Saturday, September 10, 2005

The Brighter Side

Ever heard of the notion of a third-world country inside a first-world country? For all of you out there who dream The Great American Dream, reality could be very different, as is evident from reports coming in of the people affected by Katrina, in the United States. Is the grass really greener on the other side or should we just try to make our patch of grass as green?

They say there is no better antidote to depression than thinking of someone worse off than you. Well, here I was today, sinking into the pits of despair in all its glory, pondering over my future and assorted items on my list of "Things To Think About", when I decided to take some time out to put things into perspective. First, as usual, I decided to do a little meditation to get in touch with my "inner self", that self which always seems wiser, bolder, and smarter than my "outer self", but unfortunately for me, seems to go into hiding most of the time. The only time I can summon her up is at times like this when I face a dead-end and am forced to send an SOS to her. At the end of my brief tit-a-tat, she told me that I would be doing myself a big favor if, instead of focussing on what was lacking in my life, I focussed instead on all the blessings I have. Simple advice. The plus points rather than the minus points. Well, I started doing that and the lightness I felt in my spirit was as real as the despair I had felt before! Not only was this advice simple, it sure was effective! While it didn't solve my problems, it definitely gave me a different attitude, one that helps me think of my life in a different angle, and hopefully be able to come up with the right solution! If everyone got in touch with their "inner selves", a lot of psychiatrists would be out of business...

As I was saying before, sometimes to put things into perspective, it helps to compare our lot with that of others, and a big believer in synchronicity that I am, I don't think its a coincidence that I came across this post on a website called "Whatever" by writer John Scalzi. The URL is http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/003704.html. It's food for thought, and coming out of the US, even more to munch upon!

2 comments:

Akyo said...

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Pradeep Nair said...

The Katrina disaster shows that high technology is of no use without people who can use them well. Only a few months back they had tested their preparedness with a fictitious hurrican called Pam. This, inspite of all that...
And to all to his, Laden has threatened Los Angeles...