
Meanwhile, I can only hope that my younger daughter understands the concept of grandparents better when we visit them these holidays.