How do you start your day?

As I groggily reach my hand out for my daily morning fix of green tea my better half switches on the TV to listen to the news.I close my eyes tightly trying to decide whether i should drink my tea in silence or pour it down his neck. I love my man dearly but his need to be informed about what has happened in the world while he was sleeping, first thing in the morning, is something I just cannot fathom. I think the way we start our day is very significant as it leaves its impact on how we  feel as our day unfolds with life's challenges.Getting deluged with news events of everything that is going wrong in our world from corruption, environmental disasters,violence, inflation, dirty politics, accidents to an entire gamut of human misery is something I don't really find very palatable early morning.When we get up in the morning we need to feel safe, happy and hopeful about our lives and the world we live in. We need a dose of happiness to infuse our lives with enthusiasm so that we can step out and face the tough and challenging world outside.What we need is time to meditate, to listen to soothing music, exercise, read a prayer and listen to positive efforts being made by individuals, organisations and countries. So go change your mornings.

Are you changing the world for better?

Ever thought of how you plan to do this? Lot of us don't because we are just content to live our lives and think this is too humongous a task for a single individual.We all are so busy pursuing success and the business of living that we have forgotten that we can alter the world for the better.One of the biggest motivators in life is the feeling that we make a difference and are needed. Its the feeling of being part of the bigger picture and having a purpose in life. We commit the mistake of substituting this motivator with the concept of money and success and then suffer the consequences of disillusionment. Purge this thought and witness the change in your life. Take care that you aim to make a positive impact and your ego doesn't seek to be noticed. The change that you seek can be one small step at a time. It can be as simple as teaching a child/adult or financing a poor childs education, sharing your skill or expertise to enable self employment for someone, helping out at local the NGO, impacting the environment by not littering, walking short distances,recycling, consuming less energy etc, putting your best attitude forward by being more understanding, compassionate, helpful, patient and cheerful.  Every little gesture of yours has  ripple effect making it into a wave and the contentment experienced by making a positive difference in the world through your thoughts, deeds, gestures, time, money and advocacy is incomparable.

Wish every day were a holiday?

Am back after a long hiatus. Had been away holidaying and now am back with a thud to mother earth. I think I truly live from one holiday to the next. I desperately seek the next break and plan for it like its the sole cause of living. Holidays are magical moments of our lives because they bring out the best in us. We are happy, upbeat and raring to enjoy every second of that time. Talk about living in the present and savouring every second-- holidays epitomize that. They give us the opportunity to be free from from all stresses( professional or otherwise), the chance and the luxury to spend our day the way we want to, the leisure to reflect on our life and the pleasure of spending quality time with our loved ones. Its important to take these breaks from ones routine life as they are rejuvenating and restore  the vitality and enthusiasm to take on the humdrum, mind numbing grind of daily life with refreshed vengeance.Don't we wish we could live every day like that. But I suppose that is like asking for the moon. So chill out now and then to acquaint yourself with the finest part of you and the memory making moments of your lives.

Why do we fear exposing our vulnerabilities?

To acknowledge your insecurities, weaknesses, fears, inadequacies, doubts and negativities in front of others is unimaginable. We are conditioned to believe that exposing a chink in the armour of perfection and success that we build around ourselves would lead to its crumbling like the fall of the Roman Empire. We have learnt to build a protective wall of "been there and done that"  plus" know it all" attitude epitomising confidence to save ourselves from ridicule and rejection. Even as I write and share my thoughts on various things that come to my mind there are well meaning queries about how life is faring for me.We are not at all used to sharing or being transparent about anything remotely personal concerning our lives apart from the superficial stuff. Anyone doing so is a cause for concern. To strip yourself naked of pretensions and have the courage and honesty to share deeper intimate thoughts and opinions helps us to connect with others in a more authentic way. An atmosphere of trust and kinship is created by being vulnerable.Yes, the fear that some people might take advantage of our vulnerabilites is there but why should we be anything less than our true self for the fear of others.Why should we deny ourselves of finding true friends just because of our fears?

Desperate to escape city life?

The dream of staying in a small city or town far away from the pressures, demands, stresses, pollution, selfish individualism and cutthroat competitiveness of life in a metro is soooo tempting.The dream holds out the promise of living in simplicity,without trying tooo hard to be better , smarter, richer and savvier.The idea itself seems as delicious as a warm chocolate cupcake. But how practical it is for most us to manage to achieve it with our livelihoods being restricted to cities and I truly don't know how much of this dream will hold good and deliver.Those of us who have lived in cities all their lives often tend to romanticise the small town life and forget that we are pampered creatures who are used to certain conveniences and ways of city life which we may find hard to give up. But that doesn't mean that the need to escape from the frustration of our surroundings, live more authentically without pretensions is not real.To be able to do that in the same existing environment means that we have strong emotional, intellectual and spiritual strength to be able to deal with the never ending onslaught of demands made on us.Its easier to escape to physical solitude to get some control over the stresses as compared to living in the madness of it all and achieve a modicum of psychological space of peaceful perspective on your life.

Is materialism corrupting ?

Majority of the people live life as if they are in a race to accumulate the best possible of possessions and experiences in comparison to the rest of their social and family circle.They throughly enjoy the chase and the adrenalin rush of achieving the next coveted thing.Some, indulge in the the painful self dissecting act of introspection and try to rise above the enticements of materialism either due to a gap between their income and aspirations( a practical approach) or due to pursuit of intellectualism and spiritualism. Others justify their desires by giving them a cloak of acceptability under the garb of societal pressure, expectations,self esteem needs,value addition, investment etc. Whatever ones attitude to accumulation of possessions, I wonder why we feel guilty about it? It is not as if the fault lies in the things that we desire.Its the motivation behind the desire that defines the nature of your personal materialism binge. Striving to have enough money to have financial security and independence, creating value in the form of enterprise, helping others and creating more meaningful experiences in life and sometimes indulging in wanting to own someting because of its beauty( whether a car,a dress or a piece of jewellery) cannot be termed as materialism. But pursuing money for the sake of money and using it to prop up our self esteem or seek happiness through endless purchasing is mindless materialism which corrupts our spirit.

What are the marks of modernity?

Modernity touches the social, economic, religious and political fabric of our lives in many ways.It is a concept of being time conscious in terms of present or todays world and is supposed to inherently encompass a new rationalized progressive thinking.When I read about honour killings, dowry deaths,obnoxious amounts being spent on opulent weddings,casteism etc. I wonder at the contradictions that are apparent in our so called fast developing society and economy(even if its geographically scattered and limited).Economically we seem to have embraced the trappings of modernism in every possible way. Our sartorial and brand preferences, fascination with latest technology from cell phones, flat screens, fanciest cars to latest gadgets to home decor, every visible manifestation is there to reflect upward mobility on the social ladder and how we are in sync with the times.People find it easier to adopt cosmetic changes in outward appearances to reflect modernity in their lifestyle and choices but unfortunately remain resistable to any change in their thinking especially when it comes to social relationships, interactions and traditions. One needs to scratch and look beneath the surface veneer of modernism to really understand the dynamics of conservatism and traditionalism operating in a the mental framework of the society.There has to be a combination of education, exposure to other social systems and courage to question,challenge,change and give up set traditions,customs and closed mindsets of the society.The only true mark of modernity is the nature of thought process of an individual or society-- how liberal, unbigoted, tolerant, flexible and free thinking one is.