|
Essentially, each and every human is in search of social appreciation, which is probably the most boosting factor in our process of self-discovery. The way we eat, act or dress is part of our identity, which is mainly shaped by the tradition, culture and the role models that we aim to live up to. In addition, we are on a permanent journey of comparing ourselves to our environment – in order to convince others and not less, to convince ourselves.
In this familiar manner we sometimes forget to question our behaviour; we take certain practices for granted just because it has always been done that way. We accept the habits of our parents or friends, and often maintain this for a long time without reflecting on it. But in fact, there is no reason to be scared of personal decisions. It seems to just be in human nature that new ways of thinking take time before they are accepted by society. The catchword is: Authenticity. Every action should be squared with individual values. Starting on a small scale, we could first give thought to just one negative habit that we'd like to replace with a good one. Recently a friend recounted her experience: She decided to replace her often touchy and discontented behaviour towards her husband by doing her best to be nice, and sometimes giving compliments. For example, she had often criticised him for not washing up and decided to thank him for clearing the table instead. The challenge was to not make him notice that she was doing anything different. Not an easy undertaking at first – but the result was amazing: After one day her husband unconsciously started to give her compliments as well. A few days later, he washed the dishes without being asked and finally even told her how happy he was about their current married life. Inspired by this – how about trying to change one personal mannerism? Be it a certain negative behaviour or habit, here’s a list of tips for you. Let's dive right in: TIP 1: Identify the wrongdoing Step one is taking stock of oneself: What aspect of your personal conduct causes problems or leads to dissatisfaction? TIP 2: Make sure you really want to break the habit A clear decision is the basis for any transformation. Make a plan and set goals. Start small. TIP 3: Tell a friend This step is totally optional. Involving others might encourage you. TIP 4: Find a substitute Avoid temptation. Replace the negative habit with something good. TIP 5: Stay strong What's your goal? What are the benefits of reaching it? Keep in mind that the effort is worth it. Vera Torscht, Leo Club of Neckar-Franken, Germany
0 Comments
As the 8th of March does closer I would like to dedicate my article for this month to the women all around the world.
First let’s remember what International Women’s day is about. This day is a global day celebrating social, economical, cultural and political achievements of women.On March 8, 1857, 40000 weaving workers in New York, USA seeking better working conditions started a strike. But as a result of workers being attacked by the police then being locked down in factory which caught on a fire. And that followed by 129 workers being not able to escape and burned to death in there. And from that day as for their memory , 8th of March now celebrating all around the world as International Women’s Day. As a woman who lives in todays society I would like to talk about what it’s like to being a woman in today’s world. Discrimination against women starts at birth for a girl and continues for the rest of her life in many aspects. From the first steps until the last, we always feel less important, not smart or not strong enough to survive. Women all around the world faces all kinds of social, economical and cultural injustices. But I wish this was the only problem. Every year nearly 150 million women experiences sexual or physical assault in some kind of way. Nearly 30% of women’s first sexual experience was forced. Over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides. Worldwide, up to 50 percent of sexual assaults are committed against girls under 16. Every day we see images of male violence against women in the news, on TV shows, in the movies, in advertising, and in our homes and workplaces. It is a fact of life for women of all ages, races, and classes. The world we are living in do not value women because of the thoughts we were raised in. In the broadest sense, viciousness against women is whatever violation of a woman's personhood, mental or physical health. Violence against women ranges from sterilisation abuse to prescription- drug abuse, pornography, stalking, battering, and even rape. Every form of violence threatens all women and limits our ability to make choices about our lives. 50 years ago, most forms of violence against women were hidden with silence or acceptance. As more and more women talked with each other it became clear that violence against us happens on a enormous scale; that no woman is okay with it; and that family, friends, and public institutions have been cruelly insensitive about it.We must realise our strength and help the ones who lives through this experience. Being a women is really hard, I know, but we are the ones to change that! Leo Simru Goven, President, Agora Leo Club, Turkey. Read more about the program Home to the second largest population and one of the fastest developing economies, why is the phrase “Indian democracy” oxymoronic? Even though it has been over 70 years since our emancipation from the British rule, why are we still oppressed?
Despite our many scientific advancements, creatively, we still face a backward system. We are still stifled by our own notions which inadvertently have disallowed our own growth. The fields of media, more particularly, are fraught due to the restrictions imputed onto their creativity by the very industry they represent. Boasting democracy cannot be juxtaposed with thwarting freedom of expression. We have one of the largest youth populations and the potential we hold, to dominate all fields, is colossal. Of course, our cultures must be respected- and they are- as we are proud our diversity; but we must not lose our ability to detach from our cultural and religious faiths when dealing with opinions, thoughts and ideas. The examples of these two distinct, different streams intersecting, overlapping and conflicting, are unending, but to aid understanding, I would like to delve into a few. Let’s begin with perhaps the most famous; the scandal surrounding Anurag Kashyap’s “Udta Punjab”. The movie strove to display the prevalent drug issue in Punjab but was somehow misconstrued as an endorser of drug abuse and merited 94 cuts by the Central Board of Film Certification. Reading their name, one can tell that their role is merely certifying films based on their content to ensure that the more mature films are prescribed only to the mature audiences. However, they repeatedly have crossed the boundaries of their duties and modified and even rejected films: Indian films that won awards around the world like “Margarita with A Straw”, “The Pink Mirror” and internationally renowned films like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and even “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. The documentary “India’s Daughter” about the brutal, rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in 2012 was also banned. Sexual harassment and assault already being an extremely prevalent issue in the country, education cannot be denied through such mediums. Until people do not understand the horrors committed and the very real, very painful consequences of the same, change will not commence because it must be evoked since it is not being regulated. The story of a victim of one of the country’s largest issues, was banned by the country- and that should be unacceptable. Deviating from this long list, another series of unfortunate, unnecessary events arise. Salman Rushdie’s 1988 novel “Satanic Verses” invited controversy and fallouts from all over the world but India not only banned the book, but even the author until 2015. Despite the book’s connotations, the choice people deserve of reading/not reading or liking/not liking the book was stolen away based on the opinions of the people in power. The book is still banned in India. In the 2st century. In a democracy. If that wasn’t redundant enough, one of India’s finest painters MF Husain, renowned around the world for his work, was forced into exile because the sentiments of religious groups were hurt to the extent that they took to vandalizing his home and art. A man that put India in the global art conversation was forced to flee his country out of fear for his own safety. "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world." Our immense population holds a countless number of words and ideas. They deserve to not only be told without being modified or stripped of their meaning, but heard, without preordained biases, threats and hatred. It is only our reaction to these events that will have any effect. We can witness our country’s ascent to brilliance in all fields, or be bystanders as we trample over that very potential. “And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” Leo Aakash Nair, Editor, Alpha Leo Club of SVKM International. Read more about the program |
Archives
August 2018
Categories
All
|