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.

 

 

ANGER DECISIONS..HOW TO CONTROL ANGER ?

Anger is a common human emotion. The world and its changing nature has increased the level of anger, has diversified the reasons causing anger.. all in all making the emotion more common. The world we know today is full of frustration which breeds anger. Well, this change is not a welcome change at all.

Happiness today has become a virtue. Today psychologists advise patients to fake happiness in order to cure depression. Fake smile is replacing real smile very fast. And in future too the prospects do not seem promising.

Let's come to anger or rage. If you have gone through my previous blogs you must have noticed I have mentioned about the increasing responsibilities on humans. In ancient times we only had to care about feeding ourselves. But today feeding has a whole new meaning. We can not just go into the forest and collect our own food. We have to work, earn money and then buy our food. And this endless cycle continues till we die.

Increasing population has put pressure on resources. This has increased competition. In this competition only few come out with flying colours and enough money to buy food. All the remaining get their share of failure, guilt, frustration which slowly grows into anger.

The above is the most common cause of anger but it is not the only cause. Apart from economic scenarios, there are social scenarios too that breed anger. This anger can lead to self hurt or one can end up hurting others.

Anger decisions are those solutions to problems that pop up in the mind of angry individuals who are going through hard times. The mental situation of these people does not allow them to analyse the solution/ option that has come before them before going ahead. They just act on it immediately.

The decisions taken in rage are never correct. The solution that seemed appropriate during that moment ends up complicating things even more. Thus it is always advisable not to take any important decision when you are angry. Future outcomes of each action should be taken into consideration before going ahead. All this can only be possible with a practical mind, one which angry people lack. 

Violence, social unrest, terrorism, and all other social and economic evils have their origin inside the minds of angry people who have been completely blinded by rage. They do not think and thus get sucked in by rage. They end up in messy, very messy places.

The only way out of this is by mastering one's emotions. We have to control our emotions and never let emotions get hold of us. Be it happiness or anger, our mind should be calm and deal with both the situations keeping a practical mindset.

Writing down the cause of our anger on a piece of paper can help. This can help us think of solutions that are practical and non-damaging. The time invested in doing this will help our mind calm down and also sooth our racing nerves. This simple step can prevent us from getting washed away by our anger and hence can protect us from anger decisions that would have been immensely damaging both to us and the society.

 Our world has been built by great minds. Minds that were stable. People who control their emotions, can never be hurt. They are socially immune. Situations can never change their peace of mind and their sense of purpose. Because peace of mind to them is a choice and they chose it whatever their surroundings may be. To achieve that we have to let go of anger. This is the true sense of being enlightened. From that point on happiness begins because happiness is no longer dependant on our surroundings rather it becomes a choice. And we chose it over everything every time.         

BLESSING IN DISGUISE..

Human mind is mysterious and human aspirations are boundless. We work for our dreams and then pray that our actions bring fruit or the desired result. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. We have placed our faith on a supreme power and we believe that it is by the wish of that supreme power our aspirations are turned into reality. Well humans have still not been able to understand many phenomenons and hence the above is the go to conclusion in those many cases.

We all have regrets. Some of them are linked to our wants and aspirations. The more practical minded among us would regret of having not worked hard enough. While the majority blame their failure ,on the supreme power because they believe it was all destiny. And what is destiny? It is a preplanned course of life designed by the supreme power himself for each and every one of the living beings. We being on the developed side understand that.

As we study and gain deeper understanding of the abstract world, simultaneously we gain insight into our existence. We look back and gauge each and every life changing decisions we have ever taken. We begin to realize that many decisions did not result in the planned outcome. And yet here we are. This is true wisdom. This is what life teaches us. "Uncertainty".

For the unsatisfied souls, this learning can be life changing. Because enjoying this life and the ability to take decisions that comes with it is a privilege. For those who had well written destiny, this wisdom serves as a reminder of volatile nature of human life.

Whatever might be our mindset at the end, one thing we can clearly support, i.e not achieving somethings that our heart desired back then was indeed a blessing in disguise. Call it destiny written by the supreme powers or call it the uncertainty of life, those unfulfilled wishes made us what we are today, brought us where we are today and gave us people we hold dear today. Not every unfulfilled wish is a curse. Life is what it is and we are what we are. If you haven't retraced your life yet, you are missing the opportunity to let go of all regrets and bring in fulfillment and happiness into your life.. 

CHOOSING SUSTAINABILITY..

There is no doubt in the fact that we are responsible for the sorry state of environment around us. As Indians we are very proud of our heritage and culture. But we never kept those heritage and customs which favoured a environment friendly life style. We moved on. Swept by the lights and ghare of consumerism. In all this, environment received a set back like our rich Indian customs and traditions.

We have come a long way. Today our very own sustenance is harming the environment. People consciously make choices that damage the Earth and then brag about problems of pollution and government inaction. A fast life has indeed brought economic process but at a devastating cost. Hills of garbage in land fills, fishes dying of chemical pollutants, minors dying of lungs cancer etc have become the new status quo. This life style has done everything wrong..very wrong..

We are all familiar with the problem. But do you all know what's the funny thing? We know the solution as well. Inaction is a sin and we all are committing it everyday. We receive the first set back through self doubt. We think that what good will our steps do in a world filled with 7 billion people? To this I can quote only one think. People that surround you do not learn from teachings, they learn from examples. Once you prove that zero waste and sustainable living are possible, people will take up the challenge themselves and soon change will be visible.

Covering the entire topic of sustainable ways of living cannot be completed in a single blog. In the following blogs I would come up with the changes that I personally have implemented to live minimally and in a more sustainable way. The most inspiring thing in my journey has been the realisation that living sustainably is the easiest in our country. This brings us the opportunity to grasp the ideology without much changes in our life style. As every one else out there who talks about sustainability and its positive financial impacts, I guarantee you that all those things are true.

The upcoming blogs will list the positive impacts of a sustainable life style. We are lucky to have access to knowledge about modern meaning of living sustainably. But it's sad that our own culture promotes such a life style to which we turn blind eyes. As I said living can not be taught, leave aside sustainable living. It can only be propagated by self examples and experiences which is exactly what I am determined to do.

POWER OVER LIFE..

Turmoil is the reality of life. Life is full of challenges and struggles leading to a destination we all seek. These times of turmoil are the best teachers we have. They are patient and leave us be only when we have grasped the truth it wanted to teach.

The times which are somewhat not undulating are stable times. But the truth about stability is that it fades away. It should never be considered permanent state of affairs. The word status quo is just absence of thought for time being. The world is itself not stable. It's in a constant struggle to keep things as they are but change seeps in anyhow. Life is no different. We keep working from one problem to another. Each problem being uncharted waters which are unstable and dangerous. The struggle never stops and this is what keeps us alive.

Amid all these things what keeps us together is our state of mind. A person who is calm can achieve anything. Calm is a superpower. The superpower is of being unaffected by the turmoil and keeping a sanely positive outlook towards the situation at hand. As mentioned many times earlier, happiness is a choice. Every situation can be looked into through the lens of happiness. A well trained mind is no myth. It's a mind that has mastered calm and is able to look at the brighter side which is nothing but choosing to be happy. It's simple yet complex in its core value.

The flame of a lamp is a good example which can be compared to a human mind. The flame trembles at the touch of the slightest of wind. The very nature of the flame is to give light. Amid all the difficulty it still tries its best to be stable and never deviate from its core value. Its hard but human mind can be trained with experience to struggle yet remain calm. This calm will keep the focus on the core values of life. Life is a continuous process of learning. All the emotions are filled in this journey. But amid all these it's a calm person who keep his/her mind sane enough to look at everything through the glasses of happiness. Never run behind stability. It's an illusion. Try to face everything with a clear intuition which will help you master calm. And when you have mastered calm, you are powerful enough to master living.. 

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED..

Remuneration for working hard is the driving force for the masses all around us. For most of them this remuneration is in form of monetary gain. There are indeed very few people who are lucky to have remuneration for their passion. For those people, life is good because passion is a greater driving force than money.

Turning ones passion into profession is hard struggle. The society always judges those people with the eyes of morale because they try to do things in a way different from masses. These people have the courage to take the road less travelled. At the end of this road there can be success and satisfaction for life. While sometimes these people get lost in the hardships that this road throws at them. The thought of getting lost should not discourage you from taking the less travelled path. Life is a gamble full of risks. If we do not take risks then how can we expect great results. The prospect of success is more attractive than getting pulled into life's daily grind that crushes the creativity of an individual.

For majority of the people life is living from paycheck to paycheck. This is indeed a life having less risk of failure. But this is also the life with zero prospects of growth. When life becomes a daily grind then it loses its interest. People who postpone happiness for later period of life as they are too busy in their daily grind lose the opportunity to live fully. When one's passion becomes one's daily driver then its a life flourishing with prospects of growth and financial success. Both of them compliment the happiness that is already etched into such a living.

People have passion and then people have aim. Very few have these both combined. While the few who have the courage to think end up not giving a try due to societal pressure. In the simplest way this flow of thoughts can be summarised as living for the passion and avoiding making life a daily grind for earning the so called paycheck which is supposed to fill your life with happiness. Happiness is a choice but it becomes easier to make that choice when life is fulfilling and exciting. For that to be true the most important trait to develop is courage. Courage can help you chose your passion above society and above all. It will lead you through the struggles of the road less travelled. And in the end life becomes happier, soul becomes enriched and success leads your way..