FAKE NEWS- 5 Steps To Deal with It And Learn Ethical Use Of Internet

Today we are living in the age of opinions. Everyone of us ( well not everyone) has the privilege to form an opinion and then share it with the world. This has been possible with the power of internet. Now our opinions and views not only matter but also can bring about positive changes. But in some cases it can drive the masses and bring about a negative outcome. This era of connected world has given our opinions and views a power of its own. But have we understood the responsibility that comes with it ?

In today's world of fake information and paid opinion creation, the real value of free speech has become clouded. It is so bad that almost everything we come across on internet today are made with vested interest. And we must admit that they have become damn good at this, as they have successfully lead countries into deadly wars and destroyed civilizations with civil wars. Thus they have quite literally become bloody opinions.

Back in the era of print media, people formed responsible and ethical opinions. The writers thought themselves responsible for their actions and the public. Then out came the digital media followed by social media. They had far more reach than traditional print media and far more unethical creators and editors who neither attach themselves with their posts nor feel responsible for them. And don't get me started on the world of meme's. They have come a long way from simple entertainment to mass murder kind of stuff. Quite a massive leap in my frank opinion!

Yes, the creators, the social media and digital media platforms, the governments all have a role to play to curb this problem. But have you ever thought that we have the ultimate role to play as we are the most important component of this chain- " The Target Audience" ? Our attention, reaction and share give such posts power.

Here are some steps we can take when we come across such a post that's unethical and harmful- 

1- When we come across such a post we must psychologically train our minds not to form an opinion based on that. This is of utmost importance.

2- Many social media platforms allow you to report such posts as inappropriate. Do it!

3- If you come across such a post being forwarded on a messaging platform, make sure to raise your voice and stop that from being shared further.

4- If you come across such a post being shared by an elderly, don't hesitate from raising a concern and making them know the reality of internet today and about the ethics of using it responsibly.

5- Lastly if someone has created an opinion based on some wrong post, try to change it by highlighting the true facts before him.

Internet is a world of information with no control on right and wrong information. There is a very thin line between right and wrong, positive and negative, constructive and destructive opinions. The old saying went as " A pen is mightier than a sword ". Well the new saying can go as " A keyboard is mightier than a gun ". Stay alert and keep internet ethical.

 

 

5 Best Ways To Drive Your EMOTIONS - Easy To Incorporate In Every Schedule

Our body is just the reflection of our mental state. This mental state is pieced together based on the situations we face and the emotions that such situations generate within us. Thus healthy emotions or positive emotions are the pre-requisite for a healthy body which would result into a healthy life.

Emotions of all kinds are natural for human beings. Learning to channel it in a positive way is the most important lesson of LIFE. Unhealthy and negative emotions such as anger, rage, envy when allowed to grow would lead to stress and if channeled mindlessly can cause harm to others in particular and the society in general.

Here let us look into some ways to drive positive emotions for self growth and end the negative ones to lead a stress free life.

1- FIGURE OUT WHAT DRIVES YOUR EMOTIONS:

You need to mindfully analyze the situations or circumstances that generate a particular kind of emotion with in you. These emotions can be positive ones as well as negative ones. Write down those situations on a piece of paper along with the emotion that it generates. This will help you feel that you are in CONTROL of your life.

2- LOOK IF THE EMOTIONS CAN BE SUBSTITUED:

This is only for those negative emotions. In life we are rarely in control of what happens around us but we can surely control our responses. Our responses are driven by our emotions. We must learn to replace negative emotions generated by a circumstance with positive ones. This will lead to good mental wellbeing.

3- PRACTISE MEDITATION:

Meditation is the best way to calm our racing minds. A calm mind will easily be able to segregate emotions. During meditation we focus on the positive emotions which enable us to give our life a direction. The ultimate goal for everyone should be happy MIND and SOUL.

4- MAKE A TO-DO LIST:

To-do list are the best when it comes to leading a meaningful life. In the first step we knew about those situations that drive positive emotions in us. Now we just have to create such situations everyday in order to heal our mental health and achieve all that we want to achieve.

5- SCHEDULE ME TIME:

This is perhaps the most important step for emotional wellbeing. Everyday schedule an hour for doing nothing and just soaking in all the positive vibes that this world has to offer. All these will drive your emotions to build a better life for yourself.

Proper implementation of all these steps require a lifetime to be learnt. But we all are imperfect and we are not here to achieve perfection. We are here to contribute our part in this world and be happy. Happiness will definitely drive us to achieve more and contribute more. It is thus high time that we focus on emotional wellbeing of every individual to bring about a happiness REVOLUTION in our society.

 

 

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC- AN ENVIRONMENTALIST VIEWPOINT.

 

After a month or two of the pandemic induced lockdown there were many reports about how the lockdown had positively impacted the environment. The reports claimed air was now cleaner, rivers were less polluted etc. There were videos all over the internet that showed how nature had reclaimed concrete jungles. All of them boost our morale and make us believe that all was not bad about the lockdown at least through an environment point of view. But it is far from the truth. Strictly talking about India let's go through how the pandemic has negatively impacted our environment.

1- RETURN OF SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAGS - They also go by the name Polythene bag. Before the pandemic we had seen a tremendous progress in controlling the production and distribution of single use plastic bags. Cloth bags became a huge hit and many retailers shifted to them. The future seemed promising. But then COVID happened. From free meals to emergency supplies, everything got wrapped up in polythene bags. Even the government used it mainly due to lack of other alternatives. As the law enforcement agencies were busy elsewhere, plastic slowly creeped back in everywhere. All the progress that we had made has PUFF!! vanished into thin air.

2- INCREASED USE OF DISPOSABLES - Earlier only the street vendors and petty shop owners used disposable plates and cutleries. But with COVID SOP's in place, big restaurants too have started serving on disposable plates. This was a golden opportunity to increase the sale of saal leaf plates and wooden cutleries which would have helped the poor tribal communities. But instead of this the market got flooded with polystyrene and paper plates along with plastic cutleries. All of them are non-biodegradable and go straight into landfills and our oceans.

3- INCREASED MEDICAL WASTE - From PPE kits to disposable face masks and face shields, this pandemic has made them items of daily use. Their demand is so high that to avoid supply disruption, government pulled in the self help groups (SHG) and even army to manufacture them. Their use is important and unavoidable. There is also a lack of green alternatives. But still we can reduce the impact by ensuring their proper disposal so that they do not impact the environment and spread the infection further.

4- INCREASED USE OF PRIVATE VEHICLES- The modes of public transport are yet to return to normal capacity. Apart from this the people too want to avoid crowded places and hence they avoid using public transport system. This has increased the number of private vehicles on the road. This change is apparent from worsening traffic situations in major Indian cities. Traffic is not the only problem, more private vehicles on road means more air and noise pollution. Increased air pollution has also lead to thick smog in the cities.

5- REDUCED RECYCLING- In India we have a chain of rag pickers who play an important role in recycling our waste. The lockdown was a challenge for them. Most of them relocated. Thus, the entire system has collapsed. People also do not allow traders who collect old newspapers into their houses due to fear of transmission. This has affected local paper bag manufacturing as they now lack raw materials. This problem has also lead to increased clutter on roads and increased amount of recyclable wastes reaching the landfills.

All of our lives have been impacted by lockdown. Some people have suffered more than others. This has also affected our environment. It revealed that the positive changes we had witnessed before all this began was not able to bring a change of mindset for the citizens. If it had, those green habits would have stuck. For now we can only hope things get back to normal soon and plastic ban is re-imposed strictly. But this time it should not only be limited to fear of fine. It should induce a change of mindset so that the habits become a lifestyle. This is important not just for us but also our planet to survive. 

Inspired about minimalism? Check out my other blogs too. I hope I can convince you to live more minimally and mindfully..

  

MINIMALISM MISTAKES: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

The meaning of minimalism vary from one individual to another. It depends on what the individual desires to achieve by following a minimalist way of life. But during one's journey from hearing about minimalism to finally adopting it, those desires tend to change. The individual desires also change with one's age. 

One thing that is common is that everyone who follows this path struggles with many hardships and also makes many mistakes. Some loose their initial motivation too due to these mistakes. To ensure that you don't loose your motivation I thought it would be great if I share my mistakes with you. 

My sole purpose behind sharing these with you is to let you know that you are not the only one who has been struggling and to cheer you up so that you can keep going. After all this world needs more minimalists like us to survive. Here are some of the mistakes that I have made and the lessons these mistakes have taught me.

1- Minimalism is not a destination, it's a journey-

YES, minimalism is a long term goal. It is not about a single massive decluttering session and then creep back into the same consumerist lifestyle. I have witnessed it. I am a big impulse buyer. I buy stuff when I feel low. No matter how much I declutter, stuff keeps coming back. Thus minimalism is not about short term decluttering but long term change of mindset.

2-Don't get rid of your stuff mindlessly-

In the beginning I was to intimidated with Pinterest posts and Youtube videos on minimalism. I wanted those picture perfect empty shelves and closet. To achieve that I threw away a lot of stuff. In this process I got rid of many things that were actually essential and served an important purpose. I had to ultimately buy more stuff again. I also realized later on that I could have donated many items that I threw. There were even some items that I could have sold via OLX and get some money back. Now whenever I have to get rid of something I try my best to find a new home for that item. I would recommend you to take on minimalism slowly and declutter mindfully.

3-Minimalism is integrative in nature-

 I became a minimalist because I wanted to be more frugal. I wanted to save enough money and invest that money to achieve a steady income. I achieved my target. But along the way I learnt about "zero waste movement". This is also a type of minimalism to save our planet from the harmful effect of waste that we generate. I was fascinated and got pulled in. I was surprised that with little changes here and there I could integrate both the lifestyles. Thus, keep an open mind and you can do good not only for your finances but also our planet.

4- Minimalism is actually essentialism-

Not everybody can understand you and your choices. A minimalist in India gets branded as "KANJOOS" or "MISER". You have to understand that it's your life and your choice matters. You don't have to buy stuff to get social recognition but you also have to maintain your necessities. You have to learn to balance these two. Thus minimalism is actually essentialism. It is hard to learn this balance but when done you become immune to social criticism.

It has been one year since I started my self improvement journey adopting minimalism as a lifestyle. I am fairly new and I know I will make many mistakes in the future as well. I will make sure to share them with you all. As of now I can say one thing for sure, Minimalism will transform you and every aspect of your life in a good way..

Motivated? Want to learn more about minimalism and zero waste living? Check out my other blogs and I hope I can convince you to adopt this way of living for the good of everyone..

 

HOW TO GET WORK DONE ?..PRODUCTIVITY TRICKS..

As you all know by now that I speak a lot about productivity. I keep experimenting with many techniques which I come across that promise to increase productivity. Most of them don't work, for me atleast! The few those do, I make sure that I share them with you all.

This month I had a lot of free time which I used to do some self reflection. In that process I came across how burdened I was from the tasks that I have been postponing. Hence, I decided to go all in. I admit that this required a great deal of determination but when you think about the freedom that awaits you at the end of your non stop hustle, you get pretty pumped up.

We perform well when we race against a deadline. This pressure brings out our optimum performance. I have talked about this motivated go ahead in one of my previous blog titled " Time Slotting Of Task". I will put the link to that blog at the end. Make sure you check that blog out after this. When we talk difference, we assign ourselves days instead of hours as seen in the blog I have just mentioned about. Thus, This is particularly helpful for large volume of work. To our advantage we have plenty of time at our disposal due to this pandemic.

In my case I assigned myself three days slot at first. I gave my optimum during those three days and tried to put in as much hours as I possibly could. At the end of that slot I still had work left. Hence, I gave myself another slot of three days. I gave myself smaller slots so that smaller deadlines could give me the push I needed as well as not overwhelm me at the thought of doing so much work for so long. 

You can tweak the above as per your mindset. But make sure to put enough pressure so that you can perform. Afterall the end thought is to get the work done. The sooner it is out of our hands is gets out of our mind thus reducing stress. After my experience I can assure you that you not only perform due to this but mostly you outperform yourself. 

Adopt this method by implementing it on long pending big tasks at hand such as complete reading a book you wanted, decluttering a close, revising the syllabus etc. The satisfaction that you get when the work gets done is motivating enough for you to jump onto the next big task at hand. My advise though will be to take things on slowly so that you don't end up miserable and exhausted. Keep gaps of one or two days in between task slots to rest and begin the next slot with greater energy and motivation.

                   WORK HARD.....ACHIEVE GREATNESS  

Here are some content for you to read next-

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/02/enhance-productivity-time-slotting-of.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/02/silence-perils-of-excessive-talking.html

MINIMALISM DURING LOCKDOWN- QUARANTINE BLOG.

In my previous blog I have talked about the social impacts of this COVID-19 pandemic. If you have not read it, please read it first and then comeback to this article. The link for the previous blog is given below.

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/05/living-in-changed-world-social-effects.html

 A you know minimalism is not just about material possession. It is a mindset that can be applied in every aspect of a person's life. This pandemic has brought human living to the mere sustenance level. Minimalism is all about sustenance after all..

1. SUSTENANCE MINIMALISM.

Let's first look into sustenance minimalism. It simply means bringing into our life things (or more popularly STUFF) that are necessary for physical and mental existence. Nothing more and nothing less.With people buying supplies in bulk resulting in empty shelves in shops, majority have been forced to accept such a mindset. The economic scenario also helped people adopt this kind of minimalism. I have mentioned mental stuff as well because mental well being is crucial during this hard time..


2. FINANCIAL MINIMALISM.

Financial minimalism is another concept that many people have learned the hard way during this pandemic. With unemployment rates high and people living off their emergency funds, this is the only option they have been left with. When the pandemic recedes, many people will keep dear the lessons they have learned and respect money a lot more. This single mindset can transform individuals and catapult them to financial independence.



3. MINIMALISM OF THOUGHT.

Just four months earlier people had different kinds of worries. Today, they are just happy to be alive and being able to spend time with their families. All those worries seem meaningless now. Indeed many other worries have taken their place but they are all basic- related to health, food and shelter, just like the old times.


In just a short span of time 3,00,000 people have lost their lives. Their struggles have made the entire human race awake. We have been pushed back years in time. The path of recovery is long and hard. Minimalism defines human race today. Sustenance is the key today, be it the rich or the poor. This pandemic has been a great uniting force. Fancy cars, luxury homes, branded clothing and accessories, all such things have lost the battle against hot meal, family time and bank balance to sustain a simple life. This is minimalism for you during this pandemic.

Here are some selected topics for you to read next-

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/think-less-work-more.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/being-down-to-earth.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/07/hope.html

Links for the items seen in the images-

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki- 

LIVING IN A CHANGED WORLD. SOCIAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19.

We have always taken our lives for granted. Going out, meeting with friends, watching the children play in the parks and many other things felt good but was not something that made our heart skip a beat. We enjoyed living paycheque to paycheque. We took our lives as it was for granted. Those days are now a distant happy memory.

               Today, after more than 2,50,000 innocent lives lost, our meaning of being alive has changed completely. The meaning of humans being a social being has changed completely. Everything that seemed impossible just four months back is a reality now. And everything that seemed normal just four months back, is now out of bounds. Who had thought that final year examinations can be cancelled for students and every one getting passed without exams? The entire meaning of human survival has changed. The meaning of being alive has changed.

               WELCOME to a NEW world, a CHANGED world. In this new world taboos have become social norms. Meaning of spending time with family has changed. The concept of large social gatherings have become alien. Getting into crowded public transport is unimaginable. Spending money on show off possessions is unacceptable. Importance of savings is paramount. Financial minimalism and essentialism is the go to agenda for everyone.

The joy in a cheerful handshake. The feeling of hugging a loved one. The soothing feeling of wiping tears with hands. The happiness of sharing a lunch box with friends. The simple sense of a physical touch. We will miss them. We will cherish them in our hearts.

            We have sacrificed a lot for this life in mask and gloves. In a weird way we are happy amid all this because, after all, we are alive. We are not among the ill fated 2,50,000 souls. This is our new reality. Anger, hatred, jealousy are now things of the past. We are just grateful that we are alive. With a hope that in the distant future we will see good days. Hopefully those days come before good days become a forgotten memory.

STAY HOME, STAY SAFE..

Here are some suggestions for you to read next..

 https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-to-do-during-lockdown-quarantine.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/01/save-money-3-ways-to-save-money-for.html